ThaiFox Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 I have always loved supporting Leicester City. I have lived around the UK, and now in Thailand. When I lived in the south I loved the surprise on faces when I say I supported LCFC. Often, after the initial surprise, it is respect, mainly because I haven't jumped on the bandwagon and switched to one of the so called big clubs. I have two nephews, aged 11 and 9. Both were born and live in Sussex. One supports Man Ure, the other Arsenal. It would take endless trophies over many years to change any childs perspective of us as a big club. The season we have just had was unexpected and totally awesome. Born in Knighton, and following city for 50 years, I never expected in my lifetime to watch my club become the best. But I still love that we are NOT the type of club people jump to support. Let them go and support Chelski, Man Ure, Arse'nal, Liverpool. I doubt they will ever know, or get, the same pleasure as I've had this season watching my club, who I've supported with total devotion all my life. It is why so many fans, outside the so called big clubs, have been willing us to win the P/L this season. It is what football is really about.
Vlad the Fox Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 Does a club generally defined as being a big club doing a lap of honour after a dodgy last minute winner against you make you a big club? That makes us massive.
FrankH Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 In point of fact, Newcastle is an anomaly here. It's population is only 30,000 more than Wolverhampton, and 50,000 less than Leicester. I think what makes it a big(gish) club must be down to the sustained level of it's attendances (which are quite remarkable for it's size), and the closeness of the competition from Sunderland) and it's history (but even that is a long time ago now). Hard to figure out how much media attention it gets. But Newcastle has a sort of "charisma" which Wolverhampton and Leicester (as yet) haven't. Geordies, like Scousers, are thought of as being passionate and devoted to their city and region, and especially to their football clubs. Newcastle, like Liverpool, London, Glasgow, and a few other cities in the UK, has a reputation of being a distinct and vibrant cultural centre. That doesn't, as yet, apply to Wolverhampton - in fact natives of the Black Country are often annoyed that others mistake them for a sort of Brummie. Leicester, as a city, is probably on an upward trend now. There was the Richard III business, which made the city much better known worldwide. But even that has been eclipsed by the Foxes Premiership title, which has possibly been the biggest team sport story in the history of the World to date. Leicester may well be the first city to become "big" on the world stage largely because of the exploits of one of its sports clubs. For Leicester to build on and consolidate this, involves the City as a whole, and its other institutions. It's no wonder the universities in Leicester are using the City's new higher profile in their advertising. And despite the sneering from some quarters, the University of Leicester actually has quite a good reputation. So all the major Leicester institutions can help each other in this. The University can rise even higher. And Leicester City FC can become one of the accepted "big" clubs. Of course, there is a danger that in becoming "big", the Foxes lose a lot of the charm which has made their success this season so heartwarming for football lovers throughout the world. I don't think that will happen so long as the present owners, or ones of a similar character, are in charge. And as long as the manager is someone with similar qualities to Claudio Ranieri - someone with the same qualities of humility and humanity, while being of course an excellent manager.
foxaholic Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 In point of fact, Newcastle is an anomaly here. It's population is only 30,000 more than Wolverhampton, and 50,000 less than Leicester. I think what makes it a big(gish) club must be down to the sustained level of it's attendances (which are quite remarkable for it's size), and the closeness of the competition from Sunderland) and it's history (but even that is a long time ago now). Hard to figure out how much media attention it gets. Surely a big club when it gets big gates when doing badly or at a low level. Leeds is a good example and Man u got huges gates when relegated and filled the ground when playing away in the 70s
GloverFox Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 Surely a big club when it gets big gates when doing badly or at a low level. Leeds is a good example and Man u got huges gates when relegated and filled the ground when playing away in the 70s... and under poorly advised or plain foolish management this is where these so called big clubs become paralysed; as the gates for st holders at st James will stay the same next year in the championship as for the prem and the board can still sit back and take the cream off the money ... it's all very well aiming to become a big club, but the aspirations and desire of the owners and board have to want to keep pushing ever forward to ever greater heights even when they do achieve the big club status mark ... 'Oh I've done that been there, now I'm bored!' stagnation means a declining club.I don't care if people think we big, small or just too blue as long as we continue to play the football of this season ... sparkling at times, dogged at others but pushing for the wins, the trophy or top of the league and winning lots of friends on the way!
yorkie1999 Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 What makes leicester tigers the biggest rugby, booo, club in england.
woody01530 Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 Never known a big club have happy flappers & a drum though
Guest CityFan 06 Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 Never known a big club have happy flappers & a drum though As much as the clappers have helped, I do agree that we are seen as 'smaller' because of the use of clap banners in particular. Goal music too. Not got a major problem with either, and if people enjoy the current matchday then fair enough. I would say though our current matchday build up is excellent.
Countryfox Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 As much as the clappers have helped, I do agree that we are seen as 'smaller' because of the use of clap banners in particular. Goal music too. Not got a major problem with either, and if people enjoy the current matchday then fair enough. I would say though our current matchday build up is excellent. Ok swap the clappers for an extra 10,000 noisy fans. Sorted.
woody01530 Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 As much as the clappers have helped, I do agree that we are seen as 'smaller' because of the use of clap banners in particular. Goal music too. Not got a major problem with either, and if people enjoy the current matchday then fair enough. I would say though our current matchday build up is excellent. Defo. I go with a disabled mate as his helper. We get in with well over an hour to kick off & the build up is brilliant. My elder brother used to watch leicester home & away in the 70's & 80's so I remember a lot of the old players. The way alan birchenall builds it up is amazing & isn't he now in his 70's?
Guest CityFan 06 Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 Defo. I go with a disabled mate as his helper. We get in with well over an hour to kick off & the build up is brilliant. My elder brother used to watch leicester home & away in the 70's & 80's so I remember a lot of the old players. The way alan birchenall builds it up is amazing & isn't he now in his 70's? Yep, the Birch is around 70. The stadium and his matchday build up is great and I've come to the conclusion that the clappers are superb for the fans who enjoy them, as well as improving the overall atmosphere. I'm not really going to use them but more fans are involved by them for certain.
Conscript Fox Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 Having international quality players in key positions who play for the more respected countries, countries who always qualify and are in with a shout for the honours at the major finals. Having guys like this, who are happy at the club and don't **** off to bigger clubs the first chance they get. That's a part of the journey to big club status which lies ahead of Leicester and which will be set back a lot if the better players are cherry picked from the current squad. That, consistently being in the shake up for honours domestically initially, and consistently taking out the current big clubs when we play them.
UpTheLeagueFox Posted 14 May 2016 Posted 14 May 2016 Does it actually matter though if we're a big club or even perceived as a big club? I quite like being an underdog.
Stadt Posted 7 February 2017 Posted 7 February 2017 Just now, Conscript Fox said: Are we there yet ? We had our best ever chance and we've blown it.
SecretPro Posted 7 February 2017 Posted 7 February 2017 That boat sailed in the summer. We let it pass by without so much as a wave.
STUHILL Posted 7 February 2017 Posted 7 February 2017 1 minute ago, Wookie said: We had our best ever chance and we've blown it. We certainly had a huge opportunity in the summer to at least take a big step forward. We had the chance to really use our title success and entry into the champions league, to sign some top talent that would put us in a much better situation than we are now. I think our owners missed a huge chance to spend big and buy players that for only a brief window, would have considered us. We are now back with a bang and just another relegation threatened team, with no european football next year and unlikely to have it ever again. If we had of spent big and really gone after some big names, then I am confident we would have been able to make the next step up, to an established Premier League team that would be constantly pushing for the top 6, an Everton for example. Obviously, easier said than done and I am sure our owners don't have an open cheque book for players, but this was probably our only ever chance to be able to attract top players, and I would have much preferred us go out and spend big whilst we still had the pull factor of being champs and in europe, and then had a number of windows with a lower net spend. Real opportunity missed in my eyes and I think we were rightly or wrongly too loyal to the current squad, and that has really cost us.
Guest CityFan 06 Posted 7 February 2017 Posted 7 February 2017 Although I agree that we didn't push on in the summer, I still think, and hope, it's possible in the future. Investment and foundations are there.
SecretPro Posted 7 February 2017 Posted 7 February 2017 Just now, CityFan 06 said: Although I agree that we didn't push on in the summer, I still think, and hope, it's possible in the future providing we stay in the league this season. I don't agree. Even if we stay up, we have blown the chance of attracting top talent. If we stay up this year we will still be a relegation candidate for next year and so on and so fourth. We may, in a few years, be able to establish mid-table mediocrity but I think the chance of becoming one of the big boys has gone for a very very long time.
STUHILL Posted 7 February 2017 Posted 7 February 2017 2 minutes ago, SecretPro said: I don't agree. Even if we stay up, we have blown the chance of attracting top talent. If we stay up this year we will still be a relegation candidate for next year and so on and so fourth. We may, in a few years, be able to establish mid-table mediocrity but I think the chance of becoming one of the big boys has gone for a very very long time. Absolutely, I think our best hope and realistic expectations now, are to stay up and then try to get away from the relegation fodder and become more of a Stoke type success story, where although staying up is never guaranteed, we will always be a pretty safe bet and fall somewhere between the 8th-13th each season and be able to attract decent players, but rarely the top ones. Of course, I would be happy with that, but still think it is a shame that we could have aimed higher in the summer and didn't do it.
whetstonefox Posted 7 February 2017 Posted 7 February 2017 We'll never be a 'big' club, our fate appears to be one of the worlds wackiest football clubs if you consider just the last 10 years let alone the last 132 years!
AmarteyAndChill Posted 7 February 2017 Posted 7 February 2017 44 minutes ago, STUHILL said: We certainly had a huge opportunity in the summer to at least take a big step forward. We had the chance to really use our title success and entry into the champions league, to sign some top talent that would put us in a much better situation than we are now. I think our owners missed a huge chance to spend big and buy players that for only a brief window, would have considered us. We are now back with a bang and just another relegation threatened team, with no european football next year and unlikely to have it ever again. If we had of spent big and really gone after some big names, then I am confident we would have been able to make the next step up, to an established Premier League team that would be constantly pushing for the top 6, an Everton for example. Obviously, easier said than done and I am sure our owners don't have an open cheque book for players, but this was probably our only ever chance to be able to attract top players, and I would have much preferred us go out and spend big whilst we still had the pull factor of being champs and in europe, and then had a number of windows with a lower net spend. Real opportunity missed in my eyes and I think we were rightly or wrongly too loyal to the current squad, and that has really cost us. No one would have complained if we had the same back 4 at the start of this season. It's just a shame they've been crap.
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