Leicester City 2-4 Tottenham - Sunday 23rd May, 2021

[Dan+]

31 minutes ago, Devil said:

Sad that Leicester finish a successful season disappointed. 

What I will say is you may get a seasons loyalty out of Fofana and Tieliemans. Miss out on the big cup again and I suspect they will want to move on. 

Totally agree about those two - two of the stars of the season who, frankly, deserve CL football. I can't really pin it on those two. We were in trouble today when Fofana went off.

The first sentence for me is the blow. Last week should've been the high that you dined on all summer, so to have any form of negative just a week later, it's just a shame.

[carefreeluke]

Even if you have won the FA Cup a lot in recent times, you're not going to look back in ten years and remember that season you finished 4th. 

The exclusivity of those questions get annoying though, both Chelsea and Leicester were in good positions to achieve both and only have themselves to blame for not doing so.

[Stan]

4 hours ago, Inverted said:

If Chelsea don't win their game, this will be an absolute sickener. 

Yep. It was because we were in a winning position, too. The fact that Chelsea lost was just a by-product of what could have been.

4 hours ago, RandoEFC said:

How Leicester have done this again is actually incredible. They'll be delighted about the FA Cup but the two aren't mutually exclusive. An absolute howler from them to end up outside of the top four.

In the context of the whole season, it's silverware and European football.

The fact some fans can't get their heads around this is equally as frustrating as missing out on top 4 anyway. It's annoying, frustrating, shit that we've had to endure it again but there are so many factors for this season which make last season's even worse.

The injuries. The clustered season. Lack of proper pre-season. The fact we've won silverware FFS. The FA Cup. The trophy that has eluded us for 137 seasons. 

Last season was worse because we had the huge gap. This season I don't recall there ever being that distance between us and 5th.

Non-Leicester fans expect us to be drowning in our own tears and livid and angry. 

Sorry, but I can't have those emotions when you take in to account how the whole season has gone and what we've had to contend with. If you'd asked me before the start of the season if I'd have taken the FA Cup trophy and qualifying for Europe I'd have bitten all the hands off. So many fans (both Leicester fans and others) lack serious context when looking at what's happened. It's all so knee-jerk and they don't look at the bigger picture.

As some have stated in this thread, are we going to remember winning the FA Cup for the first time ever, or not finishing in the top 4? I know which one I will. 

2 hours ago, Bluewolf said:

How annoying must this be for Leicester fans.. Only to blow it in the final game of the season.. 

Yeah it's shit, very annoying. But not the end of the world.

For the club to be in the position it is now (i.e. qualifying for Europe and contending for/winning a trophy) and how secure we appear to be off the pitch, I can't be so annoyed. 

We have a very good manager to get the best out of the squad he has - which he has shown considering all the changes and absences we've had to endure - and some very good individuals at the club to keep us competitive.

For me, things still look positive. I'd like to think we can compete better in the Europa League next season with better additions and a fitter squad. I just wish people wouldn't revel in misery so much.

[Rick]

In terms of the big picture, Leicester have had a very good season. FA Cup and Europa league is a success. 
 

But there is a big caveat to that. They’ve spent the most time in the top four out of all the ‘top 6’ clubs over the last two season yet they finished outside of it in both. That’s not good reading and the last few weeks to both seasons has been really really poor. It’s been in your own hands twice and you’ve let it slip. 
 

If you’re up in this position again next season, you can’t let something like this happen a third time. 

[RandoEFC+]

14 minutes ago, Stan said:

Yep. It was because we were in a winning position, too. The fact that Chelsea lost was just a by-product of what could have been.

In the context of the whole season, it's silverware and European football.

The fact some fans can't get their heads around this is equally as frustrating as missing out on top 4 anyway. It's annoying, frustrating, shit that we've had to endure it again but there are so many factors for this season which make last season's even worse.

The injuries. The clustered season. Lack of proper pre-season. The fact we've won silverware FFS. The FA Cup. The trophy that has eluded us for 137 seasons. 

Last season was worse because we had the huge gap. This season I don't recall there ever being that distance between us and 5th.

Non-Leicester fans expect us to be drowning in our own tears and livid and angry. 

Sorry, but I can't have those emotions when you take in to account how the whole season has gone and what we've had to contend with. If you'd asked me before the start of the season if I'd have taken the FA Cup trophy and qualifying for Europe I'd have bitten all the hands off. So many fans (both Leicester fans and others) lack serious context when looking at what's happened. It's all so knee-jerk and they don't look at the bigger picture.

As some have stated in this thread, are we going to remember winning the FA Cup for the first time ever, or not finishing in the top 4? I know which one I will. 

Yeah it's shit, very annoying. But not the end of the world.

For the club to be in the position it is now (i.e. qualifying for Europe and contending for/winning a trophy) and how secure we appear to be off the pitch, I can't be so annoyed. 

We have a very good manager to get the best out of the squad he has - which he has shown considering all the changes and absences we've had to endure - and some very good individuals at the club to keep us competitive.

For me, things still look positive. I'd like to think we can compete better in the Europa League next season with better additions and a fitter squad. I just wish people wouldn't revel in misery so much.

You sound very annoyed considering how successful the whole thing is. 

Winning the FA Cup is a great success and a great season for Leicester but it's also completely separate from the league campaign. Yes on balance a brilliant season but a huge opportunity missed in the league table. Like a much less shit version of Everton, you've done the hard bit then let yourselves down missing the open goal. Not today against Spurs necessarily but the daft results against the likes of Fulham and Newcastle (off the top of my head).

[Dave]

The mistake Leicester City made was giving those players some budget Ipswich Town kit to wear on the last game of the season.

[Storts]

I think you’re underestimating the blow it is @Stan - the only way you can really establish yourself properly imo is through champions league money. Without it it’s going to be very hard to sustain. 

[Stan]

1 hour ago, Storts said:

I think you’re underestimating the blow it is @Stan - the only way you can really establish yourself properly imo is through champions league money. Without it it’s going to be very hard to sustain. 

I'm not underestimating it but I do appreciate the rest of the post in terms of sustainability.

In terms of not underestimating it, I'd just like to look at the context of the bigger picture. 

Not even been a decade since we weren't in the Premier League and we've come on hugely. We've been in Europe for what will be the 3rd time next season on a fraction of the budget of the teams we've just tried to compete against. Yeah we might not have got CL but we've still been able to pull in some quality players throughout the last 4 or 5 years. So while it arguably might not be sustainable, we've still been able to compete without regular CL money and come frustratingly close to actually getting it.

Just think for a club like us, we can't be sniffing at or turning our noses up at qualifying for Europe. Don't get me wrong it is sickening to lose out on the last day once again, but it's not the end of the world and I'd like to think these players will just use it as extra motivation for next season. For all we know after last season we could have capitulated even more embarrassingly. Could have hovered around mid-table or not even come close to Europe. We've remained super competitive and have silverware to show for it. I don't get why the FA Cup success and finishing 5th has to be separate as @RandoEFC alluded to. Again, a huge opportunity missed but not impossible to never get that opportunity again. Agree about CL football not being lost today, but there were probably 5 key results which led to not enough points on the board - Leicester 1-2 Fulham, Leicester 0-1 Aston Villa, Leicester 2-4 Newcastle, Leicester 0-3 West Ham and Leicester 0-2 Everton. I think it speaks volumes that all of those were at home where we should have been picking up more points.

[RandoEFC+]

Because the narrative will be "would Leicester rather have won the FA Cup or finished top four?" which is fine as a hypothetical question but a total nonsense when it comes to shrugging off the failure to hold onto a top four spot. Leicester didn't pay for the FA Cup by giving up their top four place. They won the FA Cup, and totally separate from that, they blew top four. 

[Dan+]

34 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

Because the narrative will be "would Leicester rather have won the FA Cup or finished top four?" which is fine as a hypothetical question but a total nonsense when it comes to shrugging off the failure to hold onto a top four spot. Leicester didn't pay for the FA Cup by giving up their top four place. They won the FA Cup, and totally separate from that, they blew top four. 

I agree and I think allowing this to become the narrative will do us more harm than good in the long run.

If you offered me one of the two then yes, absolutely, we got the one we wanted.

But it doesn't change the fact we've had it right in our hands and completely tossed it out the window again. Villa did their bit for fuck sake. It was there.

[Devil]

8 hours ago, Dan said:

I agree and I think allowing this to become the narrative will do us more harm than good in the long run.

If you offered me one of the two then yes, absolutely, we got the one we wanted.

But it doesn't change the fact we've had it right in our hands and completely tossed it out the window again. Villa did their bit for fuck sake. It was there.

 

Yes you got the one you wanted but the reality is this was the easiest season to qualify for the Champions League you will get, Liverpool will be a force again next season, I think we will invest again and be stronger and I suspect Chelsea will do the same. 

I'm a big liker of what Leicester have achieved and how it's been done, I admire it and appreciate it because I see the way City have got wealthy owners and gone about it. As others have said, this shouldn't be a case of which would you pick, but the reality is trophy or no trophy qualifying for the Champions League could have taken you to that next level for the next few years. 

 

[Panna King]

[Rick]

@Panna King There was a time when you were an okay poster on her, shame you’ve went right downhill with that shite. 

[Stan]

17 minutes ago, Rick said:

@Panna King There was a time when you were an okay poster on her, shame you’ve went right downhill with that shite. 

Arsenal have messed up so he's got nothing else to go on these days. 

[Stan]

Just seen the 2nd penalty we got and can't work out how we did . Very, very soft. Vardy went down easily.

[Stan]

And now also seen the Kane handball when Bale made it 3-2. It's made clear contact with the hand and led to a goal. How's that not given  

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, Stan said:

And now also seen the Kane handball when Bale made it 3-2. It's made clear contact with the hand and led to a goal. How's that not given  

I think that was an instance of the officials giving a goal that shouldn’t have stood because they have a penalty that shouldn’t have stood.

[Stan]

25 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I think that was an instance of the officials giving a goal that shouldn’t have stood because they have a penalty that shouldn’t have stood.

Which is not how officials should referee a match.

They shouldn't 'even out' a game by making another shit decision. 

I also don't think this is what happened - I just think it was a shit decision in its own right. 

[Dan+]

7 hours ago, Devil said:

Yes you got the one you wanted but the reality is this was the easiest season to qualify for the Champions League you will get, Liverpool will be a force again next season, I think we will invest again and be stronger and I suspect Chelsea will do the same. 

I'm a big liker of what Leicester have achieved and how it's been done, I admire it and appreciate it because I see the way City have got wealthy owners and gone about it. As others have said, this shouldn't be a case of which would you pick, but the reality is trophy or no trophy qualifying for the Champions League could have taken you to that next level for the next few years. 

Yeah I agree with you, and think that what you have mentioned is the biggest downer. I don't think people appreciate how good both this and last season were as opportunities. I've a bit more sympathy this season because we got more points, had the most ridiculous schedule we will ever have, which as a result lead to an equally ridiculous number of injuries, often to key players at key moments as well.

But honestly, we did the hard bit. You have a Southampton side you've beaten twice already down to 10 men in the 10th minute and only get a draw following a totally passive first hour, and capitulated against Newcastle at home. We win even just one of those two games, and we would be in.

It's the galling nature of how we missed out. I have more sympathy this year and have maintained that throughout, but it doesn't change the fact it's happened again.

We can get better next season and finish outside again, that's the reality for me. I think the 'big six' is dead, but four of those six are going to be extremely hard to catch from now on.

I hope we take the Europa League seriously next season. Treat what happened this season as a warm up. Rubbish without fans anyway. Really throw our weight at it next year, because we can potentially win that in my opinion.

[Dan+]

39 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I think that was an instance of the officials giving a goal that shouldn’t have stood because they have a penalty that shouldn’t have stood.

In reality it's just that once again they're making it up as they go along. The authorities need a serious look at things this summer. The last two seasons have been nothing short of an embarrassment from an officiating point of view.

[Devil]

40 minutes ago, shut up said:

The Leicester owner loves the club and city, and he will continue to pump money in no matter what, bcos he's a romantic when it comes to football, and he's seen what you can achieve by being ambitious. I honestly don't think this is a big blow at all, and won't impact Leicester's recruitment one bit.

It won't impact their transfer recruitment because they operate a different way to other clubs anyway, Leicester tend to look for talent with potential rather than the finished articles. 

These types of players will appreciate the Europa league as they will see it as a useful stepping stone to the Champions league. 

Leicester can 100% win the Europa league, to do so they need more depth though, a couple injuries and your down to the bones and the bones don't win you European trophies.

They should also look at Sevilla, whilst they do qualify for the Champions league they fully embrace the Europa and its become their trophy in truth, Leicester could comfortably be our equivalent of Sevilla. 

[Dan+]

I said years ago I'd like us to follow Sevilla's lead. They're quite well established in the top 4 of La Liga now and have one hell of a trophy haul to go with it, and they did it through excellent recruitment. I don't think clubs of our size can afford bad windows if we want to stay around this kind of level and it's why I do bemoan expensive flops, of which there have been a few, much less recently (Perez is one sadly). Sevilla always seem to get their recruitment right. We're getting that reputation as well.

Soumare and Edouard look likely to join this summer. I think Gosens was always a bit of a pipedream. Ryan Bertrand is coming on a free which I think is a decent move as well actually.

Regarding money - that new shirt sponsor is apparently worth £100mil over three years, which is a massive increase on what we had.

[Devil]

3 minutes ago, Dan said:

I said years ago I'd like us to follow Sevilla's lead. They're quite well established in the top 4 of La Liga now and have one hell of a trophy haul to go with it, and they did it through excellent recruitment. I don't think clubs of our size can afford bad windows if we want to stay around this kind of level and it's why I do bemoan expensive flops, of which there have been a few, much less recently (Perez is one sadly). Sevilla always seem to get their recruitment right. We're getting that reputation as well.

Soumare and Edouard look likely to join this summer. I think Gosens was always a bit of a pipedream. Ryan Bertrand is coming on a free which I think is a decent move as well actually.

Regarding money - that new shirt sponsor is apparently worth £100mil over three years, which is a massive increase on what we had.

Perez isn't the best but he's more than good enough to be a squad player when you've got the added games of the Europa. Once you're in the later stages though you really need to be playing your stronger team because as Spurs, Arsenal and your lot have learnt you can't take these teams for granted. 

Majorty of the clubs in and around the later stages are Champions on their respective countries that don't qualify directly for the Champions league via the qualifiers. The other teams are then usually from strong leagues like Spain. 

Defo think Leicester's number one target next season should be Europa. 

[Cicero]

49 minutes ago, Devil said:

It won't impact their transfer recruitment because they operate a different way to other clubs anyway, Leicester tend to look for talent with potential rather than the finished articles. 

These types of players will appreciate the Europa league as they will see it as a useful stepping stone to the Champions league. 

Leicester can 100% win the Europa league, to do so they need more depth though, a couple injuries and your down to the bones and the bones don't win you European trophies.

They should also look at Sevilla, whilst they do qualify for the Champions league they fully embrace the Europa and its become their trophy in truth, Leicester could comfortably be our equivalent of Sevilla. 

Qualifying for the CL however, consistently, does bring an incredible amount of revenue. Especially for English clubs. This in my opinion would give Leicester their financial strength to pray off clubs for Tielemans, Fofana, and Ndidi whilst being able to bring quality in depth consistently. 

[RandoEFC+]

Are we really at the point where it's a stonewall disallowed goal because Kane's hand brushed the ball through no fault of his own? I do despair. It wasn't cheating what he did, it wasn't deliberate and nobody can prove that without the touch from the hand, they wouldn't have scored an almost identical goal from that attack.

The acceptance of diving as a mainstream valid tactic to the extent that players anywhere on the pitch now get automatic free kicks if they go down under minimal contact has already neutered Premier League football. Are we really going to start over analysing every goal now and calling for them to be disallowed over vague grey areas because player X got away with it against team Y four months ago so now everyone has to? Not for me. Nobody likes inconsistency hitting their teams but if we're going to cry about players not being penalised for the ball brushing against the back of their hand when it's tackled into their stomach from one foot away then we might as well pack it in now.