Leicester coming apart at the seams...

[FriendlyFox]

If anything I think it's the other way. Short term the cup is great as is any silverware. Long term though the CL spot is really important both financially and with regards to retention and recruitment.

Yeah, I see that argument, but I think that only really applies if we can get constant CL qualification, which I think is a pipe dream. I remember our recruitment last time we won the league and got the CL. We signed Slimani, Musa, Adrien Silva - essentially a whole lot of dross - and essentially threw away any benefit from winning the CL.

Don't get me wrong, the Champions League pull and extra money would be very useful for us - by all accounts our budget is pushed right to the limit. Even so, that money isn't going to allow us to compete with the likes of Chelsea, United, Arsenal (or even spurs) on a financial level; we've massively overperformed while many top clubs have had shockers (for them), and yet we've still missed out. The current "top 4" look to have got their act together, and it's going to be a extremely difficult job to break that next season.

 

[rimaldo]

brendan is a fantastic young man. one who shows tremendous character. a fabulous individual. a brilliant technician.

 

[Redlyn]

I think it's better to win the cup. An actual trophy for a team that hardly wins any over a plucky run in a competition they won't be winning. For next season top 4 could be better than the cup in terms of maintaining big team status but I feel for this season its about right.

 

[Bertie Wooster]

Ask their fans, its not the same situation as us. They dont got many thropies, they label this season as their 2nd most succesful because of the FA cup.

And so they should.
Winning a major trophy should always be huge. Especially for a team that rarely win any.

I'd be surprised if Leicester's fans are already buying into the 'CL money for one season is more important than a major trophy success that remains an honour for ever' attitude.

That shouldn't be the attitude for any club imo, but I know it's the view of many fans of clubs like us who've won plenty and now only care about PL and CL titles. But I can't believe many Leicester fans have already adopted that snobbish attitude towards winning the FA Cup.

 

[city-puma]

Just watched the highlights, it seems Leicester had been in full control until the goalkeeper made the mistake.

 

[FriendlyFox]

Fa Cup is nice, but I mean we have seen Arsenal winning ton of these Fa Cups past years, did it make them any better ? Did it help them improve ?

I think they would have benefitted a lot from the money they will get from CL participation in improving their team.

Also, Leicester also shouldn't have needed to choose one over other. They have been in top 4, hell even top 3, for the majority of the season. They bottle it not today, but when they only got 4 points out of 9 from Palace, Southampton and Newcastle.

I think the opinion is different when you've not won one before though. Without any intended offense, I think winning a cup feels very different as a fan of a "smaller" club than if you support a traditional "top 4" team. If Man United go 2 years without a trophy, then it's a barren spell.

You're right in that we shouldn't have had to choose between the two though, and it's gutting to finish the season like this. But it's still a successful season, even if it ends on a slightly sour note.

Consistent CL qualification is never going to be an option for a club like Leicester though. Bigger clubs, with far higher wage bills, have shown how easy it is to drop off.

 

[DWelbz19]

Are they actually a CL level team?

The positions they've been in have been a direct result of Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Spurs all going off the boil in recent years. In terms of actual points accumulated, they've been nothing special.

No. They’ve got a good side but it’s massively overrated by neutrals. The way our fans go on about how many players are must buys. They’re about the fifth or sixth best team in the league.

 

[el3mel]

I think the opinion is different when you've not won one before though. Without any intended offense, I think winning a cup feels very different as a fan of a "smaller" club than if you support a traditional "top 4" team. If Man United go 2 years without a trophy, then it's a barren spell.

You're right in that we shouldn't have had to choose between the two though, and it's gutting to finish the season like this. But it's still a successful season, even if it ends on a slightly sour note.

Consistent CL qualification is never going to be an option for a club like Leicester though. Bigger clubs, with far higher wage bills, have shown how easy it is to drop off.

I didn't say it was a bad season. It's definitely still a pretty good one but Leicester could and should have qualified for CL this season and the previous one.

I think you can stay up there and challenge for 4th for the next few years at least as I think Arsenal and Spurs will stay shit like that for some more time.

 

[The White Pele]

They should lick their wounds and go all out to win the Europa next season. Would be another major trophy for their collection to help solidify their growing status.

 

[Bertie Wooster]

I think the opinion is different when you've not won one before though. Without any intended offense, I think winning a cup feels very different as a fan of a "smaller" club than if you support a traditional "top 4" team. If Man United go 2 years without a trophy, then it's a barren spell.

You're right in that we shouldn't have had to choose between the two though, and it's gutting to finish the season like this. But it's still a successful season, even if it ends on a slightly sour note.

Consistent CL qualification is never going to be an option for a club like Leicester though. Bigger clubs, with far higher wage bills, have shown how easy it is to drop off.

Yep, I completely agree with all that.

Although, as regards the bit in bold, don't lump every United fan in with that attitude. I'm certainly always desperate for us to win trophies - and I'm absolutely delighted whether it's the PL, domestic cups or either European trophy. I haven't got complacent or snobbish about any trophy that we compete for.

But, yeah, speaking to United fans and reading posts on here, there's a huge amount of fans that only seem to care about the PL and CL and are snobbish about the other competitions.

It isn't just a 'big six' thing though. I go on the fan sites of a few lower league clubs, and they only seem to care about the league matches, and the League Cup and EFL Trophy are pretty much dismissed and most want them to rest players ahead of the league games. Even the interest in the FA Cup seems to depend on the draw. If it's a boring 1st or 2nd round draw, then most seem to want players rested ahead of the league games again.

It's a shame that, for most, league position, even for mid table clubs, seems to take precedence over winning Cup competitions nowadays.

 

[AltiUn]

Re. the FA cup vs Champions League debate, realistically Leicester fans shouldn't have to choose which they preferred as they could have easily done both.

 

[RedBanker]

Kudos to team and manager. Yes they failed at the last hurdle in two seasons. But considering the quality of the team at their disposal I would say they did very well. Especially this season they won the major domestic trophy too. They always end up selling their best players to balance their books.

 

[SAFMUTD]

And so they should.
Winning a major trophy should always be huge. Especially for a team that rarely win any.

I'd be surprised if Leicester's fans are already buying into the 'CL money for one season is more important than a major trophy success that remains an honour for ever' attitude.

That shouldn't be the attitude for any club imo, but I know it's the view of many fans of clubs like us who've won plenty and now only care about PL and CL titles. But I can't believe many Leicester fans have already adopted that snobbish attitude towards winning the FA Cup.

I agree, the reality is that different clubs have different ambitions.

Our ambition is to win big titles meaning the EPL and UCL, and to that end is more important to access to the UCL money rather than winning the FA cup. But in leicester case I don't think they aspire to that so it's natural they rather get the FA Cup that top 4.

 

[Matthew84!]

I think Leicester should be very disappointed tbh, champions league football would mean extra money and better players would go there,
Vardy isn't getting any younger and probably won't be getting any better.
Cup win is always good for any club,
I think next season most people will expect them to finish outside the top 4.

 

[acolyte]

Leicester have spent more time in the top 4 this season than anyone else, and it isn't even close. They absolutely should be sick to their stomachs to have missed out. As other have said, it's not an either or situation with FA cup vs top 4. They could and should have had both.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

I remember looking at this chart on wiki from last season when they were pipped on final day to United and it reminded me to see how similar, thought I'd check this seasons to compare.

Last Season..

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H
Result	D	D	W	W	L	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	D	L	L	W	W	L	L	W	D	D	L	L	W	D	D	L	W	D	L	W	L	L
Position	12	12	4	3	5	3	3	4	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	5	5

This season..

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H
Result	W	W	W	L	L	W	W	W	L	L	W	W	L	W	D	D	W	W	W	D	L	W	D	W	W	L	D	W	W	L	L	W	W	D	L	W	L	L
Position	2	1	1	3	4	4	2	1	4	4	4	3	4	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	3	5	5

Dropped to 5th from Gameweek 37 onwards twice!

 

[roonster09]

I remember looking at this chart on wiki from last season when they were pipped on final day to United and it reminded me to see how similar, thought I'd check this seasons to compare.

Last Season..

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H
Result	D	D	W	W	L	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	D	L	L	W	W	L	L	W	D	D	L	L	W	D	D	L	W	D	L	W	L	L
Position	12	12	4	3	5	3	3	4	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	5	5

This season..

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H
Result	W	W	W	L	L	W	W	W	L	L	W	W	L	W	D	D	W	W	W	D	L	W	D	W	W	L	D	W	W	L	L	W	W	D	L	W	L	L
Position	2	1	1	3	4	4	2	1	4	4	4	3	4	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	3	5	5

Dropped to 5th from Gameweek 37 onwards twice!

It's unreal how their results was exact copy of last season in last 5 games.

Game 34 - Drew vs Arsenal - Drew vs Southampton.
Game 35 - Lost to Bournemouth 4-1 - Lost to Newcastle 4-2
Game 36 - Won vs SHU - Won vs ManUtd
Game 37 - Loss to Spurs - Loss to Chelsea
Game 38 - Loss to ManUtd - Loss to Spurs.

Followed exact same pattern including conceding 4 goals in game 35.

 

[Globule]

They've had a successful season by any reasonable metric. Winning the FA Cup is significant.

They (and Rodgers) need to get over that hurdle though. The end of season stumble can become a huge mental issue and if they find themselves in a similar situation in the run in next season it'll be playing on their minds.

 

[UweBein]

Yep, both times 6 Ls in their last 13 games.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Yep, both times 6 Ls in their last 13 games.

That's just horrible. I understand their squad isn't the biggest but you have to pull through.

 

[Renegade]

Pogba has been injured and so has Rashford.

Why you bringing United into it? Very odd

Because it’s a United forum. I’m saying we have deeper depth than they do so it’s no suprise a team over performing that loses its key players ultimately struggle towards the end.

 

[MU655]

Top four will be forgotten about pretty quickly. Would fans really prefer to end a season trophyless and instead 'win' a place in the CL that they could get knocked out in very quickly?

The FA Cup win will be remembered, but who really cares about finishing top four if you don't even win the competition you get access to?

I think Leicester have a realistic chance of winning the Europa League next season. The thing with the CL is, unless you get knocked out at the group stage (making entering the CL pointless), you lose a realistic chance to win a trophy.

Leicester are not a top four team. They don't have the resources nor the squad to reach those levels. And even if they did, they won't be able to sustain it.

I would say keeping the challenge for the top four up all season is over achieving. Funnily enough, I looked at the prediction thread and I would say a lot more than half didn't even predict they would be in the top six. Their squad has become overrated; it's good, but not as good as the top four teams.

 

[Lay]

They can be disappointed that they missed out on the UCL but the cup win is important for them. Who would have thought a few years ago that Leicester would have a PL title and an FA cup. Sounds better than 1 pl title and UCL qualification. I don’t think they’re ready for the UCL either and it’s not as if Brendan has a good record in the competition. He’s been useless in it.

 

[golden_blunder]

Yep, I completely agree with all that.

Although, as regards the bit in bold, don't lump every United fan in with that attitude. I'm certainly always desperate for us to win trophies - and I'm absolutely delighted whether it's the PL, domestic cups or either European trophy. I haven't got complacent or snobbish about any trophy that we compete for.

But, yeah, speaking to United fans and reading posts on here, there's a huge amount of fans that only seem to care about the PL and CL and are snobbish about the other competitions.

It isn't just a 'big six' thing though. I go on the fan sites of a few lower league clubs, and they only seem to care about the league matches, and the League Cup and EFL Trophy are pretty much dismissed and most want them to rest players ahead of the league games. Even the interest in the FA Cup seems to depend on the draw. If it's a boring 1st or 2nd round draw, then most seem to want players rested ahead of the league games again.

It's a shame that, for most, league position, even for mid table clubs, seems to take precedence over winning Cup competitions nowadays.

Such a shame. Modern fans seem to be like it’s CL or nothing. I love the FA cup, I grew up on it. United getting to cup final was always a full day affair. Up early to watch the behind the scenes stuff from both camps, finding out a little about the teams etc. I loved playing the small teams too, the romance of the cup. Loved it!
I feel like once it went originally from the BBC to ITV they changed the format of what we see. I switched off a little right then. Since then the big clubs prioritize where the money comes from so getting 4th place takes precedent. Money. It’s ruined football

 

[TheLiverBird]

They can be disappointed that they missed out on the UCL but the cup win is important for them. Who would have thought a few years ago that Leicester would have a PL title and an FA cup. Sounds better than 1 pl title and UCL qualification. I don’t think they’re ready for the UCL either and it’s not as if Brendan has a good record in the competition. He’s been useless in it.

Exactly

where Leicester are right now is quite remarkable and a success story

they aren’t apart of the top 6

yet they’ve established themselves as a top 4 contender and in recent years won the PL and an FA Cup

they’ve been better than half of the top 6 these past few years or on par

Bravo I say

That’s not to say they won’t be disappointed with missing out on CL of course, but what they are achieving is great

“coming apart at the seams” is so dramatic, this is Leicester we are talking about, fight for top 4 positions and winning trophies

 

[Berbasbullet]

Where are those Leicester fans that joined the forum to laugh at us after the Maguire deal? could have used him this season that’s for sure. (Seriously I am actually gutted they dropped out, but I have to laugh at someone)

 

[Mihai]

brendan is a fantastic young man. one who shows tremendous character. a fabulous individual. a brilliant technician.

a beautiful human being

 

[Green_Red]

I remember looking at this chart on wiki from last season when they were pipped on final day to United and it reminded me to see how similar, thought I'd check this seasons to compare.

Last Season..

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H
Result	D	D	W	W	L	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	D	L	L	W	W	L	L	W	D	D	L	L	W	D	D	L	W	D	L	W	L	L
Position	12	12	4	3	5	3	3	4	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	5	5

This season..

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H
Result	W	W	W	L	L	W	W	W	L	L	W	W	L	W	D	D	W	W	W	D	L	W	D	W	W	L	D	W	W	L	L	W	W	D	L	W	L	L
Position	2	1	1	3	4	4	2	1	4	4	4	3	4	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	3	5	5

Dropped to 5th from Gameweek 37 onwards twice!

How they let Liverpool back into this is unbelievable.

Remember when people were saying Rodgers is a better manager than Ole? Clearly not.

 

[TheLiverBird]

They should lick their wounds and go all out to win the Europa next season. Would be another major trophy for their collection to help solidify their growing status.

Funny thing is I think they’ve got the quality to give it a go tbh

 

[Ace of Spades]

The disappointing thing for them will be that they were comfortable 3rd in the league for a large majority of the season, so to then finish 5th will be annoying.

I think looking at the squad overall 5th is not bad, but the way they got that will be a negative than a positive.

 

[MU655]

How they let Liverpool back into this is unbelievable.

Remember when people were saying Rodgers is a better manager than Ole? Clearly not.

One has spent a net of over £220m (the most of any manager in the PL during that time), whilst the other has spent a net of £15m. A bit of a difference in circumstances.

A lot more than 50% didn't even predict Leicester to finish top six this season. It shows they weren't rated that highly at the beginning. He had them punching way above their weight at the start of the season.

They had poor form, but a lot of that is due to their non-existent depth. The drop off from their first team is massive. It is by far the biggest of the top teams.

Even their first team is now being overrated. It is not close to the top four. Rodgers has done very well to make it appear so. He has done brilliantly to improve players like Barnes and Iheanacho.

 

[Wonder Pigeon]

I'm sure it's frustrating having spent so much of the last two seasons in the top 4 but when you consider who they're competing with, back to back 5th place finishes and a cup win is exceptional.

Spurs had their spell as consistent CL qualifiers and are sneered at for not winning anything, Leicester have trophies to show for their efforts and get sneered at for not getting into the CL. And as @TheWhitePele says above, they could make a go for it in the Europa next season, which could be a better chance for them than finishing in the top 4.

 

[Green_Red]

One has spent a net of over £220m (the most of any manager in the PL during that time), whilst the other has spent a net of £15m. A bit of a difference in circumstances.

A lot more than 50% didn't even predict Leicester to finish top six this season. It shows they weren't rated that highly at the beginning. He had them punching way above their weight at the start of the season.

They had poor form, but a lot of that is due to their non-existent depth. The drop off from their first team is massive. It is by far the biggest of the top teams.

Even their first team is now being overrated. It is not close to the top four. Rodgers has done very well to make it appear so. He has done brilliantly to improve players like Barnes and Iheanacho.

Net spend is bollox when you consider we over pay for players. Bottom line, Ole >>> Rodgers

 

[Jimmy Skitz]

What happened to him? He walked off. Could he not have stuck it out

looked like he pulled his hamstring, he was in tears going off, if twats like Maddison, Perez and Choudhury cared that much we may have beaten West Ham away with them available...

 

[TheLiverBird]

Net spend is bollox when you consider we over pay for players. Bottom line, Ole >>> Rodgers

Bottom Line is Rodgers has brought silverware to his Club, a Club no where near Utd’s level

That’s a major line to cross

Ole doesn’t even know where the line is

 

[UweBein]

That's just horrible. I understand their squad isn't the biggest but you have to pull through.

Yes, I agree. I mean they had the added workload due to their cup run - but still.

How they let Liverpool back into this is unbelievable.

Remember when people were saying Rodgers is a better manager than Ole? Clearly not.

Indeed, it's the third time it has happened for Rodgers (or rather the third time it hasn't happened), and they won the Cup with a wonder strike.
I get lower budget and all that, but if you can put your club in a position to succeed for most part of the season, then you need to get them over the line.

 

[passing-wind]

Could be a point that Leicester dropping off at the end of the season could be due to a lack of squad depth. Given what's considered top four quality I would revolve it around United, Chelsea, Liverpool, City I'd consider Spurs even more than Leicester to be predicted top four on the basis of individual quality. I don't think Ole / Rodgers can be compared accurately given the major indifferent circumstances they are working with.

 

[UweBein]

Could be a point that Leicester dropping off at the end of the season could be due to a lack of squad depth. Given what's considered top four quality I would revolve it around United, Chelsea, Liverpool, City I'd consider Spurs even more than Leicester to be predicted top four on the basis of individual quality. I don't think Ole / Rodgers can be compared accurately given the major indifferent circumstances they are working with.

Oh, definitely, no doubt that it played a major role. But, still you can adapt to it, try to rotate, give certain players a break, bring in someone entirely new with fresh legs... the way they lost the last game they were evidently shot physically but also mentally. (You know, it's not like Chelsea or Liverpool had a perfect run at the end of the season.)