For those of us who are ‘unaligned’ when it comes to the EPL – read: our teams are struggling somewhere in the lower reaches of English football’s four tiers – Leicester City have provided a neutral’s buy-in unseen since probably the 1970s.
That was when Derby County became improbable English champions.
A lot has changed since the days when Brian Clough took the Rams to the pinnacle of English football. The fact he repeated the feat with Nottingham Forest had him justifiably labelled a coaching genius.
Under the spotlight of modern standards, his achievements with Forest are amazing. The club were promoted from Division 2 in 1977, having finished third. The following season they won the English title.
The season after that they won the European Cup (that’s the Champions League for those youngsters reading this). The season after that they retained the European Cup. To put that in perspective, this would be the modern equivalent of Norwich City winning this season’s Premier League and going on to win the next two Champions League titles.
Ridiculous, yes? Well, so was the concept of Leicester City sitting atop the Premier League with seven games to play. 5,000 to 1 outsiders at the beginning of the season, having miraculously clung on to a Premier League place last year.
Yet here we are, elbowing each other for room aboard Claudio Ranieri’s bandwagon, as the Foxes this morning recorded another 1-0 victory, at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.
To say they are making us bandwagoners work and sweat for this is an understatement – their last four wins have been by a 1-0 scoreline, with a 2-2 draw sandwiched in there against West Bromich Albion four games ago.
In fact, the sheer improbability of what Leicester are currently achieving can be summed up in the last two games where they have dropped points – the West Brom game and the 2-1 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on February 14th.
On the face of it, the draw with a non-descript and totally ordinary West Brom side seemed to be a sign that Leicester were losing their grip at the top. However, by the end of that weekend, they had extended their lead when all three of their closest rivals lost. That ‘stumble you have to have’ had happened, and they’d profited from it.
Sighs of relief were heaved on the bandwagon.
However, what has really defined Leicester City’s recent run was their most recent loss. It was on that day that I thought Leicester could win the title. As counter-intuitive as that sounds, their performance on that day, and their response to the result has been title-like.
They were on top of the Gunners that day until reduced to ten players with more than thirty minutes to play, and it was only an injury-time set-piece from Mesut Ozil, delivered lovingly onto the head of Danny Welbeck, that denied Leicester something from that game.
The red card to Danny Simpson, coupled with injuries to other defenders, meant that Marcin Wasilewski was pitched into the cauldron of the last 33 minutes of that game, and he was found wanting, conceding the free kick which led to the goal. Significantly, he hasn’t been seen since.
Despite the paucity of personnel that day, Arsenal found it difficult to break down the Foxes, who somewhere around Christmas added a layer of steel to a backline that up until then had been somewhat freewheeling in their concession of goals. The side had relied on the mercurial Riyad Mahrez and the redoubtable Jamie Vardy to score goals for fun.
Since the festive season, Leicester have had the best defence in the league. Jose Mourinho is no doubt smiling knowingly.
In Ranieri, Leicester have a manager who by birthright alone would know how to defend in order to win a title. They have almost reinvented themselves since the halfway point of the campaign.
Mahrez and Vardy, while still influential, have not been the fulcrum by which the side performs.
The amazing work-rate of N’Golo Kante, Danny Drinkwater and Marc Albrighton has instead become more recognised as Leicester invite teams to them and then bewilder them on the break. It’s working, but it’s causing anxiety on the bandwagon. Would it be too much to ask, Mister Ranieri, for a few comfortable 3-0 wins?
The over-reliance on Mahrez and Vardy was seen as the Foxes Achilles heel. It has not been so in the last month or more.
Vardy hasn’t scored in five games. Mahrez has two in the last six. Neither have been as statistically dominant and yet Leicester tick over, and every week, more space needs to be found on the bandwagon to accommodate the new believers.
There hasn’t been this much fun at the top of English football since Brian Clough ruled.
Colin N
Guest
Logically I can't (as I said it's just a horrible feeling) but, if they win their games and Leicester falter slightly, I would imagine Arsenal's goal difference will be better at the end of the season. Also, 'bigger' teams, including Arsenal themselves, have let similar leads slip.
Maroon Blood
Guest
So you think Arsenal can make up 12 points (noting their inferior GD) in 8 games? A big, big ask that I am happy to say that I think is beyond them.
Maroon Blood
Guest
Change the Liverpool shirt for a Blackburn Rovers one and the set would be complete!
jamesb
Guest
All Leicester has to do is win 3-4 games out of their last seven, and the title is reached. I can't see Tottenham winning every game. Most likely, they'll probably drop points in a couple of games. Leicester's five point lead with 21 points remaining, is a nice buffer to them.
Colin N
Guest
When people were asking the question of Leicester, particularly around Christmas, I personally felt they had the quality to keep their run going. Game-on-game, even when they faced the likes of Man City etc, I looked at it and thought they had a chance to win each one. But funnily enough, now that it's got to the final few games, I just feel there's a blip around the corner. I don't know whether that pessimism comes from my personal desperation to see a team like Leicester win the title or the delight I take from seeing Arsenal fail season-on-season and fearing they could win the final eight games. I would love either Leicester or Tottenham to win it but I have a horrible feeling Arsenal will snatch it.
Colin N
Guest
I like that you've mentioned Burton, their rise is arguably the most remarkable story in English football. You know the structure's right within a football club when a side isn't remotely affected by a change in manager. The interesting thing about modern day football in England is that I think it does perhaps allow an unknown to get into the Premier League and stay there for a few years, whereas Swindon and Bradford both went down pretty quickly. The likes of Bournemouth and Watford, simply because they're in the top division, now have huge spending power which, if they stay there, will easily dwarf that of supposedly bigger name clubs (such as Derby, Leeds etc) who will argue they're too big for the second tier.
apaway
Roar Guru
You mean you haven't got yours yet? :)
R King
Guest
Don't you hate it when you stuff up publicly. But the point remains, Spurs have to win two more games than Leicester and at this moment, can't see it happening. That is always assuming that Spurs don't drop points. You have to look at the run in for both clubs. Spurs have just the harder run home. In my opinion. I think you will find the Foxes celebrating after their game against Man U.
FIUL
Guest
So all the event watching sports fans whose only engagement with football is via PlayStation or FSN goal highlights will now have to buy a Leicester City shirt to add to their collection of: ManUtd, Arsenal, Chelsea, ManCity, Liverpool.
apaway
Roar Guru
There are actually 7 games to go and no less than Manchester United have managed to lose the title from this position twice in recent times. But I love your optimism!
R King
Guest
As a Chelsea supporter of nearly 50 years, I'm still scratching my head, firstly WTF is happening this season, we are next to hopeless with basically the team that won the EPL in a canter last year and Leicester City with a bunch of no names [pre season] are going to do the same this year. I know people are saying it's not over yet, but with 5 games to go, Spurs have to win 2 more games than the Foxes, just not going to happen. Good luck to them, worthy Champions in waiting. It just goes to prove that players prepared to play for the shirt are more reliable than those who do it for the dollars. Take note Roman.
Bob Brown
Roar Guru
What bandwagon? What perils? Go you Foxes, keep the dream alive!
Liam Sheedy
Roar Guru
Certainly onboard the Leiecester bandwagon. But I also have hint of jealousy as an Everton supporter. Everton's best squad in 20 plus years will be closer to relegation than Champions League. Credit to everyone involved at Leicester.
Maroon Blood
Guest
So you are saying there is hope yet for this long suffering Scunthorpe United supporter?? Up the Iron!!
apaway
Roar Guru
Towser, we responded at the same time! But Bournemouth are a great story too. Of course, the rise of a "small" club is now very rare in the Premier League era and it seems to take more out of them being there. I'm thinking of Swindon Town and Bradford City specifically. But before the Premier League, two clubs went from 4th to 1st division in consecutive seasons - Swansea City (who might have been Swansea Town back then) and Watford. And Watford, in their first season, finished runners-up to Liverpool. What price Barnet or Burton Albion doing that in 3 seasons?
apaway
Roar Guru
Well, Ben, Sheffield Wednesday are in the play-off race this season so maybe, just maybe, I'll have some skin in the game next season...
Towser
Guest
As a very much aligned to the Owls fan ,let me say that there are in fact a couple of dozen potential Leicesters in the top 4 professional divisions, particularly the top 2, most are in my mind bigger than Leicester as a football club, of course Wednesday top the list, hang on just let me adjust my blue & white eyepatch. This season we've seen Bournemouth also rise to the EPL, for me as an Owls fan its surreal, defies the long term trend of English football, in my mind Bournemouth have always been a 3 or 4th division club. Worth a study just to see "Whats up" , because "Summats up" since the formation of the EPL. Is it simply the TV money , striking it lucky with an owner who drives their loose change around in a security van instead of trouser pockets, therefore giving a club access to better players/managers.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
"For those of us who are ‘unaligned’ when it comes to the EPL – read: our teams are struggling somewhere in the lower reaches of English football’s four tier" :) I do rather like the opening line, and like most neutrals inexplicably find myself checking the Leicester City results & news as part of my morning routine. It certainly has been a captivating story, one which the Spurs must feel slightly aggrieved by as they haven't won the top tier since 1961 yet are playing the role of the heavyweight establishment.