I was discussing this with my son at the week-end. Last season, it was the run of the last 9 games that defined Leicester's final placing and they deservedly stayed up. The unwritten law that states fate often has a hand in balancing these things out might just go against Leicester in the final 9 games of this season. It's the sort of thing that happens in life...
Understandably Spurs haven't got an easy run in but I feel people are really under estimating leicester's run in of games vs west ham, southampton and everton or even away to palace, man united and chelsea. Leicester have done well against these teams by taking them by surprise, I think they'll struggle more second time round.
.. surprise? ... in our last 38 Premier league games we have lost 4 - Chelsea, Arsenal twice and Liverpool ... if people are still being surprised by us at this point they are rather dull ... if those 38 games had represented the regular season we'd be champions ... Chelsea did well last season then? ... surprising everybody over 38 games to win the league ... ... the reality is that we are not surprising teams .. they just haven't been able to handle us ... some people are finding it very difficult to accept that as reality and would, for various reasons, prefer to think that it is down to some cataclysmic set of bizarre factors rather than just a quality team outplaying opponents on a regular basis ... the emphasis is on 'team' the collective certainly exceeds the sum of the parts - but that's not necessarily a bad thing .. PS if we should 'surprise' West Ham again it will be for the third time this season and the fourth time in four games ... we've beaten them 2-1 in each of the other games including twice already this season .. and look what West Ham are doing to the 'establishment' ... ...
Totally agree, although I would say in terms of 'quality' the opposition you have faced this year is the worst in the Premier League era. That doesnt take anything away from you guys though, you've dealt with this 'worse quality' and capitalised better than anyone else has.
... can fully accept that ... and YES we are in dreamland ... but if you happened to watch us at Man City where we could have come away wining by 5 or 6 in what is arguably the most 'complete' performance I've witnessed from a Leicester City team in 5 decades, then it is quite obvious that this is a very special team and, at this point in time, is right at the top of its' game .. there were Man City fans on their feet applauding us off the pitch ... which says it all. Leicester fans by nature are pessemistic ... I like most expect that we will probably fall short ... but each game is a complete joy because our lads really go for it and they are so much a team - everyone has each other's backs and they are putting smiles on faces all over the country ... something to be incredibly proud of irrespective of where we eventually finish.
It's ridiculous and will be treated as such. Now I'm biased I'll admit; not least because I have watched him blossom into an incredible player at first hand ... but IMHO Raheem Sterling is inferior in every department ... and look what he went for.
£15 million? Ha. Good luck with that, Barca. Why don't they chuck in a cheeky £2m bid for Kante while they're at it?
Unless of course he has a clause that hardly anyone knows about - Lester would hardly shout from the rooftops about it. Its not unusual for someone who signs so cheaply to have one in there.
You're right to a point. But I don't think you'd be at the top had the recognised top 4 not been going through a period of implosion. It's a crazy season, whilst I doff my cap in your direction, I genuinely do. I doubt we will see the sequence of events unfold that allow an unfancied team like Leicester win the league. The season that is unfolding is frankly crazy - you've still had to perform to a level of consistency, but it is as much about the rest of the established top 4 just being uncharacteristically crap. You have taken full advantage of the cards dealt to you, for that I applaud Leicester City. The traditional top teams simply haven't performed this season. If there's one thing you have demonstrated, that's to play without fear or respect for reputation. From that hopefully other teams that aren't part of the established top 4 realise they can mount title challenges too.
Totally agree, its exactly what we did for the first 3 months after our promotion in 2008 until we went into our shells and it all went tits-up. The same applies to Watford and Bournemouth. If I was a Norwich fan I'd be fuming, they've got just as good a squad if not better than the other 2 promoted teams but have such a negative, pragmatic attitude instilled by their manager that they've been doomed almost since day one. The opposition arent superhuman and surely just a couple of months into the season it wouldve been evident to throw caution to the wind. Any team this season who play to keep a clean sheet deserve to go down and I'd hope a certain manager close to home has been paying attention.
The way the so called top sides are chucking games / points away Leicester fully deserve it for what they have done and are doing. They don't play like they have any pressure on them at all. But I have a feeling that Tottenham just may pip them. Either way the PL winners will be a refreshing change from the norm this season.
Beat me to it.... If he has a buy out clause of £15m and someone comes in and offers that then the club have no choice - he can leave for that amount. Unless they give him another contract pronto and treble his wages or something and put in a release clause of £30m or such like. Unfortunately, contracts are very much stacked in players' favour.
... it's a good point ... and possibly why the cynic in me thinks he may well soon sign a new contract / extension that will be without such a clause but with our agreement that if one of the giants come in with a proper 'market rate' bid then we won't stand in his way etc ... such is life...
Again good points but there is a little more to it than that ... we now have the strongest squad ever assembled at the club - so we really are way better than we have ever been - far better than last season ... we now have 3 international captains at the club (one who can't force a place in the starting XI but will be captaining his country at the Euros in the summer) ... and our bench is very strong, full of internationals ... perhaps are biggest strength is that the squad is packed with real pace ... and when you couple that with desire it becomes a very exciting mix ... ... the football we have watched this season has been exhilarating tbf ... if Man City hadn't put 4 past the woeful Villa at the weekend we'd still be the league's top scorers on our own rather than joint ... Yes we are in incredibly scarey territory but some of the performances have been absolutely brilliant to watch ... here's hoping we can maintain the same levels of intensity .. if we can ... who knows?
I do think you'll win the league. I honestly didn't think you would maintain your form this far beyond Christmas. But you have - a healthy lead with only 9 games remaining. I still think you can afford to lose two games as the chasing pack are doing their utmost to assist I'd be happy to win the Championship title. Then the optimist in me says if Leicester can win the PL, then why not us? We'll have the PL crown for 2016/17
... I think the one thing we have already acheived is breathing life into what was the stagnating pool of the EPL ... anything does, indeed, seem possible ...