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Leicester City F.C.

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Leicester City
Leicester City crest
Full nameLeicester City Football Club
Nickname(s)The Foxes, Fosse, The Filberts
Founded1884
GroundWalkers Stadium (Filbert Way)
Leicester
Capacity32,500
ChairmanEngland Jim McCahill
ManagerEngland Rob Kelly
LeagueThe Championship
2005-06The Championship, 16th

Leicester City Football Club, (also known as The Foxes) are an English professional football club based in the city of Leicester. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Leicester have never won the First Division and Premier League title, nor have they won the FA Cup. They have however won the League Cup three times and the Second Division six times.

Leicester were founded in 1884 as Leicester Fosse,[1] playing on a field near Fosse Road. They moved to Filbert Street in 1891 and played there for nearly 111 years,[2] before relocating to the nearby Walkers Stadium in 2002. The club is currently owned by a consortium of 55 shareholders.


History

Main article: History of Leicester City F.C.

Leicester City F.C. was founded in 1884 as Leicester Fosse as they played on a field by the Fosse Road, and joined the Football Association in 1890. The club played at five different grounds, including Victoria Park, before moving to Filbert Street in 1891. The club joined the Midland League in 1891, and was elected to the Division Two of the Football League in 1894 after finishing second in the Midland League. Leicester's first ever Football League game was a 4-3 defeat at Grimsby. A first League win following a week later, against Rotherham at Filbert Street. The club's largest win to date was also recorded in the 1894-95 season, a 13-0 victory over Notts Olympic in an FA Cup qualifying game.[1] The club's first League season was a moderate success, finishing fourth in the table. In 1908 the club finished as Second Division runners-up, gaining promotion to the First Division, the highest level of English football. However, the club were relegated after a single season which included the club's record defeat, a 12-0 loss against Nottingham Forest.[1]

In 1919, when League football resumed after World War I, Leicester Fosse ceased trading due to financial difficulties. The club was reformed as "Leicester City Football Club", particularly appropriate as the borough of Leicester had recently been given city status. Under the new name the club enjoyed moderate success in the 1920s. Under the management of Peter Hodge they won the Division Two title in 1925 and recorded their highest ever league finish in 1929 as runners-up to Sheffield Wednesday. This period saw record goal scorer Arthur Chandler make his mark on the club. The 1930s saw a downturn in fortunes, which saw the club relegated in 1935 and, despite a promotion in 1937, another relegation in 1939 would see them finish the decade in Division Two.[1]

City reached the FA Cup final for the first time in their history in 1949,[1]captained by Norman Plummer, losing 3-1 to Wolves. However, the club was celebrating a week later when a draw on the last day of the season ensured survival in Division Two. Leicester won the Division Two championship in 1954, with the help of Arthur Rowley, one of the club's most prolific strikers. Although they were relegated from Division One the next season, they returned in 1957, with Rowley scoring a club record 44 goals in one season. Leicester remained in Division One until 1969, their longest period ever in the top flight.

Under the management of Matt Gillies, one of the club's most successful managers, Leicester reached the FA Cup final another two times, but lost in both 1961 and 1963.[1] In 1961 they were on the losing side to double winners Tottenham, and as a result were England's representatives in the 1961-62 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In 1963, the club reached as high as first place in the First Division, eventually placed fourth, the club's best post-war finish. Gillies collected silverware in 1964, when Leicester beat Stoke 4-3 on aggregate to win the League Cup for the first time.[1] Leicester also reached the League Cup final the following year, losing to Chelsea. After a bad start to the season, Matt Gillies resigned in November 1968. His successor, Frank O'Farrell was unable to prevent relegation, but the club reached the FA Cup final in 1969 for the last time to date, losing to Manchester City.

In 1971, Leicester were promoted to back Division One, and won the Charity Shield for the only time against Liverpool.[1] Unusually, due to Division One champions Arsenal's commitments in European competition, Division Two winners Leicester were invited to play FA Cup winners Liverpool, beating them 1-0.[1] Jimmy Bloomfield was appointed for the new season, and his team remained in the First Division for his tenure. No period since Bloomfield has seen the club remain in the top division for so long. Leicester reached the FA Cup semi-final in 1974.

Frank McLintock, a noted player for seven years for Leicester successful period from the late Fifties to the mid Sixties, succeeded Jimmy Bloomfield in 1977. Due to City's relegation in at the end of the 1977-78 season and McClintock's subsequent resignation, he is regarded as one of Leicester's worst managers. Jock Wallace resumed the tradition of successful Scottish managers (after Peter Hodge and Matt Gillies) by steering Leicester to the Division Two championship in 1980. Unfortunately, Wallace was unable to keep Leicester in Division One, but they reached the FA Cup semi-final in 1982. Under Wallace, one of City's most famous home-grown player, Gary Lineker, emerged into the first team squad. Leicester's next manager was Gordon Milne, who achieved promotion in 1983. Lineker helped Leicester maintain their place in the First Division but was sold to Everton in 1985, and two years later Leicester went down, having failed to find a suitable replacement. Milne had left in 1986 and was replaced by in 1987 David Pleat, who oversaw one of the club's most unsuccessful periods in its history. He was sacked in January 1991 after a defeat that left City fourth from bottom. Gordon Lee was put in charge of the club until the end of the season. Leicester won their final game of the season, which guided them clear of relegation to the third tier of the football league.[1]

After the Premiership was founded in 1992 Leicester tried desperately to gain promotion to it. Brian Little took over in 1991 and by the end of the 1991-1992 season Leicester had reached the playoff final. Mike Newell, a former Leicester player, would break the clubs heart by converting the winning penalty, to send Blackburn Rovers up to the top flight. A year later Leicester would suffer more playoff heartbreak losing 4-3 to Swindon Town, having come back from 3-0 down. It was third time lucky in 1994 when Leicester, lead by captain Steve Walsh, beat local rivals Derby County 2-1.[1]

Little quit as Leicester manager the following November to take charge at Aston Villa, and his successor Mark McGhee was unable to save Leicester from finishing second from bottom in the 1994-95. Leicester were flying high at the top of Division One when McGhee left the club unexpectedly in December 1995 to take charge at Wolvehampton Wanderers. Oddly this would be the spark of the clubs most successful era, as McGhee was replaced by Martin O'Neill.[1] Under O'Neill, Leicester qualified for the 1995-96 Division One promotion playoffs and beat Crystal Palace 2-1 with a last-gasp Steve Claridge goal securing an immediate return to the Premiership. Leicester established themselves in the Premiership with four successive top ten finishes. O'Neill was the first manager to win silverware for 26 years, winning the League Cup twice, in 1997 and 2000, and Leicester were runners-up in 1999. This meant qualification for the UEFA Cup in 1998 and 2001, the club's first European competition since 1961. O'Neill became a sought-after manager, turning down Leeds United in 1999, but in June 2000 he was lured to Celtic F.C.. He is regarded today as easily the best manager of recent years, and one of the most successful in the club's history.[1]

O'Neill was replaced by the former England U-21 coach Peter Taylor. A lot of O'Neill squad also left around this time, this coupled with some poor dealings in the transfer market would eventually see Taylor lose his job after little more than a season in charge. Taylor was replaced by a management team of Dave Bassett and Micky Adams, but they could not prevent City's last season at Filbert Street ending in relegation.

Walkers stadium from the Grand Union canal

Leicester moved into the new 32,000-seat Walkers Stadium at the start of the 2002-03 season. Walkers, the Leicestershire based crisp manufacturers, acquired the naming rights for a ten year period.[3] In October 2002, the club went into administration with debts of £30 million. Some of the reasons were the loss of TV money (ITV Digital, itself in administration, had promised money to First Division clubs for TV rights), the large wage bill, lower than expected fees for players transferred to other clubs and the £37 million cost of the new stadium. =[4] Adams was banned from the transfer market for most of the season, until the club was rescued by a takeover by a consortium led by Gary Lineker.[1] Adams guided Leicester to runners-up spot in Division One and automatic promotion back to the Premiership with more than 90 points. Leicester only lasted one season in the top flight and were relegated back to the newly labelled Championship, previously known as Division One. In reaction to Leicester's restructuring of their debts, the Football League changed their rules and now penalises teams going into administration with a ten point penalty.

When Adams resigned as manager in October 2004 Craig Levein was appointed boss. This would prove to be an unsuccessful period and after 15 months in charge and flirting with relegation Levein was sacked. Assistant manager Rob Kelly, took over as caretaker manager, and after winning three out of four games was appointed to see out the rest of the season. Kelly steered Leicester to safety and in April 2006 was given the manager's job on a permanent basis.[1]

In October 2006 ex Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric was quoted as saying he is interested in buying the club and that there was a 50/50 chance for a proposed takeover in January 2007 at the earliest. The reported price for the club would be around £6 million and the current playing squad is worth roughly £4.2 million. On October 30 Mandaric held talks with the club over investing (mostly via loans) a reported £25m. At an extraordinary general meeting on November 18 the board gave Mandaric permission to do due dilligence and make an official approach. On the 16th December, it was reported on Radio Leicester that the Mandaric deal was looking very precarious, although Mandaric's advisors have rejected these claims, saying that talks were still ongoing. On 2007-01-02, the Leicester Mercury reported that the deal was very much alive and expected to be completed in the next few weeks, after a revised bid was approved and recommended by the board. On 2007-01-15, the Leicester Mercury reported that the deal was almost complete, and that an official announcement of the takeover "will probably be [made] on Thursday."[2]

Colours, crest and traditions

The club's home colours of royal blue shirt with white shorts were first used in the 1910s [3] and have been used every season since the mid 1940s [4]. In the 1972-73 season, the home shirt was changed to white, apparently inspired by Leeds United's success. This change was unpopular, and dropped at the end of the season. The first commercial logo to appear on a Leicester kit was that of Admiral Sportsware, the kit designers, in 1976. The first sponsorship logo to appear on a Leicester shirt was that of Ind Coope in 1983. Walkers Crisps held along association with the club, sponsoring them from 1987 to 2001. The current sponsor is Alliance & Leicester, and the kit is designed by JJB. In 2004, the current kit also features white pinstripes, which have previously featured in kits from the 1980s.

An image of a fox was first incorporated into the club crest in 1948, as Leicestershire is known for foxes and fox hunting.[5] This is the origin of the nickname "the Foxes". The club mascot is a character called "Filbert Fox". There are also secondary characters "Vickie Vixen" and "Cousin Dennis", though only Filbert is currently seen at games. The current shirt badge has been unchanged since 1992. In another reference Leicestershire's tradition of hunting, the club adopted the Post Horn Gallop in 1941, although the origin is a 19th century coachman's tune to signal mail was arriving.[6] It is famously played over the PA system as the team comes out at all home games. Recently a new jazzed up version has been played.

Stadia

Leicester have played at numerous grounds, but only two since they joined the Football League. When first starting out they played on a field by the Fosse Road, hence the original name Leicester Fosse. They moved from there to Victoria Park, which at the time was a racecourse. Due to this fact the team also played on Mill Lane and Belgrave Road. When Mill Lane was earmarked for redevelopment the club played at the County Cricket ground on Aylestone Road for the early part of the 1890 season. That year the club secured the use of an area ground by Filbert Street and thirteen months later they moved in to their new home.

Filbert Street remained virtually unchanged until 1927 when a new two tier stand was built, named the Double Decker, a name it would keep till the grounds closure in 2002. The ground wasn't developed any further, apart from cumpolsory seating being added, till 1993 when work began on the new Carling Stand. The stand was impressive while the rest of the ground were untouched since at least the 1920s, this led manager Martin O'Neill to say he used to "lead new signings out backwards" so they only saw the Carling Stand.[7]

The club moved away from Filbert Street in 2002 to a new 32,500 all-seater stadium. Amidst a strong feeling that the naming rights had been underpriced, the stadium was named the Walkers Stadium, although many supporters refer to the ground as Filbert Way, the road on which it is situated. The first match the Walkers hosted was a friendly against Athletic Bilbao, and the first competitive match was a 2-0 victory against Watford. The stadium has since hosted an England international against Serbia and Montenegro. It has also host internationals between Brazil and Jamaica and Jamaica and Ghana.

Rivalries

Being based in the East Midlands, there are many teams that Leicester can play local derbies against. Most regulary these are against Derby County and Nottingham Forest, teams who Leicester have shared Leagues with for many recent seasons. Other teams in the East Midlands are Notts County, Northampton Town, Mansfield Town, Lincoln City, Boston United and Chesterfield, although due to not being in the same League, matches against these clubs have been limited to Cup games in recent years.

The local rivalries can be known to strech as far as the West Midlands as well, with a match against Coventry City called an M69 Derby, taking it's name fron the motorway connecting the two cities.[8] Also matches against Bimingham City, West Brom, Wolves and Aston Villa are simply known as Midland derbies.[9]

Club honours

National competition:

Regional competition:

  • War League South
    • Champions 1942
  • Midland War Cup
    • Winners 1941

Managers

Leicester have had 34 managers, with Peter Hodge and Dave Bassett taking in two spells. Here is a shortened list of the clubs most significant managers, including the current holder of the position. For a full list see here.


Name Nat From To Record
P W D L
Peter Hodge Scotland May 1 1919 May 1 1926 312 125 84 103
Peter Hodge Scotland March 1 1932 July 31 1934 102 34 27 41
Norman Bullock England December 1 1949 February 1 1955 231 91 64 76
Matt Gillies Scotland November 1 1959 December 1 1968 437 174 105 158
Jimmy Bloomfield England June 23 1971 May 23 1977 264 75 99 90
Gordon Lee England January 30 1991 May 29 1991 20 7 2 11
Martin O'Neill Northern Ireland December 21 1995 June 1 2000 223 85 68 70
Micky Adams England April 7 2002 October 11 2004 111 41 38 32
Rob Kelly England February 13 2006 Present 54 19 16 19

Manager stats obtained from [5]

Records & statistics

Graham Cross holds the record for the most Leicester appearances, with the defender playing 596 games between 1960 and 1976. He is just ahead of midfielder Sep Smith who managed 586 between 1929 and 1949.

Striker Arthur Chandler is currently the clubs all time record goal scorer, netting 273 in his 12 years at the club. The most goals managed in single season for the club is 44 by Arthur Rowley, in the 1956-1957 season. Of the current crop of player Iain Hume is top of the scoring scale, managing 18 goals since his move from Tranmere Rovers in August 2005. The fastest goal in the clubs history was scored by current striker Matty Fryatt, when he netted after just nine seconds against Preston in April 2006.

The clubs record attendance is 47,298 against Tottenham Hotspur at Filbert Street, in a fifth round FA Cup clash in 1928. The record at the current home, the Walkers Stadium, is 32,086 for a friendly match against FC Barcelona in 2003.

Leicester jointly hold the record with Sunderland for having won the most Division Two title since the end of World War II. Also the club has been promoted and relegated between the top two divisions more than any other team, 11 times in both directions.

Leicester have lost four FA Cup finals. This is the most lost finals without lifting the trophy.

Although the club itself hasn't set too many records it is part of and exclusive club of ten teams never to play outside the top two tiers of English football. The other nine are Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham.

Current first team squad

Leicester City squad as of 7 February, 2007: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Scotland SCO Rab Douglas
2 DF Ireland EIR Alan Maybury
3 DF Australia AUS Patrick Kisnorbo
4 DF England ENG Darren Kenton
5 DF Ireland EIR Patrick McCarthy (c)
6 MF Scotland SCO Stephen Hughes
7 FW Canada CAN Iain Hume
8 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Mark Yeates (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
9 FW England ENG Geoff Horsfield (on loan from Sheffield United)
10 MF Wales WAL Andy Johnson
11 MF Australia AUS Danny Tiatto
12 FW England ENG Matty Fryatt
13 GK Australia AUS Paul Henderson
14 DF Northern Ireland NIR Gareth McAuley
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF Sweden SWE Nils-Eric Johansson
16 FW France FRA Luigi Glombard (on loan from Cardiff City)
17 DF England ENG Richard Stearman
18 FW Ghana GHA Elvis Hammond
20 MF Australia AUS James Wesolowski
21 DF Ireland EIR Alan Sheehan
23 MF England ENG Jason Jarrett (on loan from Preston N.E)
24 FW England ENG Danny Cadamarteri
25 GK Ireland EIR Conrad Logan
26 FW England ENG Louis Dodds
27 MF England ENG Levi Porter
28 MF Ivory Coast CIV Max Gradel
29 DF England ENG Scott Lycett
33 FW England ENG Eric Odhiambo

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
–– FW Netherlands NED Mark de Vries (on loan to ADO Den Haag)

For notable past players, please see Leicester City F.C. players

References and Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "An Indepth History of Leicester City". lcfc.premiumtv.co.uk.
  2. ^ A History of Filbert Street
  3. ^ Statement by the Foxes Trust on an unofficial forum
  4. ^ BBC News Business Section
  5. ^ Club profile at ratetheref.co.uk
  6. ^ Official History DVD, 00:32:00
  7. ^ [1]Author notes on Farewell to Farewell to Filbert Street
  8. ^ M69 Motorway
  9. ^ Midland Derby blown away
  10. ^ Since 1992 the top division has been known as the Premier League
  11. ^ From 1992 the second tier of English football was known as Football League First Division. Since 2004 it has been known as the Football League Championship.
  12. ^ From 1992 the second tier of English football was known as Football League First Division. Since 2004 it has been known as the Football League Championship.
  13. ^ The Charity Shield was renamed the Community Shield in 2002

Bibliography

  • Dave Smith and Paul Taylor, Of Fossils and Foxes: The Official Definitive History of Leicester City Football Club (2001) (ISBN 1-899538-21-6)
  • Dave Smith and Paul Taylor, The Foxes Alphabet: Complete Who's Who of Leicester City Football Club (1995) (ISBN 1-899538-06-2)
  • Leicester City FC, The Official History Of Leicester City Football Club DVD (2003) (Out of print)

External links

News

History

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