So, last night's exit from the champions league feels a little bit like the sun has just set on the greatest chapter of Leicester City's history. A chapter I'll be reading to the kids and grandkids for many years to come.
- That moment we beat Man City and some people started to believe
- Vardy's goal vs Liverpool from 462 yards out
- That moment we beat Crystal Palce and we really beleived. The fans stayed behind for 2 hours singing.
- That moment Hazard scored against Spurs and the city of Leicester just came out in to the streets and partied hard on a school night.
- When Morgan lifted that trophy
- having 2 of the top 10 players in the world at our club
- having the greatest goalkeeper ever seen at Leicester (one for Nev)
- 600 million people filling Vicky Park
- Kasabian, beating Sevilla, being the best British team in Europe.
They will be embeleshed. They will live on.
It feels weird. I actually feel really disappointed with last night. Not with the way we went out. I couldn't have asked for more (except maybe 3-5-2 earlier - who could have foreseen Ulloa being our secret weapon in a champions league quarter final!!). I'm disappointed that the dream is over. I feel a bit hollow. What do I look forward to next?
With the end of any chapter, there's the beginning of a new one.
With this, I listened carefully to Shakespeare's post match interview, and I liked what I heard. "I asked the players if they want more of that, they said yes".
I watched his tactics carefully. A good mid-match change that caused Madrid a whole host of problems. A clever move.
A man who has reunited our club, who people want to play for.
I think he's already earned the right to another season. His comments were clear - we want more of this. I think right now here is no one better placed to build and give us that. I don't want a big name. I want a name who can continue to integrate new players in to the ethos of our club that has been created over the last 6 years. I think that man is Craig Shakespeare.
Do you?
Is that possible again? Unlikely. But I'll leave you with the words of a wise man who once said: "we are a little club, but we want to be bigger. Keep dreaming".
As the sun sets....
posted on 20/4/17
I'm not stupid. Stupid is saying Craig Shakespeare who's only now just managing in the Premier League (I don't even know whether he's managed period before) could win the Premier League with the Lester City team Ranieri had last season. You are the only person on this website who thinks Shakespeare could have won the league. It's embarrassing to see someone so fickle who's changed his ideas completely.
Your form currently is good, but it's boosted from firing Ranieri. You can't keep up this level. If you'd kept the same style for the whole of this season, you'd be 8th place after Everton at best. At best.
posted on 21/4/17
comment by Cesc + Costa - Commander Dogtooth (U21341)
posted 1 hour, 18 minutes ago
I'm not stupid. Stupid is saying Craig Shakespeare who's only now just managing in the Premier League (I don't even know whether he's managed period before) could win the Premier League with the Lester City team Ranieri had last season. You are the only person on this website who thinks Shakespeare could have won the league. It's embarrassing to see someone so fickle who's changed his ideas completely.
Your form currently is good, but it's boosted from firing Ranieri. You can't keep up this level. If you'd kept the same style for the whole of this season, you'd be 8th place after Everton at best. At best.
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What I'm saying is there's no good reason why not because he displays all the qualities required. You're suggesting he couldn't while totally dismissing his qualities and the reasons why he could.
As I've already said, if the players are played this way and they have someone who can make the right tactical changes then they're as good as anyone in this division. We played like champions before and after him so it clearly wasn't all him. Wake up!
posted on 21/4/17
comment by Cesc + Costa - Commander Dogtooth (U21341)
posted 1 hour, 22 minutes ago
I'm not stupid. Stupid is saying Craig Shakespeare who's only now just managing in the Premier League (I don't even know whether he's managed period before) could win the Premier League with the Lester City team Ranieri had last season. You are the only person on this website who thinks Shakespeare could have won the league. It's embarrassing to see someone so fickle who's changed his ideas completely.
Your form currently is good, but it's boosted from firing Ranieri. You can't keep up this level. If you'd kept the same style for the whole of this season, you'd be 8th place after Everton at best. At best.
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Can't keep up this level? You surely must be joking? We won seven out of nine and were told it was just good form and we couldn't keep it up, which we did for a further 38 games. This is how we play you moron so of course we can keep it up. What you're suggesting is the same as Chelsea not being able to keep it up. You have a very short memory and clearly have no understanding whatsoever. Stupid.
posted on 21/4/17
comment by Champions of England (U21032)
posted 7 hours, 56 minutes ago
comment by itsonlyagame (U6426)
posted 7 hours, 7 minutes ago
Arro
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What's up with you? Not getting that Shakey was tactically better than Simeone? Maybe you're underestimating Shakey because you've never heard of him? Maybe you think Ranieri was that much of a genius even though he made a lot of tactical mistakes last season as well as this? Or is it because I think we're good enough to challenge for Europe and thing that's what the clubs aim should be?
Which one?
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The fact you don't have the first idea about European football. Your tie was about as comfortable as they come for Simeone, he wasn't even tested.
posted on 21/4/17
I'm looking forward to Shakespeare leading Lester to the league title next season.
You must be trolling me.
posted on 21/4/17
comment by Cesc + Costa - Commander Dogtooth (U21341)
posted 1 hour, 21 minutes ago
You must be trolling me.
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#irony
posted on 21/4/17
comment by KennysHeroes (U1935)
posted 1 day, 20 hours ago
Looking at it as a neutral... and I think many will agree with me when I say this,
I think Leicester will forever be remembered as the club that came together to win the title against all odds... then turned on their greatest ever manager and got him sacked less than a season later
Sad but true
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Wrong. Our greatest-ever manager left the club 49 years ago.
posted on 21/4/17
...well, I reckon anyway
posted on 22/4/17
comment by Arthur Johnson (U6426)
posted 1 day, 1 hour ago
comment by Champions of England (U21032)
posted 7 hours, 56 minutes ago
comment by itsonlyagame (U6426)
posted 7 hours, 7 minutes ago
Arro
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What's up with you? Not getting that Shakey was tactically better than Simeone? Maybe you're underestimating Shakey because you've never heard of him? Maybe you think Ranieri was that much of a genius even though he made a lot of tactical mistakes last season as well as this? Or is it because I think we're good enough to challenge for Europe and thing that's what the clubs aim should be?
Which one?
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The fact you don't have the first idea about European football. Your tie was about as comfortable as they come for Simeone, he wasn't even tested.
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Wasn't even tested? Ha ha did you even watch the game? We had 20 shots on goal with goal line blocks and had Slimani been playing instead of Ulloa, we might well have got the goals we needed because he's a beast in the air and simply doesn't miss with his head. Simeone had no answer to our barrage of pressure, he just got lucky that they held out.
posted on 22/4/17
Arro, just accept for once that when it comes to Europe you're clueless and out of your depth.
Context:
NOT ONCE in more than 5 seasons of 2-leg knockout football -and bear in mind Spain's domestic cup is also played over two legs- has Simeone lost a tie in which Atlético have taken the lead.
That's a lot of two-leg action they've seen, a lot of it with the very best of Europe throwing the kitchen sink at them.
NOT ONCE.
Against Leicester, it took Atlético less than half an hour to gain the upper hand. They also got the away goal they needed for safety within the first half hour of the return leg.
By the time (more than two hours of football) you managed your first shot on target, you already needed 3 goals to progress.
What you've read as some kind of Shakespearian masterclass was no more than the playing out of a trademark Atlético exercise in two-leg knockout football.
As far as the testing of his managerial capabilities go, Simeone did not so much as break a sweat. He probably lent more thought at the King Power to the heap of ironing he had to do when he got back home.