How Leicester City stole my heart.
My name is Henry Justice, and I must have done some terrible things in a past life because I ended up a supporter of a little known Nottinghamshire club; Mansfield Town.
Of course, I am proud of my club and wouldn’t leave them for the world, but things could have been very different. At the age of twelve I moved to Leicestershire and if I’d got into football a little later I could have perhaps been a fan of Leicester City and on the verge of celebrating one of the biggest fairy tales in English football. As it happened things didn’t turn out like that and the fates gave me the mighty Stags. To be fair to my boys we did win the Conference in the 2013 campaign, for which I’m eternally grateful, but in comparison to our Midlands rivals its pretty trivial.
As a result of being from the Midlands and not a regular at the King Power, I disliked Leicester, amongst many others, Notts County, Chesterfield etc. Maybe it was jealously or just the fact I loved to hate them because all my friends supported them; seeing them struggle in the top flight gave me great delight. I watched with little joy or pleasure as Leicester registered 22 points out of a possible 27 in their last 9 games to stay up in the most dramatic fashion at the end of the last season. I remember chuckling to myself, thinking how it was only a matter of time before they got relegated. In staying up they were only killing time. ‘Let them have their moment, let them get their hopes up’ I thought to myself.
Then came the allegations of a Thai sex tape involving Nigel Pearson’s son which amongst other things led to the manager’s sacking. A decision I thought at the time was ridiculous, he’d worked so hard to keep the Foxes up and clearly knew his football, the owners evident dislike for him became crystal clear and his footballing achievements were forgotten by the ambitious decision makers. This prompted me to poke more fun at my Leicester City supporting friends, taking much delight as the wheels appeared to be falling off, both on and off the pitch. ‘You’ve not got a chance in the world of staying up!’ I told my mate.
However as we all well know, the wheels were coming off in place of wings and a jet engine. When Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri as their new manager, I must confess I came to like them a little more, not much, but a little. I’ve always thought the Italian a nice, charismatic man and a good manager, and I was torn between wanting him to do well personally and wanting Foxes to struggle because of the old Midlands rivalry mentality. I thought little of it though, presuming the inevitable would come to pass, Leicester would falter, the board would tire and the famous ‘Tinkerman’ would walk. It turns out I wasn’t alone; many of the top professionals and pundits were sceptical and didn’t think Claudio would make a significant difference or last his term.
Their season started well and I took much delight when their surprising unbeaten run came to a sudden stop when they were well beaten 5-2 by Arsenal. The smile was soon wiped off my face as they recovered brilliantly and went on a rampage, the likes of which I’d never seen before, not from a team tipped for relegation at least. Jamie Vardy scored goals for fun, 11 in 11 consecutive Premier League matches setting a record. Riyad Mahrez floated effortlessly through back lines, Huth and Morgan, players I’d thought little of in the past became world class, and welded with Schmeichel to form an impregnable wall between the sticks. With every game, goal and Leicester win, my jaw dropped ever lower.
The new year came and Leicester were second, off the top on goal difference. I didn’t like it, my friends back home were smug, and people at university presumed I was loving their success because I supported Leicester Tigers, the rugby club. Not in the slightest. I might have been Leicester for rugby but I was from Leicester blue with regards the football. Despite all this, I still didn’t believe they would get anywhere close, I waited and waited for their demise. The Saturdays rolled by but still no slip up. I always like to see the underdog do well, who doesn’t? That’s why we love sport! Yet for some reason I couldn’t get behind the Leicester dream, blinded by jealously and nothing more than the fact I’d always hated them I felt sick at the stomach of them winning it.
I must confess throughout all this I’d rarely watched a whole Leicester game, at least not in an in depth manner. I’d seen the highlights and caught the occasional half, but I’d never sat down and really took them in. However on the 6th February ahead of their top of the table clash with nearest rivals Manchester City, I decided it was time I gave them their chance. Wow! I watched intently for ninety minutes as I saw a ‘team’ in the truest sense of the word tear to shreds a Manchester City side consisting of numerous international superstars. I saw a togetherness, and camaraderie that I’d not seen on a football pitch for quite some time.
From that game on, as Ranieri’s side went five points clear at the top, I took more of an interest in my local side. Their next game was a 2-1 loss at the Emirates, but my mood was very different to when they lost 5-2 earlier in the season. I would like to point out at this stage, I wasn’t becoming a fan jumping on the bandwagon, I was simply beginning to see through my jealously and pessimism and starting to appreciate the hard work of a real club. It soon became impossible not to fall for the foxes, they seemed to ooze excitement and fun, they played beautiful football and never let their heads drop. True sportsmen, humble, kind and down to earth throughout, rarely fitting the stereotype of the modern day footballer (there have of course been the odd moment but as a team Leicester have been almost exemplary in comparison to others).
Whilst all this was happening I was having my doubts about football as a game. I was watching more rugby alongside other sports and less football. I’d switch on for the big European games to see, supposedly, the world’s best, instead all I saw was a bunch of overpaid primadonnas rolling around on the floor like they’d been taken out by snipers. In this sense perhaps Leicester’s fairy tale came into being at just the right time for me, because as I watched them play more and more I saw a spirit in the way they played that’s lacking in many other football teams, I saw players who wanted to play for the club, and who wanted to play the game the proper way; as a team. It was refreshing to see players playing for the badge on the front and not the name on the back of the shirt. Yes, there was still the occasional player rolling around on the floor but I’d be a fool to think that was ever going to change. I guess you could say, Leicester made me fall back in love with football again.
I watched videos of the people of Leicester thanking Ranieri for what he’d done for the club. I began to realise there was more to this than I’d first appreciated. The Foxes’ success, and it is a huge success regardless of what happens in these final games, has galvanised a whole city, it’s brought the whole community together as one. It’s shown the world that anything is possible, that hard work, teamwork, and belief can create the most incredible outcomes. Its put two big fat fingers up to the system and said ‘Keep your money!’ we’re doing it the proper way. It’s sport at its very finest.
Leicester are now just one win away from the Premiership title, something no-one thought possible at the start of the campaign. I certainly wouldn’t have believed you if I’d been told this would be the case, and I certainly wouldn’t have thought I’d be as happy or as eager to see them lift that trophy as I am. I’m almost angry with myself for taking so long to appreciate what has been created at the King Power. The manager is a genius, a leader full of charisma to inspire. Vardy is the loveable rogue that you can’t help but admire. Mahrez is the magician, capable of the power to spellbind and beguile you, the perfect performer. There’s Danny Drinkwater, an English player who works his socks off putting in shift after shift to keep things ticking over, you can’t help but applaud his work rate. I have well and truly fallen in love with the Leicester City story, everything they have, everything they’ve done. I just hope whatever the outcome; they stick to their roots, and continue to astound me and many others for years to come.
Henry Justice
Of course, I am proud of my club and wouldn’t leave them for the world, but things could have been very different. At the age of twelve I moved to Leicestershire and if I’d got into football a little later I could have perhaps been a fan of Leicester City and on the verge of celebrating one of the biggest fairy tales in English football. As it happened things didn’t turn out like that and the fates gave me the mighty Stags. To be fair to my boys we did win the Conference in the 2013 campaign, for which I’m eternally grateful, but in comparison to our Midlands rivals its pretty trivial.
As a result of being from the Midlands and not a regular at the King Power, I disliked Leicester, amongst many others, Notts County, Chesterfield etc. Maybe it was jealously or just the fact I loved to hate them because all my friends supported them; seeing them struggle in the top flight gave me great delight. I watched with little joy or pleasure as Leicester registered 22 points out of a possible 27 in their last 9 games to stay up in the most dramatic fashion at the end of the last season. I remember chuckling to myself, thinking how it was only a matter of time before they got relegated. In staying up they were only killing time. ‘Let them have their moment, let them get their hopes up’ I thought to myself.
Then came the allegations of a Thai sex tape involving Nigel Pearson’s son which amongst other things led to the manager’s sacking. A decision I thought at the time was ridiculous, he’d worked so hard to keep the Foxes up and clearly knew his football, the owners evident dislike for him became crystal clear and his footballing achievements were forgotten by the ambitious decision makers. This prompted me to poke more fun at my Leicester City supporting friends, taking much delight as the wheels appeared to be falling off, both on and off the pitch. ‘You’ve not got a chance in the world of staying up!’ I told my mate.
However as we all well know, the wheels were coming off in place of wings and a jet engine. When Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri as their new manager, I must confess I came to like them a little more, not much, but a little. I’ve always thought the Italian a nice, charismatic man and a good manager, and I was torn between wanting him to do well personally and wanting Foxes to struggle because of the old Midlands rivalry mentality. I thought little of it though, presuming the inevitable would come to pass, Leicester would falter, the board would tire and the famous ‘Tinkerman’ would walk. It turns out I wasn’t alone; many of the top professionals and pundits were sceptical and didn’t think Claudio would make a significant difference or last his term.
 |
| Lineker was one of many Ranieri doubters at the start. |
Their season started well and I took much delight when their surprising unbeaten run came to a sudden stop when they were well beaten 5-2 by Arsenal. The smile was soon wiped off my face as they recovered brilliantly and went on a rampage, the likes of which I’d never seen before, not from a team tipped for relegation at least. Jamie Vardy scored goals for fun, 11 in 11 consecutive Premier League matches setting a record. Riyad Mahrez floated effortlessly through back lines, Huth and Morgan, players I’d thought little of in the past became world class, and welded with Schmeichel to form an impregnable wall between the sticks. With every game, goal and Leicester win, my jaw dropped ever lower.
The new year came and Leicester were second, off the top on goal difference. I didn’t like it, my friends back home were smug, and people at university presumed I was loving their success because I supported Leicester Tigers, the rugby club. Not in the slightest. I might have been Leicester for rugby but I was from Leicester blue with regards the football. Despite all this, I still didn’t believe they would get anywhere close, I waited and waited for their demise. The Saturdays rolled by but still no slip up. I always like to see the underdog do well, who doesn’t? That’s why we love sport! Yet for some reason I couldn’t get behind the Leicester dream, blinded by jealously and nothing more than the fact I’d always hated them I felt sick at the stomach of them winning it.
I must confess throughout all this I’d rarely watched a whole Leicester game, at least not in an in depth manner. I’d seen the highlights and caught the occasional half, but I’d never sat down and really took them in. However on the 6th February ahead of their top of the table clash with nearest rivals Manchester City, I decided it was time I gave them their chance. Wow! I watched intently for ninety minutes as I saw a ‘team’ in the truest sense of the word tear to shreds a Manchester City side consisting of numerous international superstars. I saw a togetherness, and camaraderie that I’d not seen on a football pitch for quite some time.
 |
| Robert Huth celebrates scoring against Manchester City. |
From that game on, as Ranieri’s side went five points clear at the top, I took more of an interest in my local side. Their next game was a 2-1 loss at the Emirates, but my mood was very different to when they lost 5-2 earlier in the season. I would like to point out at this stage, I wasn’t becoming a fan jumping on the bandwagon, I was simply beginning to see through my jealously and pessimism and starting to appreciate the hard work of a real club. It soon became impossible not to fall for the foxes, they seemed to ooze excitement and fun, they played beautiful football and never let their heads drop. True sportsmen, humble, kind and down to earth throughout, rarely fitting the stereotype of the modern day footballer (there have of course been the odd moment but as a team Leicester have been almost exemplary in comparison to others).
Whilst all this was happening I was having my doubts about football as a game. I was watching more rugby alongside other sports and less football. I’d switch on for the big European games to see, supposedly, the world’s best, instead all I saw was a bunch of overpaid primadonnas rolling around on the floor like they’d been taken out by snipers. In this sense perhaps Leicester’s fairy tale came into being at just the right time for me, because as I watched them play more and more I saw a spirit in the way they played that’s lacking in many other football teams, I saw players who wanted to play for the club, and who wanted to play the game the proper way; as a team. It was refreshing to see players playing for the badge on the front and not the name on the back of the shirt. Yes, there was still the occasional player rolling around on the floor but I’d be a fool to think that was ever going to change. I guess you could say, Leicester made me fall back in love with football again.
I watched videos of the people of Leicester thanking Ranieri for what he’d done for the club. I began to realise there was more to this than I’d first appreciated. The Foxes’ success, and it is a huge success regardless of what happens in these final games, has galvanised a whole city, it’s brought the whole community together as one. It’s shown the world that anything is possible, that hard work, teamwork, and belief can create the most incredible outcomes. Its put two big fat fingers up to the system and said ‘Keep your money!’ we’re doing it the proper way. It’s sport at its very finest.
Leicester are now just one win away from the Premiership title, something no-one thought possible at the start of the campaign. I certainly wouldn’t have believed you if I’d been told this would be the case, and I certainly wouldn’t have thought I’d be as happy or as eager to see them lift that trophy as I am. I’m almost angry with myself for taking so long to appreciate what has been created at the King Power. The manager is a genius, a leader full of charisma to inspire. Vardy is the loveable rogue that you can’t help but admire. Mahrez is the magician, capable of the power to spellbind and beguile you, the perfect performer. There’s Danny Drinkwater, an English player who works his socks off putting in shift after shift to keep things ticking over, you can’t help but applaud his work rate. I have well and truly fallen in love with the Leicester City story, everything they have, everything they’ve done. I just hope whatever the outcome; they stick to their roots, and continue to astound me and many others for years to come.
Henry Justice
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