Who else is tired...

[SilverFox]

...of hearing players and management say we were never going to achieve again what we achieved last year?

Who else is also sick of reading stories from players and management about how last year was a fairy tale?

I do agree that the chances of winning the league again (perhaps even ever again) were/are remote in the extreme, but I feel that we are in a negative place. I personally would never set out on the road to something with the mentality that I could not achieve success, and had no chance of achieving success. That mentality is a way of letting yourself off the hook for either not trying, or failing.

The mentality should always be to win. If that hunger is not there, we really are in trouble. Yes we might not ever be champions again, but I guarantee that with the right attitude we would be a lot closer to the top of this league than the bottom.

I also really don't want to be a club that lives in the past. Last year was great, but we have dined out on it enough. No one wants to be Forest (banging on about success that happened to them when the Dead Sea was only sick). A fair few need to stop talking about fairy tales and live in the present. Stop letting youselves off the hook with excuses about how a team that won the league last year by 10 points had no material prospects of success this season, and stop congratulating yourself on what you did yesterday. There is plenty of time for that when you retire.

 

[FIF]

We're never going to achieve again what we did last year. It's impossible.

 

[SilverFox]

We're never going to achieve again what we did last year. It's impossible.

I'm not saying that we would anywhere in my post.

 

[SilverFox]

My point is the mentality now seems to be that losing is fine because we have no chance of winning the league. That isn't fine. Play each game at a time believing you will win, and applying yourself fully with 100% of your effort.

There is too much back patting going on for what happened last year.

 

[Mike - True Blue Tinter]

We're never going to achieve again what we did last year. It's impossible.

Ridiculous statement. It may be highly improbable but it is not impossible.

 

[FIF]

Ridiculous statement. It may be highly improbable but it is not impossible.

How can you ever win the Prem League for the first time in your history.....again?

 

[FIF]

My point is the mentality now seems to be that losing is fine because we have no chance of winning the league. That isn't fine. Play each game at a time believing you will win, and applying yourself fully with 100% of your effort.

There is too much back patting going on for what happened last year.

I agree with your point about Player's attitude but I can understand them thinking they'll never win the prem again with Leicester. they shouldn't say it but they're all thinking it. Pretty sure Vardy, Mahrez and one or two others wish they'd left in the summer right about now.

 

[Mike - True Blue Tinter]

Aaah! So you are happy to agree that, though unlikely, we could win the Premier League again?

 

[fitz]

Doubt we'll see us or any similar sized club get close ever again. I've no problem with that. There's plenty wrong with this season though. I doubt the owners expected this seasons approach otherwise they'd have cashed in on the star players in the summer and looked to build a team for a future of mid-table finishes.

 

[The Old Fox]

I totally agree with you, Silverfox.
There is no reason why another team could not replicate our season and even more reasons why we might so do (perhaps not this year ).

I understand Claudio: he takes the pressure off the team by saying that it was a one off and impossible to repeat, but the negativity amongst players and fans, stating as an indisputable fact, that Leicester could win the league, or be anything, is sad. Certainly, some of the players seem to have believed the mantra too readily!

 

[homer]

I'd be fairly happy knowing that they believe they might be able to win any away game again in the League, never mind win the whole sodding League

 

[yackandandah]

Many (perhaps even most) athletes don't compete to win. Of course they hope to but they often set their own targets within the context of the competition but quite separate from it. They look to better their own previous best, finisher higher than previously, whatever - effectively competing against themselves.

Their targets are set to be challenging, to push themselves, better themselves but - above all - to be achievable. If their best sees them winning then so much the better but primarily it's a personal competition within a competition. They'd not compete otherwise, whatever the event. You've got the Australian Open tennis at the moment, the Tour Down Under cycling too - most athletes there will not be aiming to win... because they know they wont - there's only one winner - so to avoid being demoralised, they set a more personal objective, one they CAN realistically achieve.

Football clubs/managers are exactly the same. They might inspire the team with talk of winning the league/cup but invariably the targets are nearer and measurable in progressive steps. The rewards are similarly set, so as to provide a more achievable motivation. I think the majority of clubs in the EPL do not have the goal of winning it. For many, it's more short-focused and pragmatic; avoid relegation, get to 40 points, etc etc etc. We heard it week after week from CR last season - not because he's negative and thought they couldn't win but because the target was 40 points (or whatever), and that's what they measured themselves by. Anything more is (and was) a bonus.

 

[SilverFox]

I agree that a target should be set, and the team should then try to achieve that target. I doubt that the target has been to go on about last year and use it as a reason why we can't succeed this year. I also doubt that the target was to hover above the relegation places.

The point is I am not seeing any endeavour. All I am seeing is self congratulation and excuses. If these guys want to bask in the glory of what happened last year and call themselves the champions they should play like champions. Yes they might never achieve the same heights, but no one would have a problem with that. What I (and hopefully many others) have is a problem with no one leaving it all out there on the pitch.

Turn up. Stop congratulating yourselves. Play one game at a time and try as hard as you can in each game to the best of your abilities, and most of all stop saying never, never, never. That kind of negativity wins nothing at all.

 

[TornadoShaunUK]

We're never going to achieve again what we did last year. It's impossible.

It was impossible last year.

 

[TornadoShaunUK]

To add, last year we showed the big earners that talent is good but secondary to things like hard work, desire and concentration.

 

[Feriol]

Many (perhaps even most) athletes don't compete to win. Of course they hope to but they often set their own targets within the context of the competition but quite separate from it. They look to better their own previous best, finisher higher than previously, whatever - effectively competing against themselves.

Their targets are set to be challenging, to push themselves, better themselves but - above all - to be achievable. If their best sees them winning then so much the better but primarily it's a personal competition within a competition. They'd not compete otherwise, whatever the event. You've got the Australian Open tennis at the moment, the Tour Down Under cycling too - most athletes there will not be aiming to win... because they know they wont - there's only one winner - so to avoid being demoralised, they set a more personal objective, one they CAN realistically achieve.

Football clubs/managers are exactly the same. They might inspire the team with talk of winning the league/cup but invariably the targets are nearer and measurable in progressive steps. The rewards are similarly set, so as to provide a more achievable motivation. I think the majority of clubs in the EPL do not have the goal of winning it. For many, it's more short-focused and pragmatic; avoid relegation, get to 40 points, etc etc etc. We heard it week after week from CR last season - not because he's negative and thought they couldn't win but because the target was 40 points (or whatever), and that's what they measured themselves by. Anything more is (and was) a bonus.

All true, but football is different as a teams future potential isn't restricted by personal limitations, an individual athlete can't buy a new body, but a football team can upgrade any or all components if the resources are spent wisely.

If an athlete wins a competition because faster or stronger athletes made mistakes, their performance limits are still absolute, and so their expectations for future competitions might not be effected. However Leicester winning the league provided greater resources and prestige to be able to improve. I don't think anybody expected another title challenge, but a great oppertunity has been wasted.

At the start of the season, given the oppertunity we had to progress, I don't believe it would have been unreasonable to aim to be challenging for a Europa league place. Is there a reasonable reason why we should be so much worse than Everton this season?

 

[yackandandah]

I find what you write a little confusing SilverFox. On the one hand, you're saying 'stop the negativity' by saying we oughtn't say that we can't repeat last season, yet you yourself seem to accept that we won't. You're setting a target you don't believe in. I don't see anyone at the club going on about last season, let alone using it as an excuse to not perform. If anything, last season is a bit of an albatross around our neck - other's are judging us by last season, not us. We overachieved last season (I think it fair to say by everyone's judgement!) and so this season was always going to be difficult. The expectation is weighing heavy.

That said, I think we can all agree that the club probably set a target beyond that which we appear to be on-track for, so by that definition we are somewhat failing. I think all will be very very aware of that. I don't see "basking in the glory" at all. I see frustration if anything. Things are just not coming together. I think the players ARE trying, it's just not happening for them - for whatever reason. Some are getting on. As individuals, they over-achieved and it may have been fired by adrenaline. They wrung out one last season maybe (I'm taking Morgan, Huth and Fuchs here for instance). Younger players maybe punched above their weight - much has been made of our team of misfits and rejects. This season, they've probably been re-introduced to reality.

 

[FIF]

It was impossible last year.

No, it was very unlikely. It's only impossible in the future to win the PL for the first time, it's possible to win the PL for a second time but unlikely.

 

[FIF]

I'm happy that we are a prem league team. That would be quite an achievement for most football teams.

 

[TornadoShaunUK]

No, it was very unlikely. It's only impossible in the future to win the PL for the first time, it's possible to win the PL for a second time but unlikely.

That's what you call a sarkey comeback to try and reinforce a ridiculous statement. What was the point in stating the bleeding obvious?