Post Match Fleetwood 0 Leicester 0 (FA cup)

[fitz]

I feel weird as feck. Pleased that Florist beat Arsenal proves either that I'm going soft in my old age or they're so irrelevant to me that I don't wish them ill any more.

I'm glad they won. I still hold hope we'll take the competition seriously at some point and the more shit in the draw the better. Plus it's Arsenal, I've always disliked them more than nearly any other team. Their fans will be in meltdown, fam. You get me, blud? Etc etc

 

[pork pie fox]

I'm glad they won. I still hold hope we'll take the competition seriously at some point and the more shit in the draw the better. Plus it's Arsenal, I've always disliked them more than nearly any other team. Their fans will be in meltdown, fam. You get me, blud? Etc etc

 

[City Fan]

How did they manage to lose when they had 8 internationals in the team?

 

[bloo]

I'm sure Wenger will be asking said players the very same thing. Oh, and blaming the referee for the penalty decisions.

 

[Lako42]

I'll be happy if we get through and get these miserable, deluded has beens.

As long as we don't pick 8 random internationals that is.

 

[Cambridge_fox]

 

[Cambridge_fox]

Hahahahahahahahaha

 

[give_us_a_wave]

Every football fan in the world should have this on their wall at home. Until it's yellow & faded. Just so they can show it to their children & grandchildren:

"Who were they Dad? & what did they win?"

"Arsenal my son...& **** all"

Then when the child's expression of bewilderment appears:

"There's a life lesson there son...work out what it is, then remember it"

If your child is a touch on the thick side you could help out a little by giving them a clue:

" It includes the following words: be, don't, embarrassing, laughable, deluded, ****ing & bellend "

 

[Red Leicester]

Maybe we played for a clean sheet, working on defensive frailties.
Maybe we (dare I say it) agreed a replay as a belated bonus for Jamie.
Maybe CP wanted to see various players in specific roles.
It was a FA cup tie and these things happen.
I'm glad we are still in and not worried about our darlings getting tired because of the replay.
Role on the next round draw.

 

[big_mac4824]

The debate about weakened team selections has been going on for years now. Most managers continue to do it and some fans agree and some don't.

If you don't play your best available side, you are taking a risk. However, you have to counter that risk with the potential reward of winning without your best side - i.e. resting key players and giving game time to those that need it.

There is no doubt that we put out a team yesterday that should have been comfortably good enough to beat a very ordinary Fleetwood side. The reason that they didn't is the thing that interests me.

We have a very large squad. We have 28 players that have played for the first team this season so far. And that doesn't include the likes of Huth (due to injury) and Thomas who has been on the bench.

Of those 28-30 players, very few are regulars at U23 level - just 3 of them. The rest are in the first team, on the bench, or in some kind of 'no man's land' of being in neither one squad or the other. For example, it is remarkable that we had the likes of Musa and Ulloa unable to get onto the bench of our back up team yesterday. This shows just how bloated and unbalanced our squad has become.

I think that we have too many players in the first team squad, the U23s and the Academy. The consequence of having so many is that too many don't get enough game time and become de-motivated, lack match fitness and simply stagnate. After weeks of virtually no football, is it really any surprise that when they are called upon many of our players look out of touch?

We need a clear out at all 3 levels of the club. We need to work with a maximum of 50 players at the club and try to gel and improve them. That is surely easier than trying to do it with the current 90+?

I believe in team rotation among a first team group of about 20. We should be able to call upon any of them at anytime and make a couple of unenforced changes every match in order to facilitate this. We don't do this as the there are 7 players in the first team that play no matter what. It's just poor management from the Director of Football through to the individual team managers.

BN

Completely agree with the entire post however, what do you do with the likes of Inneachio? Thomas should have started imo it was the perfect environment for him Benny is completely mental and played like an old fashioned div 4 defender in the 80's i.e. just hoofed it. Trying to look at it objectively the pitch was shabby and it was evident there was a complete lack of understanding through out the team, we should steam roller them in the replay.

The midfield was virtually bypassed all game so James and Silva struggled through out, I just don't understand the mentality of the squad players perhaps they feel they do not stand a chance of holding down a first team spot, either way I agree we really do need to streamline all of our squads. As for all of the other teams that field a weakened side and are rolled over deserve everything they get, tbh I did not think Fleetwood were capable of creating a clear scoring chance even at the end the shot that hit the post was a deflection.

Alot for Claude to mull over

 

[Blue Maniac]

Inneachio

This has to be a wind-up.

 

[pork pie fox]

This has to be a wind-up.

I saw that and thought of you

 

[Mike - True Blue Tinter]

The debate about weakened team selections has been going on for years now. Most managers continue to do it and some fans agree and some don't.

If you don't play your best available side, you are taking a risk. However, you have to counter that risk with the potential reward of winning without your best side - i.e. resting key players and giving game time to those that need it.

There is no doubt that we put out a team yesterday that should have been comfortably good enough to beat a very ordinary Fleetwood side. The reason that they didn't is the thing that interests me.

We have a very large squad. We have 28 players that have played for the first team this season so far. And that doesn't include the likes of Huth (due to injury) and Thomas who has been on the bench.

Of those 28-30 players, very few are regulars at U23 level - just 3 of them. The rest are in the first team, on the bench, or in some kind of 'no man's land' of being in neither one squad or the other. For example, it is remarkable that we had the likes of Musa and Ulloa unable to get onto the bench of our back up team yesterday. This shows just how bloated and unbalanced our squad has become.

I think that we have too many players in the first team squad, the U23s and the Academy. The consequence of having so many is that too many don't get enough game time and become de-motivated, lack match fitness and simply stagnate. After weeks of virtually no football, is it really any surprise that when they are called upon many of our players look out of touch?

We need a clear out at all 3 levels of the club. We need to work with a maximum of 50 players at the club and try to gel and improve them. That is surely easier than trying to do it with the current 90+?

I believe in team rotation among a first team group of about 20. We should be able to call upon any of them at anytime and make a couple of unenforced changes every match in order to facilitate this. We don't do this as the there are 7 players in the first team that play no matter what. It's just poor management from the Director of Football through to the individual team managers.

Agree with most of what you say. However I differ on one crucial point about squad rotation.

I am quite certain that our Champions XI was just that. I am certain we had the fewest numbers of players used in matches.

Part of what made us champions was the fact that it was nearly the same XI every match.

I remember being genuinely scared that when Vardy was injured for 2 or 3 matches, the sky was going to fall in, and we would get tonked.

It did not happen. We kept on winning.

 

[Blue Maniac]

I saw that and thought of you

It’s just outright ****ing disrespect to repeatedly get someone’s name that wrong. It’s not even a complicated sequence of letters.

 

[bloo]

It’s just outright ****ing disrespect to repeatedly get someone’s name that wrong.

No it's not. There are a number of other reasons that might explain it.

 

[Blue Maniac]

No it's not. There are a number of other reasons that might explain it.

He seems to be able to spell just fine otherwise.

 

[big_mac4824]

This has to be a wind-up.

apologies my bad englund

 

[Brown Nose]

Agree with most of what you say. However I differ on one crucial point about squad rotation.

I am quite certain that our Champions XI was just that. I am certain we had the fewest numbers of players used in matches.

Part of what made us champions was the fact that it was nearly the same XI every match.

Would we have won the title if we had also been playing in a European competition or going the distance in a domestic cup? I don;t think so. After all, the debate on here is about rotating the squad for a cup tie. Also, name any team and manager that has successfully managed a group to league and cup success without rotating players in the modern era?

We were also really fortunate in our title winning season to pick up so few injuries. Our record was so unusual it drew claims that our players were on drugs such was the incredulity from our rivals. We cannot expect a season like that again and to hope for one would be folly. Just like this season and last season, we'll suffer multiple injuries and need a squad that can cope with them. Rotation of a squad helps this because players can slot in seamlessly. It's much easier to do this when the player is regularly involved. Dragging someone in from nowhere - Dragovic or Amartey for example - just leads to us needing to make allowances or give them several matches to get up to speed. And that is more likely to cost us points than making small changes each match to keep a pool of 20 players routinely involved.

 

[popillius]

How did they manage to lose when they had 8 internationals in the team?

Arrogance, not caring enough, terrible individual performances of their centre backs.... lots of other factors. What has confused you?

 

[SJN-Fox]

Peterborough away for the winners of the replay.