davieG Posted 19 December 2015 Posted 19 December 2015 1 10 hours ago Leicester owners were ready for Premier League relegation - Ranieri Claudio Ranieri explains he hopes Leicester continue their positive mentality moving forward. Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri said his owners were prepared to be relegated following the 2015-16 Premier League season and asked the Italian if he would stay with the team were they to be forced to play Championship football in 2016-17. Foxes vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha told Ranieri during the interview process that the ownership were committed to taking Leicester to the top of the league, but were also realistic about the possible outcomes if things didn't go their way. Now sitting atop the table ahead of a weekend match against Everton, Ranieri has come clean about what he was told when hired and how he thought the club might fare during the season. "I didn't believe when I signed my contract that in December we would be top of the league," Ranieri said in quotes appearing in the Mirror. "But two things were very, very fantastic for me. "One was to hear from my owner that he wanted, in the next two years, to maintain Leicester in the Premier League, then to grow and try to achieve the top places. "The other is that when the son asked me, 'If everything goes wrong, you stay with us in the Championship?' and I said, 'Yes, I will stay here.' "This was amazing because there was a balance -- there was a big project but also they wanted me to stay even if everything went wrong. It was important for me to understand this philosophy." The 64-year-old was fresh off a disastrous stint as the manager of the Greek national team when he was hired to replace former Leicester manager Nigel Pearson. Yet the start to his tenure at King Power Stadium couldn't be going better, with the team flying high behind league goalscoring leader Jamie Vardy, and strike partner Riyad Mahrez, who have 15 and 11 goals, respectively, so far this season. However, it was captain Wes Morgan who the manager called out for praise, saying the centre-back has surprised him all season long. "I'm so surprised by my captain," Ranieri said. "One thing is to watch him on TV, another thing is to watch him train and in matches because he is good, he is strong, he is tall, he is big, he is fast -- he is unbelievable. "He is a very great central defender -- one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League."
Saladin Posted 19 December 2015 Posted 19 December 2015 Preparing for the worst, hoping for the best.
FireFox Posted 19 December 2015 Posted 19 December 2015 Preparing for the worst, hoping for the best.Prepared for the best too by all accounts of certain clauses in his contract.
Corky Posted 19 December 2015 Posted 19 December 2015 For all the talk of it being a surprise we went for Ranieri, it was still a big move for him. He's managed in the Champions League and top clubs in France, Spain, Italy and England before. To want to manage a team who'd been in a relegation battle two months before is a bold decision. And good also to see the owners preparing for eventualities and not throwing the towel in.
MPH Posted 19 December 2015 Posted 19 December 2015 Surprised Morgan got the praise ahead of Huth....
FoxCal Posted 19 December 2015 Posted 19 December 2015 Surprised Morgan got the praise ahead of Huth.... I think they complement one another. But looking at last season and this, Wes has been a revelation. Let's not kid ourselves, we clearly still have issues at the back, but he looks so much more comfortable. He's learned from the (many) mistakes of a year ago and is playing on merit, as opposed to pulling rank just because he's club captain.
WesMorganGod Posted 19 December 2015 Posted 19 December 2015 Ranieri is amazing, best manager in the prem. Love the guy!!!, I love the way he acts to us fans, the way he does the tactics, his press conferences and interviews.. the guy is a real gentleman and class. We are blessed to have him.
Collymore Posted 19 December 2015 Posted 19 December 2015 Ranieri has worked wonders with Wes. Morgan's been a monster this season. You can see the sparkle and twinkle in his eye when he's being interviewed and the confidence in every word he speaks. He didn't have this last season, especially at the start. We're so lucky to have Claudio. The guy is special.
Izzy Posted 19 December 2015 Posted 19 December 2015 We're so lucky to have Claudio. The guy is special. The 'special one'
Wymsey Posted 19 December 2015 Posted 19 December 2015 Ranieri's a true gentleman, and would give Pearson a good lesson in public speaking.
mikey54 Posted 21 December 2015 Posted 21 December 2015 Great owners Great coaching Great Manager Great Team Great times
Bayfox Posted 21 December 2015 Posted 21 December 2015 I think they complement one another. But looking at last season and this, Wes has been a revelation. Let's not kid ourselves, we clearly still have issues at the back, but he looks so much more comfortable. He's learned from the (many) mistakes of a year ago and is playing on merit, as opposed to pulling rank just because he's club captain. This is spot on. Last season you got the impression he was playing as he was captain, and un droppable almost. Now he is playing well and I have no question that he plays due to his performances.
PhillippaT Posted 21 December 2015 Posted 21 December 2015 Ranieri's a true gentleman, and would give Pearson a good lesson in public speaking. I need to stop reading while scrolling too fast - I was sure that said 'public spanking'
M0901 Posted 21 December 2015 Posted 21 December 2015 Wes has always been a good centre back, after this season so far he is now a great centre back. Showing the potential we knew he always had, he's surprisingly quick too!
Gerard Posted 21 December 2015 Posted 21 December 2015 Wes has always been a good centre back, after this season so far he is now a great centre back. Showing the potential we knew he always had, he's surprisingly quick too! Wes has always been a 100% man, if you looked at him last season a lot of the goals we conceded he was on his arse after flinging himself at the ball. I think this year things have clicked with him and he now a very good centre half. He uses his brain more than his heart and as Ranieri said for a centre half he has excellent attributes, he's unusually quick for a centre half. Wes is like a fine wine who just gets better with age.
WesMorganGod Posted 21 December 2015 Posted 21 December 2015 I always been Morgan's biggest fan but what you guys are saying is so true.. Ranieri has improved him a lot, his reading of the game is a lot better and positioning. You have to put it all down to Ranieri, because when he came in was when it changed with Morgan.
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