Postives and Negatives

[Roygbiv]

For me

Positives:

Baldock: Excellent considering it was his first game after injury. Really looks the part and Freeman will have to be at his best to keep him out

Eastwood: Might have been a bit slow on the 2nd goal but he certainly looks a keeper we can rely on if anything happens to Blackman

Brooks: Excellent. We have to find a place for him while we have got him (probably less than a week)

Coutts: Just thought when he came on he he showed how important he is to us

Negatives:

The defence is incredibly slow. I know their attack is better than anything we will come up against this season but any team with pace will kill us like Cardiff did

Lundstram isn't ready to step up to replace Fleck or Coutts yet

Brooks will likely be gone after that

The forward line is extremely poor for the level we are now at. Evans looked poor again and Lavery might be ok to bring on in the last 10 but he isn't good enough to be a starter at Championship level for me.

 

[Pierre's PC]

Coutts even in his short cameo looked the most accomplished player on the pitch. I'd be more concerned for us if we lost him than Brooks.

 

[Houso]

I'd agree with most of that bar the last point.

I am no fan of Ched, but it's daft to form any opinion on him or Lavery tonight given the scraps they had to feed off.

 

[robbiez666]

I thought O'Connell was particularly slow. He seems slower than last season (granted, he may just be playing against quicker strikers)?

The 3 CBs were ripped apart again.

On a positive, I thought Carruthers looked much better in a deeper role. He was one of our best players.

 

[thehet]

Go along with it but lets not forget who we were playing.

More pressing for me was the complete and utter lack of movement from our forwards when the midfielders had the ball.

We get wing backs to dangerous positions but lack that cutting edge in the box against these better teams. Need to invest up front but this costs £££

 

[Roygbiv]

I'd agree with most of that bar the last point.

I am no fan of Ched, but it's daft to form any opinion on him or Lavery tonight given the scraps they had to feed off.

I agree to some extent but I think Evans in particular looks way off anything like Championship level at the moment. At least Lavery showed a touch of pace and trickery. Evans didn't look fast, strong or fit

 

[coolhandluke]

Boldock looked very good . Pace strength and a very good crosser of the ball . For his first game back after injury I was very impressed .

 

[Houso]

Actually, thehet makes a good point on the lack of movement. The unwillingness to make near post runs was frustrating to say the least.

 

[Bladesman]

The runs were being made by the strikers, the pass was not always forthcoming from the midfield.

As usual we think playing triangles on the corner of their box will work while Leicester get all their players back in position.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Easy to play against our 3-4-1-2 if you have pace up top and on wings.

Defend, hope to win it back, ping it over to Linford Christie on either flank or behind the back line and you're in every time.

I think we have to consider this formation against the top teams. This is all Cardiff did.

 

[10-0 win]

We saw what we lack tonight, pace,black or foreign.

 

[Pierre's PC]

Actually, thehet makes a good point on the lack of movement. The unwillingness to make near post runs was frustrating to say the least.

A near post poacher is someone that we are missing desperately. Personally it's more important to have someone quicker over 10 yards in the box than out and out pace with how we play.

 

[DeanLearner'sCat]

The goals we conceded were shocking. Especially the one where our entire midfield seemed to completely disappear.

Brooks was the obvious positive.

 

[Baaaaaaa Blades]

Concur with the thoughts on Coutts , even in 10-20 mins he showed his class and is such a huge player for us ,

Evans seems to have digressed in the past few weeks , brightish cameo against Walsall and boro / Cardiff , then nothing on Saturday and tonight
Still it could take him half a season to get up to speed as with quite a few players but we do need some more fire power upfront that's for sure !

Just shows in Leicester what Pace brings to a team , they were deadly 2nd half , thought they were good all over and Maguire should 100% be in the england team

 

[coolhandluke]

Easy to play against our 3-4-1-2 if you have pace up top and on wings.

Defend, hope to win it back, ping it over to Linford Christie on either flank or behind the back line and you're in every time.

I think we have to consider this formation against the top teams. This is all Cardiff did.

Valid points there but let's be honest here , no one in the championship has anything like the pace and quality Leicester had upfront .

 

[Luke1993]

Easy to play against our 3-4-1-2 if you have pace up top and on wings.

Defend, hope to win it back, ping it over to Linford Christie on either flank or behind the back line and you're in every time.

I think we have to consider this formation against the top teams. This is all Cardiff did.

I wouldn't say we have to change the formation, more the instructions for the wingbacks, maybe 1 stay while the other attacks for example rather than both bomb on at the same time. However I'd rather lose having a go, then lose 1 0 and just sit back.

 

[Harrisblade]

I thought O'Connell was particularly slow. He seems slower than last season (granted, he may just be playing against quicker strikers)?

The 3 CBs were ripped apart again.

On a positive, I thought Carruthers looked much better in a deeper role. He was one of our best players.

A bit harsh on the CB's I feel - apart from the pace of pretty much all of the Leicester team - didn't you notice how many of them were in and around our box within seconds of them clearing it from THEIR box.

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

Agree with most of that - Samir also looked good in the first half.

Ched looks way off the pace. It's blindingly obvious we need a centre forward and an injection of pace. It's also really important to keep Brooks - as he has a spark no other player has in the squad. I don't trust our board enough though - especially if we get some million plus bid on deadline day.

 

[10-0 win]

Baldock and Wright taken off, both starting saturday. Brooks just is too good to keep on the bench,always goalbound in his approach.

 

[Bladeinleeds]

To be fair the Leicester squad cost millions and they acquitted themselves well.

We did show where we lack the ingredients we'd need to challenge at the top end of the championship and against the best sides.

We need pace at the back and we need pace and more directness upfront. I think we are lacking just that bit of quality in both boxes.

Coutts looked very good as usual when he came on tho.

 

[Champagneblade]

I feel a bit for our forwards tonight.

Hardly fed through on goal all night.

Some cute build up play but a lot of final balls never made their intended targets.

For Evans, another 60 under his belt and no injury. That's the main positive. He's about a month behind the others. Let's see how he is in October.

 

[coolhandluke]

I feel a bit for our forwards tonight.

Hardly fed through on goal all night.

Some cute build up play but a lot of final balls never made their intended targets.

For Evans, another 60 under his belt and no injury. That's the main positive. He's about a month behind the others. Let's see how he is in October.

As soon as Coutts came on things opened up.for us . He looked very comfortable indeed .

 

[GrayBlade]

Despite Sky being reluctant to mention it, they were in the main our second 11 and I think they did ok in the main and I enjoyed the game. The 4th goal flattered Leicester, 3-1 was about right.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Negatives:
Lafferty was bloody awful, Lundstram did a Hammond impression, Ched actually looked like he hadn't played for 5 years, we can't handle pace.

Positives:
Baldock looked very good, Coutts (started passing with purpose), Brooks raw but has quality, Lavery ran his ass into the ground.

Conclusion:
We cannot live without Coutts & Fleck right now
Ched is miles off the pace and needs plenty of time
We cannot defend against pace
We are in desperate need of a striker with pace

 

[LoughboroBlade]

For me

Positives:

Baldock: Excellent considering it was his first game after injury. Really looks the part and Freeman will have to be at his best to keep him out

Eastwood: Might have been a bit slow on the 2nd goal but he certainly looks a keeper we can rely on if anything happens to Blackman

Brooks: Excellent. We have to find a place for him while we have got him (probably less than a week)

Coutts: Just thought when he came on he he showed how important he is to us

Negatives:

The defence is incredibly slow. I know their attack is better than anything we will come up against this season but any team with pace will kill us like Cardiff did

Lundstram isn't ready to step up to replace Fleck or Coutts yet

Brooks will likely be gone after that

The forward line is extremely poor for the level we are now at. Evans looked poor again and Lavery might be ok to bring on in the last 10 but he isn't good enough to be a starter at Championship level for me.

Agree with all of that. Bonus marks for spelling both Lundstram and Brooks correctly.

What I particularly liked about Baldock is his willingness tonight to throw himself into 50/50s despite having only just got himself fit. Some encouraging direct running throughout. Hopefully it'll push Freeman to improve – would be great to have some battling between all the wingbacks. We need that elsewhere in the squad, and unfortunately I don't think we have enough decent competition at the back, up front, or in the middle of midfield. We could do with a speedy centre-half, someone to challenge Coutts/Fleck rather than provide back-up, and some decent competition up front.

 

[NickC]

Still not convinced with any of Wilders pre-season signings, Boldock looked ok for his first game back, Nathan Thomas can't buy a game, Lundstram the jury is out on him already. We have not really bettered any position from last season, which you would think would be a priority moving up a division. Injuries to key players like Coutts, Flecks, JOC, Sharp and we will be in for a long hard season. UTB ️

 

[10-0 win]

Off course on the negative, our run of homewins came to an end. But we're still learning,roll on saturday,still positive we'll cement a safe midtableposition.

 

[robbiez666]

A bit harsh on the CB's I feel - apart from the pace of pretty much all of the Leicester team - didn't you notice how many of them were in and around our box within seconds of them clearing it from THEIR box.

As there were against Boro, there just seemed to be a lot of holes and gaps which were exploited. It didn't help that runs weren't being tracked by the midfield. I thought the cover all 3 of them provided was poor second half.

 

[Newbury Blade]

Negatives:
Lafferty was bloody awful, Lundstram did a Hammond impression, Ched actually looked like he hadn't played for 5 years, we can't handle pace.

Positives:
Baldock looked very good, Coutts (started passing with purpose), Brooks raw but has quality, Lavery ran his ass into the ground.

Conclusion:
We cannot live without Coutts & Fleck right now
Ched is miles off the pace and needs plenty of time
We cannot defend against pace
We are in desperate need of a striker with pace

Disagree about Lundstram. Thought it was his best game for us (not hard admittedly), showed plenty of determination and worked hard. This Hammond thing is already becoming a bit tedious.

 

[pommpey]

For me:

Good test on real ability tonight against a Leicester 2nd XI who on paper (and on the pitch) are obviously better than us before the kick off

Eastwood 6.5/10: Good learning curve. Completely exposed for all goals. Good save from Gray
Freeman 7.5/10: Typical Freemanesque, grafting performance. Put tackles in and got stuck in. More of an option out wide when CW changed it
Wright 5/10: Not really at the game. Pedestrian and watching the forwards rather than closing them off.
O'Connell 6.5/10: Our best option at the back, but he can't do it all by himself
Baldock 7/10: Impressive for a first time out, if sometimes wasteful
Lundstram 5/10: Didn't see much to make me think he is a good addition to the midfield
Carruthers 3/10: Invisible. Really not my kind of player. He's clearly overwhelmed by more agile and skilful midfields and then disappears. Their midfield just crossed him out tonight.
Brooks 8/10: Fucking majestic. He is like a young Tony Currie. He watches his marker and then exploits their faults and then he's gone. Please don't sell him McCabe
Evans 4/10: Never anywhere near the bloke we once had up front
Lavery 5/10: Marginally better than Evans

Basham 3/10: Sorry people. He is yesterday's utility man and like Bambi on ice in the box. Three minutes after coming on, he was done for pace by a bloke who'd been on an hour and for the goals looked like a beleaguered squaddie in the trenches
Sharp 3/10: Again, not because of his performance, but because he got nowt.
Coutts 7/10: Suddenly when he came on, the midfield calmed down

No shame from tonight. An expected result for a newly promoted former L1 side against former PL Champions and many who are internationals. Just glad Shakespeare spared us Mahrez and Vardy, who would have left our penalty area on fire.

Positives: Good general attacking mentality and a somewhat 'never-give-up' attitude. Baldock looks okay, Brooks ... well, fucking hell.

Negatives: Back three woefully underpowered with O'Connell left doing the major share of the centre back work. Midfield at times disorganised. Carruthers given a shirt and to be honest, not worthy. And there seems to be a fucking HUGE gap between the midfield and front two with no one able to take the ball to their final third and find the attackers. And really, we have no pace, anywhere.

pommpey