Two Trust match reporters share their combined thoughts on last season and turn their attention to what may come next.
“The fixture list is just out but let’s just look back at last season for a moment.
Relegation to League One felt like a bereavement. How could we have got ourselves into this mess? Leicester City had become something of a joke with constant changing of managers and inconsistent team selection. So we both looked forward to last season with some trepidation……
We needed to re-establish the Walkers as a place that other teams did not want to visit. Not sure if we created a fortress over the season, as we still drew too many games we should have won, but we built up a strong home record with only one game lost.
Nigel Pearson’s appointment was not greeted with glee initially, although we had heard good things about him, but he certainly made some excellent loan signings who all made a significant impact over the season: Hobbs, Gilbert, Cleverley, Davis, Brown and Martin.
He, and his team, knows how to spot a good player. He gradually impressed through the season with his unflustered approach and consistent team selection, which benefitted the players. If a match was not going right he was not afraid to make changes and usually his substitutions made sense.
We developed a strong spine through the team: Martin, Hobbs, Tunchev, Oakley, King with Fryatt and Howard consistently picked. Players such as Fryatt improved in confidence and fitness with consistent selection. His goals were a real bonus. Steve Howard amazingly silenced the doubters with some stirring performances as the season progressed. His injury time winner against Leeds sending fans into ecstasy will be written into folklore (as will Nigel Pearson’s “header” from the dugout)!…..
Compared to the previous season we got a good quota of goals from midfield through Dyer, King and Oakley. Although Fryatt got most of the headlines we thought that Andy King, for such a young player who was in the team throughout, had an outstanding season.
Tunchev and Morrison proved excellent signings and, although Dyer had a dodgy middle part of the season, he always worked hard for the team and scored, and made, valuable goals.
The key part of the success of the season was of course the 23 game unbeaten run. During this period we played some really good passing football which had not been seen for some time at the Walkers. We struggled a bit at the end of a long hard season when we had to get over the finishing line and as the pressure built up from the supporters. We hope that Nigel’s team will continue to develop the right way. The style advocated by Megson and the confusing tactics by Holloway had been unbearable to watch.
Our defence was secure, even through injuries later on in the season. It was only with the injury-led constant switching of loan goalkeepers in the last few games, and the re-introduction of Kisnorbo, when our defence looked shaky.
Whilst we overcame the loss of players from injury but absorbed the changes throughout the season, good discipline on the field meant that we lost few players through suspension especially at the end of the season. We certainly missed Howard when he was out and it showed we had no ready replacement or a different playing method that worked without him.
A few games stood out during the year: Peterborough at home was the best home win and, for quality, the draw against MK Dons was the best – great goals and what an injury time stunner from Max!
The defeat away against Peterborough was perhaps the most disappointing match when we were outplayed throughout.
We all have our views about how the team needs to be strengthened for next year. More competition for our front two is needed when injury or loss of form will inevitably happen.
A ball winning midfielder is needed to compliment the passing skills of Oakley and King who can be easily outmuscled and perhaps more competition is required here too.
Defence looks solid with Tunchev back hopefully alongside either Hobbs or Brown. We must now have the goalkeeper position resolved.
And so August 8th approaches… bring it on!”
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust members nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation