Something just doesn't add up...

[Micky]

Won the championship at a canter, playing excellent football.
Danny Drinkwater outstanding and the best player in the championship by a distance (imo).
Excellent against Arsenal gaining a draw.
Superb against Manchester United winning 5-3.

Then...

An incredible slump of form.
Languishing bottom of the table below Burnley by 5 points.
Can't score.
Can't keep a clean sheet.
Players making inexcusable errors.
All is lost and we are already down.

But...

Something in my head keeps telling me that our fortunes will change.
We cannot go from such a high to such a low in a such a short time.
Christmas optimism or naive thinking?
Two very good signings in January and a couple of good results and I think a lot of opinions could change.

Merry Christmas all of you blue boys and girls. x

 

[The Old Fox]

A Merry Christmas to you, sir; and to all other Balltalkers! Let's hope that your feelings are correct.

 

[TommyK]

My theory is that the drop in form is down to Hammond not playing.

OK, I admit at first glance that sounds crazy. But my thinking here is that most premiership team play with a defense midfielder. Hammond may not be a great player, but he filled the space between midfield and attack, provided a physical presence and broke up play. Cambo, Drinkwater, James, King do not do this. So playing three in midfield does not really provide the back four with any protection.

Get Hammon back in the team with Cambo in the middle.

Merry Christmas, I'll stop drinking now.

 

[Chrysalis]

Which game was hammond dropped?

I remember him been excellent against chelsea.

 

[The Old Fox]

...
An incredible slump of form.
Languishing bottom of the table below Burnley by 5 points.
Can't score.
Can't keep a clean sheet.
Players making inexcusable errors.
All is lost and we are already down.

Sorry, this has NOT happened: don't you listen to our manager? We have been playing well, it's just a touch of bad luck. Were we to be playing badly, Mr Pearson would not still be here. :icon_roll:icon_bigg

 

[Redditch Fox]

My theory is that the drop in form is down to Hammond not playing.

OK, I admit at first glance that sounds crazy. But my thinking here is that most premiership team play with a defense midfielder. Hammond may not be a great player, but he filled the space between midfield and attack, provided a physical presence and broke up play. Cambo, Drinkwater, James, King do not do this. So playing three in midfield does not really provide the back four with any protection.

Get Hammon back in the team with Cambo in the middle.

Merry Christmas, I'll stop drinking now.

Not sure that even the talent that is Hammond can provide effective protection for our back four. Possibly the United States Marines might suffice.

 

[Micky]

Sorry, this has NOT happened: don't you listen to our manager? We have been playing well, it's just a touch of bad luck. Were we to be playing badly, Mr Pearson would not still be here. :icon_roll:icon_bigg

But the disaster that is unfolding (a long run without a win) has included no heavy defeats and no games where we have been completely outplayed. I understand Pearson's idea that margins are fine and that we are not that far away from something a little better.

 

[David Gwilliam]

My theory is that the drop in form is down to Hammond not playing.

OK, I admit at first glance that sounds crazy. But my thinking here is that most premiership team play with a defense midfielder. Hammond may not be a great player, but he filled the space between midfield and attack, provided a physical presence and broke up play. Cambo, Drinkwater, James, King do not do this. So playing three in midfield does not really provide the back four with any protection.

Get Hammon back in the team with Cambo in the middle.

Merry Christmas, I'll stop drinking now.

Better not to comment on Hammond. I started a thread on him in early October and it turned into a disaster. Since then I have pretended he is not a Leicester player; I notice Mr Pearson has the same policy.

 

[East Anglia Fox]

I'd love to see Hammond and Cambiasso started together in at least one of the next two matches. We may as well just try anything now, and it's a simple fact that Hammond was playing every game when we were doing well.