Rubbish. For a start it's irrelevant that the team have been in the Prem because they're mostly going to need to be replaced. Makes no difference how many seasons someone has owned a club in the Prem either, it depends solely on how good of a businessman they are and who they trust to spend their money, get the right man be success but the wrong man and down you go. It's not too complicated! If anything it would be more difficult to run a club that has invested heavily and subsequently has had to cut back drastic in I order to meet FFP but they've succeeded in putting us in a very good position by showing faith in Pearson. They made a mistake with Sven but have learnt from it and now I'm very confident about the direction they're taking us. I don't think they'll find it too hard to adapt to life in the elite league but cheers for your concern!
Factually correct in all aspects ... it could also be referred to as 'light hearted banter' from a group of fans enjoying some time in the sun after many years of being under a cloud ... so what? Written as plural but when elaborated appears to relate solely to your team ... unless you care to cite other examples? ... once more your comments seem to reflect your own particular experience rather than having any universal application ... and let what unfold exactly ... the normal cycle of football? woooooooh ... the sweet uncertainty of whether a promoted team can handle the next level? ... like Swansea or Southampton ... or again, back to you, QPR? ... Anyway - thanks for your concern ... one thing I do have a feel for is that, if we do get up, we won't be signing a bunch of non first choice squad members from other Prem teams as a survival tactic ... clearly not Nigel Pearson's modus operandi ... but thanks for your concern about us nevertheless
I'm not a fan of FFP myself - it's like shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted ... but I suspect it will be introduced and with measures to combat flagrant dereliction ... so we'll have to differ on this ... if I'm right then the wealth of individual owners will be irrelevant ... despite ours being more than wealthy enough to bankroll a successful Prem side ... everything else being equal... I think this come down to defining 'depth' .. you have players on loan ... therefore not yours ... we have incredibly good U-21 and U18 academy sides competing successfully against those of the Champions League contenders in this country ... our current first team squad contains 3 players that have come through these ranks, Andy King (full Welsh international), Jeff Schlupp (full Ghana international) and Liam Moore (England U18/21 international and being tipped as a future full international) ... so we'll have to agree to disagree on this one ... I'm more optimistic about my clubs future and 'model' at this point than perhaps I've been in over 40 years supporting them .... ... as it was for Swansea and Southampton ... fact is nobody knows ... and the uncertainty is what makes the journey exciting ...
On a serious note and pushing the banter/squabbling aside for a second, it must be very pleasing seeing your team, that is largely identical to the one you had last season, maturing and becoming the best team in the league in their own right? As opposed to spending and bringing in some big names I mean. There's noting more satisfying in football, in my opinion anyway, than seeing your team learn, develop over time and become good at their trade. I don't know who wrote that article in the OP nor do I care, but I do know this. The year we went up our preseason was ruined by the then owners who wouldn't allow COLIN sign any players and then when the takeover did happen, it happened too late and we ended up panic buying. Big names on big wages. It didn't work. Norwich and Swansea on the other hand kept their Championship squads together and merely supplemented them with a couple of astute signings with some quality. The two of them had no problem at all with the step up and they both finished mid-table. They did so again last year I think? And of course the Swans won the Cup and qualified for Europe. So boys, when you do go up - and you will - look at what has worked for Clubs in the past and what hasn't. Keep your squad together and go with what you have because the momentum will be with them and they will be good enough. Just add a tinsy bit of quality in key ares, no more than 3 or 4 signings over the whole squad, and you'll reap the rewards. Team spirit and a peaceful dressing room cannot be overestimated in this game. Bringing in big egos on big money like we did is toxic. It destroys everything that has been built. Its totally disastrous. I think the Foxes will be more than capable at the top table if they follow that simple principle.
Thanks for the comments Swords - ... it is pleasing to have fundamentally the same squad but there has been a lot of 'coming of age' ... players like Vardy, Moore and Schlupp were not used during our disastrous run of form (indeed Schlupp being recalled from Man United arguably saved our season in terms of at least reaching the play-offs) ... Drinkwater, James and Knockaert have come on no end in terms of maturity and confidence ... ... as we've witnessed with the likes of Beckford, Danns, Mills and Bamba - Nigel Pearson doesn't reall do 'egos' ... so I don't think he will be rushing out to buy players with 'history' on that front ... but I do hope he realises that we will need an infusion of real quality in several positions and, if that is the case, he may also need to adapt his tolerance levels of 'bigger personalities' ..
Swords - no squabbling with your comment here. There appears a togetherness at the club that I have not seen since the Martin O'Neill days. IF we get promoted, we will need to strengthen to hold our own (avoid relegation), but we have one of the best scouts (assistant manager) in Steve Walsh who has come up with some gems. I dont think we would spend large, but continue with the policy that has more recently been adopted. I have been amazed by the progress the team has made, and I commented pre-season that I hoped for nothing more than mid-table for this season. The credit has to go to our management team for being strong and pursuing a policy which I for one did not believe would bring success. I was wrong. Again, IF we get promoted, we will be one of the favourites for relegation, and rightly so. We think the Championship is tough ................
Swords It has been really pleasing to see them develop and their confidence grow. They're clearly a tight group & really pulling together, the painful experience of last year is driving them on as a unit, which is very important. It could've gone either way. I am thoroughly enjoying our run but for all of the 'mind the gap' banter am taking nothing for granted or getting too confident, and not many are yet. When they're not being wound up by Queenie most of our forum is full of 'it's currently great but still a long way to go'. Last years disaster is still raw in our minds. Although I do believe we are better equipped, more mature, call it what you like, to deal with a hiccup/dip in form/winning MOTM this year. Appreciate your confidence of when we go up but I'm sticking with if for now, but if we do I hope the owners have worked out big money & big names doesn't result in big results. There have been teams where that's worked but for the majority it doesn't. We'd need, as you say to add some quality in a few areas but maintain a squad that is working together. And equally as you've stated that all concerned have a good look at what has worked for other recently promoted teams. It's one thing getting up, staying up is a whole different challenge. I think we have a grounded management team who will look to learn at what works. We've still got to get there before this become a 'problem' though. Still time for anything to happen yet and in football it usually does!! And to reciprocate your kind words, I still think you will be going up. I think the playoffs will be between Burnley & Forest. Derby are a good young side but I think they need another year together.
A good post Swords. The one big difference for me is the reaction of a result. Under Sven, if we were to win it would be met with a mere clap and a well done. Now when we win it's a big achievement, the fans are much more positive and it shows in our performances. The final whistle against Bolton was met with thunderous applause, chanting and excitement. The reaction on Saturday was as though we'd won the league already. The same could be said with negative results. Anything less than a win meant boos and jeers throughout the terraces. It was awful to be a part of. I shan't imagine we'd make drastic changes should we go up. I've been told we're looking at Aaron Cresswell, who for me, is the best left back in the division and Ipswich fans will testify that fact. He'd fit like a glove here too. I imagine we'd sign a left back, a Tom Huddlestone type midfielder, a winger and a striker. I don't think we're far off being a solid Premier League side. Not solely based on talent but based on team ethic and a will to win. Something that is missing in sides like West Ham who are underachieving. You see the difference Andy Carroll makes to them, he might not be the most talented footballer but he works darned hard for them and is a player a lot of sides should envy. One player who I think would fit in is Scott Parker on a one year deal. I think he'd fit right in with Drinks and James.
He's the type you need in that league IMO. Someone who can protect the defense and the ball. If you do neither you're likely to take a battering.
We already have that in Danny Drinkwater Huddlestone was an amazing signing for Hull. Ability wise Arsenal and Man City apart he would walk straight into anyones midfield. He injuries and lack of mobility costs him IMO. He should be given a chance by Roy Hodgson aswell
.. for me, we need to take Huddlestone, Lallana, Barkley, Wilshire and Townsend to the world cup ... all technically gifted players comfortable on the ball ... which we will need if we are to compete in Brazil ... they all have goals in them too (to differing extents) ... I'd happily leave Lampard, Milner, Carrick, Barry and, most of all, Ashley 'artistic merit' Young behind instead ...
I would hope Lallana and Barkley go, would net me a nice £1,300 I agree with you apart from Townsend. Don't rate him at all.
All your responses are interesting and make perfect sense. This sentence from you Filberto seems to be running through everyone's responses and you know what, you know your team/Club better than me so I'm not going to argue with you. All I can go on is my own experience of when we went up a few years ago and the crucial thing I learned is this: The Premiership is overrated. Now lets be honest. The Championship is a pretty bad standard. Its full of hatchet men, lung busters and hackers. Its an extremely difficult division to get out of but the quality of football is very poor. However, the bottom half of the Prem is not much better! Seriously, if you watch the lower teams each week, their football is no better than your own. The mistake teams coming up can make is that because they witnessed so few "quality" games in their Promo season, most of them being wars of attrition rather than football matches, they feel that they have to improve immensely in the quality department to stand a chance of competing in the Prem. This is actually a bit of an illusion IMO. When you're top of the NPC, every team plays out of their skins to beat you and although they're limited sides, they through every kind of spanner they can find into the works to frustrate, disrupt and wear you down. The result is generally low quality games which, although you're winning most of them, it feels like every week you're bludgeoning teams into submission rather than outplaying them as such. This won't be the case next season. No, what you'll almost certainly find is that your team will have a bit more room to play because the oppositions emphasis is now on beating you rather than not losing to you! A big difference. Under these new circumstances what will inevitably happen is a few of your players, rather than being cowed by the PL, will actually revel in it and will in fact play better than they did the previous season a division below. You'll find a couple of players you were very worried about being able to make the step up will surprise you by not only holding their own but excelling. These are just my opinions boys but I really don't think you'll need a big infusion of quality. That's a misconception. Just make a couple of signings and then go for it.
Oh Swords, "i love you too because you agree with the forum line"..you brown nose !! let them find out the hard way mate..im making a note of all these posts as i'l bet my house i can use them in months to come.. Congratulate them and let them enjoy thier day..
Have to say I agree with most of this Swords ... but nevertheless I want us to 'try' and play what I consider to be the 'right way' ... lots of pace combined with technique if it is to be sustainable (not to mention a good dollop of luck) ... our recent game against Derby was the best perormance I've seen from a Leicester City team since the Martin O'Neil days ... Derby spent large periods of the game chasing shadows and our lads looked like they'd got velcro on their boots the possession of the ball was that good ... I'm now of the age that I want to be entertained in return for my hard earned cash ... and that type of football is entertainment ... whether you win lose or draw ..obviously I hae a preference
