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

[Mezrah]

I personally believe that this will be the first and last PL title they will win. This year the PL has been very underwhelming, bad performances all around.
I don't like Leicesters play style.. Most of what I have seen was them parking them bus, and then playing counter and winning games on that. they just... park the bus for 90 minutes and that's it. Not especially attractive football to me. But oh well, each to their own. But I do find it amazing that an underdog team such as Leicester can just go straight ahead and do such a thing, that's brilliant!

 

[paulchapo]

This list of winners of the League when ourselves and Forest won it shows you how open it was.

1967 Manchester United
1968 Manchester City
1969 *Leeds United
1970 Everton
1971 Arsenal
1972 *Derby County
1973 Liverpool
1974 Leeds United
1975 -Derby County
1976 Liverpool
1977 Liverpool
1978 *-Nottingham Forest
1979 Liverpool
1980 Liverpool
1981 -Aston Villa

In 15 years 9 different teams won the title with Liverpool starting to emerge as a real force then winning it 5 times.Now look at the list of winners from the conception of the premier league when the money started to kick in.

1993 Manchester United
1994 Manchester United
1995 -Blackburn Rovers
1996 Manchester United
1997 Manchester United
1998 Arsenal
1999 Manchester United
2000 Manchester United
2001 Manchester United
2002 Arsenal
2003 Manchester United
2004 -Arsenal
2005 Chelsea
2006 Chelsea
2007 Manchester United
2008 Manchester United
2009 Manchester United
2010 Chelsea
2011 Manchester United
2012 Manchester City
2013 -Manchester United
2014 -Manchester City
2015 -Chelsea
2016

Only ourselves,Chelsea and Blackburn have broken the stranglehold the rags and Arsenal had on the title due to massive injections of cash to enable us to compete. So in 23 years only FIVE clubs have won the title and without ourselves and Chelsea and Blackburn one season, being able to compete financially, that would probably have remained two.Now along come Leicester with no big financial outlay or even a gradual build up of strength who probably do win it.Even taking account the dominant teams being fairly poor that is one heck of a break through!

Drugs may not alter tactics or skill levels but stamina,speed and endurance they do and in a tough game played at full pelt for 90 minutes it can make the difference.

 

[colombia-mcfc]

If people like collymore and wenger are so confident that the use of PED's is rife then they should start naming names. If even collymore knows it is going on then it won't be that hard to prove.

I imagine they would but they could face slander claims

 

[crazyg]

This list of winners of the League when ourselves and Forest won it shows you how open it was.

1967 Manchester United
1968 Manchester City
1969 *Leeds United
1970 Everton
1971 Arsenal
1972 *Derby County
1973 Liverpool
1974 Leeds United
1975 -Derby County
1976 Liverpool
1977 Liverpool
1978 *-Nottingham Forest
1979 Liverpool
1980 Liverpool
1981 -Aston Villa

In 15 years 9 different teams won the title with Liverpool starting to emerge as a real force then winning it 5 times.

Don't forget that the Moores family injected a lot of cash into Liverpool at that time which bought them the best players they could buy. The comparison with the Premier League money kicking is very apt in this instance. They had a massive financial advantage over the rest of the first division, and it showed in their trophy haul.

 

[Cityfan]

My point is not just that Forest won it but that they did it straight out of the second division with no adjustment and then went onto win the European cup twice.
I am not saying that Leicesters results are not surprising clearly they are but surprising results happen in sport without drugs.
No male had burst onto win Wimbledon unseeded at the age of 17 until Becker did.
No one had jumped over 28 feet in the long jump (or much over 27 ft) until Beamon jumped over 29 ft
Minor countries don't win major football tournaments until Greece etc.

Of course speed strength and stamina make a difference but no one has so far produced any evidence that this has significantly increased this season for Leicester or that it is better than anyone elses which it would have to be if this was the reason rather than tactics.

 

[paulchapo]

My point is not just that Forest won it but that they did it straight out of the second division with no adjustment and then went onto win the European cup twice.
I am not saying that Leicesters results are not surprising clearly they are but surprising results happen in sport without drugs.
No male had burst onto win Wimbledon unseeded at the age of 17 until Becker did.
No one had jumped over 28 feet in the long jump (or much over 27 ft) until Beamon jumped over 29 ft
Minor countries don't win major football tournaments until Greece etc.

Of course speed strength and stamina make a difference but no one has so far produced any evidence that this has significantly increased this season for Leicester or that it is better than anyone elses which it would have to be if this was the reason rather than drugs.

Again you are missing the point a bit.The gap between the then first and second division wasn't such a gulf then and that super rich cartel at the top hadn't formed, so a team could get promoted and win a league the season afterwards,it was feasible.They had also appointed a genius of a manager in Clough.

You are drawing comparisons with individuals not team sports.As the human species evolve they have developed physically and greater training methods and science has seen improvements in times,distances and breaking records most years.At times drugs have been found as the reason for some of these improvements too.

Greece I will grant you they ground out that title I am still not quite sure how!

We are all talking hearsay and Chinese whispers at the moment and there is no clear evidence just a shadow of doubt.

 

[Eds]

Again you are missing the point a bit.The gap between the then first and second division wasn't such a gulf then and that super rich cartel at the top hadn't formed, so a team could get promoted and win a league the season afterwards,it was feasible.They had also appointed a genius of a manager in Clough.

You are drawing comparisons with individuals not team sports.As the human species evolve they have developed physically and greater training methods and science has seen improvements in times,distances and breaking records most years.At times drugs have been found as the reason for some of these improvements too.

Greece I will grant you they ground out that title I am still not quite sure how!

We are all talking hearsay and Chinese whispers at the moment and there is no clear evidence just a shadow of doubt.

Do you think the shadow is getting darker and bigger?

 

[paulchapo]

Do you think the shadow is getting darker and bigger?

Yes I do because it actually now looks like they are going to win it.Prior to this they were having a good run,which any team can have and everyone expected them to fall away at some point....but they haven't. Also it is the manner they look to win it.At present only 3 defeats and 7 points clear....that is a gigantic step up from scraping relegation the previous year.....gigantic!

 

[Cityfan]

Again you are missing the point a bit.The gap between the then first and second division wasn't such a gulf then and that super rich cartel at the top hadn't formed, so a team could get promoted and win a league the season afterwards,it was feasible.They had also appointed a genius of a manager in Clough.
.

The point of Forest is not just that they got to the top of England but the top of Europe the gulf then in existence between the English second division and the top European teams was huge.

This season the 'cartel' at the top has been broken not just by Leicester but by Spurs s well and potentially even West Ham though this is unlikely but Chelsea have shot backwards and ourselves and Manchester Utd have played very poorly by previous seasons standards in a large percentage of our matches,. Although no one was anticipating this in advance the gap between the cartel and the rest has dramatically changed this season so the fact that a team has taken advantage is explicable by factors other than drugs.

 

[paulchapo]

The point of Forest is not just that they got to the top of England but the top of Europe the gulf then in existence between the English second division and the top European teams was huge.

This season the 'cartel' at the top has been broken not just by Leicester but by Spurs s well and potentially even West Ham though this is unlikely but Chelsea have shot backwards and ourselves and Manchester Utd have played very poorly by previous seasons standards in a large percentage of our matches,. Although no one was anticipating this in advance the gap between the cartel and the rest has dramatically changed this season so the fact that a team has taken advantage is explicable by factors other than drugs.

No the European teams weren't drastically better than our teams...if you remember Forest beat the might of Malmo in the final,that shows you there wasn't a vast gulf in class at that time.It was also a straight two legged knockout competition so easier to win.

Spurs have always been there or thereabouts in the top four for a few seasons now and have spent a fortune,West Ham have spent a fair amount of cash too and have been established in the premier league for a few seasons now.

We are going to have to agree to disagree on this point. Leicester winning the premier league this season will go down as one of the shocks of all time,it is incredible.Even more unbelievable they have won it almost at a canter,it could even be as much as 10 points or more if results pan out that way.From escaping relegation the season before to comfortably winning the hardest league in the world with a minimal cash outlay in player additions....as I said....incredible!