Probably about right
When Brendan Rodgers said the last couple of seasons could be seen as a pinnacle for Leicester City, he may have intended it to be a dose of reality for those with lofty expectations for his side — demands they are struggling to meet this season.
For many Leicester fans, who were still smarting from the dramatic added-time collapse against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, those comments have been received like salt poured onto an open wound.
It stung. It continues to sting.
The debate has since raged on fan sites and social media between those who acknowledge the problems Rodgers has faced this season as his squad have tried to upset the odds and again disrupt the financial elite of the Premier League, and those who feel he is making excuses because his 2020-21 FA Cup winners have struggled to kick on and deliver consistent results.
“With success, what happens is that you have two fifth-placed finishes and then you qualify for European football, people think you have created a foundation for success. But for a club like ourselves, it may be the pinnacle,” Rodgers said in Friday’s press conference. “Because of resources and where others are at, it’s very difficult.”
Difficult, but not impossible — of all clubs, Leicester supporters know that the impossible is always possible.
Some fans’ reading of that particular quote was that Rodgers was hinting he had taken Leicester as far as he could, that the glass ceiling had been hit, and that is unacceptable to them because the club’s owners had lofty ambitions. But Rodgers was merely suggesting it is getting tougher to replicate what the club have achieved over the past few years.
Khun Vichai did indeed have a dream, but it was a realistic one. Leicester have disrupted the Big Six as planned and the club have seen tremendous investment, on and off the pitch, but they have done so without throwing the financial kitchen sink at it, as other clubs have been able or willing to do.
Surely, every Leicester supporter would acknowledge how well their club is run, but after achieving two top-five finishes, qualifying for European football in consecutive seasons and finally lifting the FA Cup, many of those fans will see that success as a foundation to be built on so Leicester can close the gap to the Big Six.
But it is a moving target.
The handful of clubs higher up the ladder are getting richer still and those of similar stature to Leicester — the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle United — are also packing on the financial muscle.
What hasn’t helped the perception is the fact that Leicester can’t seem to bring in a much-needed central defender on loan this January. This is due to a combination of financial restrictions caused by the investment already made in building the new training ground, the new stadium project, the impact of the pandemic and the fact the club didn’t sell a prize asset last summer for the first time in six years to fund further investment into the squad.
Supporters will look at rivals who are spending money on the likes of Philippe Coutinho at Villa or Kieran Trippier at Newcastle and will be thinking that others are making big strides while Leicester seem stuck.
What Leicester and Rodgers have done over the past two seasons have been remarkable considering their revenue and budget, which is more akin to their current midtable position than those sides currently battling for the four Champions League spots, but this season has been tough in comparison, a sobering experience after the champagne-soaked celebrations at Wembley last May.
As Rodgers says, it has been a dose of realism, but that doesn’t mean Leicester fans can’t still dream, as the Vichai song goes.
He might be right to point out the harsh realities of the club’s current problems. Even with players returning from injury, they are still without so many key men.
Against Brighton on Sunday, his side’s inexperience was seen again — as it had been in midweek against Spurs. Their lack of the game-management nous to hold onto a lead was evident. Without internationals such Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans, Timothy Castagne, Ricardo Pereira and Wilfred Ndidi, Rodgers’ young guns, many promoted from the club’s academy, showed their nativity as they failed to keep possession and, once more, to see a win out.
As Rodgers also said on Friday, football is the university of adversity, and Leicester have had their fair share of that this season.
This now feels like a transitional campaign for the club.
The squad’s lack of depth has been exposed by a crippling injury list and while there is still plenty to play for over the next four months, planning has already started for next season, including what could be a summer of rebuilding.
Leicester’s top brass may have chosen to keep their powder dry this January because they want to save all their resources for a big push of the reset button ahead of 2022-23.
With so many entering the final year of their contracts, and a few struggling to convince as well, several departures are expected this summer as the squad gets an overhaul. If/when that happens, the recruitment will, once again, be key. They have to get it right if they are to get back on track next season.
This campaign may be a reality check and similar success to the past two seasons may be difficult to achieve, but Leicester fans will expect that the progress made in the past decade is not lost, that fiscal reality shouldn’t alter the ambition — and that is to compete for Europe every season.
Yes, the finances make it harder, but you still have to strive for that. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Rodgers may just have been tempering some of the expectation and protecting his young players from mounting pressure but Leicester fans will still dream, and they have every right to do so.
When Brendan Rodgers said the last couple of seasons could be seen as a pinnacle for Leicester City, he may have intended it to be a dose of reality for those with lofty expectations for his side — demands they are struggling to meet this season.
For many Leicester fans, who were still smarting from the dramatic added-time collapse against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, those comments have been received like salt poured onto an open wound.
It stung. It continues to sting.
The debate has since raged on fan sites and social media between those who acknowledge the problems Rodgers has faced this season as his squad have tried to upset the odds and again disrupt the financial elite of the Premier League, and those who feel he is making excuses because his 2020-21 FA Cup winners have struggled to kick on and deliver consistent results.
“With success, what happens is that you have two fifth-placed finishes and then you qualify for European football, people think you have created a foundation for success. But for a club like ourselves, it may be the pinnacle,” Rodgers said in Friday’s press conference. “Because of resources and where others are at, it’s very difficult.”
Difficult, but not impossible — of all clubs, Leicester supporters know that the impossible is always possible.
Some fans’ reading of that particular quote was that Rodgers was hinting he had taken Leicester as far as he could, that the glass ceiling had been hit, and that is unacceptable to them because the club’s owners had lofty ambitions. But Rodgers was merely suggesting it is getting tougher to replicate what the club have achieved over the past few years.
Khun Vichai did indeed have a dream, but it was a realistic one. Leicester have disrupted the Big Six as planned and the club have seen tremendous investment, on and off the pitch, but they have done so without throwing the financial kitchen sink at it, as other clubs have been able or willing to do.
Surely, every Leicester supporter would acknowledge how well their club is run, but after achieving two top-five finishes, qualifying for European football in consecutive seasons and finally lifting the FA Cup, many of those fans will see that success as a foundation to be built on so Leicester can close the gap to the Big Six.
But it is a moving target.
The handful of clubs higher up the ladder are getting richer still and those of similar stature to Leicester — the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle United — are also packing on the financial muscle.
What hasn’t helped the perception is the fact that Leicester can’t seem to bring in a much-needed central defender on loan this January. This is due to a combination of financial restrictions caused by the investment already made in building the new training ground, the new stadium project, the impact of the pandemic and the fact the club didn’t sell a prize asset last summer for the first time in six years to fund further investment into the squad.
Supporters will look at rivals who are spending money on the likes of Philippe Coutinho at Villa or Kieran Trippier at Newcastle and will be thinking that others are making big strides while Leicester seem stuck.
What Leicester and Rodgers have done over the past two seasons have been remarkable considering their revenue and budget, which is more akin to their current midtable position than those sides currently battling for the four Champions League spots, but this season has been tough in comparison, a sobering experience after the champagne-soaked celebrations at Wembley last May.
As Rodgers says, it has been a dose of realism, but that doesn’t mean Leicester fans can’t still dream, as the Vichai song goes.
He might be right to point out the harsh realities of the club’s current problems. Even with players returning from injury, they are still without so many key men.
Against Brighton on Sunday, his side’s inexperience was seen again — as it had been in midweek against Spurs. Their lack of the game-management nous to hold onto a lead was evident. Without internationals such Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans, Timothy Castagne, Ricardo Pereira and Wilfred Ndidi, Rodgers’ young guns, many promoted from the club’s academy, showed their nativity as they failed to keep possession and, once more, to see a win out.
As Rodgers also said on Friday, football is the university of adversity, and Leicester have had their fair share of that this season.
This now feels like a transitional campaign for the club.
The squad’s lack of depth has been exposed by a crippling injury list and while there is still plenty to play for over the next four months, planning has already started for next season, including what could be a summer of rebuilding.
Leicester’s top brass may have chosen to keep their powder dry this January because they want to save all their resources for a big push of the reset button ahead of 2022-23.
With so many entering the final year of their contracts, and a few struggling to convince as well, several departures are expected this summer as the squad gets an overhaul. If/when that happens, the recruitment will, once again, be key. They have to get it right if they are to get back on track next season.
This campaign may be a reality check and similar success to the past two seasons may be difficult to achieve, but Leicester fans will expect that the progress made in the past decade is not lost, that fiscal reality shouldn’t alter the ambition — and that is to compete for Europe every season.
Yes, the finances make it harder, but you still have to strive for that. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Rodgers may just have been tempering some of the expectation and protecting his young players from mounting pressure but Leicester fans will still dream, and they have every right to do so.
