Ten years ago, until today, Leicester City were at the top of the Premier League and on the verge of winning a glorious and historic title.
now? The Foxes have fallen into the relegation zone in the Championship, just two points from safety.
The six point deduction, which the club is appealing, clearly does not help resolve the issue. However, the team and club’s performance has still fallen far short of expectations. There is a good chance that they will fall to League One five years after winning the FA Cup.
A few weeks after Marti Cifuentes was sacked, Gary Rowett was appointed as manager for the remainder of the season. Club legend Andy King took charge during that interim period, and he oversaw four defeats in all competitions, including a 4-3 defeat at Southampton when they had led 3-0.
Rowett is an experienced Championship specialist, but his final role saw him leave Oxford United, currently the only competitive club in the second tier below Leicester, in December. His appointment is a statement of the club’s current situation.
“Team with extremely poor performance”
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David Prutton assesses Leicester City’s struggles on the Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast.
Leicester are not allowed to spend any money this season due to financial constraints, but they have a talented squad whose performance is far below the sum of their parts.
Abdul Fattaw is one of the league’s standout talents, although his individualistic play can be frustrating at times. The last time Leicester were at this level, Steffy Mavididi scored 12 goals, Harry Winks was playing for England, and Jordan Ayew, Oliver Skipp, Bobby Decordova-Reid and Jannik Vestergaard should all become very solid Championship operators.
Instead, 21-year-old midfield loanee Jordan James could be in charge of them this season. It’s no surprise that the Argentine, who joined from Rennes, has been sidelined with injury for the past month, leading to such a severe slump. Until then, he had played in 24 games and scored 9 goals.
“This is a significantly underperforming team,” David Plutton said on the Sky Sports Essential podcast. “Gary has a big job on his hands and if he doesn’t improve his grades quickly, he could fall through the cracks quickly.
“This is a huge football club that is facing serious problems. The first priority is to get enough points on the board to stay safe. Whoever takes the job will have one goal and that is integration. It’s a big job.”
“The loss of points is damaging and will be felt keenly by the fans as it causes great concern for their immediate future. Even with that in mind, 38 points for this team is unacceptable.”
“They have been nowhere near the level required for most of the season. The team needs a major overhaul.”
‘I watch every game. It’s very upsetting’ – Leicester owner insists he still cares
Despite everything, it was only a few weeks ago that owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha spoke to Sky Sports about his future plans.
In his first interview since Leicester won the Premier League 10 years ago and since the death of his father Vichai in a helicopter crash in the King Power Stadium car park in 2018, Khun Top Ayyawatt, known as Khun Top Ayawat, likened the club to his “son” and said he had no intention of walking away and was determined to get Leicester back into the Premier League.
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Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett spoke to Leicester City owner Ayyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha about the club’s journey.
“It’s not about hiding or avoiding interviews,” he said. “It’s not because of Covid-19, but a lot of things have changed because of Covid-19. The elements of what I built then, which was winning the Premier League and the FA Cup, are gone.
“I have a big job to do in Thailand and I have to make sure everything is good and stable. It’s not something that can be solved in a day. It takes time. I always expect people who come to work here to work professionally and make sure everything is running smoothly. If I came every year like I used to, I feel like I would disrupt the way I work.”
“I watch every game. It’s very frustrating. I talk quietly with the team and the staff. I don’t need to tell you or the whole world what I did. Maybe the communication is not good for the fans.”
“So why now? It’s not because of any negativity or complaints from the fans. We want to give back to them and show that we’re on track with the plan. The Leicester fans have supported me since the first day I came here and I’m really grateful.”
“I know how it works. I know how social media works. The club needs to improve its communication and that starts with myself.”
“Leicester’s predicament is the product of board mismanagement and poor performance.”
10 years ago Leicester were Premier League champions
Evan Draycott of Sky Sports:
“Ten years on from the biggest underdog story in football history, Leicester City’s 10th anniversary of winning the Premier League could be ruined by the possibility of relegation to English football’s third tier.
“It seems alien to many outside the club that something like this has been allowed to happen, but the decline of a club that was widely regarded as one of the best-run clubs in England now appears to be in reverse.
“The rapid decline from the 2021 FA Cup winners and European football to the brink of successive relegations is the product of mismanagement in the boardroom and below-average performances on the pitch. You’ve got a team on Champions League level wages fighting to survive in the Championship.”
“The club’s motto is ‘The Foxes never quit’, but recent years have shown that those words do not match what is happening at the King Power Stadium. As well as a disastrous few years on the pitch, there has also been a lack of accountability off the pitch.
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Watch incredible highlights as Leicester surrendered a three-goal lead to lose 4-3 at home to Southampton.
“Leicester have had their fifth permanent manager in the last three seasons and there have been calls from the stands for those in charge of decision-making to reconsider their position. The constant pressure from fans for change has largely been eased by Kun Top’s support for director of football John Rudkin, who has faced the most scrutiny.
“It’s clear that the situation has trickled down to the pitch, with big-money players from their Premier League days remaining at the club and points being deducted for breaching PSR regulations. Couple this with the lack of clear communication and direction between the board and the fans, and it’s easy to see why fans are voicing their concerns to club management.”
“The atmosphere has become toxic, and other teams seem to be scared of the players on the pitch. It feels like a perfect parallel to the togetherness and fighting of the club that I grew up watching.”
“It’s hard to imagine English football declining as rapidly as Leicester. The feeling among the fan base is that we haven’t hit rock bottom yet.”
So what now?
Naturally, Leicester is appealing for a point deduction. However, the Premier League is also calling for an increase in the amount of point deductions.
The Foxes have been sanctioned for failing to comply with the PSR regulations for the 2023/24 season, and while they are appealing for a lighter penalty, the Premier League is seeking a tougher penalty. To be clear, a verdict will be rendered before the end of the season.
So the job now for Leicester and Rowett is to get as many points as possible to get out of their predicament.
That won’t be easy considering their recent form. And the short-term match list is likely to be a struggle. A trip to Stoke follows a visit to Middlesbrough in search of promotion. They then play against in-form Norwich City before heading to Ipswich.
This team clearly has talent, but effort is severely lacking. Generally speaking, you need more of the latter than the former to finish high in the championship.
Leicester had been in League One seven years before winning the Premier League, but it seemed unthinkable that they would be back there ten years later. However, this season, the possibility of that becoming a reality has come into view.
