Leicester City

I finally found a Leicester City thread. Well kind of. Now I know for a fact that there are two Phoenix season ticket holders whom are die hard Leicester city fans going back into the 60's and 70's. They live in Upper Hutt and they must be buzzing about their teams performances of late. Raineri has done really well there and the team look very very good. glad to see a new name challenging for the top spot. They may not last but with the style they are playing, they are certainly winning a lot of plaudits and probably 10k worth of Chelski fans as they show their true form.

From 4 minutes...

So, time for the press to start taking Leicester more seriously? So, so impressed with their season so far. 

I thought they were beginning to fade out but that win against Spurs makes things very interesting. 21 games in and they're equal top, who would thunk it. 

No one, I guess! 

Like Foal said in the gunners thread, 5000/1 at the bookies to be top at Christmas. I think everyone expects them to fade, but they aren't showing signs of it. ESPN had an article saying Sp*rs had a shot at the title. If they're going to go that far, they might as well say Leicester all but have it won. 

Still at $10 to win the title. I think they are almost guaranteed to finish top 4 baring a collapse. 9 points ahead of Man U now.

Wot price next year's European Cup Champs? Get in. Now.

Also- from that line-up the goal scorer is....Huth!

ex Middlesbrough. 53(2)

Still doing well and winning. A breath of fresh air and playing good football. Hope they win it!

outright first!

If they do win this has there ever been a bigger league upset?

Not in the EPL as such. I know two Nix fans that are from Leicester and they are over the moon. After years of suffering, they have a team that actually looks good and is getting the results. 3-1 at Man City? How good is that?? 

they were bottom of the league at this time last year. 

Perfect example of what happens when you have a quality coach.

And change 11 of the squad.

Wonder what their budget difference is a third of the big clubs?

More like a fifth, but I am guessing.

Chris Wood sold to Leeds - coincidence or not?

Spelling error corrected

Leicester have a lot less games to play than everyone else. Still the pressure will be hard to cope with.

Blackburn?

Blackburn had a few more better known players.

Too bad Wood isnt still sitting on the pine for Leicester.

it will be interesting to see in the run in against teams who drop deep against them - they are masters at dropping deep and countering against teams who try to be assertive.

Blackburn was in the days before the oligarchs and the super clubs etc, and they had the richest owner who spent a then world record fee on Alan Shearer didn't they?

What Leicester are doing is nothing like what Blackburn did. Blackburn spent lots (comparatively) to give them a shot at the title. Only difference being it was a local businessman who funded it rather than some Arab or Russian billionaire.

Leicester have taken virtually the same squad that were bottom for most of last season to being genuine title contenders. It is ridiculous.

As already mentioned Buffy, they changed 11 players from last years squad.

Though most of the regular team on the field are the same. Main difference is a top quality coach.

I said virtually the same squad.

Of the players they have brought in only Fuchs, Huth and Kante have started over 20 games for them in the league. Okazaki have played a bit but made quite a few sub appearances. Other than that the rest of the signings have barely featured.

They're still using the same core of players such as Schmeichel, Morgan, Drinkwater, Albrighton, Vardy and Mahrez that were an almost dead cert for relegation this time last season. In fact, a lot of their current squad were still together when they missed out on promotion in that epic playoff semi-final defeat to Watford back in 2012/13.

For ages i've kept thinking they'll fade away eventually, but here we are 25 games in and they're 5 points top, and have been the best team so far this season. There's plenty of time for them to still drop off, but after playing us on the weekend they have a piss easy run till the end of April.

Well, no one wants a 56 year old as a keeping prospect in the PL to be fair

It's weird though. Ranieri has held jobs at top clubs in England, Spain, Italy and France, failed to win anything apart from one or two domestic cups, and yet he may finally end up with a top flight league title in the most extraordinary circumstances.

This Leicester team plays a bit like the United of (recently) old. They've got pacey British strikers, players who've been with them from the youth team, Kante, a left footed wizard of the counter and other attack, the Great Dane and they have got the imagination of the public.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015%E2%80%9316_Leic...

Inler and Dyer would have perhaps been expected to kick on better and it looks like they got other CB in case Huth wasn't quite up to it.

They've covered their bases well- the same team augmented and supported with Fuchs, Kante, Huth and Okazaki. 

Still, they are working from a base of zero expectation and pressure which surely makes it easier to succeed from. 

Schlupp and King Leicester youth products!