Mails: Forget everything that you thought was real

Daniel Storey

Keep your mails coming. Send them to theeditor@football365.com

 

This Leicester team might be one of the best ever
This Leicester team may, MAY be one of the greatest teams of all time.

Obviously we usually think of teams as clubs who consistently win year after year, but as a group of players who played together for one season, Leicester, if they continue this for the rest of the season, have to be one of the best.

The narrative, the underdog status, the consistency of performance throughout the team, the likeable manager, the style of football, the effectiveness of their transitions and now the defence too! We might even see Kasper Schmeichel unexpectedly equal his dad’s status, WITH LEICESTER. Wow. I mean really, wow.

I know the other teams in the league have been inconsistent but Leicester right now look like they could give anyone in the world a game. I’m a Saints fan but I’m dreaming of Barcelona turning up at the King Power next year facing the spine of this Leicester in their pomp next year. I wouldn’t trust any team in England to continue this kind of form but if anyone can, Leicester can.

Keep it up lads. You’re living the dream of all the “other” clubs.
Lee, Southampton

 

Nothing is real anymore
14th March 2015; Leicester City 0-0 Hull. We (Hull) have a chance to win the game, and probably should. Finishes a draw. “Oh well, a point is a point, they’re down anyway so we’ll be fine.”

6th February 2016; Man City 1-3 Leicester City. Nothing makes sense anymore. Up is down. Down is up. And as someone with no vested interest in the Premier league, I absolutely love it.

COME ON LEICESTER!
Rob (not even mad they stayed up and we went down anymore) Hull fan in Leeds

 

…You’ll get lots of these, however, it needs to be said. They’ve gone from not being capable of winning the league, to most likely winning the league in a matter of months.

Regardless of their final league position, Leicester City have truly captivated the globe with their relentless assault on the premier league and serve as a reminder that football can be absolute joy to behold, especially amongst the current FIFA scandal.

I am genuinely amazed.
Richard, Perth, Scotland

 

…Sitting watching Match of the Day with a stupid grin, and I’m not even a Leicester fan. God I hope they do it.
Sean (Please no Jose for United), Cork, Ireland

 

The whole world wants Leicester to win
I’ve just watched Leicester boss Man City in a bar off the Copacabana in Rio. I have to tell you, it’s not just 99% of England that wants us to win, everybody in that bar, from the four corners of the earth wanted us to as well.

Stick it up your ar*e Man U, Real etc, there’s a new posse in town, and it calls everyone “me duck”.
Richard “carnival inside, carnival outside” Paisley

 

And a Leicester fan speaks
It’s hard to put into words quite how I feel as a Leicester fan right now. It’s f**king glorious. It’s not so long ago that I was driving to Oldham, Huddersfield and Preston to watch us play. Now we are “title favourites”, in the premier league. F**king glorious.

In a lot of ways it was easier to support a lesser known minion, nobody bothered us. Now I’ve heard no end of reasons as to why we will drop off – we haven’t played the big teams, our defence is s**t, we rely too much on two players, we haven’t won convincingly… As each of these excuses have fallen away it’s becoming increasingly clear that we are where we are on genuine merit and this might actually be happening.

I’m experiencing a lot of people’s simultaneous outpouring of goodwill for our unlikely title charge and desperate clinging to the fact that we will fall off sooner rather than later. The only reason people seem to give that hasn’t been emphatically dismissed is that the pressure will get to us.

One question I would put to the mailbox is thus; We were promoted as champions in 2014. The entire season I kept disbelieving, the pressure will get to us, it has to, it wouldn’t be Leicester to get promoted and not fall away. Is that experience of dealing with the pressure so much less significant than the title winning experience of Arsenal (banter) or City? We certainly don’t seem to be a team playing under pressure to me.
Ben (finally vocalising the fact I think we will do it), LCFC

 

Oh, and a poem too
The citizens are so sh*t
With a chance to make a hit
They crumble under the heat
Limp to a shameful defeat

All hail the rampant foxes
They’re ticking all the boxes
Pray they can stand the forces
And finish like flying horses
Mere Godled, MUFC

 

Ranieri: What a man(ager)
That’s why Ranieri is getting so much praise. Maintaining that form and level of performance from the players over such an extended period of time also just might have something to with it.

While players heads may get turned with wild rumours, when long term motivation must be found to maintain this brilliant level of performance, and when teams figure your style out, and you continue to win and now lead the league.

He is a class act as a man by all accounts too.
Manc in SA

 

Imperative for United to keep Van Gaal
I am writing in before the Chelsea game and regardless of our result this game or this season, United should keep faith in LVG. I know it sounds crazy but hear me out.

The Premier League is super tough to crack. Unlike other leagues that Pep has been at, it isn’t going to be easy here. Couple that with the fact that he will have to get City aligned with his philosophy and buy new players, I am convinced that next year city will find it very tough to win the league.

Chelsea will have a new manager and Arsenal will be, well, Arsenal. This means that the best chance for United is to stick to LVG. He would understand the league and know what he could buy over the past two windows. He will buy the wingers and the striker we need. Brace yourself for a bid for Mahrez and hopefully a saga for Kane and a midfielder who will be what Schweinsteiger should have been (All action and box to box).

Bringing in a new manager now or end of the season kills the advantage we have of capitalizing on Peps first season in England. Mourinho may understand the league but will need to get players playing to his style and philosophy. I would rather stick to LVG and then bring in a new manager who would have two years pressure free to try and win something (assuming Pep is Jesus, Ram and Allah all rolled into one)
Sudarsan Ravi

 

Fergie would have bought Payet
Just a quick mail on a thought I’ve had since we all noticed what an incredible player Dimitri Payet is. There doesn’t seem to be a huge amount of talk about one of the traditional top 4 going for him, possibly because of his age (28).

Whereas Man U keep getting linked with £100mill plus transfer targets, I think Fergie would be eying up Payet. Unlike Arsene, he didn’t mind spending on an older player who he would have the best years of, even when there was little/no resale value. Nowadays the business side seems to dictate that there must be sell on value, but Fergie saw the value in a short term boost and how a talent can rejuvenate a team, especially a team with youngsters coming through.

Cantona, Van Persie and Larsson are all names that immediately spring to mind (sure there are more).
James (Laurent Blanc? Even Dwight Yorke wasn’t that young) South Wales

 

Five more years
Can Mignolet please f**k right off, I am absolutely sick of him.

That is all.
Cian M

 

…If Cech’s worth fifteen points a season, how many is Mignolet worth?!
Stu, Southampton (from a cold and wet St. Mary’s!)