Leicester win premiership

[richart]

Funny thread. Well done Leicester, of course, but they have still spent a fortune on their team. Just not as much as the "big guns".

And sad that the usual suspects feel the need to hijack yet another football thread to have a go at rangers. Give it a rest chaps.

Their first choice team cost less than £22 million. £2 million a man on average is not a lot, especially as few if any have come through their ranks. Championship teams have spent more. There is huge money in the Premier league, and what Leicester spent is chicken feed to most of the others. There must be a lot of teams in the top half of the table that have spent at least £22 million on one player.

Never thought I would see a team like Leicester win the Premiership, without huge money injection like Man City got. It tops Nottingham Forest's win back in the late 70's for me.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Not meaning to denigrate them, obviously. I read £57 million which is huge money, although not at the man city etc level.

Just trying to balance the "it's not about money" posts.

 

[Tongo]

Their first choice team cost less than £22 million. £2 million a man on average is not a lot, especially as few if any have come through their ranks. Championship teams have spent more. There is huge money in the Premier league, and what Leicester spent is chicken feed to most of the others. There must be a lot of teams in the top half of the table that have spent at least £22 million on one player.

Never thought I would see a team like Leicester win the Premiership, without huge money injection like Man City got. It tops Nottingham Forest's win back in the late 70's for me.

Not for me. Forest trumped a Liverpool team that were utterly dominant both at home and in Europe. Then they out manoeuvred them in the European Cup the following season.

 

[Piece]

Leicester have retained the core of their team for years. I've seen many of the current crop at the Vic over recent seasons. Take for example the famous play-off win in May 2013. Lots of familiar names there, including one Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy sitting on the bench...:

01 C Schmeichel
02 R De Laet - on loan at Boro - promoted??
05 W Morgan
15 M Keane - now at Burnley (promoted)
10 A King
11 N Dyer (D Drinkwater - 66' )
16 M James
24 A Knockaert - now at Brighton - promoted??
18 J Schlupp
35 D Nugent - now at Boro - promoted?
39 C Wood (H Kane - 61' ) - now at Leeds

Substitutes
13 C Logan
03 P Konchesky - on loan at Boro - promoted??
22 L Moore - on loan at Bristol City
04 D Drinkwater
07 B Marshall
09 J Vardy
37 H Kane - wonder where he is now?

 

[Dan2501]

Not meaning to denigrate them, obviously. I read £57 million which is huge money, although not at the man city etc level.

Just trying to balance the "it's not about money" posts.

They're 17th in money spent on wages this year. They're also 17th in terms of Squad Spend - with only Norwich, Watford and Bournemouth below them. Their squad cost 72m euros to compile - that compares with 560 for Man City, 533 for Man United, 407 for Chelsea, 344 for Liverpool and 305 for Arsenal. Of course Leicester have spent money, every single club in every top division in the world has to spend money in order to survive, but to win the league with a small, cheap (in comparison) squad is unbelievably impressive.

 

[Piece]

Not for me. Forest trumped a Liverpool team that were utterly dominant both at home and in Europe. Then they out manoeuvred them in the European Cup the following season.

Obviously a different era, but the amount of money sloshing around Chelsea, Arsenal, Man C, Man U and the other top ten clubs, means that Leicester have done the impossible with the core of the team founded in the Championship in 2013/14.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Leicesters efforts have been monumental, restored faith in the underdog and given a lot of us hope, but (this is not a dig at them) to see so many big teams have poor seasons at the same time has helped and as much as I'd like to be wrong I really can't see it be repeated for a long time,
They can get a maximum of 83 points that would've only been good enough once in the last 10 years and in some of those years it wasn't enough for 2nd or 3rd.

I really think next season we'll be back to 4 main clubs with Spurs and LPool chasing 5/6.

More than happy to be 100% wrong, just think Chelsea/City etc will be back way stronger

 

[Blue in Munich]

Some interesting comments in here;

http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/topic/106061-the-eden-hazard-chelsea-appreciation-thread/

The last game should be fun………

 

[Jensen]

Not for me. Forest trumped a Liverpool team that were utterly dominant both at home and in Europe. Then they out manoeuvred them in the European Cup the following season.

And they were a force for a few years too, not just 1 season.
It is remarkable what Leicester have achieved, and congratulations where it's due. However it'll be VERY interesting to see how they do next season and in Europe.
Watch this space

 

[User62651]

Having endured watching a lazy inept performance from Man City last night, I don't see them being much of a threat next season unless Guardiola cuts away a lot of overpaid deadwood there. Toure was awful along with the whole midfield.
ManU still look in transition, Ronney/Carrick et al are not what they were....not a threat.
Arsenal/Tottenham/Chelsea should kick on and be good next year - they'll be Leicesters main threat.
Could Leicester do it again, yes they could if they keep that hard working team intact.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Seems unlikely they'll keep the team intact though. Expect bids for some of the key players from bigger clubs.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Seems unlikely they'll keep the team intact though. Expect bids for some of the key players from bigger clubs.

If you look at the list of players from 2013 that Piece posted#44, Leciester clearly have an excellent scouting/buying policy.
More of the same should suit them both financially and on the field.

If I were a fan I would be more concerned about losing the scouts/finance guys at the club than the players or the manager.

 

[FairwayDodger]

If you look at the list of players from 2013 that Piece posted#44, Leciester clearly have an excellent scouting/buying policy.
More of the same should suit them both financially and on the field.

If I were a fan I would be more concerned about losing the scouts/finance guys at the club than the players or the manager.

No doubt about it but they have 2 or 3 top guys who will be very hard to replace were they to leave over the summer.

 

[User62651]

Is anyone out of contract this summer - If not then why would the Thai owner sell now? - he doesn't need the money as he's a billionaire and with ECL coming up he can make more money from Leicester as brand and would need his star players to develop and sell that brand, they may be worth more in a year anyway particularly Mahrez and Kante who are both youngish.
I understand players themselves fancying more money/glory via a bigger club should they come calling but in my view best approach is have a run at ECL where you're going to actually play, enjoy being champions etc and re-assess in one years time.
Players must be on huge bonuses for winning EPL too.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Normally the big clubs can easily turn players' heads but, you're right, champions league may well be a big incentive to stay.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Sky money has changed things massively. In the past Everton would have had to sell John Stones to Chelsea last year but they were able to say no and stick to it. They may sell this year, along with Lukaku, but they will only do it on their terms now. That is the difference. The same should apply to Leicester. If someone wants to buy Mahrez then they can sit there and ask £40m. If someone pays that then they can replace one player with 3 top players or they can keep him if no one coughs up. Teams like Leicester no longer have to be split up if they don't want it to happen. It will make the league a stronger place.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Let's celebrate Leicester winning the PL, but let's not get carried away, I don't reckon they'll be top 6 next year.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I think top 10 would be a cracking year for them. The planets can not align for them next year in the same way they did this year.

 

[User62651]

if they keep the same players then they dont need planets to align, specialized diet and speed training/ extreme hamstring strengthening seems to have played a big part in them getting 'lucky' with injuries. Apart from Arsenal they beat all the other 'big' teams, some quite easily.
A bit like Brailsford did for UK cycling, it seems the backroom team at Leicester are a step ahead of the game with scientific processes and attention to every minute detail of conditioning of players.
I think top 4 should be minimum aim if they keep this squad together.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

if they keep the same players then they dont need planets to align, specialized diet and speed training/ extreme hamstring strengthening seems to have played a big part in them getting 'lucky' with injuries. Apart from Arsenal they beat all the other 'big' teams, some quite easily.
A bit like Brailsford did for UK cycling, it seems the backroom team at Leicester are a step ahead of the game with scientific processes and attention to every minute detail of conditioning of players.
I think top 4 should be minimum aim if they keep this squad together.

It's not about what Leicester do for me, it's the fact teams like Chelsea will be stronger and better, teams will be wary of Kante, Mahrez and Vardy and will play a diferent game against them,
The backroom staff are not new, they were the same people that were there last season when Leicester nearly went down, Ranieri has been superb, but the squad isn't big enough for a European campaign as well.