Do they mean us - The FA Cup.

[davieG]

https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/leicester-are-better-now-than-in-2016-and-an-fa-cup-is-the-least-they-deserve

Leicester Are Better Now Than In 2016, And An FA Cup Is The Least They Deserve

 

 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/brendan-rodgers-journey-fork-lift-24113999

Brendan Rodgers on his journey from fork lift truck driver to stockpiler of trophies

 

 

https://talksport.com/football/fa-cup/880913/

 Chelsea vs Leicester should be David vs Goliath in historical terms, but Foxes winning FA Cup final for the first time EVER would be no shock

 

 

Chelsea legend John Terry warns club about ‘underrated’ Leicester star ahead of FA Cup final

Chelsea legend John Terry warns club about ‘underrated’ Leicester star ahead of FA Cup final

 

 

https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/fixtures-results/chelsea-leicester-prediction-fa-cup-20600680

We simulated Chelsea vs Leicester City to get a score prediction for the FA Cup final

 

 

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/teams/leicester-city/12306807/fans-create-leicester-themed-pub

Fans create Leicester-themed pub!

[Buce]

Brendan Rodgers’ record finally stacks up to the brand he has created

 

Leicester’s manager has succumbed to his own hubris before but he now has ample evidence of the success of his methods

 

A quiz: which of these stories about Brendan Rodgers is true? Story A: when he was a youth-team coach at Chelsea he once tried to cheer up an out-of-form John Terry by commissioning a bespoke motivational poem, which he then had framed. Story B: when his Swansea side won promotion to the Premier League, he celebrated by going off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with Chris Kamara. Story C: when he meets young players for the first time he draws them a little stick figure with a crown on its head, in order to illustrate that they are “king of their own destiny”.

Of course, they’re all true. This is the inimitable legend of Rodgers: people person, friend to the stars, all-round wit. For some this is the sort of stuff that renders him ripe for ridicule. And yet, let’s examine the evidence. A visibly moved Terry scored in his next Chelsea game and dedicated the goal to Rodgers. The Kilimanjaro jaunt was a longstanding charity commitment, raising almost £400,000 in the fight against cancer, the disease to which he lost both his parents. And when your record of youth development includes Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho, Kieran Tierney, Harvey Barnes and James Maddison, perhaps it’s fair to say his methods have some merit.

 

But then, this has always been the basic and fascinating paradox of Rodgers: an artifice that has always been underpinned by a strong sense of authenticity, an authenticity that owes so much of its potency to artifice. This tension – between bombast and insecurity, style and substance, the holistic guru who just wants you to be the best person who can be and the self-publicist with a vaulting personal ambition and a habit of leaving his clubs abruptly – is the defining note of a career that has taken him from the 6am shift at the Waitrose warehouse to the Wembley dugout.

There are times when it feels impossible to take Rodgers seriously: when you glimpse the unworldliness that has spawned hundreds of Twitter parody accounts and led Joey Barton to describe him as a “sophist”. And yet on Saturday evening, Rodgers will lead Leicester City into their first FA Cup final in 52 years, having steered them to third in the Premier League after losing Harry Maguire and Ben Chilwell in successive summers. If that’s not serious substance, then it’s hard to see what is.

“He’s the best manager I’ve worked under by far,” says Àngel Rangel, one of the stars of his promotion-winning Swansea team. “He’s a man who brings a legacy with him everywhere he goes: Swansea, Liverpool, Celtic. He doesn’t just train and go home. He blends into the community. For him it’s a lifestyle. He likes perfection.”

From the very start of his career, as a young coach with zero playing pedigree, Rodgers realised he needed to project himself. “I’ve had to create a brand for myself,” he tells Michael Calvin in the book Living On The Volcano – a brand based on attacking, continental‑style football, intense personal magnetism, catchy mantras and near-delusional levels of self-belief. His own football career ended at 20 through injury, and as soon as he finished his shift in the Waitrose warehouse he dedicated himself to coaching. A devotee of the Coerver coaching school which prizes dazzling technical ability and speed on the ball, Rodgers attended conferences, travelled across Europe, read voraciously on psychology, communication and sports science.

 

His big break came in the summer of 2004, when his Reading youth team came to Cobham and destroyed a highly rated Chelsea side. Watching on from afar was José Mourinho, who brought Rodgers on board soon after. Mourinho was an ideal mentor: a fellow self-made coach who practised a fiercely personal style of management. After three years at Chelsea, Rodgers was ready to go it alone. Ironically, Leicester came calling before ultimately plumping for Gary Megson. So Rodgers went to Watford, who he kept in the Championship before leaving for his old club Reading.

Reading was a sharp learning curve. Rodgers and his methods were popular there, but even so he was sacked after six months due to poor results. Afterwards, Rodgers took stock and resolved that he needed to be quicker on the trigger. Being liked was all very well. But in a world where owners were ruthless, he needed to be too. It was a lesson he carried into his next job, where he took unfancied Swansea to the 2011 Championship play-off showdown and – until now – his last Wembley final.

“There were two weeks of buildup, and we didn’t do any football,” remembers Rangel. “We’d already played 48 games, so we knew how to play. It was all about the psychological part. We had a couple of psychologists come in to give us insights, and then in the team meeting at the hotel he played a video about the importance of inches in sport. The little detail that makes a huge difference. And then in the final, Garry Monk makes a massive block, without which we probably lose the game. That was that inch.”

Next came Liverpool, where the Rodgers legacy remains contested. To some, he was the alchemist who took a team with Jon Flanagan to the verge of a sensational Premier League title in 2013-14. To others, he was a talented coach undone by his own hubris, who oversaw a gradual disintegration, made needless enemies and left one embarrassing documentary and no trophies.

 

As ever, the ledger requires a certain balance. Rodgers had about as much say in the documentary as he did in the departure of Luis Suárez and the injury to Daniel Sturridge. Yet his poor eye for a signing, his fractured relationship with Steven Gerrard (who felt “misled” after Rodgers dropped him for a crucial game against Manchester United in his final season) and a delusional belief in his ability to get a tune out of Mario Balotelli stored up problems that would take his successor, Jürgen Klopp, years to unpick.

Even so, the Rodgers brand – allied to an exhaustive attention to detail and phenomenal workrate – had powered him from the park pitches of Reading to the very cusp of the title. And yet what has been interesting over the past few years is that the more success has come his way, first at Celtic and then at Leicester, the less pronounced that persona seems to be.

Occasionally he still succumbs to his own bombast. The story Rodgers told at Celtic about a Rangers fan getting out of his car in the Clyde Tunnel to thank him for bringing “a breath of fresh air” to Scottish football almost certainly did not happen. But by and large he’s surer these days, more confident, more relaxed. He now has a body of work that advocates for him more persuasively than he ever could.

Seven trophies out of seven with Celtic. Taking Leicester to the cusp of the Champions League. A track record of improving players. And now an FA Cup final and a chance to write his name into Leicester legend. Perhaps the biggest tribute you could pay to Rodgers as a coach is that he may finally be as good as he was always telling us he was.

Edited 15 May 2021 by Buce

[DJ Barry Hammond]

As much as I’d like to take the positives from that FIFA simulation article where we win 3-2 AET, it does suggest our first goal came from a corner 😞

[coolhandfox]

22 minutes ago, DJ Barry Hammond said:

As much as I’d like to take the positives from that FIFA simulation article where we win 3-2 AET, it does suggest our first goal came from a corner 😞

Well we did score from a corner on midweek!

[davieG]

https://www.itsroundanditswhite.co.uk/articles/why-fa-cup-glory-would-cap-off-an-incredible-few-years-for-leicester-city-and-brendan-rodgers

 

FA CUP
Why FA Cup glory would cap off an incredible few years for Leicester City and Brendan Rodgers
By Simon Hahn
Saturday 15th May 2021

Brendan Rodgers' Leicester City are on the up, with an FA Cup triumph the perfect way to prove that.Brendan Rodgers' Leicester City are on the up, with an FA Cup triumph the perfect way to prove that.
Background image: Rob,  CC BY-NC 420

It has been a very different season for everyone across football, but we arrive at FA Cup final weekend with a thrilling contest set to take place between Leicester City and Chelsea. The sides will face off at Wembley on Saturday with fans once again inside the famous stadium following a successful return during last month's Carabao Cup final.

Leicester City’s rise to the Premier League title in 2015 was nothing short of remarkable. However, the work of Brendan Rodgers since his arrival has been equally impressive, transforming the club into regular top four contenders. However, to date, they have no silverware to show for it. 

Leicester City's season petered away at just the wrong time 12 months ago, as they missed out on a Champions League spot to Manchester United on the final day of the season. This year has been a similar story for the Foxes. In recent months, Leicester have threatened to throw away a top four spot that at one point looked a certainty.

This was highlighted by their recent shock 4-2 defeat at home to struggling Newcastle United. However, Rodgers' side fought back with an excellent win on Tuesday at Old Trafford to keep Champions League qualification in their own hands.  Despite their recent drop in form, Leicester have still won four of their last six games in all competitions, leaving them within touching distance of a return to Europe's biggest competition.

The club's progression under Rodgers is clear to see, but a cup triumph should not be underestimated. With the exception of the Premier League crown, it has been over 20 years since they have won a major trophy. Saturday will be the Foxes' fifth appearance in the FA Cup final. They are yet to lift it.

Leicester will fancy their chances against Chelsea, as opposed to the other potential finalist, Manchester City, but it will still be an extremely tough task. The Blues head into the cup final as not only the form team in England, but also across Europe. Under Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea have enjoyed a huge upturn in results, with the German leading his new team to two cup finals while they're also firmly in the top four race.

    
For Rodgers, lifting the FA Cup would be a huge moment in what has been a successful managerial career already. The Northern Irishman arrived from Celtic having won virtually everything in sight north of the border for three years. While Leicester have progressed under his tutelage, the 48-year-old is still yet to win a major trophy as a manager away from Celtic Park.

It was a similar story during his time at Anfield where Rodgers took Liverpool to the verge of multiple trophies but failed to capture any. While his success at Celtic shouldn’t be disregarded, it would be a huge achievement to lift a major trophy in England.

The main man for Leicester in this year’s run to the FA Cup final has been Kelechi Iheanacho, who for much of his career he has been used as a backup striker. The Nigerian's six years in the Premier League have seen him rack up more than 20 league appearances in each campaign, but this is the first term that Iheanacho has reached double figures of goals.

In the FA Cup, Iheanacho has played in all five of Leicester's games en-route to the final, including grabbing the winner in the last 16 and semi-final ties, while he scored two of their three goals in the last eight 3-1 victory at home to Manchester United.  For much of this season, the 24-year-old has been partnered up-front with Jamie Vardy and the pair will need to be at their best against a Chelsea side with the second best defensive record in the Premier League.

It's a tough ask for this Leicester side, but it is arguably as important as a top-four place for the club. While it won’t bring the riches of a Champions League berth, nothing beats lining the trophy cabinet with silverware. Many saw Leicester's 2016 title win as a fluke, while their success under Rodgers has been anything but. An FA Cup final success would cap off an incredible few years for both the club and the manager.

[davieG]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9584067/Arsenal-icon-Ian-Wright-admits-jealousy-watching-Leicesters-owner-joyously-celebrating-Wembley.html

 

As Ian Wright watched the Leicester team celebrating joyously with their owner on the Wembley turf, the Arsenal legend's frustration with his former club only grew.

The Foxes lifted the FA Cup on Saturday through a 1-0 victory over favourites Chelsea, with Kasper Schmeichel bringing chairman Top Srivaddhanaprabha onto the field after the final whistle to parade the trophy in front of the 20,000 crowd. 

Top's father, the man who sparked the Leicester fairytale, Vichai, died in a helicopter crash back in 2018. The emotion in north-west London again demonstrated the Foxes' unique bond between the pitch, terrace and boardroom. 

Leicester chairman Top Srivaddhanaprabha joined the Wembley FA Cup final celebrations 

Ian Wright (far left) looked down on the celebrations and could only think of his own club 

 

'I tell you what, look at him with the players, with the manager,' Wright said, reacting to the celebrations on the BBC. 

'The jealousy I feel, knowing an owner can be like that… honestly, it breaks my heart.

'I'm absolutely delighted for Leicester and him. Magnificent, magnificent. Brilliant.'

It's a different story at the Emirates. There will be no celebrations for Arsenal this season, and certainly none arm-in-arm with Stan Kroenke any time soon. 

While Leicester have powered into the top-four fight and continued to develop rapidly as a club, the Gunners have slipped to mid-table. The once-great institution now lies in ninth, with European qualification of any kind now all-but off the table.   

Leicester players' reaction to the Foxes chairman showed their gratitude for what he's brought

 

The European Super League betrayal has brought fans' frustrations with the Kroenke's to new heights, demanding the Americans walk. Spotify founder Daniel Ek is plotting to rescue the club with a takeover attempt, but the Swede's first bid was rejected. 

'I'm with the fans, I'd like the Kroenke's out', Wright added on Match of the Day amid the Super League fallout. 

'Josh Kroenke has already said they're not going anywhere so now it's up to the Government to try and make the kind of change to these owners, which for me has to have fan involvement. 

'We can't carry on like this, we can't have owners like that. They're invisible to us.'

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/reaction-leicester-city-fa-cup-5421180

 

Duke of Cambridge: What an incredible #FACupFinal victory, @LCFC!

Congratulations to Leicester and @ChelseaFC on a great match, and to all the fans at Wembley for creating a fantastic atmosphere

 

James Corden: I’m so happy for every @LCFC fan. Every player. They are a brilliantly-run football club. From top to bottom. These scenes are what the European Super League wanted to destroy. This is a victory for football fans and the hope that lives inside all of us. Congratulations Leicester.

 

Leonardo Ulloa: Congratulations @LCFC.

Peter Schmeichel: Congrats, very very proud.

 

Harry Maguire: Vichai will be smiling. Congratulations @LCFC.

 

Gary Lineker: What a day. Can’t believe that it’s finally happened. Congratulations to everyone at @lcfc. Sorry if I lost it somewhat but it might be the only time it ever happens. Woohoo.

 

Dion Dublin: Congratulations @LCFC. So so happy for you ALL!! @EmiratesFACup. WINNERS at last! Owners, Manager, Staff, Players and most importantly....... FANS!

 

Liam Gallagher: Amazing, absolutely incredible.

 

Vicente Iborra: Congratulations @LCFC Vichay’s family, players, employers, fans, club, city..you deserv it!! #winners #facup2021

 

Danny Simpson: I’m so emotional right now. What a performance from the boys. Every single 1 of them deserve it, what a job Brendan has done and I’ve never been happier for @Wes5L1nk

Piers Morgan: The @LCFC dream goes on... thrilled for a team that doesn’t have the money of so many rivals (including Arsenal, if we still qualify as rivals!) but have so much more hunger, desire and team spirit. Especially chuffed for @vardy7 - great player, great guy, great heart.

 

Ant and Dec: Congratulations @LCFC. So jealous but happy for you! Enjoy every single second of it. D

#LeicesterCity #FACup