Speculation Next Leicester manager

[Matt_B]

I certainly wouldn't mind Clyne, Zaha and Scannell in our squad.

Plus, while we've been leaking goals like a sieve, one of our defenders has been performing well there, helping them climb the table - why isn't he in our side?

Because he is on loan at Palace, I'm sure you referenced that in your post.

 

[indierich06]

Because he is on loan at Palace, I'm sure you referenced that in your post.

I'm pretty sure his loan period is over and he's back with us now.

We need to do something about the defence anyway, the goals we've let in against Millwall and West Ham have been comical. It all seems to stem from St Ledger coming into the side as well. I really wanted him to take his chance and kick on from here, but our defence seems to be much poorer with him in it. But that's a problem for the new manager to sort out I suppose. I hope the candidates are studying our match footage carefully at the minute because these problems need to get sorted out quickly.

 

[Babylon]

And yet they are above us in the table.

But they weren't when they had a shit manager in charge... change of manager and they started climbing the league last year, then started off this year well.

Our squad is more than good enough for a decent manager to do something with. People mention the midfield, but King, Wellens, Dyer and Oakley got us into the playoffs. I don't believe for one moment that the additions of Abe, Danns, Fernandes and Johnson have not improved us in that area.

The right manager, who actually has a game plan, who can decide on his best eleven and can motivate us will do well. Get the wrong man and we'll wander around mid table as we are now.

 

[Doggie_muz]

The hoofball we played under Pearson is complete revisionism. I never remember people moaning about it at the time. Most people here were over the moon and incredibly excited about the direction we were heading under Pearson.

We played pretty standard Championship style football under NP, I can remember us playing some really good stuff, I remember coming back from beating Scunthorpe 5-1 and people saying we were playing "playstation football" out there that game.

I also disagree with the "no plan B, or barely a plan A" stuff also. I can't count the amount of times we went behind and Pearson made a substitution or a HT team talk and we came back on won. One of his main strengths as a manager was his ability to change something to get a point or 3 out of what looked like a losing situation.

Just about spot-on for me. We didn't play the prettiest football, but it seemed to work fine and, as you say, he often changed games in our favour. Pearson wouldn't be top of my list, but I certainly regard his tenure as Leicester manager as a big success, and I would not view his re-appointment as a negative step in any way.

 

[Lako42]

But they weren't when they had a shit manager in charge... change of manager and they started climbing the league last year, then started off this year well.

Our squad is more than good enough for a decent manager to do something with. People mention the midfield, but King, Wellens, Dyer and Oakley got us into the playoffs. I don't believe for one moment that the additions of Abe, Danns, Fernandes and Johnson have not improved us in that area.

The right manager, who actually has a game plan, who can decide on his best eleven and can motivate us will do well. Get the wrong man and we'll wander around mid table as we are now.

And there lies the problem, 7 central midfielders.

 

[Profondo Rosso]

But they weren't when they had a shit manager in charge... change of manager and they started climbing the league last year, then started off this year well.

Our squad is more than good enough for a decent manager to do something with. People mention the midfield, but King, Wellens, Dyer and Oakley got us into the playoffs. I don't believe for one moment that the additions of Abe, Danns, Fernandes and Johnson have not improved us in that area.

The right manager, who actually has a game plan, who can decide on his best eleven and can motivate us will do well. Get the wrong man and we'll wander around mid table as we are now.

Oakley and Wellens are well on the decline though. Besides, it was never our midfield under Pearson which the success was built around, it was the defence and I don't believe our current defence is as good as that one was.

 

[Ian Marshall]

Oakley and Wellens are well on the decline though. Besides, it was never our midfield under Pearson which the success was built around, it was the defence and I don't believe our current defence is as good as that one was.

This is an interesting point actually.

I think our centre halves are probably better now in terms of ability and they have certainly shown that a partnership is beginning to develop.

As much as I like Peltier though (and the same criticism is true of Konchesky), boundless energy is only about 80% of a substitute for decent positioning. I will make an excuse for them here - they are being asked to provide all of our width currently - we either play very very very narrow, or Peltier/Konchesky have to bomb on. They perhaps trust that someone will cover the full back berth area of the pitch they vacate - but what often happens is they are both caught somewhere between an effective pressing game and being in the correct, default defensive position, meaning both just get picked off with ease. Its all very well when we have the ball, but when possession is turned over quickly (or Konchesky is dozing -see W Ham's second goal) there can be a gaping hole behind our full backs.

The solution is something for the new manager to ponder. My solution would probably be to play 4-4-2, but that's because I'm an advocate of 4-4-2 generally. Even with a 4-4-2, we would still lack width since we'd end up using round pegs in square holes (or vice versa!). I also liked the 3-5-2 we used to play so you have your full backs/wing backs and a 'spare' centre back to cover either side depending on where the threat comes from - we do have 3 very good centre backs in Bamba/Mills and Tunchev but I do wonder whether if you were going all out on the wing back strategy whether you'd end up picking Peltier/Konchesky anyway.

To round off a bit of a pointless argument which no one else was even having then, I think NP's defence was a decent unit since all players knew their jobs and stuck to it (get the ball, hoof the ball away) - Hoof there is not used as a criticism. We were a more direct team under NP though, that much I think we can agree on.

Sven's defence seems to lack a bit of understanding at the moment and we could do with a bit more discipline from the full backs. Or just have some actual natural width provided by the midfield. This would probably be preferable and might mean Peltier/Konchesky don't need to cover about 27 miles per game.

 

[Ian Marshall]

Should say something about managers so erm - 'and that's why I think our next manager should be Mike Whitlow'.

 

[Profondo Rosso]

I disagree about our centre backs being better than the ones in that season on ability. I think people are forgetting how good Hobbs, Morrison and Berner were that season and Wayne Brown, for all his faults was an excellent organiser of the defence, something we really don't have now (I can't believe Mills was bought in to do this job, he is as quiet and timid as a mouse).

I love Bamba, but defensively I don't think he is as good as Hobbs was that season, Mills certainly hasn't shown he is anywhere near as good as Hobbs was that season so far.

I agree what you are saying about the full-backs though. They may offer more going forward, Konchesky and Peltier are nowhere near as good defensively as Berner and Morrison were at full-back that season either

 

[scottmeister]

In the interviews he's done recently, he says he doesn't care about getting a big name, just someone who can get them winning games and promoted from the division.

I think it was an EMT interview, where he said fans in Asia won't care who the manager is if Leicester start winning games and get promoted.

Sounds about right, if that wasn't Toppy's long term view then why (at the risk of upsetting evey Leicester fan) would he buy Leicester in the first place?

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Sounds about right, if that wasn't Toppy's long term view then why (at the risk of upsetting evey Leicester fan) would he buy Leicester in the first place?

Given how much King Power's name is now plastered all over the club, is the answer to that question not obvious?

 

[H T B]

If the defender isn't getting any cover from his fellow midfielder, it doesn't matter how good they are, they will be eventually caught out.

We have some good defenders, we have some good forwards. The bit in between needs sorting.

 

[Matt_B]

I'm pretty sure his loan period is over and he's back with us now.

We need to do something about the defence anyway, the goals we've let in against Millwall and West Ham have been comical. It all seems to stem from St Ledger coming into the side as well. I really wanted him to take his chance and kick on from here, but our defence seems to be much poorer with him in it. But that's a problem for the new manager to sort out I suppose. I hope the candidates are studying our match footage carefully at the minute because these problems need to get sorted out quickly.

His loan ends on November 5th

 

[Matt_B]

Just watched the goals. Two superb finishes by King and Konch was well out of position for their first two, no excuse.

 

[scottmeister]

I think last seasons defense were more dependable, no one could argue against that.... But they would've never have got to highlight how good Casper is!??

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Last season's defence were abysmal. Though I assume you meant the season's before that: I don't care if it didn't highlight how good our keeper was. It's a worry that we're being forced to see him make saves so often.

 

[Matt_B]

Last season we conceded 71 goals compared to 45 under Pearson, this season we are on course for 55 at the current rate.

 

[scottmeister]

Given how much King Power's name is now plastered all over the club, is the answer to that question not obvious?

Yes obvious, hence the rhetoricalness (if that's a word) of the question.

 

[H T B]

Last season we conceded 71 goals compared to 45 under Pearson, this season we are on course for 55 at the current rate.

Improving then?

 

[Matt_B]

Improving then?

Well, better than last season yeah. I forgot how good Pearson's defence was.