Leicester City v West Bromwich Albion post match thread 0 - 1

[Bert]

Seems like it doesn't matter if we never score again as long as everyone works hard. This is the pits at the moment. We're throwing it all away.

West Brom worked harder than us today, we simply just didn't do enough.

[hamptonfox]

When you think the opposition is poor, yet you lose at home to them, then you also have to look at yourself, and how you are going to be better than poor.

 

4 Centre Mids looked a hopeless selection, how are you going to create, when you don't have any width, and unfortunately at this level there isn't a regularly progressive midfielder that can go box to box and has a shot/goal in him.

 

There is far to much passing across the pitch, back to the defence, back to the keeper, to keep possession, and then when we seek to go forward the opposition are planted in place ready to lock us out,

 

Far to slow in the build up, and ifs that's to be our style (a la Swansea) then we also need players in midfield threading cute balls through to active, busy threatening forwards and wide players - I don't see this happening at Leicester.

 

Mahrez, Vardy, Powell behind Ulloa would be my choice (at the moment!) - with two holding midfielders supporting.

 

It really stuck in the craw walking back into the city to be surrounded by gloating Baggies fans, who's team had really got away with it today.

 

 

[LCFC Rennie]

Powell looked excellent to be honest.

[GingerrrFox]

The most infuriating part of today was seeing two intelligent players being limited by those around them. Cambiasso and Powell.

Cambiasso's legs are clearly not what they were but he reads the game so well, the amount of times he offered himself as an option for a simple 5 yard pass to De Laet and Konchesky only for them to lump the ball long was beyond a joke. He sees the game and anticipates his team mates to make the move they should make but are too slow or not intelligent enough to do so. The amount of times he was looking for players to make the right run for them not too was well into double figures.

The same can be said for Powell when he came on with 10 minutes left to go you could see instantly that he has the potential to be some player, he made smart movements to show for the ball only to be ignored and the ball to be lumped 30 yards forward. He made one scything pass to King in the box that was more beneficial than anything Nugent did all game. That is the difference between a Premiership player and a Chanpionship one.

The game is fine margins at this level and some of our players drastically need to make the step up. Saying that I thought Wasyl had a stand out game considering it was his first time at this level.

[ealingfox]

Playing Nugent has to stop, it really does. He carries absolutely zero attacking threat. You can babble on about vague notions of scoring penalties, link-up play and work rate all you want, its a load of bollocks. Anyone can provide that.

 

I feel for him because I'm sure he's a nice bloke, he's broadly genuine and he works hard but he is nowhere near PL standard, and missing so many of those small but very significant increments of quality you need to be considered PL standard. He's only a top 10 Championship strikers. His record from open play since even the start of last season is sub-par.

[Guest ttfn]

This is not going to be very popular with one poster in particular, but for me we've been guilty in at least 2 of the last 3 games of showing the opposition TOO MUCH respect.

Both the Newcastle and West Brom games were characterised by us setting up to be hard to beat (4 CMs today, 4-5-1 at Newcastle), but in both games we ended up getting sucker-punched - at Newcastle by a well-executed counter attack and today by a freak own goal the likes of which I have never seen before in 20 years of watching football.

This is the problem with setting up - first and foremost - not to lose. All it takes is one moment of good play from the opposition or a moment of bad luck and your plan goes completely out of the window.

As far as I am concerned, we have to treat every game against sides who finished outside of last season's top 8 as games that we should be setting out trying to win as the priority - not trying to "establish a good baseline performance" (as Pearson put it in positively Dychian fashion).

Sure, we'll get some games like Swansea where we're outclassed by a better side and well beaten, but we will also stand a far higher chance of winning against sides like West Brom. We cannot afford to go into home games against sides likely to finish in the bottom 8-12 trying to stifle them as a priority. We do have enough in the squad to worry sides of that standard but we are not using it properly because we're concentrating on stopping their play first and foremost.

[Guest ttfn]

Playing Nugent has to stop, it really does. He carries absolutely zero attacking threat. You can babble on about vague notions of scoring penalties, link-up play and work rate all you want, its a load of bollocks. Anyone can provide that.

I feel for him because I'm sure he's a nice bloke, he's broadly genuine and he works hard but he is nowhere near PL standard, and missing so many of those small but very significant increments of quality you need to be considered PL standard. He's only a top 10 Championship strikers. His record from open play since even the start of last season is sub-par.

Yeah today was the final straw as far as I am concerned with Nugent. I've completely lost faith in him as being good enough for this level which is a shame because I thought that with a good season last year under his belt and a point to prove he'd be a real asset.

But the cold hard truth is that he is not good enough. His touch is not good enough but primarily his problem is that he is glacially slow to execute once he does get hold of the ball. It takes him so long to decide what he's going to do that Premier League defenders are easily able to pinch the ball off him before he can do anything with it.

[Guest ttfn]

Seems like it doesn't matter if we never score again as long as everyone works hard. This is the pits at the moment. We're throwing it all away.

You've basically summed it up.

This reminds me so much of that Feb-April 2013 run. Today was like the Millwall game in that run - you think that it's a great chance of a fresh start with an eminently winnable home game after what appears to have been a nadir and something unbelievably ridiculous happens to fvck us over (for Cambiasso own goal read 2nd minute Morgan red card).

Sadly the Millwall game was directly followed by the infamous Barnsley debacle. Fingers crossed that the Saints game won't be like that.

[Guest Col city fan]

Yeah today was the final straw as far as I am concerned with Nugent. I've completely lost faith in him as being good enough for this level which is a shame because I thought that with a good season last year under his belt and a point to prove he'd be a real asset.

But the cold hard truth is that he is not good enough. His touch is not good enough but primarily his problem is that he is glacially slow to execute once he does get hold of the ball. It takes him so long to decide what he's going to do that Premier League defenders are easily able to pinch the ball off him before he can do anything with it.

Again..why focus on Nugent? As far as I could see, Konchesky had a stinker, Danny Drinkwater looks a shadow of the player he was and Kasper is showing real weaknesses this season. The team is playing very poorly, King missed a sitter with his head and Pearson's tactics are frankly, bizarre.

But no, let's focus on Nugent... Fair enough, he was pants today..but so were many others.

[ADK]

The most infuriating part of today was seeing two intelligent players being limited by those around them. Cambiasso and Powell.

Cambiasso's legs are clearly not what they were but he reads the game so well, the amount of times he offered himself as an option for a simple 5 yard pass to De Laet and Konchesky only for them to lump the ball long was beyond a joke. He sees the game and anticipates his team mates to make the move they should make but are too slow or not intelligent enough to do so. The amount of times he was looking for players to make the right run for them not too was well into double figures.

The same can be said for Powell when he came on with 10 minutes left to go you could see instantly that he has the potential to be some player, he made smart movements to show for the ball only to be ignored and the ball to be lumped 30 yards forward. He made one scything pass to King in the box that was more beneficial than anything Nugent did all game. That is the difference between a Premiership player and a Chanpionship one.

The game is fine margins at this level and some of our players drastically need to make the step up. Saying that I thought Wasyl had a stand out game considering it was his first time at this level.

 

I noticed this too. Also Powell made a good run inside Chris wood near the end but Wood had already decided he was going to try and do a 180 pivot and shoot a half a volley from outside the area rather than sliding the ball in. Too many of our players lack either the vision to pick out team mates movement or to make their own space, instead standing around like donkeys and passing sideways or backwards.

 

You could tell at times that Cambiasso wasn't enjoying it.

[Fez of Mahrez]

This is not going to be very popular with one poster in particular, but for me we've been guilty in at least 2 of the last 3 games of showing the opposition TOO MUCH respect.

Both the Newcastle and West Brom games were characterised by us setting up to be hard to beat (4 CMs today, 4-5-1 at Newcastle), but in both games we ended up getting sucker-punched - at Newcastle by a well-executed counter attack and today by a freak own goal the likes of which I have never seen before in 20 years of watching football.

This is the problem with setting up - first and foremost - not to lose. All it takes is one moment of good play from the opposition or a moment of bad luck and your plan goes completely out of the window.

As far as I am concerned, we have to treat every game against sides who finished outside of last season's top 8 as games that we should be setting out trying to win as the priority - not trying to "establish a good baseline performance" (as Pearson put it in positively Dychian fashion).

Sure, we'll get some games like Swansea where we're outclassed by a better side and well beaten, but we will also stand a far higher chance of winning against sides like West Brom. We cannot afford to go into home games against sides likely to finish in the bottom 8-12 trying to stifle them as a priority. We do have enough in the squad to worry sides of that standard but we are not using it properly because we're concentrating on stopping their play first and foremost.

I'm on my phone else I'd just +1 this but instead I'm going to do that irritating thing where people quote something really long just to say...

Good post.

[Guest ttfn]

Again..why focus on Nugent? As far as I could see, Konchesky had a stinker, Danny Drinkwater looks a shadow of the player he was and Kasper is showing real weaknesses this season. The team is playing very poorly, King missed a sitter with his head and Pearson's tactics are frankly, bizarre.

But no, let's focus on Nugent... Fair enough, he was pants today..but so were many others.

I'm not talking about Nugent today - that was the final straw as far as I was concerned (I said as much in the original post).

It's painfully obvious that he isn't good enough.

Agree about the other 3 players. I'm not singling out anybody - somebody else posted about Nugent and I agreed with them that he is not good enough, which is sad because I really thought he'd be a valuable player for us.

[Fez of Mahrez]

Again..why focus on Nugent? As far as I could see, Konchesky had a stinker, Danny Drinkwater looks a shadow of the player he was and Kasper is showing real weaknesses this season. The team is playing very poorly, King missed a sitter with his head and Pearson's tactics are frankly, bizarre.

But no, let's focus on Nugent... Fair enough, he was pants today..but so were many others.

Because we had better players in that position on the bench?

Because goalscoring is our main problem at the moment?

Because we're not creating chances?

The list is longer than the number of positive contributions Nugent has made to our attacking play this season.

[Guest Col city fan]

I'm not talking about Nugent today - that was the final straw as far as I was concerned (I said as much in the original post).

It's painfully obvious that he isn't good enough.

Agree about the other 3 players. I'm not singling out anybody - somebody else posted about Nugent and I agreed with them that he is not good enough, which is sad because I really thought he'd be a valuable player for us.

Which of these players ARE good enough? Two goals and one point out of 5 matches? Genuine question?

[roger the dodger]

not up to this level get rid

[LCFCSOULBOY]

Absolutely no passion. Starts with old Nige. Sitting in the stands like a stuffed lemon. Martin O'Neil's passion ran through the team. Big difference in a big theatre.

The team looks lost for what to do. No imagination. Team has speed, but they do not use that pace.

No passing forward, Just string passes in retreat and in their own half. Nothing going forward

No over lapping runs.

Vardy lashhes forward to receive the long ball. The one only time he actually gets the ball in 70 minutes there is no one to pass to in the box.

Nugent.........do I need to explain? has not beaten anybody one on one near or around the box and gives the ball away every time around the box when making a stupid pass. Also thinks his soft touches are good. Pathetic. Always short.

The long ball. What year is this. 1980?

Nobody can pop a ball in with pace and purpose. Just cross and pray something may happen. Not good enough.

The honeymoon is over folks. Most teams that come up into the Premier League have a couple of good results first games of the season. Always do. Remember Burnly beat Manchester Utd couple of season back on the first day, and then went down.

Drastick changes are needed.

The other teams and caught onto us.

Nige said Burnly aren't as good as last season. Well in the second half of their game with us they were sure better than us. We haven't recovered since. Nige I think it is us who are no better.

Sorry about the rant. I am going for a drink. Need to calm down. bye for now take care all.

 

[Guest ttfn]

Which of these players ARE good enough? Two goals and one point out of 5 matches? Genuine question?

At the moment, not many. I feel confident that King, Mahrez, Vardy, Morgan and Ulloa can hold their own at this level. With time I think others will join them.

Like I say, somebody posted about Nugent and I replied...about Nugent.

[Corky]

Just a poor game settled by an own goal, neither keeper had a serious save to make and a comical mix-up won what should've been a dull 0-0 draw.

 

Defensively we looked better, the midfield were too slow in getting the ball at times then getting in each other's way, we combined some good build up with aimless balls forward to no avail.

 

Worrying run of not scoring and not really looking like doing so, I do believe we can turn this around and probably will play a blinder next week. I've no idea how we'll set up, if we go there for a draw we'll get torn apart, if we really go for it they'll no doubt pass it around us.

 

The players lack confidence and the crowd didn't help.

[Larry_LCFC]

It has to be said, I want to see Nigel out of the directors box and on the touchline. It worked when we were sat comfortably in the championship, but right now he needs to be where the players can see him when they aren't performing.

[ScouseFox]

This is not going to be very popular with one poster in particular, but for me we've been guilty in at least 2 of the last 3 games of showing the opposition TOO MUCH respect.

Both the Newcastle and West Brom games were characterised by us setting up to be hard to beat (4 CMs today, 4-5-1 at Newcastle), but in both games we ended up getting sucker-punched - at Newcastle by a well-executed counter attack and today by a freak own goal the likes of which I have never seen before in 20 years of watching football.

This is the problem with setting up - first and foremost - not to lose. All it takes is one moment of good play from the opposition or a moment of bad luck and your plan goes completely out of the window.

As far as I am concerned, we have to treat every game against sides who finished outside of last season's top 8 as games that we should be setting out trying to win as the priority - not trying to "establish a good baseline performance" (as Pearson put it in positively Dychian fashion).

Sure, we'll get some games like Swansea where we're outclassed by a better side and well beaten, but we will also stand a far higher chance of winning against sides like West Brom. We cannot afford to go into home games against sides likely to finish in the bottom 8-12 trying to stifle them as a priority. We do have enough in the squad to worry sides of that standard but we are not using it properly because we're concentrating on stopping their play first and foremost.

+10

i might just stop posting in this section an let you do it all for me

[sdb]

Given myself a few hours to think the game through...

 

Absolutely fooking woeful, and i'm worried now that this 10 year wait is going to be in vein. Not just because we'll likely go down, not because we have a right to be here, but because we've abandoned what makes us a great team and in turn completely lost any quality, consistency or form. 

 

Correct me if i'm wrong, but in every game we've got something from this season, we've set up with a positive apporach. In contrast, every game we've set up to 'not lose', we've lost. I don't recall chopping and changing the side last season when we broke records, nor have I seen any merit in setting up with an 'avoid defeat mentality' ever, and especially over the last month which has been dire viewing. 

 

The team and system is constantly being changed. Just becasue we lost at Palace doesn't mean that set up was wrong in the long term. Since then we've kept trying new systems. Players look lost, better players are missing out whilst poor performers stay in. 

 

Today's line up was always going to be a disaster. 2 very unreliable full backs having to do all he work out wide, leaving 2 centre backs completely eposed to one of the fastest front lines in the division? Nugent starting after weeks of being completely ineffective (like the guy, but doesn't warrant a start atm). Mahrez not used, Knocky nowhere to be seen? Luckily RDL was right on his game today because it could've been a lot worse. Poor Konchesky had as few passing options in a game as i've ever seen before. 

 

I'm pretty sure that we'll now be low not just on confidence, but also on an understanding on what system we play next. At one corner in the first half Nugent was left with 3 players to mark at a corner - he was totally bemused. This is not the Leicester we've come to know under NP. Something has changed and it's having a rotten effect on the side. 

 

Sort it out - quick.

[Master Fox]

Powell looked excellent to be honest.

Surely Powell has to start the next game? Sounds like Ulloa had another spectacularly insipid performance again.

It's looking more evident each week our real problems lay in the midfield and the setup Pearson is going with. We lack so much creativity and fight. Deeply depressing how far we've sunk.

[LCFCFOX6190]

Nuge wanted a 3 year contract 

[Callabinho]

I've just seen what Lawro said pre game, "Leicester only need to turn up and they will win" oh dear.....

[Burbo17J2]

The players need a bollocking... Hairdryer treatment... Stop trying to keep them all happy and tell them what they have to do... And THEN you will get a reaction