The Fall of Leicester City F.C. : From “Miracle” to Chaos

On April 20, 2024, Leicester City lost 1-0 to Liverpool at home in the Premier League, officially confirming their relegation to the Championship. In fact, before this match started, fans already knew in their hearts that this result was inevitable.

Over the past few months, Leicester City has been desperately trying to stay out of relegation, but ultimately failed. Now, the club is investigating their performances throughout the season, hoping to find out what went wrong. This relegation could be the worst experience in their history.

The first step in trying to rebuild the team is to figure out what went wrong. But it’s not something that can be fixed overnight. Right now, Leicester City is like a broken family, with internal conflicts, players in low form, and the trust between management and fans almost collapsed.

The team is in need of a blood change, the manager Van Nistelrooy’s stay is still uncertain, and the board and the fans are so divided between them that they all disagree on what to do next.

When it comes to Leicester City, many remember the summer of 2016. Back then no one expected that the team that was originally seen as the favorites to be relegated would come all the way back to win the Premier League title. At the time their odds to win the title were 5000:1, an almost impossible task.

That year’s victory not only shocked the world, but also brought five years of highs for the club. They made three trips to Europe and also picked up the team’s first ever FA Cup win at Wembley. These glory days are still talked about by old fans.

But now, everything has changed. With the team in trouble and the departure of star player Vardy, many feel that the golden era belonging to Leicester City is completely over.

The question many fans are asking is: how did we end up where we are today? Although everyone wants to change the status quo, no one can agree on how and what to change.

The Athletic decided to take a look back at how this club, which once created one of the biggest miracles in the history of soccer, got to where it is today, step by step.

Starting in 2010, the King Power Group bought Leicester City and since then it has started the most successful phase in the club’s history. Before the start of every home game, those moments were shown on the big screen, evoking fond memories for the fans.

However, when the team was relegated again, those images brought not only emotion, but also deep loss and anger.

Two loyal fans, Jason Bourne and Ian Stringer, recently started a discussion on social media, representing two different voices.

Stringer believes that Leicester City was supposed to be a team that floated back and forth between the Premier League and the Championship, and that it was just a surprise to win the title. He prefers to cherish that good time.

Bourne, on the other hand, is completely different. He says that every time he sees images of past victories, he remembers how the club has squandered its chances in the past few years, and how the management’s decisions have disappointed him.

Both views, in fact, resonate with many fans. On the one hand, everyone is thankful for those glory days; on the other, they can’t accept the current situation.

The next decision will be very crucial. The club must make the right choice as soon as possible to get out of the doldrums. Especially in the Championship, whether the team can unite and play the new season well is the question in front of everyone.

One of the most crucial questions is: is owner Quintop still willing to continue to lead the club on?

Go back in time to 2018, when Leicester City had just finished playing a home game against West Ham United. The helicopter that owner Vichai was traveling in as he was leaving the game tragically crashed, killing all five people on board. This incident not only made the club lose the soul figure, but also made his son Kuntop suffer a huge blow.

At that time, Kuntop was only 33 years old, the youngest child in the family. Since then, he has taken over his father’s burden, while also dealing with the impact of the epidemic on the family’s tourism industry and the pressure of caring for his family.

There were rumors that someone wanted to buy Leicester City, but the Crown Estate never intended to sell. They are deeply attached to the club, with a statue of Vichai erected outside the stadium, a memorial garden dedicated to him and the club’s charitable foundation bearing his name.

In Thailand, every victory is considered an honor for the whole country. Sometimes Khunthorpe also hosts important people from Thailand on match days.

In addition to the emotional investment, the Royal Power Group has also supported the club financially. They converted a £420 million loan into equity, effectively waiving the club’s debt to its parent company.

However, Quintop rarely speaks publicly, posting only the occasional word in the matchday magazines. If he could make a statement at a crucial time to let everyone know he still has faith in the club, it might ease some of the fans’ discontent.

Many fans want a change of manager and owner, but their biggest grievances are actually directed at the board.

Director of soccer Radkin is thought to be responsible for the poor reinforcements over the years. Many players left on a free when their contracts expired, and the team’s wage bill was getting higher and higher, even exceeding revenues, making it difficult to comply with the Premier League’s financial fairness rules.

CEO Susan Whelan has also been criticized by fans, and even Quintop and the King Power Group are not immune.

Some have argued for a complete change of ownership, despite the club’s past glories and significant investment. But many more felt it would be too radical. While it is true that the club has made a number of mistakes, changing the owner could bring more uncertainty.

Radkin has been in the position for ten years and is now the main target of accusations from fans. But Quintop and his father have always trusted him. So it is likely that he will remain in his post even if there is a lot of opposition from the outside world.

It’s clear that the way the club has been managed since Vichai’s death seven years ago has not kept pace. Now that many important decisions are dictated by the duo of Khun Top and Radkin, the club is in dire need of bringing in new ideas and talents to clarify the future direction.

Perhaps some fresh air can be brought in through a personnel shake-up. It might not please everyone, but at least it could get things moving in a good direction.

Questions about the head coach

After Van Nistelrooy took over as head coach, the team’s performance has arguably fallen off.

In his 21 league games in charge, there have been just two wins, two draws and 17 losses, including nine consecutive home losses without scoring a single goal, an all-time record in English soccer.

Van Nistelrooy has been looking to speak to the management in depth and had already laid out his plans for the upcoming season to the hierarchy before the loss to Wolves.

He told a conference, “I know what to do to get the club back on track, but I have to wait for everyone to agree. The sooner the better.”

By all rights, such a record would have warranted a sacking a long time ago. But the club hasn’t been as decisive as it was with predecessor Cooper. Cooper was sacked after just 12 games with the team, while Van Nistelrooy has yet to be replaced.

In contrast, Southampton changed their manager immediately after relegation was confirmed, while Leicester City have looked hesitant.

Despite the poor results, Van Nistelrooy has maintained a calm and professional demeanor during the difficult times, which has earned the trust of some of the management. After all, when he took over, the team was already a mess and there were many overpriced players brought in.

He has said that he wants to use more young players next season, as the existing squad will definitely have to be reorganized.

Recently, 15-year-old Monga and 16-year-old Evans made their debuts and will be involved in the pre-season training camp next as well.

Van Nistelrooy has a lot of experience having coached youth teams in Holland, which may be one of the reasons why he is still in his seat. The team has had five coaching changes in the last three years and does need a bit of stability now.

But can the fans still support him in the face of such a poor record?

While most of the anger is directed at the board, there are many who have expressed their displeasure with Van Nistelrooy directly. They want a new coach to start a new page and get rid of this season’s gloom.

It’s also possible that Van Nistelrooy could resign voluntarily, but firing two coaching staffs in the same season could leave the club with more financial problems.

Most importantly, whether Van Nistelrooy is kept or not, the manager for the new season has to be identified as soon as possible so that the club can be ready for the Championship.

Considering that the club is still having financial compliance issues, even if the decision is made to continue supporting him, the actual support that can be given may be very limited.

The good thing about early relegation is that the team knows which division they are going to next season and can also prepare for it earlier. They have the advantage of time over the Championship teams who are still struggling.

Now it looks as if Leicester City are back to where they were ten years ago – a team that aspired to reach the Premier League but always struggled to gain a foothold.

For many fans, that glory seemed like a dream; for many more, the current situation is more like a nightmare.

The management system that once supported the club to the top is now being seriously questioned. Fans want to see a real change, and this change can not only stay at the level of the coach, but also start from the management.

In recent years, more and more fans have begun to organize themselves to express their voices. The number of members of the “Foxes Trust”, a fan organization, has increased dramatically. They are once again calling on the club to give an explanation and to be held accountable.

Leicester City fans have a right to know the truth and deserve answers. Otherwise, the rift within the club will only get deeper and deeper and will never heal.