Other teams so far…

[Suzie the Fox]

9 minutes ago, Jobyfox said:

My biggest worry so far is that I see so many people saying: “… when we get out of 2nd gear”, “…. when it clicks…” and “… when we get used to the new style” etc.

 

What if it doesn’t get better? What if this is our peak? Would it be enough? It has been so far …. 

I think we have shown improvement in the style each week, just look at the last 2 games where in the week the defence was superb and then yesterday the passing accuracy stats were at 90%. We are improving for sure and if this is our peak (which i dont think it is yet) then i still think we have enough quality in the squad to finish in the top 2.

[Jobyfox]

1 minute ago, Suzie the Fox said:

I think we have shown improvement in the style each week, just look at the last 2 games where in the week the defence was superb and then yesterday the passing accuracy stats were at 90%. We are improving for sure and if this is our peak (which i dont think it is yet) then i still think we have enough quality in the squad to finish in the top 2.

I think I’m still traumatised after last season and seeking reassurance 

[ithuriel]

Still getting used to no VAR, the standard of officiating is still basically the same but I still hold back on celebrating stuff expecting a VAR check, that thing sucked the life out of games.

[MattFox]

Without sounding all Sean Dyche we spend around 50 million more in wages than the 4th biggest club in the championship and have a bigger turnover than most Premier League clubs (Leeds included)

 

Obviously football isn’t played on paper but even if we’re a yo-yo club historically, currently we are a top half premier league side that’s somehow in the second tier

[LinekersLugs]

24 minutes ago, Happy Fox said:

We are comfortably better than Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United.

Please read my post again 

 

they are not 17 th 

 

[Izzy]

No VAR is the best thing about this league. Feels like we've got the original game back. 

 

Just goes to show it's all a complete waste of time and just let things even themselves out over the season like they used to.

[Matt]

8 minutes ago, Izzy said:

No VAR is the best thing about this league. Feels like we've got the original game back. 

 

Just goes to show it's all a complete waste of time and just let things even themselves out over the season like they used to.

I was an advocate for VAR.

 

I thought it was needed and naively thought it'd bring the correct decisions and be a leveler as there would be no way for it to be weighed in the top clubs favour.

 

Correct decisions aren't being made and things are going even more in the top teams favour.

 

Dare I say it, I think the refs seem to be better for not relying on VAR in this league, albeit card happy.

[Legend_in_blue]

Problem for Cov is they've lost their three best players.  They might push playoffs but don't look at it imo.

 

I said before the season started that we would be at the top of this league.  It's all hustle and bustle down here but with no end product.  It might be more competitive from that point of view but the finishing, craft and ruthlessness is not there consistently from any one team or any one player.  

 

Finishing outside the top 2 will not happen.

 

Enjoy the season - it's going to go the same way as our League One loan spell.

[Larry_LCFC]

Incredible the gulf in class between the Prem and the Championship. Standard of finishing is pretty shocking.

[Number 6]

Was predicting us to win the league lots in the summer, mostly on the standards of this division. The gap between the top two since we were last here has grown massively. 

 

It's very hard to just based on how teams play against us as most will just sit back and defend. I think Norwich are the best side we've played but they pretty much just had set pieces as an attacking threat.

[Vlad the Fox]

Interesting to read the comments about var. I was speaking to a Liverpool fan last week saying the same thing,  that I hadn't realised how much it was spoiling the enjoyment of football for me until this season. 

 

Shame the authorities take no notice. Would be interesting to see a poll for and against, though if it was heavily against nothing would happen as football must be about the only industry where the thoughts of its customers don't matter. 

[KFS]

46 pre season games

[foxes4life]

1 hour ago, MattFox said:

We have a bigger turnover than most Premier League clubs 

 

Isn't that misleading? as it includes the run to the semi finals of the Europa Conference League? take that out and it turns very average. 

[Fox92]

I haven't been impressed with any side too much. I expected much more from Southampton and Norwich.

 

I'd probably say Cov were the best of the bunch and should have been more than 1 up.

 

Bristol City are probably the worse. Didn't offer anything. Even Rotherham threw everything at us at one point.

 

That said, our squad is to good for the league and the fact we can rotate so much yet still win at Carrow Road highlights that. So we should be better that the rest.

Edited 24 September 2023 by Fox92

[Double Decker]

I agree completely with the posts suggesting VAR spoils the moment of elation when a team scores. Fans grew accustomed to holding back, just in case. Now a quick glance at the linesman and you can go nuts. It needs to go, a couple of iffy decisions, I would take. It all balances out.

[SK3Blue]

Cov side had Hamer at the time, massive loss for them. They won't go beyond mid table. 

[MattFox]

18 minutes ago, foxes4life said:

Isn't that misleading? as it includes the run to the semi finals of the Europa Conference League? take that out and it turns very average. 

Conference league means very little in terms of revenue 

 

We turned over more the season before with no fans in the stadium 

[StriderHiryu]

I know it’s Premier League but I think we need to look very closely at Burnley who walked the Championship last season but are struggling in the top flight. After promotion they signed quite a few new players so wonder if they aren’t as cohesive as before as a result?

 

I don’t want to count chickens before they’ve hatched but not only have we been the best team so far, we probably have the highest ceiling too given players are still getting familiar with each other and the system. Kasey McAteer who is our top scorer / best player was rested and we play Fatawu instead! That’s basically cheating!

[Jaspa]

It's when the games and the injuries add up, you have to rely on the whole squad. We're still very early in the season, temperatures in the high teens, and we're still in the League Cup. I'm still not sure that we've actually played any of the challengers for the Title yet; Southampton are a mess, Coventry have lost their 3 best players in Gyorkes, Hamer & Doyle, and Norwich are a mess.

 

We evidently have a talented squad and Enzo is doing the business. Most of the signs are good but I'm certainly not going to get ahead of myself yet and echo other comments in the thread that we'll win the League at a canter... inevitably tempting fate.

[Lambert09]

15 hours ago, Lonsdalefox said:

I was impressed with Hull 

funny how perspectives differ, I expected more from them. They seemed to just time waste their way through the game and on most days would have been punished. 
 

 

Nobody has shone and the fixtures fell kindly for us to get our feet under us before anyone of real strength arrived. 

 

Really looking forward to playing ipswich and leeds to see how we look. 

 

[Lambert09]

13 hours ago, Double Decker said:

I agree completely with the posts suggesting VAR spoils the moment of elation when a team scores. Fans grew accustomed to holding back, just in case. Now a quick glance at the linesman and you can go nuts. It needs to go, a couple of iffy decisions, I would take. It all balances out.

It feels miles better without it. Not just the actual enjoyment of goals but it’s also a lot easier to accept bad decisions without it. 
 

Lets you just get on with it and you can have a moan later but when you have VAR slowing things down and still getting it all wrong… that’s just shambolic really. 

 

With VAR we definitely would have dropped points against rotherham 

[Gamble92]

14 hours ago, Matt said:

I was an advocate for VAR.

 

I thought it was needed and naively thought it'd bring the correct decisions and be a leveler as there would be no way for it to be weighed in the top clubs favour.

 

Correct decisions aren't being made and things are going even more in the top teams favour.

 

Dare I say it, I think the refs seem to be better for not relying on VAR in this league, albeit card happy.

Absolutely what's happened. The pressure of the big clubs was there before VAR so the likes of Ferguson in particular were able to intimidate refs to a ridiculous level. I think there was 7 years with no away penalty at Old Trafford. 

 

But all it's done is put the game completely out of the control of smaller teams and all in the hands of a man behind the monitor who can hide behind excuses like 'subjective'. 

 

They are more concerned about their mate being scored down for making a wrong decision than they are bothered about making the right decision for the good of the game. All it's done if further highlight how corrupt it all is. 

 

 

[Jobyfox]

I agree with others on the VAR debate. I was a strong advocate for it, but it just seems to be a protracted form of refereeing with the same amount of human error. If we’re going to get the decisions wrong anyway I’d rather it be swift and keep the game flowing. 
 

Personally I think the bar should be set much higher on when the VAR officials intervene. Clear and obvious should really be clear and obvious - even for offsides. I’d like to see the football equivalent of umpires call (in cricket) brought in. 
 

A final grumble is the amount of times I see 50/50 decisions sent over to the monitor and 99% of the time the referee just changes the decision. Unless it’s “clear and obvious” I’d like to see more have the balls to just stick with their original decision. 

Edited 25 September 2023 by Jobyfox

[LVFox]

Us and Leeds for top 2.

 

Ipswich, Sunderland and 2 of Norwich, Hull, Cardiff, Saints and Blackburn for playoffs.

 

 

[Midlands_tractor]

Good morning, visiting tractor boy in peace!

 

I have always had a soft spot for Leicester and being a town fan growing up in Nottingham I have a healthy dislike for derby and forest. I have had the pleasure of seeing our two teams play some cracking games over the years ( my personal fav is the game in the snow in 2010 )

 

last year town were involved in a 3 way title race in which we just about came up short to Plymouth who deserved the title, our main aim was promotion and we recruited really well to do that, our squad has carried over into this season really well, case in point our 4 scorers on sat were all January transfers.

 

im looking forward to hopefully another successful season although I appreciate our idea of success is different than yours, I will be very surprised and disappointed if Leicester do not win the league and probably have Leeds second.

 

although I do hope we can hang onto your coat tails and nab second!

 

in response to the OP the standard of this league seems to have dropped from when we were relegated a few years back, a few very strong teams but most quite poor overall. the old championship thing where any team could win or lose 4-0 on a given day seems to be gone.

 

Good luck for the year and I look forward to seeing you on Boxing Day hopefully in the snow again