Leicester City Champions 2008-09 Rewind

[OTLB]

Evening all, 

 

I am an avid EFL fan and run a blog dedicated to such. We have launched an Advent Calendar this month, with each day looking back at a past EFL winner. 

Today, the winner is Leicester City League One title season from 2008-09. 

We took a look back at the season, some of the key results and some of the big wins along the way. 

Be great to have a read and reminisce about your title win back in your EFL days. 

Follow the link below to have a read and look back on the title-winning season under Nigel Pearson. 
Off The Line Xmas Advent Calendar – Day #2 – Off The Line (wordpress.com)

[eblair]

no replies to this - that cannot be right

 

being born in 1996 this was first season i can properly remember when i liked the team i supported - will never stop loving NP

[Guest worth_the_wait]

An advert calendar for "Leicester City Champions rewind"    2015-16"?   Maybe.     2008-09?   err, no thanks.

  

[Les-TA-Jon]

7 minutes ago, worth_the_wait said:

An advert calendar for "Leicester City Champions rewind"    2015-16"?   Maybe.     2008-09?   err, no thanks.

  

Why? It was the start of everything going right for Leicester? 

 

We had spent several years prior bobbling along at the bottom of the Championship, a carousel of poor players and managers. Pearson came in, created a proper team, including players that would stay with us for years to come, got us out of the 3rd tier at the first time of asking whilst other 'big' teams like Forest and Leeds had got stuck there for years. We were the best side and went half the season unbeaten. 

 

It was the platform for everything that has gone right at the club in the last 12 years...

[Wymsey]

Hope Pearson is ok.

[Guest worth_the_wait]

21 minutes ago, Les-TA-Jon said:

Why? It was the start of everything going right for Leicester? 

 

 

I'm not disputing it was the start of things improving for us.  

 

It's just that 3rd Division football was a reminder just how shit we'd become.

 

Actually, I'd say Knockaert's penalty miss at Watford was the start of everything going right for us.

[Koke]

I remember Brighton were still playing at the Withdean stadium. We lost there 3-2 on a cold foggy Tuesday night. Couldn't see a thing. We couldn't see who scored and how they scored. 

 

Cheltenham was fun.

 

Northampton away there were so many Leicester fans in the home end. 

 

Steve Howard late winner against Leeds at home.

 

Jo Kuffour for Bristol Rovers is just a random name that stuck with me over the years. He scored against us at the KP.

[Fox92]

41 minutes ago, worth_the_wait said:

An advert calendar for "Leicester City Champions rewind"    2015-16"?   Maybe.     2008-09?   err, no thanks.

  

One of the best seasons I've had following City.

 

So many great away days and new grounds, so many times we battered sides. 

 

After years of shite we were just so good.

[Fox92]

1 minute ago, Koke said:

I remember Brighton were still playing at the Withdean stadium. We lost there 3-2 on a cold foggy Tuesday night. Couldn't see a thing. We couldn't see who scored and how they scored. 

 

Cheltenham was fun.

 

Northampton away there were so many Leicester fans in the home end. 

 

Steve Howard late winner against Leeds at home.

 

Jo Kuffour for Bristol Rovers is just a random name that stuck with me over the years. He scored against us at the KP.

That was a belter too if I remember. That one and when Millwall beat us at home (not sure who scored) but if I recall correctly from a similar distance.

 

Cheltenham was great. Couldn't believe I'd seen us win 0-4 away  

 

Peterborough away was the worse I think. Hammered it down all day, we had some players missing I think and they beat us.

 

But overall good memories. Don't want us ever to be there again but I don't look back in anger at all. Great season.

[Footballwipe]

9 minutes ago, worth_the_wait said:

I'm not disputing it was the start of things improving for us.  

 

It's just that 3rd Division football was a reminder just how shit we'd become.

 

Actually, I'd say Knockaert's penalty miss at Watford was the start of everything going right for us.

What are you blathering on about you elitist snob.

 

2008-09 was an incredibly special season for many of us. We'd all been through years of mediocre despair. Some of us were really only old enough to appreciate the hard times. Then we met our lowest ebb.

 

Enter 08-09. The season where NP can make his mark on the club. This was the start of the renaissance for this club, and the fans. Reigniting the connection between players and fans. Win after win after win. New ground after new ground after new ground. Passion, belief, confidence all bought back to the club. That season and the momentum helped us swell to the playoffs in the Championship. You think we're taken over in 2010 if 08-09 hadn't gone right.

 

Everything that happened from the moment we kicked off 08-09 is down to the way be obliterated League One that year. The rivalry with Peterborough, snowballs at Walsall, beach parties in Southend.

 

Knockaert doesn't happen without 08-09, Promotion to the PL doesn't happen without 08-09, title win and where we are today doesn't happen without 08-09.

 

So excuse us if we take a moment to appreciate a season which so many people appreciate and hold dear to their heart and memories. Remember that this club existed before 2015. Thanks.

[Spudulike]

15 minutes ago, Koke said:

I remember Brighton were still playing at the Withdean stadium. We lost there 3-2 on a cold foggy Tuesday night. Couldn't see a thing. We couldn't see who scored and how they scored. 

 

Cheltenham was fun.

 

Northampton away there were so many Leicester fans in the home end. 

 

Steve Howard late winner against Leeds at home.

 

Jo Kuffour for Bristol Rovers is just a random name that stuck with me over the years. He scored against us at the KP.

Cheltenham was just a brilliant away day in the sunshine. Don't know whether they'd seen anything like it before (apart from the races) when what seemed like half of Leicester's population descended on them. 

 

Jo Kuffour, that was a decent goal. However, that was the match that Nicky Evans came on and turned it around with Bruno getting the winner in stoppage time with half the crowd gone (nothing changes). 

 

Some great memories and laughs especially at the Memorial Stadium when the groundsman got sent off (fork off). 

 

We can look back now with nostalgia but might've been different if we didn't bounce straight back. 

 

 

[Koke]

22 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

That was a belter too if I remember. That one and when Millwall beat us at home (not sure who scored) but if I recall correctly from a similar distance.

 

Cheltenham was great. Couldn't believe I'd seen us win 0-4 away  

 

Peterborough away was the worse I think. Hammered it down all day, we had some players missing I think and they beat us.

 

But overall good memories. Don't want us ever to be there again but I don't look back in anger at all. Great season.

 

It was our first real successful season in about 7 years. It was fun times that I look back with real nostalgia. Once in a while I go back and rewatch those games from that season. 

Edited 3 December 2020 by Koke

[SouthStandUpperTier]

25 minutes ago, Koke said:

I remember Brighton were still playing at the Withdean stadium. We lost there 3-2 on a cold foggy Tuesday night. Couldn't see a thing. We couldn't see who scored and how they scored. 

 

Cheltenham was fun.

 

Northampton away there were so many Leicester fans in the home end. 

 

Steve Howard late winner against Leeds at home.

 

Jo Kuffour for Bristol Rovers is just a random name that stuck with me over the years. He scored against us at the KP.

With David Martin in goal wasn't it? On loan from Liverpool? We went through a ridiculous amount of loan goalkeepers that season. Didn't affect us too badly though. Remember Mark Bunn saving Ricky Lambert's penalty at Bristol Rovers.

[Monk]

That day in Southend. Phwooar we won’t see the likes of those again for a while. 

[Paninistickers]

48 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

What are you blathering on about you elitist snob.

 

2008-09 was an incredibly special season for many of us. We'd all been through years of mediocre despair. Some of us were really only old enough to appreciate the hard times. Then we met our lowest ebb.

 

Enter 08-09. The season where NP can make his mark on the club. This was the start of the renaissance for this club, and the fans. Reigniting the connection between players and fans. Win after win after win. New ground after new ground after new ground. Passion, belief, confidence all bought back to the club. That season and the momentum helped us swell to the playoffs in the Championship. You think we're taken over in 2010 if 08-09 hadn't gone right.

 

Everything that happened from the moment we kicked off 08-09 is down to the way be obliterated League One that year. The rivalry with Peterborough, snowballs at Walsall, beach parties in Southend.

 

Knockaert doesn't happen without 08-09, Promotion to the PL doesn't happen without 08-09, title win and where we are today doesn't happen without 08-09.

 

So excuse us if we take a moment to appreciate a season which so many people appreciate and hold dear to their heart and memories. Remember that this club existed before 2015. Thanks.

I agree with you but have a slightly  different  take. That season  was the birth of the new Leicester City. UFS, L1  TIFO, foxestalk generation. Basically 'the kids'....first time anyone aged  8-25 had seen any semblance of success. 

 

80s /90s fans had promotions  x 4, play off finals and league cups....so league  one success was just more of a relief for my age group. But if defo created what we have today  

 

And at the end of the day, football for me is all about the silverware 

 

 

 

[ealingfox]

1 hour ago, Koke said:

I remember Brighton were still playing at the Withdean stadium. We lost there 3-2 on a cold foggy Tuesday night. Couldn't see a thing. We couldn't see who scored and how they scored. 

 

Cheltenham was fun.

 

Northampton away there were so many Leicester fans in the home end. 

 

Steve Howard late winner against Leeds at home.

 

Jo Kuffour for Bristol Rovers is just a random name that stuck with me over the years. He scored against us at the KP.

 

Closest I've ever come to wanting to pack it all in that night. Were 2 nil up as well if I recall, and a comedy own goal for their winner?

[shailen]

The old saying take one step back to go two forward. The relegation to League one was needed to do a complete rebuild and form the basis of the club which could then go one and regrow to where we are today. We're now close to becoming a real powerhouse. 

[deanolegend1989]

I was at that Brighton game. Matty Fryatt scored a brace and we completely outplayed them first half, ‘does your boyfriend know your here’ and ‘2-0 in your garden shed’ a few of the memories of that cold foggy day in an away stand that felt like it was going to break and was miles back in the trees of that tinpot stadium 😂.

Then we got absolutely cleaned 2nd half it was odd. 1-2 in the 89th minute though , thought we’d scramble through but then the lad Bradley Johnson cracked in a beauty . Felt utterly sick. Things got worse, Jack Hobbs comically diverted a 94th minute winner.

 

I remember walking back after that game thinking ‘will I ever see us back in the Premier league in my lifetime?’

Id grown up watching regularly in 2002/03 so barring a nice starting season, I’d never really experienced anything other than losing a majority of the time for a good 5 years, it didn’t feel normal to win.

 

I remember the game after, as mentioned above Joe Kaffour scored and we were 0-1 down in the 90th minute at home to Bristol Rovers, we were in a terrible spot but a Matty Fryatt double both in stoppage time turned it around and we never looked back from then!

[Guest worth_the_wait]

4 hours ago, Footballwipe said:

What are you blathering on about you elitist snob.

 

 

After following the City for nearly 50 years to practically every shithole from Port Vale to Millwall, and Bristol Rovers to Oldham ... I can honestly say that being called an "elitist snob" is a new one for me.  .
 
For the record ... I was delighted we got out of that division at the first attempt, and i had some good days out at Cheltenham, Carlisle, Hereford, Southend, etc etc.  
 
The fact that we were in the 3rd Divison for the first time in our 124 year history, was because we were shit.  Just being in that division was an embarrassment.
 
But obviously I take your politely-made point.   Us being shit led to the chain reaction of Nigel Pearson, Paulo Sousa, Sven Göran Eriksson, Pearson (again) and finally Claudio Ranieri, which turned out rather well in the end.
 
And as for "Remember that this club existed before 2015".    Well I never, you learn something every day.