Promising words from Aiyawatt, Leicester City to continue in the path of my father!

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To see the son of Vichai!, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, staying strong and giving his words of warmth makes us all believe in the future and hope rise as fans gather to show their fantastic tribute at The King Power Stadium this week.

We will of course all be curious to see how this will route the club forward, all believing that Vichai had everything on an arms length, even if others were running the day to day business.

As a fan you are just hopeful that your team will do the best that is achievable and you will not really ever stop believing in the team, despite who is in charge. As a fan you never now what to expect, being distant from what is really going on and you need to trust the people running it all.

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The words of Vichai’s son, “Top”, should strengthen the hope of a future with a long term plan being in place and that the clubs ambitions will just continue in the same way as before. The administration and commercial staff at the club, with CEO Susan Whelan in charge, are a bright group of people who looks to have the control that is needed at this time in the life Leicester City FC.

The club have been in difficulties before and we have seen that people with a big Leicester City heart took action and showed boldness. We remember Gary Lineker and Emile Heskey came back to help. For us who clearly remember the days of administration a long time ago now, in the autumn of 2002, makes it easy to see how people caring for this club are bonding and really trying to move forward even under the most difficult circumstances.

To see former managers Claudio Ranieri, Nigel Pearson and “Svennis” Eriksson giving their tribute is heart warming and shows that even those who have experienced, both sides of the story, can see beyond their legacy and stand tall and show their respect, fantastic!

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Former players such as Riyad Mahrez and Danny Drinkwater are also among those who have gone public with their condolences. To see players have ambitions beyond Leicester City is normal and has been part of the clubs history. Heskey and Lineker did the same, left Leicester City to take on other adventures. They never played for the club again, but still are fans and always grateful for their time at the football club and the opportunities that opened up by being great in a Leicester City shirt. This has nothing to do with results, table positions, transfers, teams or competitions, but as we have seen this week, all about “coming together” and show “friendship among football friends”, all of us knowing the past of footballs terrible horrors. The letter of Kasper Schmeichel, the pictures of Jamie Vardy and his wife, and of course other present players, shows the family atmosphere.

Easy to forget and not think of others who have previously lost their “best men”. The helicopter crash of Chelsea owner and vice chairman Matthew Harding, who 22 years ago, almost on the same time in the year, lost his life in a simuler helicopter accident. Manchester United and their Munich disaster, Liverpool experiencing horror at Hillsborough and Heysel. In 2016, The Brazilian team Chapecoense in a terrible crash with the majority of the team losing their lives. Not to forget, in 2014, the two Newcastle fans, John Alder and Liam Sweeney who both died in the Malaysia Air crash over Ukraine.

October 31, 2018 0

RIP!

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Being present at The King Power Stadium for the game against West Ham, was to be a special event in a tragical way. We left the stadium straight after the game and walked back to our hotel, The Belmont, a 20 minutes walk from the stadium.

We had changed, gone for drinks and were ready for a good and relaxed meal at the San Carlo, an Italian restaurant in the city center. As we were ready to dine, messages starts to tick in, from Norway, were we residents, and then the staff also gets the information about the accident, and we are all just in a bit of shock. One comes over to us, and says, look here, this man has dined here, this is crazy, and again surreal.

Not in the best mood, finishes our meal, and as we leave the restaurant, nothing is confirmed at this time, just have to look and see what is happening. We return to the hotell, and are just looking at our phones and trying to find as much information as possible.

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A flight and train trip is in front of us the next morning. Before I get out of bed, the phone starts to ring, and my local newspaper back home calls to try to ask if I am in Leicester, and if I had seen something, or been at the scene. Told them, no, left the ground before, don’t really know what happened, not knowing more than what has been in the news. Then the Norwegian national broadcaster NRK is calling me. I have nothing to them either, but address the messages to the chairman of the Scandinavian Branch of the Supporters Club, at this time we have no confirmations or no information to give.

Well back in Norway and early next morning, while driving to work, hearing “Imagine” on the radio, that song, that really perfect song, it is stuck in my head and I will always remember were I was when this song was played, what was on my mind, passing my local church, in my car, I was thinking of the owner of Leicester City FC and this tragic accident and the deaths also involving four other persons.

Later in the evening Premier League TV is calling, asking for an interview, but unfortunately not able to make it, as I am heading for my train trip back home, so I just forward the message to our Scandinavian Supporters Chairman, who at this time is ready to fly out to Leicester. He had tickets for the Southampton game, but instead of postponing the flight, he makes the trip to show his respect, taking part in this very special and sad moment of the club and the city.

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A Danish member of the Supporters Club is in the same hours taking his trip from his home to Copenhagen to do interviews with his national television and radio station. This guy has a big “Foxes” heart and is a faithful and devoted member of the Leicester City fanbase.

For me personally, being in Leicester at this time, and present at the ground just hours before this terrible accident was first of all very scary, strange and of course will always be clear on my mind.

We all know what the owners have done for the football club, showing our respect in a difficult time for those who have lost their family members. Hope is that the the club and fans can unite and build the bonds even stronger, get closer and move this club forward in the spirit of a very special person. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha has been very important to all of us Leicester City’s. He helped us all reach a happy place I believe was impossible to even dream of.

As a foreign fan of Leicester City, feel that seeing people from abroad, being owners, players, managers and coaches, makes it all normal to be a fan of a football team so far away. Sharing daily talk with Leicester City fans from Denmark, Sweden and Norway, makes it less scary and at this moment important and special. Having contact at times with “Foxes” from all over the World, Australians, Germans, Americans and of course the locals of Leicester, makes this less difficult, feeling the togetherness and energy.

Thoughts are mostly of those families who have lost their special once, showing the greatest of support and respect once again.

Forever Leicester City

RIP!

All five of you

October 29, 2018 0

Leicester 1, West Ham 1, positives and negatives, player ratings and match report

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Being present and back in Leicester for the first time since the Liverpool game, it was of course great to be in the stadium during the match, but what happened afterwards made everything hopeless, overshadowing everything.

Claude Puel had made a number of surprising changes to his team and that clearly gave a message and at the same time an opportunity for others to show what they are capable of. Caglar Soyuncu was given his first team debut and he had a promising start.

Other players back in the first 11, was as Tcf preferred and one we always would like to see in a first 11, Marc Albrighton, a change in the center of midfield giving Vicente Iborra a new chance and also in from start, Rachid Ghezzal.

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The start of the game was positive from a Leicester City point of view, but slowly and gradually West Ham managed to balance it out and that was not optimal for Leicester City and after 30 minutes the best player on the pitch by far Fabian Balbuena scored after a number of humps and dumps in the Leicester City penalty area.

But after that goal Leicester City started to push forward again and especially Wilfred Ndidi and Marc Albrighton, together with Ben Chilwell made it difficult for West Ham- Then when, after 38 minutes, Karl Noble was sent off, hope got in our minds.

Leicester City players had almost an hour of football in a home game, playing 11 against 10, and hopefully that would settle a new three pointer, without really giving any evidence of that happening in the first half, with a good defensive approach from the opponent, but we all had hopes for second half.

Claude Puel decided to make a change after first half, playing three in the back, moving Amartey into the middle with Soyuncu and Maguire, and moving Chilwell up on the left side and Albrighton playing wide to the right.

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2nd half was all about Leicester City, pushing for a goal with especially Ben Chilwell being positive on the left side and also a number of attempts from the other flank from Marc Albrighton. The plan, the play and everything was optimistic, so we just waited for the goal.

Chance after chance were missed as the West Ham defenders got more and more tired, but this Balbuena managed in a miraculous way to keep the Hammers defense tight and well organized.

As the time ran out, attempts from Chilwell, Vardy, and later on Gray and Okazaki were all saved until Wilfred Ndidi’s shot passed Fabianski in the West Ham goal, deflected from a West Ham defender. The game was almost over when Nididi scored in the 89th minute.

This was a good and positive approach from Leicester City, a surprise change in the line-up, and bold moves by Puel. West Ham, with especially Balbuena and Antonio, made it difficult, with both putting in fantastic performances in a hard battling Hammers side.

In the end, Amartey stopped a possible Antonio goal, getting injured as bad as he was stretched off. The news he woke up to after his successful operation was something we all now, as he wonderfully described it himself. Let that be the final words of a very emotional and strange match report from a game watched live at The King Power.

Positives:
- Most players trying their best and fighting hard
- The stats shows a positive approach in ball possession
- A great goal and finish from Wilfred Ndidi
- Being able to create a great number of chances and keep the pressure
- Soyuncu playing making his full senior debut for Leicester City
Negatives:
- Not able to convert all those chances into more goals
- Passing a bit slow, getting the ball faster out to the flanks
- Maguire or Iborra should have been moved up front to battle in the air
- Attempt in front of goals easily cleared out by West Ham defenders
- Not being able to convert great chances into goals

Player Ratings: Schmeichel 6. Amartey 6, Chilwell 7, Soyuncu 6, Maguire 6, Iborra 6, Ndidi 7, Iheanacho 5, Maddison 6, Albrighton 7, Ghezzal 5, Subs: Vardy 5, Gray, Okazaki

Match Stats: H/A

Possession: 56 / 44
Corners: 8 / 0
Shots on target: 7 / 2
Shots wide: 8 / 5
Fouls: 17 / 5
Offsides: 7 / 1

October 29, 2018 0