Chat S--- Get Banged: Leicester Have Won the League!
- Thread starter coremiller
- Start date
Jamie Vardy seems like the kind of guy who probably vacationed in Blackpool a lot before he could afford to fly to Florida.
A particularly hilarious variation due to both how English it sounds and how thoroughly it ignores that rhyme is most of the point of the whole thing.
Not to mention all of us in the States who are scared that if we say mean things about LCFC, Jamie Vardy is gonna try to shag us.
I get what you are saying..although it's hard for me to come up with similarities between B.B and Ranieri. Which reminds me...I have " Do Your Job-HBO" permanently saved on the DVR. If my wife ever deletes it...she's out on her ass.
I was thinking this would be brought up on my way home and - credit where it's due, not a complete blow up, and i don't think he should have got the first yellow, but, good call all the same.
I expected Vardy to really earn it by lashing out at a player. I didn't sign up for him being stupid enough to tell off one of the most "look at me" inept referees in the league.
He's a volcano that was going to erupt eventually. It just sucks. I hate it. This shouldn't decide the league- Leicester can (and should) still finish this.
He's a volcano that was going to erupt eventually. It just sucks. I hate it. This shouldn't decide the league- Leicester can (and should) still finish this.
Last edited:
Well, credit where it's due- you called Jamie Vardy being a bell end as the locals would say, and now we'll see how much it costs them.
Some good points raised on FW how this will force Ranieri to demonstrate some tactical acumen...he really hasn't had to change much up all season.
Some good points raised on FW how this will force Ranieri to demonstrate some tactical acumen...he really hasn't had to change much up all season.
Finally got around to watching the West Ham match this evening, and damn if it wasn't a well-deserved diving call on Vardy. Theatrics worthy of the Italians, and beneath his usual skill level. And so unnecessary... you're already winning 1-0 and have the better of the run of play!
Not sure if his ejection was really of the hot-headed variety, but his refusal to leave the pitch (and his teammates' obstinate delaying of the game) may have cost him an additional suspension that his team can ill afford.
Still, though, it's a long way from where we are to Spurs catching Leicester. 5 points with 4 to play.
Leicester: vs Swansea (15), @ United (5), vs Everton (11), @ Chelsea (10) (who may not give even half a fuck by that point).
Tottenham: vs WBA (14), @ Chelsea (10), vs Southampton (7), @ Newcastle (19) (who will either be comatose or on fire, could still go either way)
Given those slates, I'd bet on Spurs picking up some points, but probably not 5.
Not sure if his ejection was really of the hot-headed variety, but his refusal to leave the pitch (and his teammates' obstinate delaying of the game) may have cost him an additional suspension that his team can ill afford.
Still, though, it's a long way from where we are to Spurs catching Leicester. 5 points with 4 to play.
Leicester: vs Swansea (15), @ United (5), vs Everton (11), @ Chelsea (10) (who may not give even half a fuck by that point).
Tottenham: vs WBA (14), @ Chelsea (10), vs Southampton (7), @ Newcastle (19) (who will either be comatose or on fire, could still go either way)
Given those slates, I'd bet on Spurs picking up some points, but probably not 5.
Yeah, good call -- whether he ends up with an extra game could really be significant.
The scenarios are actually getting pretty narrow. In fact, it's getting kind of straightforward. I think Spurs need all 12 points, in which case it's probably about a 50/50 proposition whether they win the league. If Spurs don't get all 12, Leicester only need 6, which I don't think will be a problem. The interesting part is that Spurs cannot get 11. If they don't get 12, the most they can get is 10 (3 wins and a draw).
What that means, among other things, is that 7 points (2w and 1D) really does Leicester no good. If 7 points is enough to win the league, it's impossible for 6 points not also to be enough for them to win the league. So, two wins and a draw is meaningless for Leicester. Either two wins (or 1 win and 3 draws) will be enough, or they will need all 8 points. There is no in between.
I think at this point in the season the scenarios have essentially come down to this:
Do Spurs get all 12? If no, Leicester need only 6 and are as good as champs. If yes, Leicester need at least 3 wins or 2 wins and 2 draws.
My prediction is that Spurs will in fact get all 12, and I think Leicester will get either 7 or 8. In other words, I think Leicester will get at least 2 wins and one draw, and the league will come down to whether they can get that second draw.
Last edited:
As dumb as it seems: it´s all speculation 
But it´s too fun to not do it. I guess Tottenham drops points, either unexpected (they lost at home vs.Newcasle already...) or at Chelsea. They are on a good run, but it can change in each match. I don´t think they´ll win out. It´s not as if they´re Bayern/Barca who flat out dominate each match. If they win, they win with big goal difference, but they lost and drew too often (ofc tougher competition than Bayern/Barca).
But it´s too fun to not do it. I guess Tottenham drops points, either unexpected (they lost at home vs.Newcasle already...) or at Chelsea. They are on a good run, but it can change in each match. I don´t think they´ll win out. It´s not as if they´re Bayern/Barca who flat out dominate each match. If they win, they win with big goal difference, but they lost and drew too often (ofc tougher competition than Bayern/Barca).
It's funny to think that this could come down to the motivations of Chelsea (playing for what, exactly?) and Newcastle (saving their EPL lives?).
I don´t know what you mean. It´s not as if this is baseball and you can lose 2-7 vs. the Orioles and nobody would care about Game 162. Everybody would see, if you get outplayed by a better team or just don´t try. Tottenham outplayed Stoke. So if they outplay Chelsea, that´s it, but i doubt they will gift it away, especially at home. It´s another thing if Stoke is down 3-0 and the game doesn´t mean a thing for your club, then they wouldn´t give a shit to fight back, that´s correct.
But i doubt anyone at Chelsea wants to gift the points to the hated rival Tottenham or even worse wants to see Leicester partying at their stadium on the last matchday (if they aren´t already champions, which is a big possibility if Chelsea take points from Tottenham and Leicester get 6 points until then). I don´t know when the trophy presentation is, but it´s still a difference from Chelseas perspective if it´s already known that Leicester are title winners and the last match doesn´t even matter or if they win at Chelsea and are running around like crazy (think ManCity) after winning it in the last second.
But i doubt anyone at Chelsea wants to gift the points to the hated rival Tottenham or even worse wants to see Leicester partying at their stadium on the last matchday (if they aren´t already champions, which is a big possibility if Chelsea take points from Tottenham and Leicester get 6 points until then). I don´t know when the trophy presentation is, but it´s still a difference from Chelseas perspective if it´s already known that Leicester are title winners and the last match doesn´t even matter or if they win at Chelsea and are running around like crazy (think ManCity) after winning it in the last second.
I'm not saying they'll throw the game. Far from it. You can't have watched the Tottenham/Stoke game and tell me that Stoke gave it their all- they have nothing to play for and it showed. Same with Everton last night and that was a Derby.
My point is that it's difficult to predict the remaining games based on the opponents' performance to this stage.
My point is that it's difficult to predict the remaining games based on the opponents' performance to this stage.
One thing that's kind of interesting is that Leicester have basically had to shoulder the weight of expectations solo since about December or so. None of that external pressure has been on Spurs. They have shared a story line with lots of other story lines, like Arsenal's futility, Van Gaal's insanity, Chelsea's post-lady-physio-abuse impotence, City's extended lameduckery, Jurgen's cult of personality, the potential for a Tyne-Ware relegation tandem, etc. And even though Spurs have emerged in the last two weeks or so as the only other viable competitor, still all the narrative and pressure was about Leicester -- with the story being how "even in La Liga, Barca's lead isn't as big as Leicester's (even though that's a complete red herring).
Leicester has held up unbelievably well under the strain, but you do wonder if they are wearing down. I thought in a couple of games they were just barely holding on and maybe even second best (Watford and Newcastle come to mind). And on the other hand, it all has set up pretty well for Tottenham -- they have never needed to play with those expectations and like the basketball team that gets its first lead of the game with a second left may actually be able to win the league without ever facing the external pressure that a front-runner faces. Hard to know how all this plays out, or even whether this is actually a thing as opposed to something that fans imagine, but I do think the expectations game is changing just a bit with Spurs' thumping of Stoke and so if that brings some expectations and actual belief that they can win this thing at the wire, perhaps the added weight of those expectations makes it harder for them to get all 12 points.
Leicester has held up unbelievably well under the strain, but you do wonder if they are wearing down. I thought in a couple of games they were just barely holding on and maybe even second best (Watford and Newcastle come to mind). And on the other hand, it all has set up pretty well for Tottenham -- they have never needed to play with those expectations and like the basketball team that gets its first lead of the game with a second left may actually be able to win the league without ever facing the external pressure that a front-runner faces. Hard to know how all this plays out, or even whether this is actually a thing as opposed to something that fans imagine, but I do think the expectations game is changing just a bit with Spurs' thumping of Stoke and so if that brings some expectations and actual belief that they can win this thing at the wire, perhaps the added weight of those expectations makes it harder for them to get all 12 points.
2015/16 Premier League = The 2016 Masters
Leicester = Jordan Spieth
Tottenham = Danny Willett
That's basically the comparison you're making, right? (Not in terms of natural ability, necessarily, but certainly in terms of how pressure might wind up affecting each team down the stretch.)
Leicester = Jordan Spieth
Tottenham = Danny Willett
That's basically the comparison you're making, right? (Not in terms of natural ability, necessarily, but certainly in terms of how pressure might wind up affecting each team down the stretch.)
Almost but not quite. I don't think it would be fair to compare Leicester to this-year's-Masters-Spieth no matter what happens from here on out. The reality is the Leicester could play well down the stretch and still lose the league -- even if they go 2-1-1, they could lose the league, and that's not that fundamentally different from their season win percentage. (They take about 2.14 points per game, and that would be 1.75.) I have (if you look over my posts in this thread and others) simply never believed that they had the hammer lock on the trophy that others seemed to think. They are behind on goal difference, being chased by a team in top form, and they play in a league where anyone is capable of dropping at least 2 points to pretty much every other team on any given week. They have lived by one-goal games for quite some time, and that can turn on you even if you are playing good football. So, if they do get caught at the wire, I wouldn't think it would be fair to describe it as a choke.
What I was more trying to say is that Leicester have been playing for so long out in front as the team that nobody thought could that the weight has to be wearing them down, and they've looked a bit like a team that has been a bit weary despite grinding out result after result. I do, though, like the Willett comparison for Spurs. Spurs haven't had any of that external pressure building up week after week after week, but instead have just been quietly excellent playing on the holes not shown on tv or occasionally being narrated by Matt Gogel not Jim Nantz, until they get to the 16 hole and someone says, holy shit look at them. But after trashing Stoke, now the world is watching and the narrative is quite different, and it will be interesting to see how they react. I can't seem to figure out if playing after Leicester has finished each of the next 3 weeks is a good or bad thing for Spurs, though.
What I was more trying to say is that Leicester have been playing for so long out in front as the team that nobody thought could that the weight has to be wearing them down, and they've looked a bit like a team that has been a bit weary despite grinding out result after result. I do, though, like the Willett comparison for Spurs. Spurs haven't had any of that external pressure building up week after week after week, but instead have just been quietly excellent playing on the holes not shown on tv or occasionally being narrated by Matt Gogel not Jim Nantz, until they get to the 16 hole and someone says, holy shit look at them. But after trashing Stoke, now the world is watching and the narrative is quite different, and it will be interesting to see how they react. I can't seem to figure out if playing after Leicester has finished each of the next 3 weeks is a good or bad thing for Spurs, though.
Schlupp is having a nightmare of a game. He simply can't make a correct decision- he's dribbling into trouble, picking the wrong pass (if me holds the ball long enough to get rid of it), and choosing all of the wrong runs. He just hid behind a defender with the middle of the park wide open. His teammates are starting to give him sideways glances.
If Vardy sits a second there needs to be a different setup against United.
If Vardy sits a second there needs to be a different setup against United.
I like Schlupp, but you're right his final ball or lack of final ball is frustrating. But he makes things happen, he's strong and quick, he can beat a player. He's been out injured and since he came back, most of his run outs have been from the bench. So he's not really had long runs as a starter to find his game, or just work up his confidence. But...if he could improve all the things you mention, (his footballing brain), he'll be a good player. As it is, he still causes problems because of his pace and strength.
I reckon there will be a different set up for the Man U game. Aside from that, this kid Gray that's just come on, they got him from Birmingham...i really like him...19 years old but he's got quality, a good head on him...and pace.
I reckon there will be a different set up for the Man U game. Aside from that, this kid Gray that's just come on, they got him from Birmingham...i really like him...19 years old but he's got quality, a good head on him...and pace.
I saw him play a couple of times with Brum...kid can absolutely fly. Not sure how well the rest of his game will hold up in the top flight right now, but oh my can he run.
Awesome. My favorite thing about football is the variety of ways you can be successful. Spain has tried to ruin this for everyone, so it's so nice to see someone win in a different fashion.
I believe Atletico has broken the spell a little bit (and may do so again vs its high priest, Guardiola, on wednesday). If you play defense with the intensity of the 2008 Celtics, and don't mind giving out a few hard fouls occasionally, you can stand a chance against anyone. Robert Huth would do just fine on their squad.
I wonder how many Leicester City shirts are going to be sold worldwide...it's been a captivating fairy tale. Amazing...
This must be the biggest upset in football history. Also of note Leicester has been on the other side of the variance train just 3 years ago, missing promotion on a last minute counterattack after a missed penalty. It's unbelievable.
The FA gave Vardy another game, so he's out for the game at Old Trafford. Today's result makes that a lot easier for them to take, though.
Yeah, that's a huge result for the foxes. Spurs have been on excellent form and those dropped points mean that LCFC would really have to gag it down the stretch not to take home the silverware. Bravo to them.
Well, now it really would be Jordan Spieth-like. They aren't done and dusted quite yet. A loss to United and a Spurs win against Chelsea, and sphincters start to tighten. But they have simply given nothing yet to suggest that squeaky bum time rules apply to them. The only thing I can think of that keeps them from the title now is that over the next 6 days they will be all but anointed. Nothing at all suggests that they are going to get complacent.
that's garbage.
To clinch at Old Trafford would be just fantastic. A great moment
I posted this in the down the stretch thread...this is pretty fuckin cool and shows how sport really connects people over time and space
http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/topic/105832-win-it-for/
In 2004 the baseball team I am a fan of, the Boston Red Sox ended an 86 year title drought, becoming the first team to come back from an 0-3 deficit in a best of 7 series against the New York Yankees. Everyone had written them off. Most thought they were cursed and would never win again. But after winning that series they swept the World Series and became champions. That team of lovable misfits, nicknamed by themselves as "The Idiots," reminds me a lot of this Leicester City side. With one game to go, a member of their forum started a thread simply titled "Win It For." The thread ended up being over 50 pages, with members sharing how the team impacted their lives, along with close friends and family members' lives. It's actually still archived, and you can read the entire thing here: http://sonsofsamhorn...or#.Vx6KaPkrKM8
It ended up being in the news all over, even fans of their arch rivals, the Yankees saluted them for it. A short time later it was actually all compiled and published as a book: http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/159670084X
How cool is that? For those of us who lived through and rmember that great time...i think it's pretty damn cool that someone somewhere thought of us, that thread, and The Red Sox.
http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/topic/105832-win-it-for/
In 2004 the baseball team I am a fan of, the Boston Red Sox ended an 86 year title drought, becoming the first team to come back from an 0-3 deficit in a best of 7 series against the New York Yankees. Everyone had written them off. Most thought they were cursed and would never win again. But after winning that series they swept the World Series and became champions. That team of lovable misfits, nicknamed by themselves as "The Idiots," reminds me a lot of this Leicester City side. With one game to go, a member of their forum started a thread simply titled "Win It For." The thread ended up being over 50 pages, with members sharing how the team impacted their lives, along with close friends and family members' lives. It's actually still archived, and you can read the entire thing here: http://sonsofsamhorn...or#.Vx6KaPkrKM8
It ended up being in the news all over, even fans of their arch rivals, the Yankees saluted them for it. A short time later it was actually all compiled and published as a book: http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/159670084X
How cool is that? For those of us who lived through and rmember that great time...i think it's pretty damn cool that someone somewhere thought of us, that thread, and The Red Sox.
I remember a thread here where pretty much everyone tried to argue that the team they support was the Premier League's version of the Red Sox, including the Man Utd and Chelsea fans. Definitely one of the funnier threads we've had.
That's cold...
Man, i'm just kind of moved that some folks in the East Midlands knew about our thread and so forth.
Edit: I saw a tweet earlier that said something like - it took Demarai Gray 17 games to do what Stevie G couldn't do in 17 years...that's fuckin stone cold...i thought you'd like that.
Yeah, thanks for posting Fletch.
The emotions it evokes may be similar, but the 2004 Red Sox winning were like if Arsenal were down 0-3 to Real Madrid after the home leg of the UCL semifinal, and somehow pulled it out in the 2nd leg and then won the CL Final handily. They wouldn't have been given more than a single-digit chance, but at least they were on something approaching a level playing field financially.
Leicester winning this year is more like what it would be like if the Expos survived those discussions of being contracted in 2002, were never relocated, kept a cult following in Montreal despite woeful results year after year, remained near the bottom of the league payroll... and then stormed to a 100-win season and WS title on the back of a 2-3 year run of draft picks and bargain-basement FA signings all panning out simultaneously. The friggin' Cubs have far more of a chance of winning MLB every year than most teams in Leicester's financial position do of winning the Premier League.
Leicester are so far behind even the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates in terms of competitiveness that it's hard for me to even explain the extent of their underdog-ness to my friends and colleagues who have heard about them in recent months. I usually go with, "remember how incompetent we look every time we make the World Cup finals? No, forget that, the whole tournament is called the 'finals', I just mean the World Cup. Yeah, imagine if our rag-tag misfit bunch somehow caught fire and stormed to a WC title, slapping around Germany and Brazil and Italy and Argentina on the way. Think about how longtime fans of US Soccer would react to that."
We Sox fans had more angst to vent than most fanbases on the verge of an unlikely title do, but objectively speaking, Leicester's faced down more adversity than any American sports team ever has, being so cushioned as they are by drafts and salary caps and other parity-aimed measures. They deserved a "Win It For" thread months ago.
The emotions it evokes may be similar, but the 2004 Red Sox winning were like if Arsenal were down 0-3 to Real Madrid after the home leg of the UCL semifinal, and somehow pulled it out in the 2nd leg and then won the CL Final handily. They wouldn't have been given more than a single-digit chance, but at least they were on something approaching a level playing field financially.
Leicester winning this year is more like what it would be like if the Expos survived those discussions of being contracted in 2002, were never relocated, kept a cult following in Montreal despite woeful results year after year, remained near the bottom of the league payroll... and then stormed to a 100-win season and WS title on the back of a 2-3 year run of draft picks and bargain-basement FA signings all panning out simultaneously. The friggin' Cubs have far more of a chance of winning MLB every year than most teams in Leicester's financial position do of winning the Premier League.
Leicester are so far behind even the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates in terms of competitiveness that it's hard for me to even explain the extent of their underdog-ness to my friends and colleagues who have heard about them in recent months. I usually go with, "remember how incompetent we look every time we make the World Cup finals? No, forget that, the whole tournament is called the 'finals', I just mean the World Cup. Yeah, imagine if our rag-tag misfit bunch somehow caught fire and stormed to a WC title, slapping around Germany and Brazil and Italy and Argentina on the way. Think about how longtime fans of US Soccer would react to that."
We Sox fans had more angst to vent than most fanbases on the verge of an unlikely title do, but objectively speaking, Leicester's faced down more adversity than any American sports team ever has, being so cushioned as they are by drafts and salary caps and other parity-aimed measures. They deserved a "Win It For" thread months ago.