Leicester

[El Rojo]

All this talk of thirst-inducing crisps is making me want to drink water.

[Kloppite]

Just looking at Leicestershire stats and fuck me it's amazing how they have won the league.

 

Possession 42% -18 th

Passes 12586 18th

Passing accuracy 70% - 20th

 

But

Goals 64 - 3rd

Passes into final 3rd 2719 1st

[easytoslip]

Nigel Pearson was the real genius behind this.

I have a lodger from Leicester and fan, he said that too.

[easytoslip]

they done it The (70s & 80s) Liverpool Way and bought from lower leagues with a great scouting Yenetwork.Yes in some ways I agree , Ive said on another thread that surely there is some players in the lower leagues that we could look into and buy just to do a job in defence , just a stopper even as opposed to what we have now . Scouting of old days as you've said. Come back Mr Twentyman.

 

Instead of spunking 32 million on the Firmino's of this world.........maybe buy 32 x £1m valued players from (so called) lesser leagues,pay them a couple grand a week and maybe keep the 5/6 who are actually good enough? play the numbers game Jurgy lad!

 

PL clubs are fucking idiots! if you won £50m on lottery it doesnt mean you have to spend the lot in one or two goes.................fools

 

congratulations to The Foxes...............a wonderful story !!!!!!!!!!

[easytoslip]

Don't know what happened there with that reply but it's ended up in the middle of your post,

[Denny Crane]

I thought one of the interesting numbers on Leicester was two clean sheets up to the new year followed by 9 more since with games left. 

[billypilgrimnz]

And finished with more points.

Well, I'm glad we won the "Won More Points than Leicester Did When They Won the League and We Didn't" trophy. Was worried there for a second.

[Pureblood]

Well, I'm glad we won the "Won More Points than Leicester Did When They Won the League and We Didn't" trophy. Was worried there for a second.

That's good news. If you're glad then so am I.

[Dr Nowt]

That Leicester side were made in Pearson's image. I went to see them in the Championship a couple of years ago and they were very similar then.

 

He bought the vast majority of players, drilled them to within an inch of their lives and instilled the grit and bite they've shown in recent times. A lot of the mocking and failure to give him any credit from much of the media is simply because he's not well liked, whether the reason for that is seen as justified or not.

 

That all said, Ranieri has done a great job in many ways and taken them on far beyond what Pearson could ever have done with his own creation. Not least great man-management, the skilful way he's played the press, refused to be drawn on what Leicester could achieve so as to keep pressure off his players and the club generally, projected the total calm of a man at ease with the situation, etc. It's a credit to him alone and a sign of his wisdom that he's played to and merely evolved their existing strengths rather than changing everything overnight, which many managers' egos would never allow.

 

Though among his tactical flexibility Ranieri has often played defensive teams and at Chelsea from memory often had them set-up in a 4-4-2, I always think it's interesting when a coach with a more continental approach generally inherits a well-drilled, solid side - and especially back four - from a classically British sergeant major type, as especially in the first season or two that seems to be the optimum period for the best of both worlds.

 

Wenger acquired a back five like few others from George Graham and laid more flair over it elsewhere. Brown Shoes in his first year at Everton was also left something he'll never be able to build himself, but similarly added something his predecessor is totally incapable of. Now Ranieri has had the benefit of what Pearson built but did something with it he wouldn't have been able to.

 

Be interesting to see if and how they change/adapt their game over the coming seasons, even without the massive culture shock of Champions League football to factor in you could see it happening. Bizarrely you could also easily see a situation developing which leads to Ranieri being sacked in the next 18 months, the sport being what it is.

 

As Ken Touken once sagely observed to Dennis Pennis through a mouthful of crisps; "That's football, I love it."

[Redder Lurtz]

Got to love the BBC's TV report yesterday about the owners of Leicester City flying in to "Leicester's "humble" training ground" when the reality is that they have some of the best training facilities in Europe at their disposal.

 

Yes their squad was cheap but let's not be under any illusion that they're forced to run around pulling tractor tyres to keep fit. 

[Dr Nowt]

Letterbocks-esque this, but hope it's true.

 

[Trumo]

Given how the top 4 teams have each played 36 games, you can see their points tallies after each lot of 9 games.
 
TEAM........................1st 9........2nd 9........3rd 9........4th 9
Leicester.....................16.............22.............18............21

Tottenham...................14.............18.............22...........16

Arsenal.......................19.............17.............15............16

Man City......................21.............14.............12...........17

 

My own personal view is that any team that wants to challenge should be looking to average at least 2 points per game. Leicester have equalled or bettered that in 3 lots of 9 games, and were only just shy of that in the other. Leicester and Spurs actually matched each other in 3 of the 4 lots but it's Spurs' slightly weaker start and much weaker finish that have really done for them. You can see the typical Arsenal fast start followed by a nosedive in form as the clocks go back, followed by an uplift once the clocks go forward again. Clearly they hate the orange ball. City started brilliantly but have been pretty woeful ever since. No wonder they sit 13 points behind the champions at the moment.

[magicrat]

Given how the top 4 teams have each played 36 games, you can see their points tallies after each lot of 9 games.

 

TEAM........................1st 9........2nd 9........3rd 9........4th 9

Leicester.....................16.............22.............18............21

Tottenham...................14.............18.............22...........16

Arsenal.......................19.............17.............15............16

Man City......................21.............14.............12...........17

 

My own personal view is that any team that wants to challenge should be looking to average at least 2 points per game. Leicester have equalled or bettered that in 3 lots of 9 games, and were only just shy of that in the other. Leicester and Spurs actually matched each other in 3 of the 4 lots but it's Spurs' slightly weaker start and much weaker finish that have really done for them. You can see the typical Arsenal fast start followed by a nosedive in form as the clocks go back, followed by an uplift once the clocks go forward again. Clearly they hate the orange ball. City started brilliantly but have been pretty woeful ever since. No wonder they sit 13 points behind the champions at the moment.

 

I'm not big on stats but lets say Leicester get 80 points. Utd have won it twice with 80 points this century but every other year its taken at least 86 . So whilst Leicester where lucky insomuch none of the bigger clubs could put a run together in the league their tally is still respectable and not a complete freak that they have ended up on top.. That said you need to be aiming at 86 min to have real prospect of being champions which is 2,26 pts per game

2 points per game will just get you top 4 most seasons . 

[navbasi]

Players’ chief wants knighthoods for Vardy and co.

 

Each member of Leicester’s Premier League title-winning squad should receive knighthoods, according to Gordon Taylor. Taylor, the Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive, believes Leicester’s memorable title victory, should result in each of their players being individually recognised. Only the British players would qualify for a knighthood – Sir Jamie Vardy, Sir Danny Simpson and Sir Andy King – while the overseas players could receive honorary knighthoods. Taylor believes each player deserves recognition.

 

“It goes beyond football what they’ve done,” Taylor told the Daily Mail. “It remains to be seen if the choice to add them to the honours list comes from The Cabinet, but I would hope so. As football goes it’s probably, in my lifetime, one of the finest achievements I’ve seen. “Special success stories come from different areas of life. Leicester have shown that sport and football are a very important part of the fabric of this country. They give hope to any team who think they can never make it to top.

 

“For the PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez to have gone from the French Ligue 2, to failing in a trial at St Mirren, to show the resilience and belief to become the Premier League’s best player. “For Vardy to get released by Sheffield Wednesday, go to Stocksbridge Park Steels to Halifax Town and Fleetwood, to go on trial at Crewe and not be taken on, then suddenly he achieves the record of consecutive Premier League goals and is one of the country’s leading scorers.

 

“For Kasper Schmeichel to live and play under the shadow of his father, Peter — it’s never easy to be a famous footballer’s son. There are inspirational stories from every team member, I could name them all.

“They deserve all the credit they can get. The sum of their whole is so much greater than the individuals. That’s what football and life is all about — being a team.”

 

http://www.football365.com/news/players-chief-wants-knighthoods-for-vardy-and-co

[Pureblood]

Nah. Nurses deserve knighthoods. Not footballers.

[Total Longo]

Wish they'd just do one. Sick of it all already. 

[Adebisi]

Can't take anything away from Leicester and what they've achieved, it's an incredible achievement and it's made me realise what I love so much about football, but it's not just a case of a small group of misfits and bargain buys winning the PL. So much more was going on behind the scenes.

A victory for football, but also sports science, togetherness and human bonding. I usually roll my eyes at that kind of talk, but Leicester proved teamwork makes the dream work. Hoping this story can inspire millions and not just in football.

[Section_31]

Gordon Taylor in bellwhiff shocker

[Lee909]

What a twat

[RoboRiise]

Letterbocks-esque this, but hope it's true.

 

 

There was a piece in the papers yesterday with a quote from Ranieri. He said 'I am very, very happy now because maybe if I won this title at the beginning of my career maybe I would forget.  Now I am an old man I can feel it much better.'

 

I think Ranieri is one of the reasons so many people seem to have found it easy to enjoy the spectacle of Leicester's success because he comes across as a genuinely down-to-earth and likeable bloke.  If they'd been managed by some arsewipe like Mourinho, I'm sure people would still recognise the magnitude of the achivement but I doubt there would have been a similar outpouring of goodwill.

 

I've always had time for him from back when he was managing Fiorentina, a side who never really hit the heights that they possibly should have done but played some great football.  He's also been shafted a few times in his long career by owners, most notably at Chelsea when Abramovic took over and when he took the Leicester job, it's probably fair to say that he was as much of a cast-off as some of his players following his spell in charge of Greece.

 

However Gordon Taylor is indeed a twat.

[stringvest]

to be fair, he's equating it to the cricketers who get knighted after winning a couple of games. 

[3 Stacks]

Crazy how the guy who built most of the side can't even get a job. He must be an even bigger cunt then he looks.

[Dr Nowt]

There was a piece in the papers yesterday with a quote from Ranieri. He said 'I am very, very happy now because maybe if I won this title at the beginning of my career maybe I would forget. Now I am an old man I can feel it much better.'

 

I think Ranieri is one of the reasons so many people seem to have found it easy to enjoy the spectacle of Leicester's success because he comes across as a genuinely down-to-earth and likeable bloke. If they'd been managed by some arsewipe like Mourinho, I'm sure people would still recognise the magnitude of the achivement but I doubt there would have been a similar outpouring of goodwill.

 

I've always had time for him from back when he was managing Fiorentina, a side who never really hit the heights that they possibly should have done but played some great football. He's also been shafted a few times in his long career by owners, most notably at Chelsea when Abramovic took over and when he took the Leicester job, it's probably fair to say that he was as much of a cast-off as some of his players following his spell in charge of Greece.

 

However Gordon Taylor is indeed a twat.

Good to see you posting, mate.

 

Yes indeed, Ranieri's not well liked all over for nowt. Always came across as a class act at Chelsea, so much so he never suited the regime of the mobster and Kenyon at all, and it was quite fitting they fucked him over as they did.

 

Can't think of another who'd be such a universally popular winner, as you say.

[Strontium]

One week later and this shit is still totally fucking bananas.

[liverpoolsno9]

Mahrez is a fuckin good player, but I think he comes across as a bit of a cunt.