The true secret of Leicester City's success / doping thread merged

[chesterbells]

I dont think they have cheated but then it doesn't explain a season with virtually no injuries in arguably the most physical and demanding league in world football, the same 11 players week in week out and the fact they can just run, run and not seem to fatigue.

Their fitness coach may well be good, he isnt that good.

.

 

[chesterbells]

I don't think anybody's suggesting that doping doesn't give an unfair advantage. The real issue is whether the introduction of an endurance drug has the ability to turn a mediocre performing team into PL winners.

Endurance doping would have far more impact on a regular top 4 side where the technical ability and overall attributes of the teams are based on much finer margins. Leicester have certainly over-achieved this season, but this seems to be largely due to a combination of hard graft, consistency, luck and the under-achievement of ourselves and others.

But what would give players the ability to suddenly start 'grafting harder', especially in training, what would make their performances more consistent and less likely to drop off or go through periods of tiredness? And I dont buy 'luck' as a factor across a whole league season. Underachievement - possibly a factor yes, but not enough to explain it alone.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

How many technically genuinely good players do they have? To me the whole thing looks based on some reasonable organisation at the back, one player in Mahrez who looks a genuinely technical footballer and the rest of it is more or less about pure athleticism in terms of Vardy's pace and their stamina throughout games.

spot on.

 

[Pam]

I hope Spurs win the league.

 

[steviemc]

But what would give players the ability to suddenly start 'grafting harder', especially in training, what would make their performances more consistent and less likely to drop off or go through periods of tiredness? And I dont buy 'luck' as a factor across a whole league season. Underachievement - possibly a factor yes, but not enough to explain it alone.

Then look at the stats. Did Leicester win most games late on? Did they beat us convincingly only towards the latter stages of the game? I think you'll be hard pushed to show any remotely convincing pattern throughout their season. There isn't a single element that can explain it - precisely because there are so many variables in football. If it wasn't down to these variables the best team 'on paper' would always win, and reach the finals of most competitions.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

Whenever a doctor comes out usually it is true.

The fact that football has so few failed tests is suspicious. Besides Rio's missed test I can't remember the last player to test positive.

Dr Fuentes accused the Spanish national team of it.

And the sum total of nothing was done in the wake of the Spanish football accusations...all sounds familiar.

 

[blueinsa]

Another thing....free beer and donuts etc for the fans.

Drugged!

More peds so they can hit those plastic blow up sausages together for 90 mins and make more noise.

Cheating cunts!

 

[dennishasdoneit]

Of course, they may be totally clean. And in other news I also expect Norwich to win the league next year.

No, i expect Sunderland to walk it.with no major injuries...off to the bookies now..what was that 5000/1??

 

[Lancet Fluke]

I hope Spurs win the league.

Me too. At the start of the season if you'd asked me which of those clubs I disliked more, it would have been Spurs, by a long way and it is basically still the case. But for various reasons I find myself really wanting Leicester not to win it, I'd even rather Arsenal won it, I think. It's all quite odd, I know I should really want the plucky underdogs to make the fairy tale come true, but I just don't.

 

[M18CTID]

Me too. At the start of the season if you'd asked me which of those clubs I disliked more, it would have been Spurs, by a long way and it is basically still the case. But for various reasons I find myself really wanting Leicester not to win it, I'd even rather Arsenal won it, I think. It's all quite odd, I know I should really want the plucky underdogs to make the fairy tale come true, but I just don't.

I'm not at that stage but can kind of see where you're coming from. Leicester winning it should be the lesser of all evils but perhaps sometimes one of the usual suspects winning it might be easier to deal with. I'm donning my tin hat here but there was a point in our 2013-14 title winning season when it looked like Liverpool had it more or less wrapped up that the thought of them winning it became so unpalatable that I think I might've coped better if it had been United winning it. I can't believe I felt that way but maybe because I'd gotten so used to them winning it so many times down the years that I'd learnt how to handle it to an extent, plus the way Liverpool and the media were behaving in general - Rodgers saying it was for the 96, the fans serenading the team coach at every home game from March onwards, the media fawning all over them, their Twitter account saying they'd practically won it after beating us - was making it nigh on impossible to stomach, not just for those teams challenging but even for neutrals up and down the country.