Other Matches - Saturday 12th January, 2019

[Dan+]

34 minutes ago, Lucas said:

I feel bad for Puel. I don't think he's deserving of the sack, especially not when you look at some of his results recently, no way. And he was harshly dealt with at Southampton. There are plenty of managers who have been far worse and escaped the sack by the skin of their teeth.

But this is one of those situations where the Leicester fans are never going to love him. They are never going to hold a place for him in their hearts and therefore, he'll be continually fighting a losing battle. As he was at Southampton.

If the mood around the place is really that bleak, they may as well do the inevitable and act now so a new man has half a season to work towards for the start of next.

Before everyone slates our fans, I do think people need to factor this in as well. This happened before and its happening again.

I just can't warm to him. I've tried but I can't. His football's dire and our inability to beat rubbish at home is just laughable now. I will tot up our actual record at bottom half sides under Puel when I can be bothered but I reckon we've won something like 2 in 12.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

The positives - We didn't lose and the full time whistle

The negatives - Everything else, especially that bald headed cunt Lee Mason

 

If you wish to keep your sanity and your soul, do not watch the highlights of our match.

[RandoEFC+]

Leicester fans have every right to criticise Puel. They're wildly inconsistent under him to the point where it's actually become predictable. You can't trade off sporadic big results if you're losing at home to Cardiff and Southampton, and similar teams on a semi-regular basis.

The Leicester fans know better than me but from the outside looking in all I see is a team achieving totally random results which see them settle in around the right place in the league table. Its not disastrous but it's also not the sign of a good manager who has a clear plan and is taking the team and the squad in a particular positive direction.

If they were losing to Chelsea, City and Everton away, and beating Cardiff and Southampton at home, and ending up in the same part of the table, that would be better as at least you could see they're getting the basics right and have some sort of consistent level about them which can be improved.

On the other hand I look at Leicester and see a club who, if they change manager again, could end up with the dilemma we've had at Everton until this season and still have to an extent in some areas, where the squad is a mess, the backroom staff is a mess and the club's direction is a mess, and as a result the fans are disillusioned, due to too many managers having an 18-24 month spell at the helm and leaving just enough of a stamp on the club to be lasting, but not enough that it erases the legacy of those who came before them.

[Dan+]

18 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

Leicester fans have every right to criticise Puel. They're wildly inconsistent under him to the point where it's actually become predictable. You can't trade off sporadic big results if you're losing at home to Cardiff and Southampton, and similar teams on a semi-regular basis.

The Leicester fans know better than me but from the outside looking in all I see is a team achieving totally random results which see them settle in around the right place in the league table. Its not disastrous but it's also not the sign of a good manager who has a clear plan and is taking the team and the squad in a particular positive direction.

If they were losing to Chelsea, City and Everton away, and beating Cardiff and Southampton at home, and ending up in the same part of the table, that would be better as at least you could see they're getting the basics right and have some sort of consistent level about them which can be improved.

On the other hand I look at Leicester and see a club who, if they change manager again, could end up with the dilemma we've had at Everton until this season and still have to an extent in some areas, where the squad is a mess, the backroom staff is a mess and the club's direction is a mess, and as a result the fans are disillusioned, due to too many managers having an 18-24 month spell at the helm and leaving just enough of a stamp on the club to be lasting, but not enough that it erases the legacy of those who came before them.

That's pretty much what's happening. We are an extremely strange team, one which has seen the underdog win the last seven games on the spin. I'm not exaggerating when I say that there's not a single side in the league I'd be confident of beating - the top sides because they're better than us, the poorer sides because they will suss how to nullify us, with the occasional win chucked in there. Us being 8th says more about the sides outside the top six than it does us.

I do think our fans have gotten toxic to the point he'll never recover it, and I can appreciate to the outsider it looks ridiculous, given what we did achieve three years ago there's the obvious misconception that neutrals think our fans expect us to win it every year. We aren't stupid. I don't think a single fan of ours would be upset with 7th this season. That's a good season.

All we want really is a good side that you feel like has given everything to achieve the best we can. That's what brought us the league title. I'm not saying we'll ever win it again, but hearing our own manager telling us all that we should be content with being an also-ran is where I lose any faith I had left in him. That kind of attitude becomes deep-rooted and you don't actually ever get out of that mindset except for when you're eventually relegated - see West Brom, Stoke etc... when you've just produced one of your worst ever results (Newport), I don't want the manager coming out saying that we need a reality check. Saying we can't compete with West Ham and Wolves is absolutely ridiculous. How are people meant to warm to that?

I saw Southampton come here today with a better plan, more ambition in their game, more adaptable to different situations, a manager who has achieved all of these things in a fraction of the time Puel's been here. Their fans love him and it's not hard to see why. They deserved the win and will survive comfortably.

[Kyletoonfan]

Stupid play by Gross. His team mates will be furious with him. He let them down big time. Liverpool have been brilliant all season they have done this all year round not always at their best but they have such a great defence that they are always in the matches even when they don't play great.

Super performance from Fabinho the whole back 4 did brilliantly. Good news that Matip is back to. Liverpool are in a great position and every chance of winning it this year. It reminded me of the first game between the 2 sides another right game with Salah getting the winner. They have ground out plenty of wins thus season. Palace, Leicester, Burnley etc have all been ground out it's the stuff of potential champions long way to go but over to Spurs and City. 

[UNORTHODOX]

If we can play like that and still go away from home and pick up 1-0 wins for the remainder of the season and that would be great. Our defence is so good now that we can actually focus on away games with the mindset of keeping clean sheets and knicking the odd goal without taking too many risks. I absolutely love our style this season more than the heavy metal football.

[Danny]

I was raving about Ricardo in the other thread, but that inconsistency comes back where he's beaten to the goalkick by Long which then forces Mendy into a difficult situation. I know Ricardo's small but it's not excuse to lose out to aerial threats like that.

Honestly though, didn't think that Saints pen was a pen. One of those contact is made but no actual foul is committed situations where the player feels it so dives. Looks like a foul, but break it down and all that happened was the Leicester players arm wrapped around him a bit but no actual foul or pulling occurred, Long just felt the arm and all of a sudden gravity gets a lot stronger. Same for Saints red card, just looked like Albrighton waited until there was some contact and dropped to the floor, no actual foul committed. But these sorts of "fouls" are commonly accepted so every team does it.

[Dan+]

1 hour ago, Danny said:

I was raving about Ricardo in the other thread, but that inconsistency comes back where he's beaten to the goalkick by Long which then forces Mendy into a difficult situation. I know Ricardo's small but it's not excuse to lose out to aerial threats like that.

Honestly though, didn't think that Saints pen was a pen. One of those contact is made but no actual foul is committed situations where the player feels it so dives. Looks like a foul, but break it down and all that happened was the Leicester players arm wrapped around him a bit but no actual foul or pulling occurred, Long just felt the arm and all of a sudden gravity gets a lot stronger. Same for Saints red card, just looked like Albrighton waited until there was some contact and dropped to the floor, no actual foul committed. But these sorts of "fouls" are commonly accepted so every team does it.

Called it the other day when I said he'd get into most sides in the league that he would drop a clanger in the next game. Lo and behold.

[Stan]

7 minutes ago, Dan said:

Called it the other day when I said he'd get into most sides in the league that he would drop a clanger in the next game. Lo and behold.

you need to stop saying stuff.

[Dan+]

Puel's home record against non top six sides...

 

2018/19...

Wolves - Won 2-0
Huddersfield - Won 3-1
Everton - Lost 1-2
West Ham - Drew 1-1
Burnley - Drew 0-0
Watford - Won 2-0
Cardiff - Lost 0-1
Southampton - Lost 1-2

So this year, it's won 3, drawn 2 and lost 3. It's not as dreadful as I thought it was, but it's still nowhere near good enough. These are the games the bulk of our points should come in.

I will also say that Wolves and West Ham we got results better than our performances really deserved, although as well, I'll say that the Burnley game isn't one I'll hold against the team as that was a tough scenario to deal with.

In 11 home games this season, we have gone 1-0 up twice, and 0-1 down eight times. Eight times! That points to a total failure to be able to set us up to take the game to teams. Even the two we went ahead in, Wolves was a freak own goal, and Watford dropped a clanger by conceding a penalty.

 

2017/18...

Everton - Won 2-0
Burnley - Won 1-0
Crystal Palace - Lost 0-3
Huddersfield - Won 3-0
Watford - Won 2-0
Swansea - Drew 1-1
Stoke - Drew 1-1
Bournemouth - Drew 1-1
Newcastle - Lost 1-2
Southampton - Drew 0-0
West Ham - Lost 0-2

Last year it was won 4, drew 4 and lost 3, but interestingly the 4 wins all came very early in his tenure, not to totally discredit him, but Mahrez was in his best form since the league title - Swansea was the home game after his outburst and we didn't win a single one after then. This makes it 3 wins in 15 at home to non top six sides which I think the majority of the Championship could better. It points to a major failing in Puel's set-up. From the Stoke game onwards, every one of those bar the obvious 0-0 draw saw us go 0-1 down, so again, it's slow starts, inviting trouble and having to bail ourselves out of it.

 

2016/17, back to Southampton...

Watford - Drew 1-1
Sunderland - Drew 1-1
Swansea - Won 1-0
Burnley - Won 3-1
Everton - Won 1-0
Middlesbrough - Won 1-0
West Brom - Lost 1-2
Leicester - Won 3-0
West Ham - Lost 1-3
Bournemouth - Drew 0-0
Crystal Palace - Won 3-1
Hull - Drew 0-0
Stoke - Lost 0-1

So, it's a lot better than his home record here really, with 6 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses, which is steady, not great but not too bad either, although again it seemed to be a decent start with the rot setting in eventually - failing to score in any of their final five games at home to everybody and averaging under a goal a game at home all season. Notice a 3-0 win over us that was the single worst performance I've ever seen from us in the top flight, it was even more abysmal than the 5-0 at Palace, so while it's good from him I think they were lucky to catch us on a bad day.

The Leicester "bad day". When we are bad, we aren't just bad, we are vulgar. We're abject, disgusting, repulsive. This has gone on a long time as well, ever since the title win we've turned in some disgusting displays and it worries me.

[SchalkeUK]

I wonder if the Palace fans are getting as frustrated as I am with Roy's recent games.  He brings in one of Europe's best young midfielders who has proven himself both at Club and International level - brilliant at set pieces and reads a game better than many others - and leaves him sat on the bench match after match.  Zilch from midfield again yesterday.  I know we beat him at Milan when David Wagner sat on the bench and missed out playing in the final, but to do the same to young Max who is far better than others who are plaing every week is daft.  Lack of game time will not help and talking about bringing in another in the window is daft!.  Max has always been the quiet guy in the team and he will sit and wait - and wait and wait, but after the garbage dished out by Tedesco last season there is only so long he can suffer!  These are my thoughts, but I would never betray young Max by repeating his wishes and ideas, but sometimes........

[Dave]

As soon as Guaita came off for Wayne Hennessey you knew what was going to happen. Not the first time he's been an idiot with his arms this week either. Theres no way we would have beaten either Leicester or Wolves with that idiot in goal. The first goal was depressing. He's six foot five for crying out loud!

The mentality of this team really has to be questioned again. Not won twice in a row all season. Every game this season that we have approached with some form of cushion from a relegation fight we have dropped points. We are wasting a potentially great opportunity here to really push on as a football club given the talent in the starting eleven because of this approach. It's unacceptable.

Roy's hesitancy at home to make substitutions is really beginning to frustrate people too. We were crying for creativity so he brings on Schlupp instead of Meyer in the 84th minute? Don't understand the timing or the choice of that substitute. He introduced Benteke far too late too. 

[Dave]

1 hour ago, SchalkeUK said:

I wonder if the Palace fans are getting as frustrated as I am with Roy's recent games.  He brings in one of Europe's best young midfielders who has proven himself both at Club and International level - brilliant at set pieces and reads a game better than many others - and leaves him sat on the bench match after match.  Zilch from midfield again yesterday.  I know we beat him at Milan when David Wagner sat on the bench and missed out playing in the final, but to do the same to young Max who is far better than others who are plaing every week is daft.  Lack of game time will not help and talking about bringing in another in the window is daft!.  Max has always been the quiet guy in the team and he will sit and wait - and wait and wait, but after the garbage dished out by Tedesco last season there is only so long he can suffer!  These are my thoughts, but I would never betray young Max by repeating his wishes and ideas, but sometimes........

Max Meyer has not shown the creativity expected of somebody on his wages. He's good at carrying the ball from our third, but so far that's all he's produced when he's been given chances. There's also a rumour that him and Wilfried Zaha do not get along, which also seems to be restricting his chances. 

However, Roy Hodgson does need to realise sooner rather than later that he will be judged on if Max Meyer is a success or not, so really he should be doing a lot more to try and integrate him.

I think Roy deserves this whole season to see where we can finish. 14th wouldn't be a bad season, but it wouldn't be a good season either given the momentum and optimism we had going in to this season. If this was to happen, he would need to have a good start next season or he will be under real pressure. If we end up with 8 points in our first 10 matches again for example, I reckon he would be gone.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

22 hours ago, Blue said:

How has Hoilett been for you this season?

I've never had a big interest for the Canadian National Team but Hoilett has always had issues playing for them. It's not until recently that he's really gotten consistent starts. Kind of like Carlos Vela with Mexico a few years back. 

Forgot all about this. Sorry.

Other than his great goals against Watford and Wolves, he hasn't really done much in all honesty.

[Guest]

Hoilett is the king of great goals then becoming a ghost.