Top Statement

[moore_94]

https://www.lcfc.com/news/3494725/a-message-from-the-chairman?lang=en

 

Today we share the loss and the pain of relegation together.

 

But we will be back.

 

We started this incredible journey together back in 2010 when we came to Leicester City – a much loved Championship club with great tradition and such passionate fans. Back then, we held an ambition – an ambition to bring the Club back to the Premier League.

 

It was an ambition which took us four years to realise, as we steadily and deliberately built the Club up, investing in our playing squad, staff and infrastructure to make sure we were Premier League-ready. We had some setbacks, but we kept pushing together, believing that what we were building would eventually take us to where we wanted to be.

 

Promotion was only the start, and we went on to achieve things and share experiences together that nobody will ever forget. In our first season back in the top flight, everyone thought we were down, but we showed immense resilience and character to come back and produce one of the best recoveries the Premier League has ever seen. A year later, we’d completed an ascent nobody thought was possible – from relegation favourites to Premier League champions and one of the greatest sporting stories ever told.

 

We took Leicester City into the UEFA Champions League, giving our supporters those amazing Wednesday nights, under the lights in Porto, Brugge, Copenhagen, Seville and Madrid. We used the fruits of that success to keep reinvesting in the Club, strengthening our squad, improving the experience for our fans and starting plans for major projects like Seagrave and a stadium expansion that would give us long-term strength and growth.

 

In 2018, we shared the loss of my father, Khun Vichai, our late Chairman. It was the most painful experience for me and for my family, but the support and love we received from our Leicester City family made our bond even stronger. I made a commitment, as Chairman, to continuing to pursue the ambition my father and I shared for the Club, to ensure that the realisation of his vision for Leicester City would ultimately become his legacy.

 

Like many clubs, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic hit us hard. We lost revenue and had to adapt, but we continued to support the Club, continued to support our communities through an unprecedented period of hardship and continued to deliver success on the pitch. We broke into the top six, we returned to Europe, we launched LCFC Women, we lifted the FA Cup for the first time in our history, added the Community Shield and reached a European semi-final after more memorable nights in Moscow, Rennes, Eindhoven and Rome.

 

Of course, these milestones place our situation today into quite stark context, but I reference them to highlight the progress we have made as a Club in the last 13 years, which gives me confidence that we will build again. Relegation is undeniably a significant setback, but it will not define us.

 

This past season has been the most difficult for all of us to endure, ultimately resulting in relegation from the Premier League. We gave everything to turn it around yesterday and the atmosphere in the stadium after we’d gone in front and looked on course for survival was absolutely incredible. But relegation is a consequence of 38 games and over that period, we haven’t been good enough. Over the coming days and weeks, we need to reflect on the processes and decisions that have brought us to this point. What we learn from this experience must convert into action that makes us stronger and prevents this happening to us again in the future.

 

Today we share the loss and the pain together. But we will be back.

 

This responsibility that I continue to live is one of the greatest responsibilities in my life and I will continue to put everything into it – my passion, that of my family and the entire King Power community.

 

I have received a massive number of messages from our fans – both positive and negative. Some want me to sell the Club, some using offensive and thoughtless words, and some have been outright abusive.

 

But for every hurtful message I have received, I have also received messages of support, of appreciation, of unity – both remotely and from people I have met anonymously in public, who always come to say hello to me and to my family. It means a lot to us.

 

We want to thank you and let you know that we still have the same ambition for Leicester City that we had 13 years ago. The incredible support we had in our stadium yesterday, the positive messages we have received from our fans and the constructive comments we must take on-board – we will gather all this support and use it to power our recovery. Power to justify our fans’ belief in their Club. Power to take us back to the Premier League.

 

Next season is going to be tough, but it will be a year for collaboration and unity. We will come together and fight to return to the Premier League.

 

Thank you for your support.

Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha
Chairman

Edited 29 May 2023 by moore_94

[Munshi]

First thing he needs to do is sack Jon Rudkin. Maybe then we can start to look forwards.

[Ryy]

Yes he’s made some poor decisions and people are entitled to wanting him to sell etc but to abuse him just isn’t right imo

[Wymsey]

Just now, Nannypig7 said:

Yes he’s made some poor decisions and people are entitled to wanting him to sell etc but to abuse him just isn’t right imo

The latter probably by reading some of the comments in this forum..

[Bert]

It doesn’t sound the most inspiring of “we’ll be back” statements. 

[Saigon Fox]

Totally agree. Some outright willy pullers sending messages, and there are a few on here too. Yeah, he cocked up with Brendan but he's operating on plenty of credit. Give him a chance to put it right before lambasting. 

Edited 29 May 2023 by Saigon Fox

[Gamble92]

Genuinely thought Top had just put into an AI "what would  my dad say about what we have achieved for years and make them realise", until I read this absolute clanger. 

 

Thoughtless words? How about communicating with the club we ****ing love while we could all see it going to shit?

Edited 29 May 2023 by Gamble92

[Lambert09]

I’ll take it all with a pinch of salt until we start seeing heads rolling. 

[Paninistickers]

Just now, Bert said:

It doesn’t sound the most inspiring of “we’ll be back” statements. 

I agree. My gut feel is that that is a very troubling statement. 

[Unabomber]

Sounds like he’s used the statement to complain about some negative comments made towards him. Doesn’t relay positivity at all.

[frany104]

I took zero positivity from that statement. It just read like”be grateful for what we’ve achieved previously”. 
 

I don’t condone some of the abuse but he and the board deserve criticism. 
 

 

[Foxin_Mad]

Honestly who do our fans think is going to buy us and do a better job? Seriously, Mike Ashley? Mel Morris? Jesus wept. 

 

We all make errors in life, it's how we recover from them.

 

I'd say to Top, act decisively and quickly and we will be back. Don't dither, it's time for those who have failed in their roles to be sacked. Rudkin. 

[RoboFox]

That’s cool, man. Now start firing people.

[westernpark]

‘A much loved Championship club’ Is Aiyawatt saying you’re only back where you belong? 

[blueharmie]

Blah blah blah 

[Gamble92]

Just now, frany104 said:

I took zero positivity from that statement. It just read like”be grateful for what we’ve achieved previously”. 
 

I don’t condone some of the abuse but he and the board deserve criticism. 
 

 

Spot on 

[beepee1984]

Thoughts - This should have been released yesterday!

 

Is it not time we heard from the person responsible for the footballing decision? I have no problem with Top being the owner of our club if he has the right people in support and we have heard nothing from the person making the footballing decisions in 8 years! Why Not? Why the silence and secrecy?

[MPH]

 

no comment on financial commitment needed to get promoted again. We are going to have to spend SOME money to reassemble the squad.

[Guest Mee-9]

He didn't write that at all I doubt.

 

Yeah calling him offensive stuff isn't right, but telling him to sell the club isn't in the same breath. He needs to clear out. His decisions and lack of decision making has caused this mess. 

 

He's clueless, and he is his own man. Enough time has passed since the tragedy, and he's drove this club into the ground through mismanagement and placing his trust in the wrong people. 

 

I checked in the other thread, in September 2022 I criticised him calling him a poor and awful businessman who's letting his prize assets leave for nothing. Some of you gave me grief for that but I didn't cry or release a statement moaning. I could see this coming. Why couldn't he? 

 

Letting £50m assets and players leave for absolutely nothing is criminal and could have helped secure our financial future.

[MickeyMouse]

2 minutes ago, Bert said:

It doesn’t sound the most inspiring of “we’ll be back” statements. 

True, only solace is the honesty. Now waiting for some honestly from the players.

[K789]

After that statement I'm checking the odds fir back to back relegations

[MPH]

4 minutes ago, Gamble92 said:

Genuinely thought Top had just put into an AI "what would  my dad say about what we have achieved for years and make them realise", until I read this absolute clanger. 

 

Thoughtless words? How about communicating with the club we ****ing love while we could all see it going to shit?

 

there's been a few words shared like “ your Dad would be ashamed of you”  which is not what you say to someone still clearly grieving.

[ren]

‘Much loved championship club’ shows the attitude of us belonging down there isn’t just the opinion of some of our fans.

 

 Big difference of us being in the championship at the time of the takeover and us being a ‘championship club’.

 

KPFC yet again ignoring our past history.

Edited 29 May 2023 by ren

[KFS]

“Thoughtless comments”

 

are they? 

[leicesterlad1989]

Learnt nothing from that statement. More reflective on what we have achieved rather than what the plan is.