The definitive list of King Power / John Rudkin c**k ups.

[AKCJ]

I'm sure I'm not the only person who gets asked what has actually gone so badly wrong at the club and it's difficult to be able to provide a good answer so I propose we club together to put all of our reasons of our downfall into one succinct post.

 

I'll add a few off the top of my head to get the ball rolling but otherwise fire away and I'll add to the list.

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

• Sold our best player and thought we could replace him before the window shut. Missed the deadline to sign Adrien Silva by 14 seconds.
• Went from Rodgers to Smith to Maresca to Cooper to Van Nistelrooy with each manager being completely different to the last.
• Refused to pay the £14m fee for Ademola Lookman. One year later he's nominated for the Balon d'Or.
• Promised a review of the failings that resulted in our relegation in 2023 yet no outcome is shared with the fans.
• £25 million pounds for Oliver Skipp.
• No transfer funds made available despite being in 18th position.
• Invited the entire nation of Thailand to celebrate winning a division we shouldn't have been in with actual fans shafted.
• Over £130m worth of players in Tielemans, Soyuncu, Amartey, Evans and Perez being left to walk for free.
• Allowed Schmeichel to leave in the summer of 2022 and did not replace him, basically relegating us that season.
• Arranged for a pre-season friendly against Spurs in monsoon season in Thailand. The game was inevitably rained off, and Spurs couldn't reschedule so a behind-closed-doors friendly against a Thai team (Port FC) had to hastily be arranged.
• Iheanacho missed a vital Europa League game against Warsaw (that we ended up losing) because the club couldn't correctly organise his passport.
• Banning a large number of supporters for little to no reason.
• Putting multiple obstacles in UFS's path despite the fact their only objective is to support the team.
• £25 tax on supporters who want a physical season card as opposed to an e-ticket.
• The scandal with BC Game and the fact the board are doubling down on their decision to take their money.
• The out of control wage bills crippling the club. Examples like £100k a week for Connor Coady.
• We all watched as Jannik Vestergaard wasn't anywhere near good enough in the Premier League only to give him a deal that will keep him here until he's 35.
• Turning down a "substantial offer" for Kasey McAteer from Sunderland when he's out of favour and would represent 'pure profit' in terms of PSR.
• Rejecting an offer for Daniel Iversen in 2023 from Crystal Palace for £4m. He's played 0 times for us since then and will leave for nothing in the summer.
• Failed to agree a break cause in January for Odsonne Edouard's loan from Palace, despite the fact that we previously loaned out Luke Thomas to a Prem club (Sheff United) and let them have a clause to terminate in January, so were perfectly aware that it was a thing and might be a good idea.

Edited 28 February by AKCJ

[ClaphamFox]

• Allowed Schmeichel to leave in the summer of 2022 and did not replace him, basically relegating us that season.

[westernpark]

11 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

I'm sure I'm not the only person who gets asked what has actually gone so badly wrong at the club and it's difficult to be able to provide a good answer so I propose we club together to put all of our reasons of our downfall into one succinct post.

 

I'll add a few off the top of my head to get the ball rolling but otherwise fire away and I'll add to the list.

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

• Sold our best player and thought we could replace him before the window shut. Missed the deadline to sign Adrien Silva by 14 seconds.
• Went from Rodgers to Smith to Maresca to Cooper to Van Nistelrooy with each manager being completely different to the last.
• Refused to pay the £14m fee for Ademola Lookman. One year later he's nominated for the Balon d'Or.
• Promised a review of the failings that resulted in our relegation in 2023 yet no outcome is shared with the fans.
• £25 million pounds for Oliver Skipp.
• No transfer funds made available despite being in 18th position.
• Invited the entire nation of Thailand to celebrate winning a division we shouldn't have been in with actual fans shafted.
• Over £130m worth of players in Tielemans, Soyuncu, Amartey, Evans and Perez being left to walk for free.

I think the Lookman fee was under 10 million.

[HarryDee8]

I asked AI and this is what it came back with::

 

Jon Rudkin, as Leicester City's Director of Football, has faced criticism for several perceived missteps during his tenure. While some decisions involve collective responsibility, his role places him at the center of key operational areas. Below is a structured overview of the criticisms and reported issues linked to his leadership:

---

**1. Managerial Instability**

- **Controversial Sackings**: Claudio Ranieri’s dismissal in 2017, less than a year after the Premier League title win, drew backlash. Similarly, Craig Shakespeare’s short tenure (2017) and Claude Puel’s mixed results (2018–2019) raised questions about long-term planning.
- **Brendan Rodgers’ Exit**: Despite initial success (FA Cup win in 2021), relations reportedly soured over transfer disagreements, culminating in a poor 2022–23 season and Rodgers’ dismissal.
- **Relegation Gamble**: Appointing Dean Smith in 2023 failed to prevent relegation, seen as a reactive move lacking strategic foresight.

---

 

**2. Transfer Market Struggles**
- **High-Profile Flops**: Signings like Islam Slimani (£28m), Ahmed Musa (£16m), and Adrien Silva (whose registration error left him ineligible for months) underperformed. Jannik Vestergaard (2021) and Boubakary Soumaré (2021) also struggled.
- **Failure to Replace Key Departures**: Inadequate recruitment after selling stars like Riyad Mahrez, Harry Maguire, and Wesley Fofana left squad gaps.
- **Late-Window Activity**: Frequent last-minute signings (e.g., Ryan Bennett in 2020) led to unbalanced squads.

---

 

 **3. Contract Mismanagement**
- **Key Players Leaving for Free**: Youri Tielemans and Çağlar Söyüncü departed on free transfers after contract delays. Jonny Evans and others followed, weakening the squad.
- **Wage Structure Issues**: High wages for underperformers (e.g., Vestergaard) strained finances, contributing to FFP breaches.

---

 

 **4. Financial Fair Play (FFP) Breaches**
- Leicester faced Premier League charges in 2023 for alleged FFP violations, linked to overspending on transfers and wages despite declining revenue post-relegation.

---

 **5. Training Ground Delays**
- The £100m Seagrave training complex, inaugurated in 2021, faced criticism for delays and budget overruns, impacting infrastructure development.

---

**6. Youth Academy Shortcomings**
- Limited integration of academy products into the first team, despite investment. Luke Thomas and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are exceptions, but overall output has been sparse.

---

 **7. Communication and Relations**
- Reported tensions with managers over transfer targets (e.g., Rodgers’ frustration with lack of reinforcements in 2022–23). Ranieri’s sacking was allegedly influenced by boardroom disagreements.

---

**8. Relegation (2022–23)**
- A culmination of poor squad planning, managerial turnover, and financial strain led to relegation, ending a decade-long top-flight stay.

---

 **Contextual Notes**
- Successes like the Premier League title and FA Cup win are part of Rudkin’s legacy, but critiques focus on post-2016 decline.
- Many decisions involve collective ownership (e.g., King Power leadership), but Rudkin’s role as football operations head makes him a focal point for accountability.

While not all issues are solely his responsibility, these points highlight challenges during his tenure that fans and critics have attributed to his leadership.

[Tuna]

Iheanacho visa issue Kelechi Iheanacho forced to fly back to UK after being refused entry into Poland for Leicester's clash with Legia Warsaw | The Sun

 

Summer 2023 Thailand tour fiasco (washed out game)

[StanSP]

Would cheap release clauses count? Kante comes to mind. 

 

 

As for expensive or wasteful signings/absurd contracts:

Kapustka

Golding 

Soumare on 80k?

Vestergaard extension 

Ayew/Reid

Cannon

Perez

 

 

Dishonest to managers - says there is money to spend, but managers haven't been able to all the time? 

Bloated wages in general

Ticketing - £25 plastic card charge

Treatment of fans by stewards 

Inability to work productively with fan groups (UFS mainly) 

[South Shire Fox]

Telling Rodgers on the first day of pre season we couldnt spend any money after letting him talk to potential signings all pre season. Telling Maresca and Ruud when he joined that there was money available in january for bringing in a few players but lying.

[Tuna]

1 minute ago, StanSP said:

As for expensive or wasteful signings/absurd contracts:

Kapustka

Golding 

Soumare on 80k?

Vestergaard extension 

Ayew/Reid

Cannon

Perez

benkovic

[splinterdream]

Not selling Kacey McAteer when an offer came from Sunderland in January despite him having 6 months left on his contract 

 

Signing Rodgers on a massive contract with no get out clause such as, if we sack you duemto poor performance and you take another job, your contract is dissolved, or stepped contract based on European finishes, top half, bottom half.

Edited 28 February by splinterdream

[AKCJ]

Oops.

Edited 28 February by AKCJ

[Staff]

1 minute ago, Tuna said:

benkovic

Eduoard 

Skipp

Ward

Ghezzal

Daka

 

[AKCJ]

Just now, splinterdream said:

Not selling Kacey McAteer when an offer came from Sunderland in January despite him having 6 months left on his contract 

He's got longer than 6 months left to be fair (signed new deal last season until 2028) but yeah.

 

[Tuna]

Rejecting an offer for Iversen summer 2023; now leaving on a free

[lfu]

37 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

Arranged for a pre-season friendly in monsoon season in Thailand. Eventually the game was played in front of a handful of people.

Slight correction: the game against Tottenham was rained off, and Spurs couldn't reschedule so a behind-closed-doors friendly against a Thai team (Port FC) had to hastily be arranged. Then nobody knew what was happening because Port posted on their social media to advertise the match then deleted the posts and said it was "on hold", because they initially said fans who had tickets to the Spurs game could attend the Port game, only to realise that local licensing laws prohibited spectators for such a hastily-put-together fixture 😂

[Chelmofox]

13 minutes ago, splinterdream said:

Not selling Kacey McAteer when an offer came from Sunderland in January despite him having 6 months left on his contract 

 

Signing Rodgers on a massive contract with no get out clause such as, if we sack you duemto poor performance and you take another job, your contract is dissolved, or stepped contract based on European finishes, top half, bottom half.

In fairness, it was a loan with an obligation, and Sunderland are going to have to get through the play offs. 

 

If it was a direct sale i think it would have been stupid to not do it, by i appreciate why we didn't (although Kasey hasnt featured since!)

[Danizen]

17 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Would cheap release clauses count? Kante comes to mind. 

 

 

As for expensive or wasteful signings/absurd contracts:

Kapustka

Golding 

Soumare on 80k?

Vestergaard extension 

Ayew/Reid

Cannon

Perez

 

 

Dishonest to managers - says there is money to spend, but managers haven't been able to all the time? 

Bloated wages in general

Ticketing - £25 plastic card charge

Treatment of fans by stewards 

Inability to work productively with fan groups (UFS mainly) 

Slight mitigation for the Kante release clause.  He didn't really want to come and would have preferred to stay in France (I think Marseille were interested). 

[Phil Mitchell]

That Singapore cup/friendlies a week or so before the championship season started because he thought we’d stay up

Edited 28 February by Phil Mitchell

[CH1_Fox]

Having years to find a striker to replace Vardy but him still playing 90 minutes every week at the age of 38

[Phil Mitchell]

Stefano sensi, another parody sketch

[BillyFOX12]

• Allowed Schmeichel to leave in the summer of 2022 and did not replace him, basically relegating us that season.

Has anyone been following his season at Celtic? He’s still class!

[SpacedX]

30 minutes ago, StanSP said:

 

Kapustka

 

In fairness, Ranieri was instrumental in this signing and the main impetus behind it. 

[StanSP]

Didn't we reject pure profit for Thomas as well in January? 

[Patrick]

His failures following the title win are often overlooked. In summer 2016 the club signed Musa, Slimani, Kapustka and Hernandez. That is absolutely shocking when considering they had Champions League football as a selling point and the magnitude of what the club just achieved.

Edited 28 February by Patrick

[Tommy Fresh]

6 minutes ago, SpacedX said:

In fairness, Ranieri was instrumental in this signing and the main impetus behind it. 

Him and Benkovic were decent punts and you can see why we did with both

[splinterdream]

33 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

He's got longer than 6 months left to be fair (signed new deal last season until 2028) but yeah.

 

Uh? Everyone saying he only got 6 months, that's weird.

 

He should be starting then because we need to incorporate these players for next season now

Edited 28 February by splinterdream