Is This a Relegation Battle!?

Where to now? by Simon Mack

As the final whistle blew at the City Ground there could only be few foxes fans not on the same page.

The 2022/23 Leicester city almanac is not even half penned but as Brendan Rodgers, his staff and players retreated from the pitch with eyes to the ground on Saturday banners were held high within the huddle of foxes faithful questioning the management of the club.

The fans relationship with the owners and directors of the club has been a positive and healthy one ever since wily old Serbian businessman Milan Mandaric sold the club into the hands of a Thai family with billions in the bank and what became a formula to grow the clubs fortunes to Premier League & FA Cup triumph, but on a cold January evening as the final whistle blew on the 4^th straight Premier League defeat since the winter world cup break ended unlike what had gone before fans were asking where the management board are and what are they doing in the face of a slide that will see the club fighting for its top flight survival.

Post-match Leicester Manager Brendan Rodgers suggested to the media that his side had enjoyed the better of the match until the break, without mentioning how a woefully out of form Harvey Barnes has fluffed his lines the gaffer’s explanation was that his side had not turned up for the second half, and as the deficit was doubled into the final moments of the encounter you could see the Northern Irish boss flicking glances to the ripped up bed sheets being held aloft behind the goal with slogans on them demanding he be removed from post.

Rodgers is almost always a calm and controlled operator with the media in front of him and it was no different yesterday, but having worked hard to get his side playing well after an appalling start to the league campaign the World Cup lay off has left his side performing worse that they have at any point this season. The performances are below standard in terms of confidence, capability and determination, and it’s the manner of the performances that have the fans starting to wonder if we can compete at the bottom of a table where so many sides are striving to nick points from each other and avoid the financial disaster of relegation.

Rodgers was vocal at the start of the season about his frustrations in not being able to refresh his squad, and when asked about the fortunes of his side this term even before hostilities commenced he was coy and guarded in making any promises. As a fan it made you feel like if the highly paid manager of this squad couldn’t muster any enthusiasm about the season ahead what on earth was in store, and as we got going and the results were disappointing he made point of making subtle and polite excuses that included comments on the finances of the club, the business management of Leicester City and the negativity at times coming from the stands.

It has felt from minute one of this season that Rodgers just isn’t fully committed to what is going on at the club, and it makes you wonder what on earth is being said in conversations pre match if one of the best paid managers in English football is giving off signals that his enchantment with his role at City has lost its sheen. As the season has unfolded strange scenarios have ensued like the almost complete omission of Caglar Soyunchu (captain of the Turkey national team and with nearly 100 foxes starts under his belt) in favour of Daniel Armartey  (a largely squad cover player previously and not a full time centre half by trade) along with his stubbornness over selecting Danny Ward when he was woefully out of form and draining confidence from the defence in front of him. Nampalys Mendy has also looked like he has something to offer when he gets a chance yet he is often overlooked for other defensive midfielders struggling to find form or keep pace with the strains of Premier League football.

I’m sure Rodgers would point to the fact that the transfer window is once again open and some of his key players have ran their contract down and could well move on for a modest fee during this window. The likes of Youri Tielemans, Caglar Soyunchu and Ayonze Perez are among a group of players all heading away from the foxes for free in the summer if something isn’t done, and in addition clubs with far better finances than us are using the situation to their advantage by trying to entice the club to sell star player James Maddison. In addition to this privately Rodgers will know that having been one of the greatest players in Leicester City’s history talisman striker Jamie Vardy’s pace is starting to lose it’s blistering danger, and in turn just lately injuries have began to mount up with likely starters James Justin, Jonny Evans, Ricardo and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall all out along with king pin Maddsion.

You could argue that once the window shuts and we get some key players fit our form will pick up again, but once again Rodgers will not be drawn on acquisitions and said yesterday that the club will announce if anyone is arriving and he has no news. It was like he was distancing himself from the acquisition of players at the club and that sets another warning light flashing at a time when it’s clear new committed and capable blood is so desperately needed.

Our only significant signing of the 2022 window Wout Faes looked like another piece of genius business in the face of another star being sold, but he has caught a bout of whatever it is the rest of the squad are suffering from of late, and given the realization that even new fresh players with everything to prove are starting to look second best the only place you end up laying our woes is with the management of the club.

Is Brandan Rodgers sat there waiting for the axe to fall and a huge payout come his way (reported at £12 million)?

Does the owner and his company have financial difficulties having suffered from the pandemic?

Whilst both are likely factors an equal if not greater factor is the bloated squad of mediocrity that Rodgers presided over amassing.

Back in the summer 0f 2021 Rodgers knew some of his charge’s contracts were running down and in turn the foundation stones the club had enjoyed so much success with (Schmeichel, Vardy, Morgan etc.) were either hanging up their boots, looking for pastures new or beginning to lose their impact. The club supported their manager by allowing a net spend in excess of £50 million on players the recruitment team at the club said would do the trick. Soumare, Daka, Bertrand, Vestergaard etc. have had little impact on the club’s fortunes since that point, and whilst you could argue when the tactics suit Daka’s attacking style he looks more potent the vast majority of the time they have not and the pacey striker has been left with his back to goal in a tactical set up that makes his selection pointless. The signing of Bertrand and Vestergaard from a defence we smashed 9 past in the recent past was puzzling, and Vestergaard’s acceptance of playing in the under 23’s over a move to Fulham at the end of the summer window in my opinion points to what’s important to the giant Danish defender.

Bloated by mediocrity the squad if full, highly paid and underperforming, and whether you point the finger at the squad or the management the bottom line is that as the side trudged off a boggy City Ground pitch after another defeat on Saturday there are few foxes fans that now believe maintaining the status quo can lead to anything else but further defeats and a battle for survival.

Whether Chiarman Khun Top will fly in for the clash this weekend against Brighton remains to be seen, either way if the club goes into the tie with Rodgers in post the atmosphere within the stadium is likely to be tense and heap further pressure onto the manager and players.

Is it only Rodgers fault? No.

Has he been a contributory factor over both this and last season? In my opinion yes.

His tactics puzzle in terms of available personnel and the strengths we have at our disposal, and his reluctance to change them during games when they are clearly not working is frankly utterly baffling. With a few minutes to go and 2 goals down up at St Jame’s part in a league cup quarter final he made a defensive substitution seemingly to limit the damage, and that amongst other almost unexplainable decisions can lead one to believe that the axe falling and he end of his reign as city manager is in Rodgers head not the worst thing that could happen to him with opportunities at the likes of Everton soon to be available.

Sean Dyche sat up in the stands at Forest Saturday gazing down on another second-best lackluster Leicester City performance. His presence was probably merely as a spectator, but you couldn’t help but think that the passionate former Burnley boss simply would not accept the level of intensity and desire on display from a city side devoid of confidence and direction.