Time to man up and get rid!

[cjslcfc]

Too similar mate. If good enough, you only need one DM. That way, the other midfielders are free to get forward more.

Not signing a player like Cattermole, for me, was a big mistake. With him in the side, we could have got James/Drinkwater/King getting forward more. Cambiasso is not mobile enough for the role I was advocating pre season. And we look disjointed.

 

I'm unsure if Cambiasso is an out and out DM though?

 

If he had someone like Cattermole behind him doing the tackling and the "dirty work" surely he could restrict his responsibilities to solely the creativity and vision of his passing? He has certainly shown an eye for a pass more than any other of our players (bar maybe Mahrez). He may not seem mobile enough but he has still managed to find himself in the position to score two goals. In fact, I think his defensive work has actually let him down and maybe allowing him further forward to be creative could help? We unfortunately, as you rightly point out, don't have that Cattermole type player to break up play. Some, like James and King, can do this sort of work occasionally but neither are experts at that sort of role. What we don't seem to have is that specialisation required for a balanced team. We have players who can do bits of everything but not many that excel at particular things. Assembling successful teams at this level requires some form of specialisation in that way, e.g having the ball-winning DM (Matic), the midfielder that sets the tempo (Fabregas), the box striker (Costa) etc... 

 

Now I'm not saying we can get anywhere near that sort of player. However, that sort of template creates balance in the side and allows certain people to express themselves. We seem to have lost that balance we had last season. It is a team game and imbalances put pressure on certain areas. At the moment that area for us is the defence. Some of them are not nearly good enough to cope with such pressure.

[kingfox]

Jedinak is having a good season now - he's on the up, but was he as good as this before?

 

Yes.

 

You could see in the Championship that he was a quality midfielder, come the Premier League he just keeps on improving.

[waylander]

best game for a few weeks look at the positives. and cambiasso is our best player scored one involved in the other. yes we can bring someone else in until we do support the team that plays . and back the manager .

[Nalis]

After all the gloom of the 6 weeks or so we are only 1pt off 17th...

[m4DD0gg]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/leicester-eye-tony-pulis-manager-4719064 

[Nalis]

Link doesnt work

[Guest Col city fan]

I've always quite liked your argument that we could do with a blood and thunder midfield enforcer. I like that bit of steel a ball-winner brings to a side, and I'm well aware that under O'Neill we had more than one player who could give us that.

I don't think this was the reason for us losing today, in isolation. I don't think that such a player would have defended set pieces for us, though I think Ulloa might have defended that third goal had he not been taken off. And I don't think he would have helped Vardy take his chances or the full backs close their men down or Mahrez track his man, or whatever.

But I see your way of looking at it, including the Cambiasso thing - though I tend to think he's the least of our worries right now.

I suppose what you're saying is that a player can look perfectly good without necessarily giving the team what it needs most. Sort of like Corica and Joachim at the point when O'Neill moved them on - they were among our favourite players, but we were better without them. In fact, there are plenty more examples of midfield / attacking players who have looked like they're among our top performers, but were hardly missed when we came to move them on. For instance moving out Kelly and Kitson in favour of Wright and Russell up front. Or O'Neill dropping Gunnlaugsson after he appeared to play a stormer (against West Ham?) in 99. Or pretty much any time we've ever dropped Andy King.

And, not so much today but definitely in those Swansea and Newcastle games, we could have done with somebody who upset the opposition a bit more, and reminded them they were in a game. Our midfield had been overridden at times. I suspect a lot of this is to do with constant rotation, but you may well have a point about that ball-winner.

So who is there out there, potentially on the market, who could do that job in your view?

What I'm trying to say is this, though I fear it will fall on deaf ears.

Football is essentially a game of balance, tactical balance. Chelsea this season being the best example I can think of. They have such balance. Hazard on one side, Willian on the other, Fabregas in the centre, there to pull the strings.

This is all underpinned by Matic. If he wasn't there, the attack minded players would have to get back more, Fabregas would see less of the ball, and the balance would go.

We had it last season. There were partnerships all over the pitch. Drinkwater and James knew each other's game. So did Nugent and Vardy. Knocky on one wing, Dyer/Mahrez on the other. Many weeks, the team picked itself.

Now that balance has gone. The team doesn't defend well, nor does it get forward to create enough CLEAR chances. Players who will know can score, are suddenly missing (Vardy), defenders who are usually solid are making errors.

Now, there are rumours of a split in the camp. Not something which was hurled at the squad last season, in fact completely the opposite.

This could be down to the step-up. It could be that those players who shone last season are just not good enough at this level? Not many appear to hold this view though.

So... Cambiasso and Ulloa..neither are poor players. Some suggest the former is our best player. Fair enough. But have they been included to the detriment of this loss of balance? If I were Drinkwater, I think id be peed-off. Last season's best player, forging a lovely partnership with James, has suddenly come to hardly feature in the side. Same with Nugent. A player who instinctively knew Vardy's game and had been our top scorer for the past two seasons, frozen out by Ulloa who currently looks like he couldn't hit a barn door.

Anyway..the result of this..we are bottom, leaking goals and not knowing if we will win again before Christmas.

Something looks wrong on the pitch. And I'm suggesting the balance and the partnerships are being foregone to accomodate two players who, individually are good players, but might not be good 'for the team'.

If anybody has a better explanation then I'm all ears. But please, not just that 'Schlupp is shite' and all that stuff. The problem goes deeper than that.

[MC Prussian]

What I'm trying to say is this, though I fear it will fall on deaf ears.

Football is essentially a game of balance, tactical balance. Chelsea this season being the best example I can think of. They have such balance. Hazard on one side, Willian on the other, Fabregas in the centre, there to pull the strings.

This is all underpinned by Matic. If he wasn't there, the attack minded players would have to get back more, Fabregas would see less of the ball, and the balance would go.

We had it last season. There were partnerships all over the pitch. Drinkwater and James knew each other's game. So did Nugent and Vardy. Knocky on one wing, Dyer/Mahrez on the other. Many weeks, the team picked itself.

Now that balance has gone. The team doesn't defend well, nor does it get forward to create enough CLEAR chances. Players who will know can score, are suddenly missing (Vardy), defenders who are usually solid are making errors.

Now, there are rumours of a split in the camp. Not something which was hurled at the squad last season, in fact completely the opposite.

This could be down to the step-up. It could be that those players who shone last season are just not good enough at this level? Not many appear to hold this view though.

So... Cambiasso and Ulloa..neither are poor players. Some suggest the former is our best player. Fair enough. But have they been included to the detriment of this loss of balance? If I were Drinkwater, I think id be peed-off. Last season's best player, forging a lovely partnership with James, has suddenly come to hardly feature in the side. Same with Nugent. A player who instinctively knew Vardy's game and had been our top scorer for the past two seasons, frozen out by Ulloa who currently looks like he couldn't hit a barn door.

Anyway..the result of this..we are bottom, leaking goals and not knowing if we will win again before Christmas.

Something looks wrong on the pitch. And I'm suggesting the balance and the partnerships are being foregone to accomodate two players who, individually are good players, but might not be good 'for the team'.

If anybody has a better explanation then I'm all ears. But please, not just that 'Schlupp is shite' and all that stuff. The problem goes deeper than that.

 

I'm sorry, but I never said such thing, only that judging by the on-field situation, things aren't "clicking" the way they should/could.

 

Don't start fabricating your own rumours and putting them into circulation.

 

The reason why we did so well last season is because the team and the manager had learnt from sportive letdowns and the majority of the starting eleven was pretty much a given week in, week out - they had gotten to know each other over the course of about two years and managed to overcome failure together, which made them stronger.

 

That was a promotion scenario, now we're dealing with a "not-getting-relegated" one. Maybe the players still don't quite get it and don't know what it takes to focus on survival instead of walking a division. They need motivational training and belief in themselves.

 

Unfortunately, football isn't just about balance, it is also about quality. Although I think we do have skilled footballers at this club, ultimately it might not be enough. Chelsea are a perfect example - they have a proven Premiership manager, and tons of quality within their squad, built with dishing out £££. We can't do that/can't afford that.

 

The sooner we start comparing ourselves to "smaller" teams or teams in our vicinity in the table, the better.

[Guest Col city fan]

I'm sorry, but I never said such thing, only that judging by the on-field situation, things aren't "clicking" the way they should/could.

 

Don't start fabricating your own rumours and putting them into circulation.

 

The reason why we did so well last season is because the team and the manager had learnt from sportive letdowns and the majority of the starting eleven was pretty much a given week in, week out - they had gotten to know each other over the course of about two years and managed to overcome failure together, which made them stronger.

 

That was a promotion scenario, now we're dealing with a "not-getting-relegated" one. Maybe the players still don't quite get it and don't know what it takes to focus on survival instead of walking a division. They need motivational training and belief in themselves.

 

Unfortunately, football isn't just about balance, it is also about quality. Although I think we do have skilled footballers at this club, ultimately it might not be enough. Chelsea are a perfect example - they have a proven Premiership manager, and tons of quality within their squad, built with dishing out £££. We can't do that/can't afford that.

 

The sooner we start comparing ourselves to "smaller" teams or teams in our vicinity in the table, the better.

 

 

 

And that's it..that's your analysis? Why do you think the squad aren't getting that at the moment? What on earth are Pearson and his management team doing if they aren't motivating and instilling self-belief? Cmon, give us something else...

[MC Prussian]

 

I'm sorry, but I never said such thing, only that judging by the on-field situation, things aren't "clicking" the way they should/could.

 

Don't start fabricating your own rumours and putting them into circulation.

 

The reason why we did so well last season is because the team and the manager had learnt from sportive letdowns and the majority of the starting eleven was pretty much a given week in, week out - they had gotten to know each other over the course of about two years and managed to overcome failure together, which made them stronger.

 

That was a promotion scenario, now we're dealing with a "not-getting-relegated" one. Maybe the players still don't quite get it and don't know what it takes to focus on survival instead of walking a division. They need motivational training and belief in themselves.

 

Unfortunately, football isn't just about balance, it is also about quality. Although I think we do have skilled footballers at this club, ultimately it might not be enough. Chelsea are a perfect example - they have a proven Premiership manager, and tons of quality within their squad, built with dishing out £££. We can't do that/can't afford that.

 

The sooner we start comparing ourselves to "smaller" teams or teams in our vicinity in the table, the better.

 

 

 

And that's it..that's your analysis? Why do you think the squad aren't getting that at the moment? What on earth are Pearson and his management team doing if they aren't motivating and instilling self-belief? Cmon, give us something else...

 

Yeah, that's it. Until the January transfer window, that's more or less all we can do because we're stuck with this squad/starting eleven for another month. They have shown they can keep up with top sides, but not so much with so-called "smaller" or financially less potent sides. So they need an incentive to overcome the odds once more.

 

The step-up was always a tough ask. What did you expect? Us competing with the Top Six? C'mon, Colin...

[Guest Col city fan]

Yeah, that's it. Until the January transfer window, that's more or less all we can do because we're stuck with this squad/starting eleven for another month. They have shown they can keep up with top sides, but not so much with so-called "smaller" or financially less potent sides. So they need an incentive to overcome the odds once more.

The step-up was always a tough ask. What did you expect? Us competing with the Top Six? C'mon, Colin...

No..17th..read the threads..

And I still think we'll be 17th at the end. Its my belief Nige will start playing the partnerships again that I alluded to. I hope so anyway.

Lets all hope that Nige and the boys do a turnaround and suddenly start to 'motivate' where they hadn't before? I must be old fashioned? I thought motivation was a given?

[MC Prussian]

No..17th..read the threads..

And I still think we'll be 17th at the end. Its my belief Nige will start playing the partnerships again that I alluded to. I hope so anyway.

That also means us losing more than us winning - which is exactly what we're doing right now.

 

Odd that you seem so baffled by our current league position - if 17th was your aim all along, you must've calculated this scenario of us dropping to the very bottom at least once during the season before.

[Guest Col city fan]

That also means us losing more than us winning - which is exactly what we're doing right now.

Odd that you seem so baffled by our current league position - if 17th was your aim all along, you must've calculated this scenario of us dropping to the very bottom at least once during the season before.

Yes I was. Doesn't mean I can't comment on what I think we are doing wrong. And I said I think we can win on Tuesday, if we go back to doing what we do best.

Unless its all 'motivation'..

[FoxyPalace.com]

We will not win on Tuesday.

[MC Prussian]

Yes I was. Doesn't mean I can't comment on what I think we are doing wrong. And I said I think we can win on Tuesday, if we go back to doing what we do best.

Unless its all 'motivation'..

Then you must've expected Pearson being forced to do some extra motivational training at some point this season yourself - again, why do you act so surprised by it all?

 

And why doesn't that surprise me the slightest?

[Guest Col city fan]

Then you must've expected Pearson being forced to do some extra motivational training at some point this season yourself - again, why do you act so surprised by it all?

And why doesn't that surprise me the slightest?

, you and me are going round in circles again. Back on ignore.. I dont want to, honestly, but you give me little option..

[MC Prussian]

, you and me are going round in circles again. Back on ignore.. I dont want to, honestly, but you give me little option..

Shame you can't face it.

 

So long, Colin.

[StanSP]

To be only 1 point off 17th after horrid run tells me just how bad other teams are/have been too. It also shows, to me, that a couple of wins will get us up out of the relegation zone. I wonder if Burnley fans felt the same way up until a few weeks ago where they only just got their first win. I wonder if Newcastle fans felt the same before their excellent winning streak (aside from their innate hate of Pardew).

 

Just like we weren't going to win every game all season, we will not lose every game this season from now on. We will get a win and I genuinely think it'll be Tuesday. I don't see the point in sacking Pearson right now - it'd be taking a step backwards in my eyes and since when has it ever been fair or worthwhile to sack a manager 3 months in to their Premier League tenure with us after doing so well to get us here in the first place? Perhaps some will say being fair is being too sentimental. Maybe so. But regardless, Pearson deserves his chance and we're not going to get anywhere with such short-termism thinking just because we go through a bad patch and think his time is up.

 

Since we've gone back to 2 wingers, our performances over Sunderland & QPR have been a vast improvement over the previous games where the formation changed and it clearly didn't work or suit our players. 

 

Maybe it's just blind optimism or looking through blue-tinted glasses but it's just how I feel and what I believe right now. At least the players' belief in themselves to score has now come to fruition and that'll help us going forward. 

[johnny the fox]

Matt Elliot on Radio Leicester says Nigel should stay.. suppose he is an Ass licker too...hey ho..but what does he know.....

[ealingfox]

They had 32 chances, we had 18 .... I'd say that means we took around the same proportion of chances and 3-2 was a fair result. 

 

Awful logic. Total shots does not mean chances. Joey Barton shooting from 35 yards is not a chance.

[Bettsj2]

Matt Elliot on Radio Leicester says Nigel should stay.. suppose he is an Ass licker too...hey ho..but what does he know.....

Not an ass licker just never ever going to say anything else.

[Ian S]

Pulis come on down.

You are joking

[johnny the fox]

Not an ass licker just never ever going to say anything else.

what does that actually mean? explain..... Matt Elliot afraid to speak his own mind ..exclusive!

[Clever Fox]

To be only 1 point off 17th after horrid run tells me just how bad other teams are/have been too. It also shows, to me, that a couple of wins will get us up out of the relegation zone. I wonder if Burnley fans felt the same way up until a few weeks ago where they only just got their first win. I wonder if Newcastle fans felt the same before their excellent winning streak (aside from their innate hate of Pardew).

 

Just like we weren't going to win every game all season, we will not lose every game this season from now on. We will get a win and I genuinely think it'll be Tuesday. I don't see the point in sacking Pearson right now - it'd be taking a step backwards in my eyes and since when has it ever been fair or worthwhile to sack a manager 3 months in to their Premier League tenure with us after doing so well to get us here in the first place? Perhaps some will say being fair is being too sentimental. Maybe so. But regardless, Pearson deserves his chance and we're not going to get anywhere with such short-termism thinking just because we go through a bad patch and think his time is up.

 

Since we've gone back to 2 wingers, our performances over Sunderland & QPR have been a vast improvement over the previous games where the formation changed and it clearly didn't work or suit our players. 

 

Maybe it's just blind optimism or looking through blue-tinted glasses but it's just how I feel and what I believe right now. At least the players' belief in themselves to score has now come to fruition and that'll help us going forward. 

 

As I said earlier, who knows what restrictions were placed on Pearson at the start of the season. Football is more a business now than ever it was.

Someone decided to stick with last years squad with the exception of Ulloa and Upson. Whether that was the money men or Pearson we'll probably never know. If it was Pearson then he underestimated the task. As for the players, some rise to the challenge others wilt under th pressure. It's only by playing in the Prem can Pearson really find out what he's got. By January he'll really know what we need. I know it's not a great time to buy which is why I believe we will loan in some experienced players who are not getting a game at their own club.

To get rid of Pearson before the seasons over would set the club back years in my view unless we can get someone with a true proven record.

I genuinely believe Nigel will turn it around, even if some of his formations and selections have been strange to say the least. But it might get worse before it gets better from January on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Webbo]

what does that actually mean? explain..... Matt Elliot afraid to speak his own mind ..exclusive!

Nobody on RL is going to say the manager has to be sacked when they're dealing with the club everyday.