I have decided that as last year we had a good start and tailed off, this year we are having a dodgy start and will come strong second half. Please let this be true
I don't understand all this talk about "hype." There was actually way more hype a few years ago. Since Cortese left, I feel like the club have dialed down expectations. No one has set a five year plan or anything. It's pretty much been "We're going to do our best, and see how it goes." It's not very easy to break into the Top 4. We are ate a huge disadvantage, and there is a strong chance we never do it. That's just the reality. But at the same time, I don't think there's been an attempt to mislead anyone. The Board are trying. It's a difficult task. Mistakes will be made. How many teams improve five straight seasons running? I mean, I'm glad people are proud to support the club through thick and thin and everything, but things are not at all that thin right now.
I said on another thread about our slow build up, and it was countered by others telling me that Mane is as fast as they come. Sure he is, but we never get him into positions, to use his pace, behind the opposition back lines, in one to ones with the goal keeper, because we build up too slowly, and by the time he receives the ball, he's actually waiting for it, or has dropped short for it. There were several times today, when we tried to counter, but every time the player on the ball had to turn back, or stop, because he lacked the pace to drive on. This is a constant in the team, unfortunately, and is something that the teams that are now bettering us, in the league, do not appear to suffer from.
There is nothing wrong with the black box at all. Even if we finish 16th this season there is still nothing wrong with it. The real problem is we can't keep players, this means we never have a real settled squad. It's the constant change that has set us back a bit. And there is no such thing as luck for a entire season.
IMO, the only way we will break into the top 4, would be if we recruited a group of players, that instantly gelled with the existing squad, and achieved it at the first time of trying. As we have seen before, and will continue to see in the future, getting close to the top 4 isn't enough for those players that want to get there yesterday. Loyalty, in football, is just for the fans, these days. I suppose the time to worry, is when none of the big clubs want our players, because that would mean we haven't been that good.
And the thing about the departures is that not one of them (apart from maybe Chambers) was just "let go". Cortese, himself was asked to stay on, but decided to quit, same with Pocketpeso and every subsequent sale, including Jack Cork, Rickie Lambert obviously went for personal reasons. Fans have to remain realistic, if a player feels he has outgrown the club and gets a lucrative offer, the best that we can do is either get top dollar or make him see out his contract and get nothing. We won't be the only club that suffers from this financial pecking order, I seriously doubt that Vardy and Mahrez will still be at Leicester by this time next season.
Agree with this, all too often we were breaking then stopping to give the ball back to ward prowse or wanyama who were playing deep. Although I will say this is not totally down to lack of pace - lack of options to play forward/lack of confidence to try a killer pass also affect this
I am struggling to understand when we are ,having difficulties we do not play the young hungry lads a little more. I am currently totally pissed that Reed is not getting a game.He I'd exactly what we need at the moment
If those chances had gone in, there'd be a very different mood on here. The performance was mostly good in the first half. Second half not so much but less concerning than on recent occasions, the result was disappointing and less the performance.
IMO the only way is for 4 or 5 from the youth to step up at the right time and be blinding players. Other than that we have to wait for the owners of the big clubs to give up and the bills to catch up and stop them from being able to offer silly wages and transfer fees.
I would like to see Reed play more as well. But we paid for Clasie. In today's game, I thought Romeu was the right call because we needed a goal and Romeu is a good passer. Moreover, I felt like Wanyama was a bit sloppy with the ball today and the link from the central midfield was our weakest point. Bertrand and Cedric were both doing well on the flanks (Cedric's defense is another story).
What I would also like to see as stated above is let Reed have more chances in that DM role. I would also like to see Ward Prowse do what his hero Beckham did and deliver more crosses from deep like Butterfield used to do in the 1st div. Our forwards however would need to move forward much quicker for this but I would much prefer earlier crosses from Deep to Pelle than straight up the middle to him with his back to goal. If we did that much more then it would push defences back and tie their centre backs in fighting Pelle allowing Tadic, Mane and Davis to pick up any '2nd phase' balls. We keep hearing about JWP's delivery and how his icon is Beckham but we see very little of Beckham'esque on the pitch. Didn't see Beckham turning around and passing it backward very often in his career.
Just watching Match Choice and I was right that I thought that the foul on Pelle by Okore was worth a yellow if not a red, yet JWP got a yellow for mistimed slide tackle, no justice there. Our missing of several guilt edged chances was criminal! Villa had all the luck going.
We can't keep them because we don't pay high enough salary. Apparently we were the fourth poorest salary payers last season. No wonder our players want to leave.. Look at Everton. They seem to be able to hold on to theirs. I am not saying go mad, but we should try harder to keep them. We will never mount to much if we have to build a new team every season
