Next Manager

[davieG]

https://filbertway.com/2025/06/14/richie-wellens-shares-insights-in-exclusive-leicester-fan-channel-interview/

Richie Wellens Shares Insights in Exclusive Leicester Fan Channel Interview
es

A special and sensational interview broke yesterday on a Leicester fan channel named The Final Whistle. Richie Wellens makes a wonderful insight in his route so far as player and manager.

The interview is well built up by the presenter. Taking it as an easy talk from start. This softly gives Richie Wellens the belief that this is quality. Of course it is.

The Final Whistle have done a number of former player interviews, all very interesting listening to. You get a very good insight both from the interviewer and those being interviewed. However, this talk with Richie Wellens is one of the best.

Listening to every word coming from Richie Wellens, you really appreciate his honesty. His straightforward answers show who he is. Richie Wellens has been a successful manager at several lower league clubs. He led Leyton Orient to the League One play-offs this season, which is a bit sensational.

His season at Leyton Orient was one to remember, despite losing the play-off final to Charlton. Just three days before, he participated in a Leicester All Star Game. He was the captain at an event at the Anstay Nomads ground.

To get former players live on these channels are lovely tv. Great balancing of the questions creates a good connection and atmosphere. Players looks to appreciate that effort.

Richie Wellens is in the run for the Leicester job, being 20/1 at this point. Another brilliant Leicester manager, Jimmy Bloomfield, came from Leyton Orient. Wellens has experienced various environments with a fantastic winning mentality. Notably, he spent his younger days among Man Utd icons. He also shared another story. It was about experiencing a rapid learning curve of the opposite type while in charge of Oldham Athletic.

Looking at his former managers at Leicester, Sven Goran Eriksson and Nigel Pearson are two iconic people in football. These two and also having Sir Alex Ferguson as a mentor, makes Richie Wellens a special man in management.

 

Richie Wellens talks about his brief time with Jamie Vardy. He shared his story and his perspective on the player. He also made a talk about the best players he played with. Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Eric Cantona are mentioned. He played alongside Steven Gerrard in the England U.18 team.

 

Richie Wellens should not be faulted. His background provides a strong foundation. His ambition is to climb into management at a Championship club. Admitting he will not let such a chance go away if it happened.

It’s great listening to this interview. Getting such honest and thorough answers from someone who has been around icons of the game. Richie Wellens of course have a great understanding of LCFC. He is part of the club’s recent history and have been at the club with the current ownership.

 

This is one candidate in the manager search at Leicester to have a good look at. Let’s see what happens next. If he is to be approached. This interview will be a solid one, regarding fans relations, just wonderfull.

A fresh and fantastic interview done with a special man in football, loved it. It’s nice to have these chats during a challenging time for the club. The recent relegation is still on our minds.

Final words from Richie Wellens, Keep On Smiling, maybe we will do it with him in charge, who knows.

For good entertaining Leicester content, The Final Whistle, is for certain a You Tube channel to look up.

 

 

I think the person who wrote this also did the interview

 

[TheFiveTime]

i'm on the train that looking across his career, wellens hasnt done enough to warrant a job at the top end of the champ yet - dont think we would consider if he hadnt played for us

[FrankieADZ]

1 minute ago, TheFiveTime said:

i'm on the train that looking across his career, wellens hasnt done enough to warrant a job at the top end of the champ yet - dont think we would consider if he hadnt played for us

tbf you could say that about a number of managers tbf

 

 

[OntarioFox]

2 minutes ago, TheFiveTime said:

i'm on the train that looking across his career, wellens hasnt done enough to warrant a job at the top end of the champ yet - dont think we would consider if he hadnt played for us

Interestingly he admitted that himself during the interview. He did sound like he'd love to manage us one day, but said in his own words we might be 'too big for him' at this point.

 

Was surprising to hear, but honestly he sung Pearson's praises throughout and it was pretty obvious Nigel's management style has influenced his own. Now's probably not the right time if he wouldn't be confident taking the role, but if he does continue to develop and manages to, say, get and keep Orient up, I'd say he's worth giving a chance.

[Claudio Fannieri]

5 minutes ago, OntarioFox said:

Interestingly he admitted that himself during the interview. He did sound like he'd love to manage us one day, but said in his own words we might be 'too big for him' at this point.

 

Was surprising to hear, but honestly he sung Pearson's praises throughout and it was pretty obvious Nigel's management style has influenced his own. Now's probably not the right time if he wouldn't be confident taking the role, but if he does continue to develop and manages to, say, get and keep Orient up, I'd say he's worth giving a chance.

I actually think now is the perfect time, if he takes another role at  a championship club say like a Bristol City, then there is a risk we will miss the opportunity. 
 

We are a big club but he is a big personality and we no longer have the big name players so it’s a squad he is well capable of man managing. I accept there still some ego’s at the club but again i think he has the ability to manage these issues if required. 

[TheFiveTime]

8 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

I actually think now is the perfect time, if he takes another role at  a championship club say like a Bristol City, then there is a risk we will miss the opportunity. 
 

We are a big club but he is a big personality and we no longer have the big name players so it’s a squad he is well capable of man managing. I accept there still some ego’s at the club but again i think he has the ability to manage these issues if required. 

Ok Richie...

[DezFox]

1 hour ago, Adster said:

Of course he wouldn't. Fan bias once more. This example is why fans in the boardroom would be a terrible idea.

You could always have the right fans in there. 
 

Let be honest, it may well be because he is an ex player but with a promotion and a nearly promotion that punch well above their weight. He has more right then carrick, cleverly etc. 

Edited 15 June 2025 by DezFox

[Claudio Fannieri]

9 minutes ago, TheFiveTime said:

Ok Richie...

😂 No worries Dychey let’s connect 👍🏼

[Foxdiamond]

Putting aside Wellens is a former Leicester player what about other candidates from League One. For example Dave Challinor doing a very good job at Stockport 

[LCFCJohn]

57 minutes ago, OntarioFox said:

Interestingly he admitted that himself during the interview. He did sound like he'd love to manage us one day, but said in his own words we might be 'too big for him' at this point.

 

Was surprising to hear, but honestly he sung Pearson's praises throughout and it was pretty obvious Nigel's management style has influenced his own. Now's probably not the right time if he wouldn't be confident taking the role, but if he does continue to develop and manages to, say, get and keep Orient up, I'd say he's worth giving a chance.

If he got and kept Orient up, you’re talking a couple of years. They will probably be competing in the same area of table as us by then if that was the case and he will have better offers by then.

 

Sometimes you have to identify and get in there and let a young player or manager develop with you.

[dmayne7]

1 hour ago, Adster said:

Of course he wouldn't. Fan bias once more. This example is why fans in the boardroom would be a terrible idea.

The same Richie Wellens who's time at the club spawned the phrase 'i blame Wellens'. If there was a bias, it will be against him, not for him. Not as unpopular as some of the current bunch, but certainly not a fan favourite.

 

Yes he has had some jobs where things didn't pan out but he's also done a couple of excellent jobs. He's still a young manager but also pretty experienced. Personally think he'd be a much more interesting candidate than any others we've been linked with.

[OntarioFox]

43 minutes ago, LCFCJohn said:

If he got and kept Orient up, you’re talking a couple of years. They will probably be competing in the same area of table as us by then if that was the case and he will have better offers by then.

 

Sometimes you have to identify and get in there and let a young player or manager develop with you.

Yeah that's the problem really. We need the Pearson-style rebuild NOW. Two years from now the rot will have us swapping divisions with Orient, if not sooner, at which point if he's done well it's a step down.

 

I get the feeling he means what he says, in which case I would question if he's ready to come to a club in our bracket by his own admission. He was certainly honest in the interview about Kingy being the reason he didn't score more for us. 

Edited 15 June 2025 by OntarioFox

[LeePhilpottsBaldSpot]

2 hours ago, teblin said:

Would wellens even be mentioned if he didn’t play for us? 

It's not like we have a history for it.

 

Unless forgetting somebody obvious, I think the only manager in my lifetime who played for us was Rob Kelly (and both his playing and managing stints were pretty brief).

 

It's far from the most important characteristic needed, but maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to appoint somebody with ties / affinity to the club.

[Claudio Fannieri]

54 minutes ago, LCFCJohn said:

If he got and kept Orient up, you’re talking a couple of years. They will probably be competing in the same area of table as us by then if that was the case and he will have better offers by then.

 

Sometimes you have to identify and get in there and let a young player or manager develop with you.

Absolutely great post 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[Foxdiamond]

17 minutes ago, LeePhilpottsBaldSpot said:

It's not like we have a history for it.

 

Unless forgetting somebody obvious, I think the only manager in my lifetime who played for us was Rob Kelly (and both his playing and managing stints were pretty brief).

 

It's far from the most important characteristic needed, but maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to appoint somebody with ties / affinity to the club.

As an old bloke full time managers that were ex players for us apart from Kelly were McLintock ( very good player but awful as manager) and Matt Gilles. 

[kingfox]

2 hours ago, davieG said:

https://filbertway.com/2025/06/14/richie-wellens-shares-insights-in-exclusive-leicester-fan-channel-interview/

Richie Wellens Shares Insights in Exclusive Leicester Fan Channel Interview
es

A special and sensational interview broke yesterday on a Leicester fan channel named The Final Whistle. Richie Wellens makes a wonderful insight in his route so far as player and manager.

The interview is well built up by the presenter. Taking it as an easy talk from start. This softly gives Richie Wellens the belief that this is quality. Of course it is.

The Final Whistle have done a number of former player interviews, all very interesting listening to. You get a very good insight both from the interviewer and those being interviewed. However, this talk with Richie Wellens is one of the best.

Listening to every word coming from Richie Wellens, you really appreciate his honesty. His straightforward answers show who he is. Richie Wellens has been a successful manager at several lower league clubs. He led Leyton Orient to the League One play-offs this season, which is a bit sensational.

His season at Leyton Orient was one to remember, despite losing the play-off final to Charlton. Just three days before, he participated in a Leicester All Star Game. He was the captain at an event at the Anstay Nomads ground.

To get former players live on these channels are lovely tv. Great balancing of the questions creates a good connection and atmosphere. Players looks to appreciate that effort.

Richie Wellens is in the run for the Leicester job, being 20/1 at this point. Another brilliant Leicester manager, Jimmy Bloomfield, came from Leyton Orient. Wellens has experienced various environments with a fantastic winning mentality. Notably, he spent his younger days among Man Utd icons. He also shared another story. It was about experiencing a rapid learning curve of the opposite type while in charge of Oldham Athletic.

Looking at his former managers at Leicester, Sven Goran Eriksson and Nigel Pearson are two iconic people in football. These two and also having Sir Alex Ferguson as a mentor, makes Richie Wellens a special man in management.

 

Richie Wellens talks about his brief time with Jamie Vardy. He shared his story and his perspective on the player. He also made a talk about the best players he played with. Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Eric Cantona are mentioned. He played alongside Steven Gerrard in the England U.18 team.

 

Richie Wellens should not be faulted. His background provides a strong foundation. His ambition is to climb into management at a Championship club. Admitting he will not let such a chance go away if it happened.

It’s great listening to this interview. Getting such honest and thorough answers from someone who has been around icons of the game. Richie Wellens of course have a great understanding of LCFC. He is part of the club’s recent history and have been at the club with the current ownership.

 

This is one candidate in the manager search at Leicester to have a good look at. Let’s see what happens next. If he is to be approached. This interview will be a solid one, regarding fans relations, just wonderfull.

A fresh and fantastic interview done with a special man in football, loved it. It’s nice to have these chats during a challenging time for the club. The recent relegation is still on our minds.

Final words from Richie Wellens, Keep On Smiling, maybe we will do it with him in charge, who knows.

For good entertaining Leicester content, The Final Whistle, is for certain a You Tube channel to look up.

 

 

I think the person who wrote this also did the interview

 

I watched that interview last night, when asked about the Leicester job, he went into detail on how he felt he’s earned the right to step up into Championship management. He also said at this moment in time, that joining a lower Championship club with lesser expectations, would probably be more of a wise step for him. If Leicester came calling, I don’t think he’d hesitate at the prospect of becoming Leicester manager, but maybe somewhere like QPR, Preston teams of that ilk would be a better step for him at this moment in time. 
 

You’d put Wellens in the same category as the likes of Muslic, Cleverley, Selles. The potential is there with all four of them, but look at where two of them have ended up, Schalke are now lower half in Bundesliga 2 and Cleverley has ended up at Plymouth in League 1. Even though I’ve advocated for Cleverley and Selles, and completely get why some fans would advocate for Wellens, but have they done enough to warrant a job like Leicester City? Deep down, I’d have to say no. 

[Brizzle Fox]

2 hours ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

I actually think now is the perfect time, if he takes another role at  a championship club say like a Bristol City, then there is a risk we will miss the opportunity. 
 

We are a big club but he is a big personality and we no longer have the big name players so it’s a squad he is well capable of man managing. I accept there still some ego’s at the club but again i think he has the ability to manage these issues if required. 

I think the Bristol job is between Edwards and Struber.

 

If City are looking lower leagues someone like Challinor would be a better bet I suspect,  but I very much doubt we'll go down that route.

[Trav Le Bleu]

21 minutes ago, kingfox said:

I watched that interview last night, when asked about the Leicester job, he went into detail on how he felt he’s earned the right to step up into Championship management. He also said at this moment in time, that joining a lower Championship club with lesser expectations, would probably be more of a wise step for him. If Leicester came calling, I don’t think he’d hesitate at the prospect of becoming Leicester manager, but maybe somewhere like QPR, Preston teams of that ilk would be a better step for him at this moment in time. 
 

You’d put Wellens in the same category as the likes of Muslic, Cleverley, Selles. The potential is there with all four of them, but look at where two of them have ended up, Schalke are now lower half in Bundesliga 2 and Cleverley has ended up at Plymouth in League 1. Even though I’ve advocated for Cleverley and Selles, and completely get why some fans would advocate for Wellens, but have they done enough to warrant a job like Leicester City? Deep down, I’d have to say no. 

Only the elite managers come with a track record of constant success. 

 

We're never going to get a proven elite manager, even if we were still in the EPL, so we have to try one of two things. Take a manager who has had success at some point in their career, or take a manager with the potential of being an elite manager. Obviously we went with the second in Enzo, last time in the Champ, but both ways have inherent risk.

 

The third ways is competent, steady, won't get you relegated, but I don't think any of us want that.

[Uncle Monty]

I'd give it one game before someone blames Wellens.

[filbertway]

All I've learned from catching up on this thread is that the love that kingfox has for Dyche is probably only bested by the love that Babs had for Rudkin

 

[davieG]

Brian Little came from Darlington having got them promoted. Of course we were a much 'smaller' club, by reputation then floundering at the bottom of the 2nd tier although who knows where we're headed now.

[murphy]

4 hours ago, TheFiveTime said:

i'm on the train that looking across his career, wellens hasnt done enough to warrant a job at the top end of the champ yet - dont think we would consider if he hadnt played for us

I wouldn't discount him for that.  When I was growing up we had Brian Little from Darlington and O'Neill from Wycombe and Peter Taylor from Gillingham....(well two out of three ain't bad).

 

We're back where we were now, with not very attractive options wherever you look.  I think a punt on an up and coming manager might be worth the risk.  You might just unearth a gem whereas settling for mediocrity will get you just that.

[kingfox]

35 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Only the elite managers come with a track record of constant success. 

 

We're never going to get a proven elite manager, even if we were still in the EPL, so we have to try one of two things. Take a manager who has had success at some point in their career, or take a manager with the potential of being an elite manager. Obviously we went with the second in Enzo, last time in the Champ, but both ways have inherent risk.

 

The third ways is competent, steady, won't get you relegated, but I don't think any of us want that.

As underwhelming as they are, there’s a reason why the likes of Russell Martin and Sean Dyche get mentioned, because they’ve earned their stripes to warrant the Leicester job, while the likes of Wellens, Cleverley, Selles, Muslic quite haven’t. 
 

I mentioned QPR as a possible destination for Wellens, but at this current time, he isn’t even in the conversation for their job. If reports are correct, they are opting for Julien Stephan who has pedigree in a top five league. Wellens might not even get a move this summer, but if he stayed at Orient and got them into the play-off mix again, realistically I could see him jumping to a lower half Championship club who end up sacking their manager, just like Bloomfield did going to Luton for example. 
 

Taking a gamble on someone like Wellens, Selles would be intriguing imo, but realistically despite a possible points deduction, our aspirations will at least be play-offs. 
 

Yes, we took a gamble on Maresca, but getting the assistant of the best manager in football, is more enticing than getting someone like Wellens or Selles, who’s best work have both come in League 1. 
 

When I advocated for Cleverley the other week, @Lambert09 made a great point to me. View things in a way in terms of our rivals, if Ipswich or Southampton for example appointed Wellens or Cleverley would you be fearful? Probably not. 
 

And just look at Southampton for example, they’ve hired an exciting young up-and-coming coach in Will Still who did a solid job in a European top five league. 
 

That’s why you have to put managers in certain brackets. The likes of Still and Rohl have done enough to warrant the jump to a job like Leicester City, Southampton, Ipswich. While the likes of Wellens, Cleverley, Selles and Muslic just haven’t quite earned their right yet. 

[DezFox]

1 hour ago, Brizzle Fox said:

I think the Bristol job is between Edwards and Struber.

 

If City are looking lower leagues someone like Challinor would be a better bet I suspect,  but I very much doubt we'll go down that route.

We won’t but I would take him 100% its in lower leagues, yes, but he also has a team relative to that. If he has played a premier league level as a player could he have had the opportunity to have achieved a similar record a level higher. Perhaps. 
 

7 promotions, thats pretty crazy if you consider multiple teams, whatever level you are at. 
 

 

[LcFc_Smiv]

25 minutes ago, DezFox said:

We won’t but I would take him 100% its in lower leagues, yes, but he also has a team relative to that. If he has played a premier league level as a player could he have had the opportunity to have achieved a similar record a level higher. Perhaps. 
 

7 promotions, thats pretty crazy if you consider multiple teams, whatever level you are at. 
 

 

The issue for me isn't whether he's a good manager or not, but the environment you are taking him from and putting him into. He would be going from, what is with all due respect in comparison a small club, with a relatively small coaching staff and multidisciplinary support staff to a club that has as many staff in each individual department. Rather than everyone reporting to you, you are working alongside numerous heads of departments who have likely been there long before you and will be there after you have gone. Everything you try and bring in standards wise isn't just across a playing squad of 25 players, and small group of staff you see across the training ground in your day, your trying to implement that across an organisation at a facility that is huge, trying to set and maintain standards across people who you may not come across unless you go looking for on a daily basis. 

 

It's a big jump, and if you do it i feel like the club and fan base has to be accepting that an appointment like that would be given time to make meaningful change and the club would have to go all in on supporting it. You can't bring a Challinor or Wellens into the building to build something but allow the players a direct line to Rudkin or Tops ear. This is why I don't think that kind of appointment is on the cards.