Fox 4 Life Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 The Foxes vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has revealed how the 29-year-old struggled to adapt following his £1 million arrival from Fleetwood Town in 2012 Leicester City’s vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has revealed that Jamie Vardy used to turn up to training drunk after struggling to cope with his move from Fleetwood Town. Vardy joined Leicester in a non-league record £1 million deal in 2012 but found it difficult to find form during his debut season in the Championship. But the 29-year-old has transformed into one of the Premier League’s standout strikers, as his 22 goals helped fire Leicester to the title, but Srivaddhanaprabha claims the England international needed speaking to over his professionalism during his early stages at the club. "I was against signing Jamie Vardy in the first place. I asked Nigel Pearson and Steve Walsh about him, checked the scout reports, and I started to believe he would be a good signing, but I had to answer the supporters who were asking ‘how is a non-league player worth £1 million?’,” Srivaddhanaprabha told Thailand’s Day Magazine. "It turned out I was the dumbest club owner in the world to them. "I asked Pearson and Walsh, if I have only £1m transfer budget for the next season, who would you buy? And they replied ‘Vardy’. Then I said ‘go’. "There was outrage from the fans. Some even called me to say 'are you nuts? Why have you spent this much on a non-league player?'. "Back then, I think he didn’t even have what it took to play in the Premier League. The day we bought him, he came to me and thanked me for changing his life. He had never had this much money so he was over the moon already. He went straight from the bottom to the Championship, which eventually led him to start drinking booze every single day. We had no idea what to do. "I didn’t know about this until someone told me that he came to train while he was still drunk. So I went talk to him myself, I asked ‘do you wish to end your career like this? Do you want to stay here like this? We’ll let your contract run out, then release you. Don’t expect a better career path’. "He said he didn’t know what to do with his life. He’d never earned such a large amount of money. So I asked him ‘what’s your dream? How do you think your life should be? Just think carefully about what would you do for the club. I invested in you, do you have to do something in return?’ "After that he simply quit drinking and started working hard in training. His physicality wasn’t as good as it is now. We know he had explosive acceleration, but we simply had no idea he could be this good. "He’s adapting, working on fitness training, he’s turned into a new person. And that’s better." http://m.goal.com/s/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2016/05/03/23089692/vardy-used-to-turn-up-to-leicester-city-training-still-drunk?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2F I am hoping this is just poor translation because surely nobody could be this stupid as to air things like this in public!
Harry - LCFC Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 I don't find it all that hard to believe tbh. After a pretty decent start in the Championship he seemed to really lose confidence, plus we heard about how Walsh and Pearson had to persuade him not to quit football at the end of the 12/13 season. He seemed to have been in quite a bad way for a few months.
cityfanlee23 Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 I think it's probably alot of BS to be honest, Today I've seen more sources from the owners to a "thai magazine" than their entire period here, Either Top has been drinking and has let his tongue loose or it's more BS journalism, personally I'd like to think it's the latter.
RowlattsFox Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 I knew someone quite close to vardy and he said vardy had a problem with drinking for a while. Pearson gave him a final chance and he changed his life. Full credit to him, I see he started advertising a book today, will be some story.
cityfanlee23 Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 I'm not saying it's all rubbish but surely he's not that careless to basically say our main striker was a liability when he came, it just looks bad on vardy when other papers pick it up and twist it all.
TAFKA Castroneves Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 It's no doubt meant to be a positive piece about how well he has done to turn himself around, however I hope Jamie himself realises that as if it wasn't as cut and dry as that then he would have a right to be upset about the chairman disclosing a private conversation like this really. Fingers crossed this doesn't blow out of hand with the new found media attention, don't want negative headlines hitting the papers tommorrow if we can help it, doesn't help Vardy to go making a big deal out of this.
stevelcfc Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 I imagine much of that was 'lost on translation'. Pretty sure if he was turning up drunk Nige would have booted him out quicker than you can say white trainers.
Bayfox Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 Really? I thought you were more mental when you let Sven skunk his load of mills,Beckford etc.
foxoffderby Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 thats amazing story. Well done Jamie for beating your demons
Great Boos Up Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 Also confirms he's going nowhere and is showing the same loyalty the owners placed in him.
Number 6 Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 Cynic in me is not surprised this snippet comes out at the same time as a book is announced.
DJ Barry Hammond Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 That sort of story doesn't come out without prior agreement... and given the book.
shailen Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 So happy for him and Drinky. They both had so much abuse without a proper chance in the 2012/13 season and they've proved their worth since. The scouting system we have here is fantastic. Have they made one bad signing ever?
ithuriel Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 To be fair, I often arrive at the football ground a little the worst for wear too
Kitchandro Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 Let's face it the guy is playing in the wrong era. He'd fit right in in the 70s.
lgfualol Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 Not BS, Vardy says the same in his new book. Books are for nerds, but I will read this one. "chapta one: wen i was a knewborn"
Amin Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 Just another part to add to the movie. In all seriousness, the progress Vardy has made over the last 4 years at this club has been incredible to watch.
jit Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 Didn't he seem really happy how the gaffer was putting beers on the coach after Newcastle?
Vardinio'sCat Posted 3 May 2016 Posted 3 May 2016 Blimey, I always thought there would be stuff coming out, about this season, now the fight is over. It's a bit of a stunner, if the story hasn't been lost in translation.
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