Time changes much...

[FOX Franks]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/2011/08/west_ham_lead_the_way_in_the_c.html


We're a good way into the season now so I think it's time to think about how are doing in terms of what was expected.


In other words, LOL this tool was totally wrong. Can understand the majority of Leicester fans (absolutely including me) to have been sucked in by We've got millions and Sven is incredible thing, because many of us believed it was exactly the case, or at least wanted to. Looking back, and at the players Sven signed, considering this writer is a pro... worrying really that we've not hit the dizzying heights.


Slightly pointless thread I agree... but I just thought I'd bring up the fact that that was supposed to be how the season started. Flurry over!

 

[Profondo Rosso]

I've gone back on forth on the whole transfer window thing and it's been debated to death.

Think the biggest problem was not that we spent so much, but that we spent so much of it on 3 players in particular: Mills, Beckford and St. Ledger all supposedly cost around £9.5mil between them and are reputedly on £75k a week (or £3.9mil a year) between them too (I know the prices are just rough estimates). All of whom haven't lived up to it and if we're honest have looked like pretty average Championship players.

We did actually sign some good players for decent prices (Schmeichel, Konchesky, Nugent, Peltier), just that most of the summer spending was spent on those 3, who really haven't lived up to that lavish spending.


Play-offs still aren't out of the question if we get a half decent run going though. Only 4 points off with a better GD than Hull in 6th.

 

[Waxed]

I was sucked in by the spending but purely on the basis that I thought we'd spent extremely well and sensibly for the job that lie ahead. Not sensibly in terms of finances, but sensibly in terms of personnel. We bought experienced Championship players and for some reason it just hasn't worked.

Mills has looked more like a non-league joiner than a £4 million (and the rest) man. Fernandes and Johnson ultimately came and flattered to deceive, Danns took time to settle and Beckford is absolutely crying out for some good service. Sven got it wrong when he left us short in the wide areas and we've paid the price.

I can't put my finger on why we have been so poor defensively once again but I am optimistic that will improve in time under Pearson. This month has looked increasingly important since the word go, but only as a short-term fix for a long-term problem. The summer is where it's at now. Rebuild and move on.

 

[homer]

I was sucked in too

What a night that was......

 

[Jeff]

Mills, Beckford and St. Ledger all supposedly cost around £9.5mil between them

I think the actual fee paid (so far) is much lower than that. The figures quoted in the press include possible add ons for things like appearances, getting promoted, winning the champions league etc.

 

[Profondo Rosso]

I think the actual fee paid (so far) is much lower than that. The figures quoted in the press include possible add ons for things like appearances, getting promoted, winning the champions league etc.

Ture. And yes, I got the joke.

 

[gregs_y2k]

I have to admit, each signing we made, I was very pleased with in pre-season. There was not one that I thought was mediocre and made some shrewd bargains as well. Unfortunately, an innefective start to the season and the players who commanded higher fees, having not settled, a sackingand change of system means we are where we are.

I still think that Sven should have been given the full season, or at least until this point, as I really do think we would have been in a better position than we are now (perhaps only by a couple of points but still better poised). I think his sacking and time taken to replace him caused some turmoil in the squad and a complete change of system has had little success. Even when we win, it rarely seems deserved now. I'm not saying we'll not improve once we get some width, I definitely think we will. I just think trying to play this system before we have the width was sheer lunacy and has certainly cost us points, as well as the interrim staff playing an unchanged starting 11 for 3 matches in 7 days with a 35 year old striker up front. Although not the be all and end all, it was definitely a key factor to losing against Leeds.

The annoying thing is if we had put a semi decent run together we could have closed the gaps to the automatics as West Ham and Southampton are both suffering blips now. Play offs are still a strong possibility but unless there's a big improvement in the way we are playing, I can't see us putting an unbeaten run together or sustained pressure on those in the top 6.

 

[The Old Fox]

The problem is not so much the players; such wholesale changes always need time to bed in, the fault has been managerial. It is not a case as to whether Sven was a better manager than Nigel, it is the fact that their approaches are so at odds with each other. Sven purposely disposed of wingers, Nigel plays the most inept player because he is a winger. Sven's defence start the attack, Nigel's is there to defend and nothing else.

It is not that one system is good, the other bad; it is just that we have tried to change mid-season and Pearson is playing his system with players picked for Sven's. We certainly need several signings because NP cannot, or will not, play Sven's game and our squad is not set up for Nigel's.

I still think that this may turn into another three manager season - and I am not advocating same, merely predicting.

 

[camberwell fox]

The problem is not so much the players; such wholesale changes always need time to bed in, the fault has been managerial. It is not a case as to whether Sven was a better manager than Nigel, it is the fact that their approaches are so at odds with each other. Sven purposely disposed of wingers, Nigel plays the most inept player because he is a winger. Sven's defence start the attack, Nigel's is there to defend and nothing else.

It is not that one system is good, the other bad; it is just that we have tried to change mid-season and Pearson is playing his system with players picked for Sven's. We certainly need several signings because NP cannot, or will not, play Sven's game and our squad is not set up for Nigel's.

I still think that this may turn into another three manager season - and I am not advocating same, merely predicting.

For the love of Prof's long posts - no!

 

[lazzer]

I was sucked in too

What a night that was......

Oh what night was in the charts as well

 

[gregs_y2k]

The problem is not so much the players; such wholesale changes always need time to bed in, the fault has been managerial. It is not a case as to whether Sven was a better manager than Nigel, it is the fact that their approaches are so at odds with each other. Sven purposely disposed of wingers, Nigel plays the most inept player because he is a winger. Sven's defence start the attack, Nigel's is there to defend and nothing else.

It is not that one system is good, the other bad; it is just that we have tried to change mid-season and Pearson is playing his system with players picked for Sven's. We certainly need several signings because NP cannot, or will not, play Sven's game and our squad is not set up for Nigel's.

I still think that this may turn into another three manager season - and I am not advocating same, merely predicting.

I agree, I think it was a short sighted appointment that was bound to have these problems. Completely contrasting styles of play and approaches to how the game should be played and one of the reasons I think we have looked so poor in recent games. I think if things don't pick up by the end of Feb, he may well be gone.

 

[Profondo Rosso]

For the love of Prof's long posts - no!

:icon_bigg

I am surprised about some people's interpretation of the football we played this season under SGE and how much different they see it to what we play under NP though. But interpretations are interpretations. :icon_wink

All I'm going to say to those who think SGE didn't set out his team to defend as much as NP this season is:

Goals per league game under SGE: 1.15
Goals per league game under NP: 1.44

 

[Uncle Connolly]

The problem is not so much the players; such wholesale changes always need time to bed in, the fault has been managerial. It is not a case as to whether Sven was a better manager than Nigel, it is the fact that their approaches are so at odds with each other. Sven purposely disposed of wingers, Nigel plays the most inept player because he is a winger. Sven's defence start the attack, Nigel's is there to defend and nothing else.

It is not that one system is good, the other bad; it is just that we have tried to change mid-season and Pearson is playing his system with players picked for Sven's. We certainly need several signings because NP cannot, or will not, play Sven's game and our squad is not set up for Nigel's.

I still think that this may turn into another three manager season - and I am not advocating same, merely predicting.

Absolutely bang on although I'd say Sven simply picked players for 'his' system, whereby I think Pearson's system fits the Championship.

The Championship must be the most direct league in the world.

It seems all you need is big, physical players and players who can run at people with the ball and you've got a shot at promotion.

More than half the sides we've seen down the King Power have simply received the ball... and ran at us.

 

[Matt_B]

Absolutely bang on although I'd say Sven simply picked players for 'his' system, whereby I think Pearson's system fits the Championship.

The Championship must be the most direct league in the world.

It seems all you need is big, physical players and players who can run at people with the ball and you've got a shot at promotion.

More than half the sides we've seen down the King Power have simply received the ball... and ran at us.

You've really not watched much Championship football have you?

 

[gregs_y2k]

:icon_bigg

I am surprised about some people's interpretation of the football we played this season under SGE and how much different they see it to what we play under NP though. But interpretations are interpretations. :icon_wink

All I'm going to say to those who think SGE didn't set out his team to defend as much as NP this season is:

Goals per league game under SGE: 1.15
Goals per league game under NP: 1.44

Statistics are always hard to read into, I mean look at the fixtures and I think most will accept that Sven had the helm for the harder games. With the exception of Hull, we have played no promotion contender under Pearson, so it's not out of this world for us to have scored more per game under him, when Sven had played the likes of Boro, Cardiff and Birmingham away, all tricky places to get anything from.

I don't think anyone said that we were creating hatfuls of opportunities and was certainly an area that needed improving this transfer window and I think Sven was well aware of this. Maybe not in terms of great width but there would have been additions.

 

[Matt_B]

Statistics are always hard to read into, I mean look at the fixtures those games were in and you'd say Sven's games were definitely harder games. With the exception of Hull, we have played no promotion contender under Pearson, so it's not out of this world for us to have scored more under him, when Sven had played the likes of Boro, Cardiff and Birmingham away, all tricky places to get anything from.

I don't think anyone said that we were creating hatfuls of opportunities and was certainly an area that needed improving this transfer window and I think Sven was well aware of this. Maybe not in terms of great width but there would have been additions.

I assumed the stats were goals conceded?

 

[gregs_y2k]

I assumed the stats were goals conceded?

No goals conceded it goes:

Sven 1.08
Pearson 1.00

Again not massively favourable when you take into account the quality of the fixtures Pearson has had.

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Statistics are always hard to read into, I mean look at the fixtures and I think most will accept that Sven had the helm for the harder games. With the exception of Hull, we have played no promotion contender under Pearson, so it's not out of this world for us to have scored more per game under him, when Sven had played the likes of Boro, Cardiff and Birmingham away, all tricky places to get anything from.

I don't think anyone said that we were creating hatfuls of opportunities and was certainly an area that needed improving this transfer window and I think Sven was well aware of this. Maybe not in terms of great width but there would have been additions.

I'm just surprised people think we played attacking, football from the back under SGE this season, that's all.

Last season we played some of the best football I've ever seen us play under him, but this season I thought we were a very defensive and direct side under him and our whole game seemed to revolve around playing it back to Schmeichel to play long balls forward or playing it out to Konchesky to lob high crosses into the box. Even when we went on that good little run of 4 or 5 games under him it all seemed to be grinding out 1-0s and 0-0s in games in which we didn't really attempt to dominate possession and it was always the consecutive clean sheets people were going on about at that time and Mills, Schmeichel and Konchesky seem to have been hoofing it all season rather than playing it out from the back, I seem to remember Barnsley even having over 60% of the possession when we played them too.

Maybe it was just me, but I don't think our style of play under SGE was that different this season to what it has been under NP, though it was different last season when we played much more expansively and attackingly. The system, with regards to NP playing wingers and SGE not doing is a fair point, but the actual style in which we play I don't really think has been all that different between the two managers.

 

[gregs_y2k]

Points per game is:

Sven 1.46
Pearson 1.48

....I think

 

[gregs_y2k]

I'm just surprised people think we played attacking, football from the back under SGE this season, that's all.

Last season we played some of the best football I've ever seen us play under him, but this season I thought we were a very defensive and direct side under him and our whole game seemed to revolve around playing it back to Schmeichel to play long balls forward or playing it out to Konchesky to lob high crosses into the box. Even when we went on that good little run of 4 or 5 games under him it all seemed to be grinding out 1-0s and 0-0s in games in which we didn't really attempt to dominate possession and it was always the consecutive clean sheets people were going on about at that time, I seem to remember Barnsley even having over 60% of the possession when we played them too. Maybe it was just me, but I don't think our style of play under SGE was that different this season to what it has been under NP, though it was different last season when we played much more expansively and attackingly.

I agree with you on that respect. I think his is partly due to the fact that we had Naughton and Van Aarnholt, who were much pacier and more attacking full backs than we have now and of course Yakubu up front at this level was a God send. Unfortunately, we cuoldn't entice any of them back this season which meant having to look elsewhere. Peltier and Konchesky are good additions but a little more cautious than what we had last season and we struggled to look for an alternative for Yakubu. We ended up going with Beckford, which again I thought, and still feel, will come good (if he gets the chances to play) but has not settled quickly. There are, other factors involved i'm sure but these have contributed as well.