On the Vardy issue itself.
I don't think he's started the season great. But this is understandable given his frustrating summer, and lack of any notable preseason. After his ban, and due to his retirement from England, I hoped that he would have been able to use his month 'off' to get fully fit and on song again. He's not quite there though.
Another factor that I think may be going on is the fact that he signed that 4 year deal with us in August. At his age, he must privately realise that this is it for his career now. He'll be 35 when that expires and very few strikers can play at that age or beyond. With no future or contract to fight for, no England place to go for, is he struggling to get his head right?
Having said all that, I don't think he's far away from being at his best. The football we're playing must be incredibly frustrating for him. He points to where he wants the ball played so often and instead it goes sideways or backwards. The team used to be geared towards providing him with chances, now it's geared towards tapping the ball around as much as is humanly possible and isolating him. For most of the games, he might as well be sitting in the stands. So he comes deep to get involved and that's just a bad idea with Vardy for obvious reasons. If you swapped out Vardy for Aguero or Salah or Kane, they'd fare little better.
Vardy is without any question at all, the best striker we've got, we've had in decades, and are ever likely to get in the next few decades. He's easily the best player in the league not with a top six team. To completely fail to appreciate the value he has for us is insane. Even if there are factors making him less than 100%, he's still miles clear as our best attacking option.
If he's dropped today, then Puel is even more of an idiot than I thought before. If West Ham go on to beat us today, and Vardy is sitting on the bench, I truly hope our fans have the guts to turn on Puel loudly and angrily. I certainly will be.