James Maddison

[Toadhall Saint]

He's not replacing Mahrez, he's a 10 not a winger. We'll be buying someone else when Mahrez is eventually shifted on. He'll be compared against Okazaki, who frankly is technically woeful and had trouble with his own shoe laces sometimes.

 

For those questioning whether it's about moving back closer to home or not, we had someone on our forum who said this was pretty much a done deal in April this year. He knows Maddisons friends from Cov and they were all saying he wanted to come back closer to home as he's very close to his family and that he had started up a coaching school or something like that and wanted to be around more for that.

 

From what they said it was only the injury that delayed this going through the second the market opened.

 

Cheers for the input-confirms the wanted to be closer to home part.

 

What do you think about Puel tho?

[Graffito]

He's not replacing Mahrez, he's a 10 not a winger. We'll be buying someone else when Mahrez is eventually shifted on. He'll be compared against Okazaki, who frankly is technically woeful and had trouble with his own shoe laces sometimes.

 

For those questioning whether it's about moving back closer to home or not, we had someone on our forum who said this was pretty much a done deal in April this year. He knows Maddisons friends from Cov and they were all saying he wanted to come back closer to home as he's very close to his family and that he had started up a coaching school or something like that and wanted to be around more for that.

 

From what they said it was only the injury that delayed this going through the second the market opened.

 

Fair enough. All good for Leicester then. Good luck with the real Mahrez replacement.

[Fan The Flames]

He's not replacing Mahrez, he's a 10 not a winger. We'll be buying someone else when Mahrez is eventually shifted on. He'll be compared against Okazaki, who frankly is technically woeful and had trouble with his own shoe laces sometimes.

 

For those questioning whether it's about moving back closer to home or not, we had someone on our forum who said this was pretty much a done deal in April this year. He knows Maddisons friends from Cov and they were all saying he wanted to come back closer to home as he's very close to his family and that he had started up a coaching school or something like that and wanted to be around more for that.

 

From what they said it was only the injury that delayed this going through the second the market opened.

 

This should put the moaning about this transfer to bed, but it won't. Who will be the first to claim that we only went in for him because we knew we wouldn't get him.

[Matthew Le God]

Who will be the first to claim that we only went in for him because we knew we wouldn't get him.

 

That has already happened earlier in the thread.

[babyblue]

Cheers for the input-confirms the wanted to be closer to home part.

 

What do you think about Puel tho?

 

I think Puel is absolutely trying to do the right things, wants to play young players and bring them through, wants to add a few more strings to our bow so that it's not just counter attack with 35% possession. He's identified all of our weak areas, he's brave enough to transition away from the aging title winners.

 

There was some lovely football, but also some boring unadventurous football and he was too negative. Is that because he had players incapable of doing what he wanted, because of players learning a totally different style? Jury is still out on whether he can iron out the problems really.

 

It's the right decision to give him the summer to make changes and see where we are come November. Our form was horrific, a bad start and he could be gone fairly quickly.

[ALWAYS_SFC]

Surely this thread has run its course.... He's gone to Lfc, time to move on

[Badger]

Noise around us is that the owners are going fairly big this season, they want to make more of the club and need us established top half to do so. We've got a new £80m training complex on the horizon, ground extension announced. They are serious about moving the club into the next bracket size wise.

 

If clubs have owners willing to push the boat out and have the money to back it up, there isn't much you can do about it. It's frustrating I know, but we've probably had £150m more from prize money etc in the last two seasons. You can't compete against that, like we can't compete with those who have bigger income than us

 

I don't mean this to come across "braggy", it could all go tits up in a second I'm well aware of that. But it was the other way around, I couldn't critisise the club as you can't control what others do.

 

Fact is Leicester have signed Maddison, may turn out good for you, or it might be Matt Piper MkII.

 

It's not losing Maddison as such that is the annoying thing taken in isolation, but a pattern of poor transfer windows conducted over a couple of years.

 

The comments highlighted above are the more galling issue, something we are envious of, and by comparison adds to the doubts about our owners , their intentions, and their financial clout to deliver.

[St Jim]

Our recent transfer windows haven’t been spectacular by any stretch of the imagination, I do however wonder how my it is also to do with negative coaching and management that hasn’t drawn out the best of the players we’ve purchased. To me it’s no coincidence that the poor windows have coincided with the last two clowns. Sure Promes was a big cockup but there wasn’t a lot we could do with Maddison given his reasons for opting for Leicester.

[Heisenberg]

Surely this thread has run its course.... He's gone to Lfc, time to move on

 

Yesterday is dead, tomorrow is yet to come...but today is yours!! DON'T waste it.

 

However you do give up far to easy >> https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44455348

 

[ALWAYS_SFC]

Yesterday is dead, tomorrow is yet to come...but today is yours!! DON'T waste it.

 

However you do give up far to easy >> https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44455348

 

 

Do shut up, you fool

[Toadhall Saint]

I think Puel is absolutely trying to do the right things, wants to play young players and bring them through, wants to add a few more strings to our bow so that it's not just counter attack with 35% possession. He's identified all of our weak areas, he's brave enough to transition away from the aging title winners.

 

There was some lovely football, but also some boring unadventurous football and he was too negative. Is that because he had players incapable of doing what he wanted, because of players learning a totally different style? Jury is still out on whether he can iron out the problems really.

 

It's the right decision to give him the summer to make changes and see where we are come November. Our form was horrific, a bad start and he could be gone fairly quickly.

 

Thanks it’s nice to have a view from a fan at LCFC. I would have kept him here for at least another 6 months esp as we weren’t in Europe so less games/more time in between to prepare but it wasn’t to be and we brought in an absolute mess of a manager.

[Nordic Saint]

Noise around us is that the owners are going fairly big this season, they want to make more of the club and need us established top half to do so. We've got a new £80m training complex on the horizon, ground extension announced. They are serious about moving the club into the next bracket size wise.

 

If clubs have owners willing to push the boat out and have the money to back it up, there isn't much you can do about it. It's frustrating I know, but we've probably had £150m more from prize money etc in the last two seasons. You can't compete against that, like we can't compete with those who have bigger income than us

 

I don't mean this to come across "braggy", it could all go tits up in a second I'm well aware of that. But it was the other way around, I couldn't critisise the club as you can't control what others do.

 

You have a great owner. No doubt. We have a part owner who sold 80% of the club for a quarter of a billion pounds for herself and another who had to borrow the money to pay her because he doesn't have any spare cash. We are told that we have to sell players before we can buy, and when we do buy, the money seems to get frittered away on mediocre players. So, in the last window we sold van Dijk and bought Carrillo. I am very impressed by what Leicester's owner has done. We can only hope that one day we get one like that.

[East Kent Saint]

GAO was hamstrung because the Chinese dictator changed the rules to prevent the flight of capital from China so GAO had to borrow outside of China to do the deal . You can now see why GAO cannot invest in the Saints as he can’t export his money. He is now stuck and so is the club.

[benjii]

You have a great owner. No doubt. We have a part owner who sold 80% of the club for a quarter of a billion pounds for herself and another who had to borrow the money to pay her because he doesn't have any spare cash. We are told that we have to sell players before we can buy, and when we do buy, the money seems to get frittered away on mediocre players. So, in the last window we sold van Dijk and bought Carrillo. I am very impressed by what Leicester's owner has done. We can only hope that one day we get one like that.

 

To be fair, they just got massively lucky and won the league. That's allowed them to push on financially.

 

Didn't see many people praising their epic vision when they appointed Pearson or Ranieri and signed bargain players.

 

A team with two complete donkeys at centre back playing old school "get it forward" 442 has no business winning the league but by some miracle they managed it.

[babyblue]

To be fair, they just got massively lucky and won the league. That's allowed them to push on financially.

 

Didn't see many people praising their epic vision when they appointed Pearson or Ranieri and signed bargain players.

 

A team with two complete donkeys at centre back playing old school "get it forward" 442 has no business winning the league but by some miracle they managed it.

 

It has been the owners long term plan since they arrived to do what they are now, winning the league has just enabled them to fast track the process a little bit more. It was never going to be a Chelsea or Man city fast track build, but always a longer term structured plan to grow the club. We've been lucky, but the luck was getting these owners as they are absolutely brilliant.

 

You may scoff and Pearson and bargain players, but getting Pearson back was their first huge correct decision. He was fantastic for us before he left for Hull, the man knows how to run a football club properly, including the scouting side. Which meant we got players like Drinkwater, Vardy, Mahrez, Knockaert, Kante (A total cost of £8m there) and many more, and yes they were bargains, just brilliant ones.

 

They put money in to get us up, wrote off all the debts, bought the ground back from the banks. They've not just thrown money at signings, but from day one they were putting big money into the academy, training facilities, infrastructure. That's what they are doing again now, huge new training complex and stadium expansion. They want it to be a self sustaining project.

[babyblue]

The comments highlighted above are the more galling issue, something we are envious of, and by comparison adds to the doubts about our owners , their intentions, and their financial clout to deliver.

 

We got lucky, owners like this are few and far between.

[benjii]

It has been the owners long term plan since they arrived to do what they are now, winning the league has just enabled them to fast track the process a little bit more. It was never going to be a Chelsea or Man city fast track build, but always a longer term structured plan to grow the club. We've been lucky, but the luck was getting these owners as they are absolutely brilliant.

 

You may scoff and Pearson and bargain players, but getting Pearson back was their first huge correct decision. He was fantastic for us before he left for Hull, the man knows how to run a football club properly, including the scouting side. Which meant we got players like Drinkwater, Vardy, Mahrez, Knockaert, Kante (A total cost of £8m there) and many more, and yes they were bargains, just brilliant ones.

 

They put money in to get us up, wrote off all the debts, bought the ground back from the banks. They've not just thrown money at signings, but from day one they were putting big money into the academy, training facilities, infrastructure. That's what they are doing again now, huge new training complex and stadium expansion. They want it to be a self sustaining project.

 

I wasn't having a dig. The point I was trying to make was that if our owner appointed those managers and signed Albrighton, Knockaert and a couple of cheap signings from France most people on here would bemoan their lack of ambition. It worked out spectacularly well for Leicester but you could have quite easily got relegated. Fine margins - as we have shown from going 8th to 17th.

 

Of course, flagrantly cheating the Championship financial rules to get promoted helped in the first place

Edited 24 June, 2018 by benjii

[Heisenberg]

I think it's great that leicester won the league and had a good stab at the champions league.

 

It's also great that they are investing and have genuine football ambitions and some very good players just now.

 

It would be easy to be jealous of leicester, but then you remember they have something we really dont want and something that will inevitably bore them to death.

 

Puel =

 

[Dark Munster]

God help us, Glasgow has discovered animated gifs.

[Batman]

I think it's great that leicester won the league and had a good stab at the champions league.

 

It's also great that they are investing and have genuine football ambitions and some very good players just now.

 

It would be easy to be jealous of leicester, but then you remember they have something we really dont want and something that will inevitably bore them to death.

 

Puel =

 

 

LOL

[babyblue]

A bit more information from the lad who knows his group of friends in Cov...

 

"Apparently prior to us signing Madders, he received a call from Mark Hughes, he was saying he wanted to sign him so could he come and have a look around the training facilities and meet with him and the coaching staff.... James in good taste called Hughes pretty much straight after he put pen to paper to tell sparky that he had sighed for us, apparently Hughes just hung up on him mid sentence haha.....

 

Hes also been told by Puel that he’s going to be the number 10 for next season, so looks like he is going to be integral to plans, and may help predict the potential formation? :

[angelman]

Love all these apocryphal titbits.

[Useful Idiot]

A bit more information from the lad who knows his group of friends in Cov...

 

"Apparently prior to us signing Madders, he received a call from Mark Hughes, he was saying he wanted to sign him so could he come and have a look around the training facilities and meet with him and the coaching staff.... James in good taste called Hughes pretty much straight after he put pen to paper to tell sparky that he had sighed for us, apparently Hughes just hung up on him mid sentence haha.....

 

Hes also been told by Puel that he’s going to be the number 10 for next season, so looks like he is going to be integral to plans, and may help predict the potential formation? :

 

Philosophically, Puel didn't really used to like playing 4-2-3-1. He wanted to play a 4-4-2 diamond with wide forwards and an advanced no. 10 when he was here, but didn't have the personnel to do it. Puel wanted his width to come from wing backs and strikers tracking back wide when out of possession.

 

If he intends to keep trying that, I think the'd want another box-to-box type CM over a direct replacement for Mahrez. I think your new right back signing Pereira hints at this. You already have the personnel for wide striker options for the formation (Ianacho, Vardy and Gray could all play in those positions effectively). But then again, maybe his philosophy on football has changed since he was here and he's going to try something different with your team?

[Micky]

God help us, Glasgow has discovered animated gifs.

Ahh you'd noticed as well, he's obviously graduated from crayons.

 

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

[doddisalegend]

So the lad had a chat with both Puel and Hughes about football and chose Puel...

[Heisenberg]

^ tbf if I was a manager and some player calls me to explain he is joining another club as its closer to his mummy id probably hang up too.

 

Are you sure it wasn't "madders" mummy that called Hughes?

[angelman]

He's not signing because of how Puel might play him. The average that a manager is in place is so much shorter than the contract these players sign, and with Puel, there was doubt he would even make the start of the season. I would be amazed if he is there at the end of next season and wouldn't be surprised if he was first for the chop.

[Faz]

A bit more information from the lad who knows his group of friends in Cov...

 

"Apparently prior to us signing Madders, he received a call from Mark Hughes, he was saying he wanted to sign him so could he come and have a look around the training facilities and meet with him and the coaching staff.... James in good taste called Hughes pretty much straight after he put pen to paper to tell sparky that he had sighed for us, apparently Hughes just hung up on him mid sentence haha.....

 

Hes also been told by Puel that he’s going to be the number 10 for next season, so looks like he is going to be integral to plans, and may help predict the potential formation? :

 

Well, without having any contet this is pretty much meaningless, even if true. For example, if we'd agreed terms with the Club and his Agent, and then he changed his mind when Leicester came in, I'd put the hone down too.

 

Nobody turns us down and goes on to better things anyway, apart from Zlatan (and maybe one or two others)

[babyblue]

Philosophically, Puel didn't really used to like playing 4-2-3-1. He wanted to play a 4-4-2 diamond with wide forwards and an advanced no. 10 when he was here, but didn't have the personnel to do it. Puel wanted his width to come from wing backs and strikers tracking back wide when out of possession.

 

If he intends to keep trying that, I think the'd want another box-to-box type CM over a direct replacement for Mahrez. I think your new right back signing Pereira hints at this. You already have the personnel for wide striker options for the formation (Ianacho, Vardy and Gray could all play in those positions effectively). But then again, maybe his philosophy on football has changed since he was here and he's going to try something different with your team?

 

He's not gone down that line just yet, perhaps because we have so many wingers in the squad. We've stayed pretty much a 4411 so far, he is definitely wanting more from the full backs you can tell that much and the wingers have been tending to drift inside. We've not been linked with any CM's, just more wingers at the moment.

[igsey]

From what he showed today, we didn't miss out on much. Nice Puel player - can pass it around a bit - but didn't do much and his delivery from set pieces was awful.

 

Hope he proves not to be great, my father-in-law is a huge Leicester fan and was rubbing it in when Maddison chose them over us!

[doddisalegend]

From what he showed today, we didn't miss out on much. Nice Puel player - can pass it around a bit - but didn't do much and his delivery from set pieces was awful.

 

Hope he proves not to be great, my father-in-law is a huge Leicester fan and was rubbing it in when Maddison chose them over us!

 

Funny enough I was just reading a match report on my phone and they singled out Maddison as a stand out player tonight for Leicester.

[qwertyell]

From what he showed today, we didn't miss out on much. Nice Puel player - can pass it around a bit - but didn't do much and his delivery from set pieces was awful.

 

Hope he proves not to be great, my father-in-law is a huge Leicester fan and was rubbing it in when Maddison chose them over us!

I thought he was excellent - Leicester's best player in the first half.

 

I assume the only reason he was subbed after an hour is because he's way behind in match fitness having joined Leicester a month ago with his knee still in a brace after surgery.

 

He certainly didn't deserve to come off while the appalling Iheanacho played the 90 minutes.

 

Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

[danjosaint]

Have to agree i thought he was excellent, 1st half everything Leicester did went through him

[igsey]

Fair enough, I guess I was probably looking for reasons not to like him! Commentators were gushing too so I suppose I just saw things with my Saints glasses on.

 

Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

[SKD]

Funny enough I was just reading a match report on my phone and they singled out Maddison as a stand out player tonight for Leicester.

 

He was, the poster is talking out of his arse.

 

If I’m honest, he looks a great signing. I’m not all that disappointed as I really like the look of Armstrong as well, but if he (Maddison) continues playing like that, he’ll be in the England squad before the end of the year and will have the big boys looking at him.

[OldNick]

Leicester whilst they lost, looked pretty decent.

[shurlock]

Leicester whilst they lost, looked pretty decent.

 

And united continue to shîthouse their opponents.

[Heisenberg]

Leicester whilst they lost, looked pretty decent.

 

Leicester do genuinely have a top squad. If you were making a premier league side but couldn't pick anyone from the top 6 clubs you'd have 4-5 from leicester alone.

 

They will be top 10 this season no drama

[Faz]

He played well, although not outstandingly so. It was only one game though and the question is whether he can continue to find space once teams work him out.

 

If he does that he’ll be worth every penny of the £25m

[doddisalegend]

He was, the poster is talking out of his arse.

 

If I’m honest, he looks a great signing. I’m not all that disappointed as I really like the look of Armstrong as well, but if he (Maddison) continues playing like that, he’ll be in the England squad before the end of the year and will have the big boys looking at him.

 

yep I really like the look of Armstrong, so far, a very positive player who looks to drive forward with the ball I think 7 million could be a good bit of business in the world of mega bucks transfers.

[OldNick]

Leicester do genuinely have a top squad. If you were making a premier league side but couldn't pick anyone from the top 6 clubs you'd have 4-5 from leicester alone.

 

They will be top 10 this season no drama

Yep, as many would know I was a fan of Claude and wanted him to be given another season to build, I will watch Leicester with interest to see how that project comes along.

I'm with ourclub and Hughes and hope he can build something. He does seem to have been refreshed coming here.Perhaps its the first job in a long time where the fans have embraced his arrival and so may flourish with us

[Heisenberg]

Yep, as many would know I was a fan of Claude and wanted him to be given another season to build, I will watch Leicester with interest to see how that project comes along.

I'm with ourclub and Hughes and hope he can build something. He does seem to have been refreshed coming here.Perhaps its the first job in a long time where the fans have embraced his arrival and so may flourish with us

 

 

Intersted to see how Puel does with his own team. He was backed fully by the leicester board and they had a very decent transfer window (on paper) they already had some excellent players (top 6 good) and based on squad strength alone should be fighting it out with Everton for the 7th spot (or higher if one of the top 6 has a shocker)

 

Feels delicately poised for Puel however. Leicester fans still seem largely undecided and just 4 wins in his last 22 games won't help.

 

They have Wolves next and will need to start winning games or fans will turn on him quickly

[OldNick]

Intersted to see how Puel does with his own team. He was backed fully by the leicester board and they had a very decent transfer window (on paper) they already had some excellent players (top 6 good) and based on squad strength alone should be fighting it out with Everton for the 7th spot (or higher if one of the top 6 has a shocker)

 

Feels delicately poised for Puel however. Leicester fans still seem largely undecided and just 4 wins in his last 22 games won't help.

 

They have Wolves next and will need to start winning games or fans will turn on him quickly

they didn't have a top 6 squad when he took them on, lol. They were below us at the time

[Heisenberg]

Wonder if this mummies boy regrets his decision?

 

Looks a shadow of the player he was.....

[SuperSAINT]

Wonder if this mummies boy regrets his decision?

 

Looks a shadow of the player he was.....

 

We're hardly doing much better.

[Tamesaint]

Intersted to see how Puel does with his own team. He was backed fully by the leicester board and they had a very decent transfer window (on paper) they already had some excellent players (top 6 good) and based on squad strength alone should be fighting it out with Everton for the 7th spot (or higher if one of the top 6 has a shocker)

 

Feels delicately poised for Puel however. Leicester fans still seem largely undecided and just 4 wins in his last 22 games won't help.

 

They have Wolves next and will need to start winning games or fans will turn on him quickly

 

As a matter of interest how many days is it since they beat a top 6 side? You normally have this information at your fingertips.

Edited 23 February, 2019 by Tamesaint

[Evil Monkey]

As a matter of interest how many days is it since they beat a top 6 side? You normally have this information at your fingertips.

 

2 months since they beat Chelsea away, and City at home in consecutive games.

[Maggie May]

Puel has been sacked

[Saints foreva]

Puel has been sacked

 

Good news. Hopefully they get a reaction from their team against Brighton.

[Badger]

Wonder if this mummies boy regrets his decision?

 

Looks a shadow of the player he was.....

 

Do you think we were better off signing Elynoussi then ?