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davieG

It's all Wellens' fault?

By davieG, in Leicester City Forum

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davieG

davieG

Posted
Posted

Leicester City's incredible title success will not be repeated for a lifetime, writes Rob Tanner.

 

That is the view of former City favourite Richie Wellens, who witnessed first-hand City's transformation from a club recovering from relegation to League One to one that was ready to compete in the Premier League.

 
The midfielder, who made 146 appearances for the club between 2009-2013, and is now playing for Salford City in the Northern Conference while studying for his coaching badges, said as soon as the club's Thai owners arrived at the club six years ago he knew the club was on the road to the Premier League, but no-one could have predicted they would go on to become champions of England.

While Wellens and his team-mates played their part in the rise of City under Nigel Pearson, he said it is Claudio Ranieri and his squad who deserve all the credit for an astonishing achievement which will he believes will not happen again for a generation.

 
"The club before the new owners took over was always geared up to be in the Premier League," said the 36-year-old.

City's new owners just changed everything

"It had always been a club, over the previous 15 years, that could get to the Premier League, but then get relegated, then promotion, then relegation.

 

"But with the new owners and their ambition you knew there was an even bigger chance of getting to the Premier League and making something happen. The new television deal coming in is great and the money is distributed more evenly. It allows clubs like Leicester to be even more successful when they get to the Premier League, but I was absolutely stunned they won the title.

 

"What an achievement that is. There probably won't be a bigger achievement in our lifetime.

"That was fantastic, but in terms of getting to the Premier League I wasn't surprised because I had played with a lot of lads there so I knew the quality.

 

"There were a number who could play in the Premier League when we were in the Championship – Kasper Schmeichel, Wes Morgan and Danny Drinkwater, to name just a few, have been able to kick on because they have come up with the club together and proved they belong in the Premier League."

 

When the Srivaddhanaprabha family took over from Milan Mandaric, Wellens was part of Paulo Sousa's squad and the Portuguese manager lasted just nine games before being replaced by Sven-Goran Eriksson.

 

The huge investment of the new owners saw dozens of new players arrive, without success on the pitch, until Nigel Pearson's return.

"We saw an instant change," recalls Wellens.

'You could sense club was going places'

"It was just after Paulo Sousa left and we went to Thailand to play an exhibition game against the Thai national team and we felt the club was going to take off.

 

"Money was being spent and new players were coming in all the time. You could sense the club was going places.

"It was all well and good having good players and we had two or three for each position, but it was the stability that Nigel brought that made the difference. He had an aura about him where he was very disciplined and wouldn't let anyone mess about.

 

"He got the squad thinner, which I think helps, and the season we got beat in the play-offs by Watford was devastating but it was also character building.

 

"To go again the next season and win it easily, what fantastic character that showed. The next season, when they were fighting relegation, they were able to call upon that character again.

 

"It was all about growing as a footballer, as a man and as a team together. It is about looking your colleagues in the eye and knowing they will back you up if you are struggling."

 

Wellens, who has also been working in the media since leaving the professional game and is working with Leicester based PR company Soar Media, began his career at Manchester United and is still a huge Reds fan, but he admits he was in the royal blue camp as City's title triumph reached its thrilling conclusion.

 

"After a game I go into the dressing room, grab my phone and look at the results, and Leicester is one of the first I look at," said Wellens, who was City's Player of the Year in 2011.

 

"When they were going on that fantastic run and people were saying Spurs were going to catch them I was a fan. I wasn't a football person, I was a fan.

'Leicester was best club I played for'

"You can give Nigel a lot of credit for getting them into the Premier League and then keeping them up, but no-one can take anything away from Claudio Ranieri, his staff and those players for winning that title.

 

"The desire was in that changing room to keep going when everyone was predicting they would slip up.

"Leicester was the best club I played for. Obviously I played for Manchester United but I never considered myself to be a first-team player.

 

"It is a fantastic club with great infrastructure. Leicester is also a great sporting city, whether it be the rugby or the cricket, but the biggest club is the football club.

 

"The fans were always fantastic. They turn up in their numbers and always support the club in the way supporters should. I experienced some great times there and I am so pleased they have had such amazing success."


Read more at http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/city-were-obviously-going-places-when-thai-owners-arrived/story-29694849-detail/story.html#KeTyyR5PJs3CHDkP.99

artursteppe

artursteppe

Posted
Posted
39 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Always loved him!

I didn't. I always blamed Wellens - it could even have been me that started it all. His comments do show, however, that he is better with words than he was with a football.

CosbehFox

CosbehFox

Posted
Posted

Probably my favourite player during that playoff season. Him and Kingy were immense in midfield that night at Cardiff. 

 

His legs went though and he never looked fit enough for Championship when Pearson returned. 

 

We've far, far worse centre midfielders in the past twenty years

AKCJ

AKCJ

Posted
Posted

His was our best player in our Play Off season in Nigel's first reign.

 

The first good midfielder we'd had at that level for about 5/6 years.

Stadt

Stadt

Posted
Posted

He got a lot of stick and it was completely unjustified. He was one of our best if not the best player we had for a few seasons, it's remarkable really that we finished fifth with a squad that was uninspiring on paper.

Tuna

Tuna

Posted
Posted

'Leicester is the best club I've played for'.

 

When your other options are Blackpool, Oldham, Doncaster and Shrewsbury that's not saying much!

thursday_next

thursday_next

Posted
Posted
39 minutes ago, Tuna said:

'Leicester is the best club I've played for'.

 

 

 

Maybe he's forgetting that he made a League Cup appearance for Manchester United, in a 3-0 defeat by Aston Villa. I could be wrong, but I believe that the phrase 'I blame Wellens' dates from that particular moment. He never played for them again. 

 

Incidentally, I do love your avatar, Tuna. The two scenes in 'Burn After Reading' where J K Simmons appears as the director of the CIA still have me helpless with laughter, no matter how many times I watch it!

 

:) 

thursday_next

thursday_next

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, Watson said:

Still find it weird people didn't like him. He was a class act in most of the games he played for us.

 

He was one of the best transfers we have ever had, for the situation we were in. The thing is, when he hit the Championship he had too many face-palm moments while at the same time being slightly too good to be left out. A bit like Paul Konchesky in our first Premier campaign..  

Arriba Los Zorros

Arriba Los Zorros

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, MrSpaM said:

I remember what a breath of fresh air it was when we signed him, finally somebody who could pick a pass

Yes, our central midfielders were both powderpuff and technically lacking for so long before he came. Ritchie was fully committed and able to pick passes and helped end the long-ball rubbish we'd become accustomed to.

MPH

MPH

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, davieG said:

 

"You can give Nigel a lot of credit for getting them into the Premier League and then keeping them up, but no-one can take anything away from Claudio Ranieri, his staff and those players for winning that title.

 

 

 

First time i have seen this subject discussed on here. Think i need to start a thread about it...

Nod.E

Nod.E

Posted
Posted

Can see a lot of Wellens in Drinky's play. Must have had an influence.

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