I'm pretty happy with our season so far - Am I mad?

[Leicesterpool]

Been a decent year and league wise we're probably had a better season compared to the last. Champions League run of course I think papered over the cracks last year I think. A lot more positives and slightly more optimistic about the future, Puel needs a good transfer window to build this squad, as I keep saying I do believe they'll be alot of outgoings and incoming but some for the better. If I gave a list of players that I think will be departing the summer then I think it'll be...

 

Wes Morgan

Rihad Mahrez

Andy King

Christian Fuchs

Ben Hamer

Robert Huth

Yohan Benalouane

Matty James (uncertain for me)

Kelechi Iheanacho or sad say Shinji Okazaki

 

Some I won't be happy to see leave but I can't see them fitting into Puel's plans

[420Hashish]

Finish 7th and hope anyone but Southampton win the cup and it'll be a good season.

[ScouseFox]

if we had a bit more courage/bottle we’d be comfortably in a european place and had a few trips to wembley in the bag already, if not already having a trophy in the cabinet. 

 

taking a a step back and ignoring most things bar the actual statistical outcomes, this will probably end up looking like a decent enough season, but to have lived it and to analyse it closer it’s been walking from one missed opportunity to the next fu ck up imho. from the summer transfer window to the sacking of the manager to the mahrez scandal to the fact we’re going to head into april still behind burnley to the fact that we should’ve reached two cup semis. hardly anything to be delighted about. 

[ScouseFox]

however, all said and done if we get our names into the first mini prelim before the qualifier fair play prelim friendly round of the europa league this has been the best season ever 

[Tuna]

This may sound a bit daft, but I'm just happy to have a place at the big table.

 

I longed for being part of the premier league during those miserable years under Levein, Kelly et al...and would have been delighted to be "average" in the premier league.

 

In the context of our title win it may seem unambitious, but I think we can look at 2 good cup runs and a projected top half finish as successful - remember where we were under Shakey back in September - I thought we'd be going down.

 

I'm not 100% convinced on Puel, but if we get the recruitment right in the summer I think we can move forwards again next season even without Mahrez, we are a couple of players away from being really very good.

 

 

[lcfc sheff]

2 hours ago, StriderHiryu said:

Totally agree. Mentioned it in the post match thread too but I feel like one more really quality player on a Mahrez / Vardy level would make a huge difference. But if we lose Riyad then we will surely be a worse team. 

worst thing is we can't and wont be able to afford to replace him, so the team will regress in quality. 

[StriderHiryu]

5 minutes ago, lcfc sheff said:

worst thing is we can't and wont be able to afford to replace him, so the team will regress in quality. 

Well it’s possible to get lucky and / or replace him in a different way. For example perhaps our scouting team pull another miracle and we sign a world class overlapping fullback or Silva turns out to be a new magician in midfield, or Nacho suddenly explodes into life. Or we sign a player in any one of those positions that turns out to be a Mahrez / Vardy / Kante level player. 

 

But there can be no doubt that losing him is a blow. The best we can hope for is his replacement to be equally as good, maybe we will be ok if it’s comparable to Ndidi replacing Kante. Bettering him will be impossible though!

[ZeGuy]

1 hour ago, Dan LCFC said:

It's OK but it's just so many instances of falling short that's doing my head in.

Why did you change your user pic?

 

I always had the feeling Simeone was coming by sometimes and having a chat with us.

Edited 18 March 2018 by ZeGuy

[lcfc sheff]

1 minute ago, StriderHiryu said:

Well it’s possible to get lucky and / or replace him in a different way. For example perhaps our scouting team pull another miracle and we sign a world class overlapping fullback or Silva turns out to be a new magician in midfield, or Nacho suddenly explodes into life. Or we sign a player in any one of those positions that turns out to be a Mahrez / Vardy / Kante level player. 

 

But there can be no doubt that losing him is a blow. The best we can hope for is his replacement to be equally as good, maybe we will be ok if it’s comparable to Ndidi replacing Kante. Bettering him will be impossible though!

So heres my theory, just like Ndidi replaced Kante although on a somewhat lower level (Which im not complaining about) i feel Diabate could do the same sort of thing if replacing Mahrez. 

 

Also i think Adrien Silva will come good hes definitely showed signs, i'm just not sure why we havent started with Ndidi Iborra and Silva for a few games as i think we could dominate most teams in the league

[Blue ROI]

Not sure what to make of this season.

 

8th in the table but only hanging on due to the ineptitude of the teams below us.Outside the top 5 the league looks as bad as it ever has.

 

On a dismal run of form.  One defeat every now and again is understandable but shows like Bournemouth and Stoke when we have more promise than them was mediocre. Then not availing of chances of cup glory.

 

That said when you consider how unspeakably bad the last decade was this is like an oasis of calm that we'd have taken in an instant about 10 years ago. Be thankful for what you've got eh.

 

 

[ealingfox]

17th and 2 quarter finals is probably better than 8th and 2 quarter finals given you get the scenes of staying up over the abject humiliation of finishing below Burnley.

[Dan LCFC]

19 minutes ago, ZeGuy said:

Why did you change your user pic?

 

I always had the feeling Simeone was coming by someting sometimes and having a chat with us.

It had ran its cause. Time for something new. A badge of a club that survived relegation by the skin of its teeth.

[Donut]

Im more disappointed in the way we went out of the league cup, than the FA Cup.

 

People moaning constantly as if we were just beaten 3-0 at home by Crawley or someone equally crap. Its the same people who at the start of the season bang on about playing big teams, getting beaten and saying "what do you expect"........well i certainly didnt expect to win today, i went in hopeful and i thought we played well but we were undone by two bad mistakes, giving the ball away in a bad area leading to a beakaway and then a goalkeeping error.

 

Weve been ok in the league were in a nice position. I cant say im disappointed in this season its probably slightly better than i expected it would be.

 

There are genuinely people out there who enjoy the "excitement" of a relegation battle over the maybe slightly dull but stable midtable solidarity, but these people are complete twonks anyway and most of them probably say it for a laugh anyway because they know most people think theyre twonks.

[UPinCarolina]

The future is bright, our squad has some young talent (and more who are developing nicely in the U23 side), we’ve got good things left to play for as the season winds down and we’re not in a relegation scrap. We march on.

[inckley fox]

Our dependence on Vardy, 31, and Mahrez, soon to depart, is huge.

 

That's a concern which isn't entirely counter-balanced by the promise of Chilwell, Gray et al. Our spending over the past few years doesn't entirely fill you with confidence either as we approach a period which is likely to be very transitional.

 

And we could have done better in both cup competitions. We won the League Cup repeatedly with a weaker squad than our current one, but this time out our under-strength side proved too under-strength. In the FA Cup we failed to win a home game against a demoralised side three players higher than us in the league, and which had been overseas mid-week. Both failures were understandable, but neither competition was a badge of honour.

 

Puel, for all the question marks over his game management, has done reasonably well. His record is pretty much identical to Shaky's, over the same number of games, but I tentatively believe that he deserves the chance to re-shape our squad. And yes, it's good to see youngsters get game time, even if we're yet to see any under-23 other than Ndidi who looks deserving of a regular place in a good PL side. Hopefully, given time, that will change, and fair play to Puel for giving these guys a chance to improve.

 

If he continues to build for the future he'll need a bit of patience on our part. If he could learn how to make substitutes (and perhaps give up on asking the likes of Simpson to serve enterprising attacking functions which they clearly have no idea how to perform) then that patience might be even more forthcoming than it is at the moment.

[Merging Cultures]

I think we are doing very well and I am sure we can build on this for next year.

[Lestoh]

Lads, in the past 3 seasons we've won the league, reached the quarters of the Champions League and reached the quarters of the FA cup. We're pushing for Europe to close out this season.

 

Remember where we were and how far we've come. We've got it good.

[Wakeyfox]

In isolation, yes it's been a great season.

 

However. Many people's expectations have changed (unrealistically) after the title win.

 

As James said

 

"If I hadn't seen such riches, I could live with being poor"...

[KrefelderFox666]

So far this has been a very good season. Getting further in the cups or moving up to 6th would have made it an exceptional season.

 

Let's not kid ourselves, 2015-16 was a miracle and if we actually think that will happen in the near future then we are disillusioned. It's not impossible but would require lots of years of build up. Look at Spurs, they can't win a thing. Man City don't win the league regularly, they have spent many millions and built a team that is now reaping rewards.

 

I would be very happy if we can establish ourselves as a Top 10 team for seasons to come and regularly push for Top 6/7 with some cup runs in between.

[Guest Col city fan]

1 hour ago, Wakeyfox said:

In isolation, yes it's been a great season.

 

However. Many people's expectations have changed (unrealistically) after the title win.

 

As James said

 

"If I hadn't seen such riches, I could live with being poor"...

Oh just sit down...

 

[Royston.]

2 leagues within the premier league. Top 6 then the rest of which we are currently 2nd.

So it's a very good season although the lack of quality hasn't punished us for some truly dismal patches ourselves.

 

The concern is what will happen next season if we lose our best player.

[Lovejoy]

Top eight and quarters of both cup competitions is pretty good. Happy with this season for sure.

 

I think we're undergoing a change personnel wise, the January departures started that and I reckon there'll be a fair bit of upheaval this summer. It's realistic we could lose Mahrez, Vardy, Ndidi and Maguire as well as needing to upgrade a few areas of the team, particularly across the defence and keeper.

 

I like Puel though, he's changing us for the better. I think it's remarkable that we've changed from "kick and run" to playing actual football so quickly.

[murphy]

I don't really understand the ho-hum shoulder shrugging.

 

Outside of the top 6 and Everton, there is no such thing as an established premier league team.  I'm sure that Stoke and West Brom thought that they were established.  I'm sure that the likes of Villa and Leeds never thought that relegation would be a possibility.

 

We are on course for a top half premier league finish.  Historically, that is brilliant for Leicester and before everyone mentions the amount of money spent, well so has every other club.  If we make seventh it will be our second best finish in my lifetime.  45 since you ask.

 

Enjoy it, because one day Vardy and Mahrez will be a distant memory and it is a certainty that one day we will travelling  back to Rotherham and Wallsall.

[Royston.]

6 minutes ago, murphy said:

I don't really understand the ho-hum shoulder shrugging.

 

Outside of the top 6 and Everton, there is no such thing as an established premier league team.  I'm sure that Stoke and West Brom thought that they were established.  I'm sure that the likes of Villa and Leeds never thought that relegation would be a possibility.

 

We are on course for a top half premier league finish.  Historically, that is brilliant for Leicester and before everyone mentions the amount of money spent, well so has every other club.  If we make seventh it will be our second best finish in my lifetime.  45 since you ask.

 

Enjoy it, because one day Vardy and Mahrez will be a distant memory and it is a certainty that one day we will travelling  back to Rotherham and Wallsall.

Piss off, rotherham and walsall will never be in the premier league!

[Gerard]

14 hours ago, FIF said:

We lost to Chelsea and Man City both in or after extra time. How can that be missing a big opportunity? Some people are saying that Man city are the best team there's ever been in the prem? 

 

We could and should have won more games in the league but 7th would be a very very good result.

 

I think the manager is great. You don't like the fact that we are actually passing the ball and that we have skilfull players in the team - Diabaté looks a great addition - Puel's only one for now. What do you prefer the long hit and hope ball on the back of 30% possession to our diminutive attackers? We no longer have the defence without mentioning the rule changes to defend for 70 minutes of a game.

 

Better to be playing for 7th than playing for survival imo - but each to their own.

 

Good post.

 

The reality is we got knocked out the cups by two of the top six teams and only Burnley are ahead of us in the league out of our realistic competitors. We have performed to the top of our realistic ceiling. 

 

What bottom 14 club have had a better season than us so far?