December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

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Robespierre
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December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by Robespierre »

Here are the rest of the matches for December, and in my opinion, heads will roll early in the New Year unless there's a dramatic upturn in fortunes, but whose heads?

Dec 9 - Racing (away) - currently 5th in the Top14 and must be favourites to win both games against Tigers.
Dec 16 - Racing (home)
Dec 22 - Quins (home) - currently 4th and will fancy their chances of winning at Welford Road.
Dec 30 - Bath (away) - currently 10th but will move up to 6th if they beat Sale tomorrow at the Rec.

Not looking too good, is it?
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Dr H Flashman MBE
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by Dr H Flashman MBE »

I am a more happy clapper than doom merchant but I can see one win in that lot. Quinn's at home will be our best chance. We will get heavily turned over in Paris, then lose by a small margin in the return game and beat quins, just. And because I need more urine taking from family and friends, we will lose to Bath...making it a rubbish Christmas!
There is never any points for 2nd place...
Robespierre
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by Robespierre »

Dr H Flashman MBE wrote: Sat Dec 01, 2018 7:57 pm I am a more happy clapper than doom merchant but I can see one win in that lot. Quinn's at home will be our best chance. We will get heavily turned over in Paris, then lose by a small margin in the return game and beat quins, just. And because I need more urine taking from family and friends, we will lose to Bath...making it a rubbish Christmas!
So am I, and yes, a win against Quins is our best chance, but apparently they played rather well against Exeter (with some first choice players rested).
Happily, I didn't see the game today, but something special is going to be necessary to raise the morale of the players, that must be as low as it can be.
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by strawclearer »

Santa and his 5 little helpers - that's me and the kids + spouses - have spent over £200 on tickets for the Quins match and will doubtless be spending that and more again on food, drink :smt030 and travel. We sit in the Crumbie at the back behind the coaches. If today's performance is repeated, Smurf might just find Santa et al giving him a right sack-full halfway through the second 40. :smt114
Happy days clearing straw from the pitch before the Baa-Baas games! KBO
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ellis9
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by ellis9 »

strawclearer wrote: Sat Dec 01, 2018 8:10 pm Santa and his 5 little helpers - that's me and the kids + spouses - have spent over £200 on tickets for the Quins match and will doubtless be spending that and more again on food, drink :smt030 and travel. We sit in the Crumbie at the back behind the coaches. If today's performance is repeated, Smurf might just find Santa et al giving him a right sack-full halfway through the second 40. :smt114
If you're worried about the money you'll have spent, you can save some by taking your own food and drink. That way, you won't need to waste money on overpriced food at the ground.
Robespierre
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by Robespierre »

ellis9 wrote: Sat Dec 01, 2018 9:46 pm
strawclearer wrote: Sat Dec 01, 2018 8:10 pm Santa and his 5 little helpers - that's me and the kids + spouses - have spent over £200 on tickets for the Quins match and will doubtless be spending that and more again on food, drink :smt030 and travel. We sit in the Crumbie at the back behind the coaches. If today's performance is repeated, Smurf might just find Santa et al giving him a right sack-full halfway through the second 40. :smt114
If you're worried about the money you'll have spent, you can save some by taking your own food and drink. That way, you won't need to waste money on overpriced food at the ground.
I don't somehow think that the aim of strawclearer's post is to complain about the price of food and drink.
I too, hope to be at the Quins game and will no doubt be wasting my well-earnt money on a few beers!
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ellis9
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by ellis9 »

Robespierre wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2018 1:14 pm
ellis9 wrote: Sat Dec 01, 2018 9:46 pm
strawclearer wrote: Sat Dec 01, 2018 8:10 pm Santa and his 5 little helpers - that's me and the kids + spouses - have spent over £200 on tickets for the Quins match and will doubtless be spending that and more again on food, drink :smt030 and travel. We sit in the Crumbie at the back behind the coaches. If today's performance is repeated, Smurf might just find Santa et al giving him a right sack-full halfway through the second 40. :smt114
If you're worried about the money you'll have spent, you can save some by taking your own food and drink. That way, you won't need to waste money on overpriced food at the ground.
I don't somehow think that the aim of strawclearer's post is to complain about the price of food and drink.
I too, hope to be at the Quins game and will no doubt be wasting my well-earnt money on a few beers!
I know. I explained in another post as to why I replied with that but for some reason, it's been deleted so you and everyone else are unable to get the full understanding.
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by strawclearer »

Over a period of 14 days (Dec 9th to 22nd) we have 3 games - Racing 92 twice in the Champions Cup and, on the 22nd, Quins in the Premiership.

I'm not a defeatist and I understand that we need our best 23 used to playing together - and we need to start building a 'winning mentality'.

Nevertheless - on the basis that we're unlikely to win the European Cup this season - should we be 'protecting' our key players in preparation for what has become a crucial Premiership encounter with Quins?
Happy days clearing straw from the pitch before the Baa-Baas games! KBO
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Tiglon
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by Tiglon »

A couple of no-bonus-point defeats against Bath and Quins (perfectly plausible) might even see Tigers bottom of the table by the end of the year, which is utterly ridiculous when you look at the names in our squad.

I think it goes without saying that we'll be out of Europe by then.
voice of the crumbie
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by voice of the crumbie »

strawclearer wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2018 1:57 pm Over a period of 14 days (Dec 9th to 22nd) we have 3 games - Racing 92 twice in the Champions Cup and, on the 22nd, Quins in the Premiership.

I'm not a defeatist and I understand that we need our best 23 used to playing together - and we need to start building a 'winning mentality'.

Nevertheless - on the basis that we're unlikely to win the European Cup this season - should we be 'protecting' our key players in preparation for what has become a crucial Premiership encounter with Quins?
SC I can understand why you would say this. However if we don't play them for the next 2 games will they be "ready" for Quins? What would be the effect on the rest of the squad taking the field without them? To my mind it would be like the Premiership Cup v Worcester all over again. I'm guessing they aren't exactly brimming with confidence at the moment. Didn't we try this approach last season in one of our Euro away games and end up being annihilated?

I would suggest they need these Euro games
1. to re-integrate back into Tigers rather than international mode
2. to show themselves, the management, coaches and fans that they are capable of playing much better than they did against Bristol - I want a reaction and a big one so for me if we lose in Paris it has to be a close result (LBP as a minimum) and it has to be a win at home
3. to keep up their match fitness / hardness - the time for resting is over they need to deliver a good win against Quins
4. to sustain the reaction post Bristol beyond the next 2 or 3 games so we have a winning mentality going into the Bath away game

I'm probably clutching at straws here (no witticism intended) but I'd just like to see some sort of evidence that we can do better in these next few games.
Tigers for the premiership and European Cup. Get behind the team and make some noise!!
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by Tiglon »

voice of the crumbie wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2018 2:23 pm
strawclearer wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2018 1:57 pm Over a period of 14 days (Dec 9th to 22nd) we have 3 games - Racing 92 twice in the Champions Cup and, on the 22nd, Quins in the Premiership.

I'm not a defeatist and I understand that we need our best 23 used to playing together - and we need to start building a 'winning mentality'.

Nevertheless - on the basis that we're unlikely to win the European Cup this season - should we be 'protecting' our key players in preparation for what has become a crucial Premiership encounter with Quins?
SC I can understand why you would say this. However if we don't play them for the next 2 games will they be "ready" for Quins? What would be the effect on the rest of the squad taking the field without them? To my mind it would be like the Premiership Cup v Worcester all over again. I'm guessing they aren't exactly brimming with confidence at the moment. Didn't we try this approach last season in one of our Euro away games and end up being annihilated?

I would suggest they need these Euro games
1. to re-integrate back into Tigers rather than international mode
2. to show themselves, the management, coaches and fans that they are capable of playing much better than they did against Bristol - I want a reaction and a big one so for me if we lose in Paris it has to be a close result (LBP as a minimum) and it has to be a win at home
3. to keep up their match fitness / hardness - the time for resting is over they need to deliver a good win against Quins
4. to sustain the reaction post Bristol beyond the next 2 or 3 games so we have a winning mentality going into the Bath away game

I'm probably clutching at straws here (no witticism intended) but I'd just like to see some sort of evidence that we can do better in these next few games.
Agreed. There is certainly a case for resting, but for me we need to build the team relationships on the pitch and if possible get a bit of consistency of selection that hasn't been possible so far this season.
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by Robespierre »

Tigers’ supporters, who are currently not feeling too pleased with their team, would be mightily :censored: off if they were not to see full strength teams (at least, on paper!) take on Racing. I understand the thoughts behind strawclearer’s post above but if the matches against Racing are not taken seriously (and I well remember the away match in Castres last January), the patience of loyal supporters will be sorely tested.
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by ourla »

I've always felt over recent years, even through some of the poor weeks that we were weren't irrecoverably broken. There have been a few false dawns and a few setbacks but there has been periods/games were we've looked like a Tigers team or seemed to be "in the mix". Of course it's become a bit wearing this stop/start, maybe baby, existence. And now for sure the next few games are maybe the even more critical then any other we've had to endure. I was reasonably OK with our recent form until Saturday. And genuinely perplexed by the performance. That 23 looked impressive on the paper. The coaches had seemed to have things moving in the right direction. And the now the bit of confidence and belief has been shattered. We can talk about faith and hope but truth is it's a struggle. Heaven knows how the coaches and players must be feeling.

I don't think we can be overthinking things these next few games. We can't bemoan the lack of a Genge or Tualagi now. The personnel is there. The coaches, I don't know. They're not idiots. Bakewell is experienced, Murphy has been on the staff a number of years, Boris has the scrum working well. Allen was supposedly a brilliant organiser of defences when he was playing. So really, we all need to just suck up, get on the with job and perform to our ability each game as it comes. I am not sure what can or as to be said.
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by ourla »

Robespierre wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2018 3:22 pm Tigers’ supporters, who are currently not feeling too pleased with their team, would be mightily :censored: off if they were not to see full strength teams (at least, on paper!) take on Racing. I understand the thoughts behind strawclearer’s post above but if the matches against Racing are not taken seriously (and I well remember the away match in Castres last January), the patience of loyal supporters will be sorely tested.
TBH, the fans aren't going to be expecting much at the minute, whoever turns out. And you can't select/coach for the fans. You have to just do what you think is right. For me I see little downside to going out there to win the game - and making a selection to do that. Imagine if we could steal a seemingly impossible win. It's not like there is any pressure on - nobody is expecting us to win.
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Re: December 2018 - a critical month for those at the helm of Leicester FC

Post by Dangerous4 »

Once Santa has emptied his sack, he needs to fill again with our board, and take them back to the North Pole with him.
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