Andy King

You wouldn't want a copy of the Birch though, would you? Otherwise whoever did it would just look like a poor imitation. Besides which, his role isn't just about talking to the crowd pre-match, it's about representing the club to fans, meeting and greeting, keeping up good spirits and atmosphere. It may be that they don't replace Birch at all, i.e. that he has a job because he is who and what he is, and the job itself will one day go with him. But if someone is to become "the next Birch" one day it will have to be someone who's got a friendly manner and is known and embedded within the club. And particularly if they're looking for someone family-friendly and reliable, King ticks a lot of boxes.

Slightly off topic but I see Justin has been given the number 2 shirt, now I know the numbers make very little point these days but that’s a positive step the the young man.

It is, but it also suggests it was simply available. Ricardo would have had first dibs on it, and aside from that it's kind of an unwritten rule that it goes to a right back. Much like 3 is a left back and 9 is a striker. And if anyone is number 1 aside from a goalkeeper they can kindly go stuff themselves.

comment by The_Dungeon_Master (U4830)
posted 54 minutes ago
You wouldn't want a copy of the Birch though, would you? Otherwise whoever did it would just look like a poor imitation. Besides which, his role isn't just about talking to the crowd pre-match, it's about representing the club to fans, meeting and greeting, keeping up good spirits and atmosphere. It may be that they don't replace Birch at all, i.e. that he has a job because he is who and what he is, and the job itself will one day go with him. But if someone is to become "the next Birch" one day it will have to be someone who's got a friendly manner and is known and embedded within the club. And particularly if they're looking for someone family-friendly and reliable, King ticks a lot of boxes.
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Totally agree. So much so I have nothing more to add.

Interesting article particularly, as has been pointed out, around the respective opinions on Puel and Rudkin. Disdain for one and respect for the other.

It’s interesting that people often come out and praise the impact of the owners, but more recently we’ve heard people speak highly of Susan Whelan. Rudkin is part of the management team and, like King, has been around for some time. King seems to feel that Rudkin is another to be praised in terms of leadership, which is something we’ve not always heard - albeit mainly from people not close to the club.

The Puel derision is probably expected from someone who suffered so obviously in terms of opportunity. The job Puel did was necessary in transitioning the team and getting rid of some of the old players and integrating the new. I think we’d all agree on that. It was also obvious, however, that Puel didn’t have the charisma or man management skills to manage the team through it and lost the dressing room somewhere along the way.

On King himself. Well you just really want to like him. A model professional and a decent player. It’s just a shame that he’s no longer good enough for the level we’ve reached. I’ve always thought he missed his calling somewhere. He started as a brilliant attacking midfielder who arrived late into the box to score some high class goals - the criticism then was that he’d often go missing in games. So he evolved to be an all action midfielder, but then his goals dried up. He’s ended up as a bit of a neither/nor player. If only he could step up in terms of ability then he’s definitely the kind of guy you’d want to keep around for his other positive influences on the team. Sadly I’ve long given up on believing that he’s capable.

I usually have some set criteria to define a club legend:
great ability, longevity at the club, ambassador for Leicester off the field, loyalty, effort in games, contribution to lcfc success etc. He’s one of those who may not ever quite qualify in terms of ability, but you couldn’t really argue against the definition when he has been so impeccable in so many other areas.

comment by The_Dungeon_Master (U4830)
posted 16 minutes ago
It is, but it also suggests it was simply available. Ricardo would have had first dibs on it, and aside from that it's kind of an unwritten rule that it goes to a right back. Much like 3 is a left back and 9 is a striker. And if anyone is number 1 aside from a goalkeeper they can kindly go stuff themselves.
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Personally I think the numbers go far too high.

It’s way past the time when we should have, for example: 3.0 for first choice left back, 3.5 for 2nd choice and 3.55 for 3rd choice.

Yes - that would work!

If I could have π on the back of my shirt, I would.

And I mean the number, not the foodstuff.
That's happened too many times to count.

comment by The_Dungeon_Master (U4830)
posted 19 minutes ago
If I could have π on the back of my shirt, I would.
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How many digits would you go to?

You have a choice of anything between 1 and 31 trillion.

Good points Joby. The more and more our club evolves without Vichai, the more I credit Whelan for our progress. I think she is doing a phenomenal job and has got the balance between club and commercial bang on.

I also think our transfer activity has been very good after our blip following the title win. After two bad windows we got back behind a clear plan and it’s worked very well.

I’m now coming round to the view that the much maligned Rudkin is actually fine because the leadership is so strong. And for that, I think susan a Whelan is one of the most underrated influences at our club.

I think it’s time we started celebrating her more.