Arguably of all Premier League teams this has the most riding on it. Can Leicester get back on track and earn a place permanently among the elite or will the club return to being a yo yo club and consign last season's success to being a fluke?
Firstly, manager wise - stick or twist? Rarely have assistants made long term successful managers.
Secondly, which players? The Leicester success model is based on finding good players who have been rejected and have an insatiable appetite to prove that people got it wrong (I'm surprised you didn't get Michael Keane when he left us). However, you lost Steve Walsh who had the gift for this.
Massive summer
posted on 19/5/17
comment by Arouna Jagielka oooh I wanna take ya, Heitinga... (U1308)
posted 56 minutes ago
Jose should be worried. If he spent £150m to fall down the league......how much will he need to rise up the league.
Jose for the high jump
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All his signings did well.
I'd more be worried about what you lot are gonna do for goals when lukaku goes back to west London.
posted on 19/5/17
Still getting back to Leicester because I still have an admiration for what they did.
Regarding the manager, I'm struggling to find any examples of successful assistants as managers here but I think Mourinho was assistant to Robson, and in the old bootroom days Liverpool promoted Paisley and Fagan from assistant roles. But there's loads of failed examples. From my club MU, you have Mike Phelan, Renee Mourte..., Brian Kidd even Steve "umbrella" McLaren,
Regarding the players - Do you go safer option of targeting old successful players who are no longer able to play at top clubs but could bring you experience and help steady the ship - like Terry or Defoe. Trouble is they push other players' noses out of place and they certainly don't have the appetite anymore.
Personally on the manager front, I wouldn't risk it with Shakespeare but keep him and get him working closely with someone more established. You could bring back someone with success in the EPL, like Pelligrini. Or headhunt an up and coming manager like the manager at Celta Vigo. You could also take a chance with a great player who has retired and maybe able to inspire attract stars, like Philip Lahm.
Player wise, Pickford and Gibson and even that guy at Fulham look ideal but there's too much competition and the price will rocket. Perhaps go to France who cannot compete with Premier League clubs for wages and target the best young players (obviously not Monaco).
posted on 19/5/17
comment by Stretty - mr mourinho (U3123)
posted 1 hour, 20 minutes ago
comment by Arouna Jagielka oooh I wanna take ya, Heitinga... (U1308)
posted 56 minutes ago
Jose should be worried. If he spent £150m to fall down the league......how much will he need to rise up the league.
Jose for the high jump
----------------------------------------------------------------------
All his signings did well.
I'd more be worried about what you lot are gonna do for goals when lukaku goes back to west London.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jose should worry about who will score the goals now Zlatan is over
posted on 19/5/17
Well first of all winning the Premier League wasn't a fluke, You can't be the best team over 38 games and only like lose 3 all season (less than anyone this season) and not be a very good side. That will be true even if they never get into the top four again.
As for whether they can break into the top four again? Well it's very difficult in a system totally skewed against them in favour of the biggest clubs.
When Leicester won the league pundits were queuing up to say that Kante, Mahrez and Vardy should go as they will never win anything again at Leicester. It almost becomes a self fulfilling prophecy because if all the best players leave then they won't win much again.
The only examples of people breaking that cycle are Chelsea and Man City and they had to throw billions at it to achieve it. With the exception of that one glorious season when Leicester did just that.
posted on 19/5/17
comment by Arouna Jagielka oooh I wanna take ya, Heitinga... (U1308)
posted 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
comment by Stretty - mr mourinho (U3123)
posted 1 hour, 20 minutes ago
comment by Arouna Jagielka oooh I wanna take ya, Heitinga... (U1308)
posted 56 minutes ago
Jose should be worried. If he spent £150m to fall down the league......how much will he need to rise up the league.
Jose for the high jump
----------------------------------------------------------------------
All his signings did well.
I'd more be worried about what you lot are gonna do for goals when lukaku goes back to west London.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jose should worry about who will score the goals now Zlatan is over
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We can replace him. You lot can't replace lukaku.
As for Leicester, what they did was a fluke, they've more chance of getting relegated than competing next season.
posted on 20/5/17
comment by Stretty - mr mourinho (U3123)
posted 6 hours, 57 minutes ago
comment by Arouna Jagielka oooh I wanna take ya, Heitinga... (U1308)
posted 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
comment by Stretty - mr mourinho (U3123)
posted 1 hour, 20 minutes ago
comment by Arouna Jagielka oooh I wanna take ya, Heitinga... (U1308)
posted 56 minutes ago
Jose should be worried. If he spent £150m to fall down the league......how much will he need to rise up the league.
Jose for the high jump
----------------------------------------------------------------------
All his signings did well.
I'd more be worried about what you lot are gonna do for goals when lukaku goes back to west London.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jose should worry about who will score the goals now Zlatan is over
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We can replace him. You lot can't replace lukaku.
As for Leicester, what they did was a fluke, they've more chance of getting relegated than competing next season.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Who with, United had to sign a player at the end of his days.....
Maybe this time he will go for Defoe or Eto'o.
posted on 20/5/17
comment by Jobyfox (U4183)
posted 9 hours, 15 minutes ago
Well first of all winning the Premier League wasn't a fluke, You can't be the best team over 38 games and only like lose 3 all season (less than anyone this season) and not be a very good side. That will be true even if they never get into the top four again.
As for whether they can break into the top four again? Well it's very difficult in a system totally skewed against them in favour of the biggest clubs.
When Leicester won the league pundits were queuing up to say that Kante, Mahrez and Vardy should go as they will never win anything again at Leicester. It almost becomes a self fulfilling prophecy because if all the best players leave then they won't win much again.
The only examples of people breaking that cycle are Chelsea and Man City and they had to throw billions at it to achieve it. With the exception of that one glorious season when Leicester did just that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Talking of pundits. There's a band of them cheering on the Spurs players saying they should stay together because they've got something good going on. And yet to prove otherwise naturally. But our best players who actually achieved something together should move on...
posted on 20/5/17
Was it Danny Murphy on MOTD the other week saying Mahrez should be playing in the Champions League every season? Even though he has done nothing to suggest that he would be anything better then 'OK' in the CL this season
posted on 20/5/17
Question to the OP: When you talk of Leicester being permanently among the elite, do you mean staying in the Premier League long term or challenging for European/Champions League spots? Because there is a level, of clubs like Stoke and Southampton, between European football and relegation dogfight.
posted on 20/5/17
comment by The_Real_Slimani (U1254)
posted 2 hours, 57 minutes ago
Was it Danny Murphy on MOTD the other week saying Mahrez should be playing in the Champions League every season? Even though he has done nothing to suggest that he would be anything better then 'OK' in the CL this season
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The thing is that if he wants to play CL every season then he ought to move abroad. There is no guarantee for big English clubs these days.