Unite, don’t divide: How Leicester City FC alienated its own fans
Travelling up and down the country following the Foxes became a bit more of a chore last season. Harry Gregory gives his thoughts on the club’s deteriorating relationship with its fans.
It’s been a slog, hasn’t it? Not just on the pitch but off it. Really, we are all glad it’s over.
I struggle to think of a season which had such slim pickings in memories or moments which make you beam, instead sometimes questioning exactly why you follow this barmy football club.
During the previous season we had the incredible highs of Eindhoven, the giggles of Randers and the utterly bonkers moment when Roma’s Curva Sud tifo display took a dig at Leicester’s Roman heritage.
The night before that anti-climactic occasion, my group had found a bar on the outskirts of Trastevere in Rome. It was decorated as though an ‘English pub’ except it really was a pub. It had cask ales on draught. The night drew in and eventually it became a lock-in. We were given the reign of the Spotify. We could choose the tunes. Only words of warning? ‘Don’t keep the door open’.
We were shooting the breeze until the early hours. Amongst us the soothsayers spoke. This is the end. It’s hard to disagree now.
The last of us
By comparison, this season we had cup ties at Gillingham and MK Dons resembling a pilot episode of the TV series, The Last of Us.
Blackburn B saw us off in the FA Cup. Southampton did the double over us and collected a quarter of their points. Newcastle took the shithousery award timewasting at 3-0 up on Boxing Day when really I wanted to be eating a turkey sandwich and thinking how I’m going to get through all that cheese in the fridge.
The hammering of Forest in September provided light relief only for any restored pride to be battered back down by an abject display in West Bridgford a few months later. I exited off into the distance to be nursing a pint by 5.30pm in LE and three hours later I was exclaiming we were going down.
The trip to Villa Park brought the most photogenic occasion. Royal blue was interspersed with Brazilian gold. Yeah, that advent lasted 90 minutes before those flags were quickly put away into everyone’s loft until the next World Cup summer BBQ.
Blue on blue
As early as the Spurs debacle (again another early dash), there were supporters arguing and then grappling. The WWE contests were a fortnightly occasion for a while.
The debate around Brendan Rodgers exhausted most of us. This led to the ugliest situation at Brentford; an exchange of opinions about a banner calling for him to be sacked led to a line crossed in toxicity.
In a way, it was fortunate that by a May bank holiday at Fulham we had given in to gallows humour. Friends were texting me to toss the players into the Thames. I’d beaten them to it; throwing myself in at 4-0.
But I didn’t fancy cholera, so I hauled myself out. Ready for next week.
That’s the metaphor for this season. Haul yourself together, travel to a football game for a demoralising experience but somehow find the resilence to keep repeating it again and again.
Divided we fall
‘The club’ at times were equally adding to the divide, managing an own goal ratio rivalling Wout Faes at Anfield.
Several policy changes with ticketing.
Introduced a singing section? Then policing it with a ring of stewards.
Just lost 3-0 at home? Have a free coconut.
Losing to a lower division side in the cup? Play goal music at maximum volume for the consolation goal.
In the process of being relegated? Release an article publicising the new shirt costing £63.
The insistence of mobile tickets is something which hasn’t just alienated those of us dissatisfied by nature. I hold stronger views on the ‘de-Leicesterisation’ of the club but that’s another screaming rant into the abyss for another day.
You can argue the merits of such decisions. That’s debate. That’s fair. That can be constructive. That’s how you can improve how the club operates for everyone. When the success in recent years occurred, the noise was positive. The club in its broad terms got itself into an echo chamber of praise and failed to take heed of the warning signs.
The saddest situation though has been banning orders to fans. Again, you can argue whether that’s deserved or not. On the basic optic level, it’s not a good look. Why? Well, ultimately it conveys that the club haven’t taken criticism well. Or that the club isn’t strong enough to dismiss abuse as mindless.
That does extend onto the pitch too. James Maddison’s response to a Rob Tanner article in The Athletic goes down as a marker on his Leicester career. It always appeared that the squad believed the ‘too good to go down’ cliche. Rather than powering a siege mentality, instead it proved a counter complacency.
Meanwhile, off the pitch, it saw a ‘double down’; in the biggest occasion of the season at home to Everton, during 90 minutes of pure tension, a tannoy announcement asked people to sit down.
June is here now. A break is wise. The rumoured review shouldn’t just look at the playing side. Attitudes off the pitch need to change too.
It’s critically important that Leicester City FC stops being the club happy to bask in praise but ignorant of criticism. Strength is found in unity.
So unite, don’t divide.
