Chris Forryan from www.leicestertillidie.com answers our questions for this weeks opposition view…
Try and sum up last season for us and when did you start to believe that you were going to win the league?
Have you got 2 days??? Unbelievable Jeff. I never thought I would ever see that in my lifetime. I mean little clubs like Leicester don’t win the title do they? I mean, I know it’s a more level playing field with the TV money etc, but there is still a vast gulf between the top 6 and the rest. I mean even with the TV money could Swansea or Leicester have afforded Pogba? I watched the club DVD again before the Arsenal game and no I still can’t believe it.
When did I start to believe? To be honest I don’t think I really did. (Well maybe when Hazard scored against Spurs haha). This is Leicester. The nearly men. Four FA Cup final appearances with no wins. Being a Leicester fan of many years standing I just kept thinking, as many experts predicted, that we would fall away.
This season looks likely to be tougher with many of the traditional top sides spending big and under new management. What are your aims for this campaign?
It’s going to be tough for Leicester. Still not a huge squad, and we do of course have the little matter of the Champions League. This is not like the League Cup, you cannot take that competition lightly. The top 6 will all be stronger this season, 3 of them with new managers. Personally I want to finish 9th and above so we don’t perform worse as defending Champions than Chelsea last season and get through to the knock out stages of the Champions league. Oh and maybe a decent FA Cup run. Not much to ask for is it?
Are you happy with how your squad is shaping up and do you need any further reinforcements?
We have, of course, lost Kante and this was a huge loss and will be a hard act to follow. The players we have bought in so far look decent with Musa looking faster than Vardy. Mendy in midfield looks a good prospect given time to settle in and Zeiler in goal looks an able back up to Schmeichel. Of all the new signings defender Hernandez looks the weak link. A great throw on him, but jumps out the way of the ball too much for my liking.
Nathan Dyer spend last season on loan at the King Power. How did he get on?
With the form of Mahrez & Albrighton and the arrival of Gray his opportunities were limited. That said he will always be remembered for his winning goal in the first comeback of the season against Aston Villa. Personally I would have liked us to sign him as a squad player as he always did well when asked to play.
So far you’ve lost to Hull and drawn with Arsenal, how did you perform in those two games?
Don’t mention the Hull game! (For either of us!!) We were awful. Just didn’t turn up and Hull wanted it more. They did a Leicester on Leicester. Against Arsenal we were more like the Leicester of last season, and if the referee had visited Specsavers we may well have got all three points. If we play like we did against Hull on a regular basis I fear for us, but if we play like we did against arsenal we could be looking at another good season.
What do you make of Swansea and which players if any do you fear?
I love Swansea and teams like them. Like Leicester a team not looked upon as a big club but living the dream enjoying life in the Premier League. I was sorry to see you let Garry Monk go after a good first season but then I am an outsider looking in.
If you play Dyer he could come back to haunt us, not sure if he is in your plans for the season, but I think he should be. Sigurdsson is another who could cause us problems.
Predict the score and where both teams will finish
I am hoping that we can play like we did against Arsenal and if we do I think a 2-0 to Leicester is a possibility. I think Leicester will finish 5th or 6th with Swansea finishing just outside the top half.