Dan

Extremely concerned at the strong rumours about us replacing Eduardo Macia (who nobody in the press seems to have realised has gone to Bordeaux) as head of recruitment with Lee Congerton, currently at Celtic and worked with Rodgers there. He is largely slated by fans of both Celtic & Sunderland. Having looked at Sunderland's business under him I'm a bit bemused that we'd go near him even despite Rodgers' recommendation. Millions thrown away on ageing players with no resale which has contributed somewhat to the demise of that club. It would be extremely Leicester though. Spend a shit load on a top class training facility, pay a decent compensation package to get a good manager in and then bring in someone with an abysmal track record as head of recruitment. If Leicester ever want to make waves again then they have to get these things right. If not we'll not achieve anything.

Well that's that then eh. Appleton in for me until May. We only need about 2/3 wins to survive and I'd imagine we'll get them now with no problem. This buys us a bit of time to get our replacement lined up. That I'm talking about survival given we were 7th on NYD is a joke.

Fucking hell what a goal that is. Anyhow, on Leicester... We enter the final third of the season this weekend in 12th place, with our next nine games all against bottom half sides with the exception of Watford and West Ham (who are within this cluster of midtable sides anyway). The season has fizzled out into a bit of a nothing season. We started out very hit and miss where we seemingly only won when we playing badly and only lost when playing well and it took us 11 games to even draw one, but we've obviously been quite rocked by probably the darkest moment in our history this season and whatever happens this year, that is always going to be brought up. We're in a bit of limbo regarding what's happening regarding the stadium expansion, although I'd like to think that this is just something that's fallen behind the training ground in our priorities and to be fair, given the amount staying away from our games at the minute I don't think there is huge demand for an expansion. The staying away sadly is caused by the pretty awful football. It's not quite West Brom under Pulis, but there are similarities in the sense that we're very poor at home for a club with our resources, the football is frequently not entertaining in the slightest and the results are so frustrating. That we can give pretty much anybody in the league a game yet have no confidence in what are on paper the easiest games only adds to the frustration. We aren't the only ones in this boat, but we are the most extreme example in my eyes. Some statistics as well I think make for interesting reading with Leicester. I couldn't give you the number of minutes, but if we aren't in the bottom five for teams that have spent the most team in the lead I will be amazed. We have only blown the lead once all season, but we have only held it at any point in 10 of our 26 games. We are the league's worst side in the first 15 minutes of games and have only gone 1-0 up at home twice all season, and even those were a penalty and a freak own goal. Our home games follow a similar narrative - start slowly, concede silly goal, spent the rest of the game chasing and either get picked off with a second goal, or bag an equaliser but ultimately don't get the win. 4 home wins all season is unacceptable, and given Puel's Southampton scored under a goal a game at home and that we finished last year with very similar bad habits, I don't hold out loads of hope that this is something that will be reversed. We've gone 1-0 down in 12 of our last 14 games which points to the underlying problem with this side. We're no good at playing catch-up and yet we normally always have to. I think the home form is basically why Puel isn't popular. The problem with Puel is I feel like he was on a bit of a hiding to nothing with our fans from the off - with social media being what it is today, the pre-conceived opinion of a manager is likely to linger. Southampton fans were pretty scathing and this worried people about him before he'd even gotten going, and although we started very well under him, it seemingly hit a snag that we have never truly recovered from and it feels like he's never going to have the backing of a significant number of this fanbase. I feel like he was doomed to fail here and that not a lot has been done by him to rectify it as we've thrown away some great opportunities under him. But I do sympathise with him to a degree as I feel like Leicester is a bit of a poisoned chalice as well. That people are going to have expectations of us that we simply aren't going to hit. But then again, he just doesn't have enough redeeming factors. I could write so many angles of this whole argument but I'm going to try and take a fresh view of this final third of the season. The truth is I expect Puel to be gone in the summer anyway with Rodgers replacing him, but this season just feels like a bit of a write-off already with no FA Cup beyond round three and the league finish likely to be midtable. I respect the job he's done in assembling a young squad but I have little faith that he is going to be able to take it anywhere, but we did play well in our last game and Saturday might be a fresh start, although it's going to take a very good run of form to win me over as I've seen too many false dawns under him.

Solihull Moors would surely be one of the smallest clubs to ever come into the Football League if they do it.

I do think our squad with a couple of changes could be quite a decent fit for him. The thing we've got on our side (and Puel does deserve credit here) is that the average age has come down quite a bit.

Fucking hell not exactly the best reviews then. Liverpool mate at work can't stand him either and thinks we could do better (and he normally proper talks us down as well). He apparently fancies it here and to be honest, I can kind of see why, we're pretty established at this level now and I don't think anyone better would go for him. First choice for me would be an extremely ambitious go for Jardim.

It's probably not the best time for this but... what did you lot actually think of Brendan Rodgers? He's favourite to be our next manager and reading between the lines I can see it happening too. Seems to divide opinion from what I read.

From my experiences especially since social media, it's that the fans of the club as a collective are very rarely wrong. Wisdom of crowds. Can you remember any player who we were told by fans of said club who has turned out rubbish after they told us he'd be great, and vice versa? I can think of very few obvious examples. We needed another wide man but Ghezzal never was going to be the answer. I'd be surprised if he's still here in a year. That Everton goal you mention is the bit I point to when I say that he's surely better on the right than left. He hasn't got that natural creativity about him, more one likely to run at the opposition. He's very direct so why we insist on having him cutting in I've no idea, he hardly ever looks like he could run inside and slot a ball through for Vardy. Play him on the right to at least get the most from what he can do. I do have fears we'd look back and regret it but he is very much a highlights player so I think people would more than likely be worrying unnecessarily. One of these players rated far higher by outsiders than our own fans.

Yeah I know, but I mean the very game after you tweeted that we lost our record by drawing 0-0 with Burnley. We're a bit weird though, we often pull a goal out of absolutely nothing. Ndidi v West Ham the best case of the lot, an absolute fluke and nothing more. West Brom don't know the meaning of disrespectful. Disrespectful would be bringing him back and then sending them Ghezzal, I doubt we'll do the latter too. Ghezzal has been sadly, everything Monaco fans warned us he'd be - he looks a bit lost on the pitch, he's reckless with where he tries skills (that often don't come off), can't actually beat a man. There is the occasional bit of quality but not enough to justify him being on the pitch. £12million as well. It's unbelievable really. Gray has just been usual Gray, which I'm now 95% sure is what he's always going to be - 1 good game in 7/8, party trick is to pick the ball up, dribble it, shoot from 25 yards but either drag it wide or smash it over. Not the worst player I've ever seen, but worrying to think some people thought he would ever replace Mahrez. I would personally sell Gray, think he's quite limited and think that we could upgrade on him for less money than we would get for him. His stock is higher than it should be for me which makes it the right time to sell. I've always struggled to really warm to Gray to be honest, think it was largely how many times he used to subtly have snipes at the management on social media about him never playing, yet when he has played he just hasn't backed it up time and time again. 6 goals and 5 assists I think since he joined us. That's absolutely shite.

What the shit

came in this thread to post a few little bits, noticed that we would end this record in the next game. Typical. Anyhow I thought I'd throw in here our latest transfer news / rumours as I'm not sure anything is thread-worthy... - Vicente Iborra has left for Villarreal. Fee is rumoured to be about £9million which I think personally, given his age and who we've sold him to, is about treble what I expecting so we've done well. I didn't think he was a poor player, but he's not really fit Puel's system (although this system I think is questionable). - Adrien Silva is likely to join him in leaving for his own homeland, annoyingly it's likely to be a return to Sporting on loan which really does make a complete mockery of us - we've paid them £55million for two players aged 28 or above, neither who have really performed (Silva's done absolutely nothing sadly, at least Slimani did score a few) and now we're going to loan him back there to complete a hat-trick of howlers from us, although this one is probably necessary. Choudhury's emergence makes this more tolerable, although if we're relying on James and King then I'm a bit worried because neither are good enough. Feel for James but he looked well off the pace at Newport. - Fousseni Diabate has joined Gaziantepspor of Turkey on loan for the rest of the season. Started well here but seems to have almost vanished, has repeatedly disappointed for the U23's too, for me outperformed by Layton Ndukwu who I think if he was fit, would have a chance of making our bench at the minute. Our winger situation is a problem, and sadly, an entirely predictable one. - Harvey Barnes can be recalled but it's now sounding more and more like he'll stay at West Brom. I'd personally recall him as I think his ceiling is higher than Gray and Ghezzal, and he offers something we don't have - actual productivity from the wing (Gray and Ghezzal have 3 goals and 0 assists this season between them which is frankly a disgrace). I am excited by him though, seems to perform at every level he's at. - ITK claims we are trying to sign Che Adams from Birmingham this month.

I am willing to meet the demands of the British (and French) people and will be re-introducing this with a slightly new format. It got a bit confusing doing it by the week so what I'm going to do instead is a monthly table, with you given four £10 stakes and one £25 stake to use each month. The difference now of course is that there is no limit of how many things you can back per bet. You can use £10 on a 15 fold if you wish (although from personal experience, just don't do it, you children). Each month, starting with December as a bit of a trial run, I'll break down everything that everyone has had and post up a table. I'll run the whole thing for the calendar year. The whole thing can be done on any sport you wish. ......... or I'll just do it the old way. What do people think?

I might do it if people fancy it, problem is I was just lazy and didn't update the table often enough. If people really want it though....

A lot of it is experience of seeing how we spend our money and I've almost naturally become inclined to get a bit picky about signings. Obviously I want signings to be made but I want us to have done due dilligence on every one of them to ensure the best possible chance that they will be a success here - we've not done that anywhere near enough in the last three years. If you look at our summer of 2015 we signed a number of players who came here and slotted in almost effortlessly. That's what I want. I don't want us blowing money on the wrong man. If there's any way a club of our size will have any success, it's by using our money effectively. Three games isn't really enough but you've acknowledged that. The Arsenal game was a good example of us really - first half we were very good but seemingly at half time we collapsed, so we're not quite there yet. I agree that possession isn't the whole thing behind a team's style, but I do think it does make up quite a significant part of your approach to a game and we have changed ours quite significantly. I do think we are probably a quality player short in the position he plays so he could actually come in and make quite a difference if he's any good. I'm liking the reviews though.

I'm going to be a prat here and answer your question with a question - have you seen Leicester play these days? By no means is this me bigging Leicester up, because I'm not completely sold that we've done the right thing here, but we play a far more possession based game than we did a couple of years ago. I don't know about you, but I saw Leicester 2016 as a bit of an Atletico-lite. Obviously not exactly the same, but similarities in some of the style although of course Atletico had the better players. In the last year we've adopted a far more possession based approach, and I think it's been pretty ineffective for most of the time - the odd game where it comes off we look very assured, but I think our players aren't entirely suited to this game. Maybe an addition like Mendez will slot in and take it to another level. I have exactly the same principle as you regarding signing players who fit - that was the foundation of our success, they fit the system and they had the right character to fit the dressing room. Ever since the title win, we have deviated from it for no obvious reason at all and our transfer approach has been largely scattergun, which for me is the main reason we have regressed as quickly as we rose. We are investing more in younger players now though and there appears to be a desire at the club to promote youth, and while I think we're a way off seeing it click into place, it's in its infancy. I am yet to be sold however, that Claude Puel is the answer. But make no mistake, this isn't the 30% possession a game Leicester anymore.

Thoughts on Brais Mendez? @SirBalon @The Rebel CRS ITK of ours reckons we're going to match his release clause.

A year of Claude Puel on Thursday. 38 games managed in the league. 14 wins, 8 draws and 16 defeats, 50 points over a whole year. A good article written on him before the Arsenal game yesterday which kind of sums up a number of points to me. I think there are problems at both ends - I think Puel is probably not going to really improve us on what he has done so far simply because of the number of times he completely bodges the in-game management with either baffling substitutions or tactical switches that don't pay off, but at the same time I think we've become a genuinely tough club to manage and have demands on all areas of the club that are quite simply not going to be met. I think the Leicester job, rightly or wrongly, is a bit of a poisoned chalice. You do get the impression he's never far from the boot. With West Ham, Cardiff and Burnley as our next three games he's going to need some results. We're not doing terribly but there are still issues in our side that just don't ever seem to be rectified. I get the impression it's not a particularly happy camp and that politics is still a problem here. For example it's become a bit like what Liverpool was with their transfer committee where they're effectively saying "if you're getting to sign him, I'm having him" etc... - why else do we buy Ghezzal, and then barely give Soyuncu, one of the brightest young defenders in Germany a kick? These are situations that just wouldn't happen elsewhere. This is the aforementioned article; https://t.co/bA179AwijX

We played him on the left wing when we first got him and while he wasn't bad, he wasn't anything like the player we had when we put him in his actual position. I maintain he's actually kind of wasted in a midfield three as well. He is that ridiculously good at what he does that he can let you play a midfield two and not get totally over-run.

Sadly not, they've shown a few people who got random invites (so they say) and those who've seen it reckon it will be very unique. I can believe that though, the owners are quite egotistical in that way (that's not a criticism either).

The place will look very very different in three years.

Vardy signed a new four year deal a couple of weeks ago. What I will say for him is the way he's played in the past year or so has made this "he'll be finished when he loses his pace" argument a bit redundant. Obviously his pace is useful but he's finding more and more ways around that I feel. He didn't score quite so many from running onto a ball over the top, rounding the keeper and slotting in which was basically his signature move

His stock has risen a lot since his original contract as well. I can't tell if giving Vardy & Schmeichel big money, long term contracts was sensible or stupid.

Just read it was four years so it's not a big increase. Still though it guarantees us a big fee if we sell him.

I actually wonder if part of the reason they're playing here is because Southgate did want to make their integration as easy as possible. While I don't think Gray's earned it on his club form, he's been by all accounts very good for the under 21s and Southgate seems to value that more than the fans. Chilwell I think has been very hit and miss for us but there was a good article about him yesterday, he comes across very well and I think he will get better given his attitude. He's probably been Leicester's best player so far this season as well - the one player I can actually say has played four good games. This was the article; https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/09/08/ben-chilwell-interview-summer-minging-running-local-park-propelled/

Chilwell and Gray called up.