The Mahrez Saga

[pork pie fox]

From the BBC:

More on Mahrez

Manchester City v Leicester City (Sat, 17:30 GMT)

Leicester City

More from Puel on Mahrez: "I think Riyad is not available for Saturday's game. I hope Riyad can get his head right and come back with us and work hard. The best way is for him to come back and enjoy his football.

"He is a magnificent player and he enjoys his football. He loves his team-mates, and that's important. He loves to touch the football but he needs to come back right. I hope he can come back with a good attitude and prepared to work, but he will need time, and time to be match-fit.

"It's important this remains inside the club and private, not in the public. The most important thing for me is to keep Riyad and the club and the fans united and in a good way about this. It is important to keep a good feeling together through these difficulties."

 

[Mike - True Blue Tinter]

BBC Leicester Sport‏Verified account @BBCRLSport

Once again Claude Puel refuses to confirm whether Riyad Mahrez has permission to remain away from training and won't put a date on his return to the club.

Puel calls him a "magnificent player" but Mahrez is unavailable to face Manchester City.

Nothing magnificent about his attitude and behaviour at the moment.

If he is truly "depressed", which I doubt, rather than just "pissed off" because his transfer did not go through, then he can come back and be welcomed into the 'fold'.

If he needs ongoing 'counselling' and/or 'treatment', I am sure the Club will exercise its duty of care and make sure he has the best support available.

More importantly it is a positive statement by Mahrez about his relationship with the Club, the manager and players, and us fans. It does not matter if Mahrez/His Doctor/Puel do not think he is fit enough physically and mentally to play for another couple of weeks or so. He can be supported through his current 'crisis'. He cannot be supported if he is just moping around in this country or anywhere else.

The longer he stays away, the harder it will be to come back and be able to play in a way that will still make him attractive to other clubs. At the moment Pep at Man City, and probably other top managers, are probably shifting their evaluation of Mahrez from 'first-rate, fabulous and fantastic' to 'fickle, flighty and flakey'.

 

[TommyK]

From the BBC:

More on Mahrez

Manchester City v Leicester City (Sat, 17:30 GMT)

Leicester City

More from Puel on Mahrez: "I think Riyad is not available for Saturday's game. I hope Riyad can get his head right and come back with us and work hard. The best way is for him to come back and enjoy his football.

"He is a magnificent player and he enjoys his football. He loves his team-mates, and that's important. He loves to touch the football but he needs to come back right. I hope he can come back with a good attitude and prepared to work, but he will need time, and time to be match-fit.

"It's important this remains inside the club and private, not in the public. The most important thing for me is to keep Riyad and the club and the fans united and in a good way about this. It is important to keep a good feeling together through these difficulties."

I can't help thinking that this is Mahrez agent 'going to war' with Leicester and not Mahrez himself. If you make it impossible for a club to take you back then you have to sell. If the fans are also calling for you to be sold then that helps even more.
I have a feeling he might be underestimating our Thai owners.

I might be completely wrong of course and he's a complete prick.

 

[Feriol]

Did Man City successfully sue Tevez some years ago?

 

[camberwell fox]

Did Man City successfully sue Tevez some years ago?

If it were because he was ugly then I would imagine his brief would have declared ‘no evidence to the contrary’.

 

[Redditch Fox]

I can't help thinking that this is Mahrez agent 'going to war' with Leicester and not Mahrez himself. If you make it impossible for a club to take you back then you have to sell. If the fans are also calling for you to be sold then that helps even more.
I have a feeling he might be underestimating our Thai owners.

I might be completely wrong of course and he's a complete prick.

Mahrez needs to take responsibility and can't hide behind agents or anyone else. He is now seriously damaged goods and clubs are unlikely to risk massive money on such an unreliable stroppy individual. Like as not he will be widely seen as 'high risk' in the world of football. I guess some owners will think he is worth a gamble but he's playing a dangerous game and he will be looking more likely to finish up with a West Ham or a Wolves rather than a Barca or a Man City. Already he is out of the 60/80 million bracket and my guess is that Leicester will do well to bring in 30/40 million. This isn't going to end well for anyone.

 

[Lako42]

So bored of this shit.

He's already let us down for two games.

 

[popillius]

BBC Leicester Sport‏Verified account @BBCRLSport

Once again Claude Puel refuses to confirm whether Riyad Mahrez has permission to remain away from training and won't put a date on his return to the club.

Puel calls him a "magnificent player" but Mahrez is unavailable to face Manchester City.

Don't let facts like these stop all the enjoyment of people hurling themselves on top of this bandwagon.

 

[popillius]

same story in in the Mirror also

Are you seriously using a rehashed 'story' published by one tabloid rag and then copy and pasted by another such as The Mirror (!) as any kind of evidence for anything?

Jebus!

 

[Skitzo]

Are you seriously using a rehashed 'story' published by one tabloid rag and then copy and pasted by another such as The Mirror (!) as any kind of evidence for anything?

Jebus!

your desperation to defend Mahrez is frankly pathetic. And it's in the 2 papers on the same day, not a copy and paste job

 

[H T B]

Mahrez needs to take responsibility and can't hide behind agents or anyone else. He is now seriously damaged goods and clubs are unlikely to risk massive money on such an unreliable stroppy individual. Like as not he will be widely seen as 'high risk' in the world of football. I guess some owners will think he is worth a gamble but he's playing a dangerous game and he will be looking more likely to finish up with a West Ham or a Wolves rather than a Barca or a Man City. Already he is out of the 60/80 million bracket and my guess is that Leicester will do well to bring in 30/40 million. This isn't going to end well for anyone.

Basically, if he doesn't get his shit sorted pdq, this is as good as it will get for him.
Wake up Mr Mahrez, smell the fecking coffee

 

[Brown Nose]

Too many people seem keen for things to develop in some way. No news doesn't necessarily mean anything. It's idiotic to suggest that his stock is terminally affected. Van Dijk was absent for ages in a similar situation and his value just went up and up.

Puel and City appear to me to be handling this whole thing brilliantly. Shut up as much as possible and deal with it privately. It's the most likely way to get things sorted. Surely, we all want to see Mahrez back on the pitch ASAP?

As fans we need to rise above the bullshit and let our club deal with it. Let the pundits and the papers spout their made up nonsense.

 

[TommyK]

He will come back with a good attitude and good level. When comes back he will need time to get the match fitness.

I hadn't read the quote from Puel before now. 2 weeks off and he'll need to fetch back to match fitness? !

 

[Brown Nose]

He's back in training today and has said he wants to play tomorrow.

 

[silly fox]

Mahrez back in training today and available for the Man City game

 

[Klaus Hergersheimer]

He's back in training today and has said he wants to play tomorrow.

On the bench at best I reckon. The only definite winners here are Sky Sports. Watch them go into hype overdrive.

 

[City Fan]

He's back in training today and has said he wants to play tomorrow.

Has Mahrez or Puel confirmed this? Or are you just hearing it from that unreliable source known as Sky Sports? They’re clearly only saying that to make a few quid on betting.

 

[Brown Nose]

Has Mahrez or Puel confirmed this? Or are you just hearing it from that unreliable source known as Sky Sports? They’re clearly only saying that to make a few quid on betting.

Depends which reporter you listen to. Some spout utter tripe, some don't. This one has a decent track record and used to work for the Times:



Several papers this morning are reporting more vitriolic nonsense clearly showing that they know absolutely nothing about the situation. Their articles now look very outdated.

I don't mind someone having an opinion on Mahrez's behaviour through all this. But too much of the comment and reporting has been based upon rubbish.

 

[homer]

'tis the breaking news on SSN

Although they've probably just made it up

 

[Miles Away]

Don’t agree with timing of that really. Should have started Monday.