Jamie Vardy - Goodbye to our GOAT

[AjcW]

I've lost track of what side Percy is on to be honest, he's felt quite protective of Rudkin at times in recent months. That piece feels very much on behalf of Ruud!

[StanSP]

1 hour ago, Foxmeister said:

I wonder if he’ll play in the, very unlikely, scenario that Man City are relegated next week and Bournemouth becomes a must win game?

There's not a chance we find out any time soon what Man City's punishment is. At least not before start of next season. 

[Hales]

Would love to see Kasper, Albrighton, Wes etc back with Shinji, James and Drinkwater and obviously Kingy!

[mucfox]

 

Today I wanted to buy the Matchday Magazine for Jamie Vardy last game in the LCFC shop. The magazine costs £4, but the club charges £25 for postage to Munich, which is unfortunately too expensive. Maybe there is someone among the FoxesTalk users who could buy the magazine for me on Sunday and also has the time to send me the magazine to Munich for a real postage and bonus. I would be very happy about a PM. Thank you

 

 

 

[Loxm98]

People who don’t love football will never understand.
How a game can lift you. How a player can change your life.
Jamie Vardy did that for me.
He gave me joy on my worst days.
He made me scream, cry, believe, feel something real.
Through every goal and every celebration he gave us everything.

He didn’t just play for Leicester. He was Leicester.
The magic. The madness.
He made life a little happier.

And now it’s the end.
One last 90. One last party.
There’ll never be another Jamie Vardy.

Thank you for everything, number 9. 💙🦊

[fazzyfox]

On 15/05/2025 at 15:28, Kinowe Soorie said:

Let’s hope his appearances are correct and not been miscalculated 

I.think they should check it so I’ve just emailed the club statistician Kwasi Kwarteng 

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

15 hours ago, goose2010 said:

Couldnt have put it better myself John 

 

 

I don’t suppose anyone can post the text to this?

 

With all the official social media content coming out about this they are clearly wanting to use this to distract from discontent. It’s to us tomorrow to give Vardy a great send off but also make our voices heard about the shitshow.

Edited 17 May 2025 by Wasyls Pec Deck

[CosbehFox]

16 hours ago, AjcW said:

I've lost track of what side Percy is on to be honest, he's felt quite protective of Rudkin at times in recent months. That piece feels very much on behalf of Ruud!

Most of his stuff comes from Vardy. 

[Dames]

17 hours ago, goose2010 said:

Couldnt have put it better myself John 

 

 

This reads as if the club are forcing our best striker to miss the last game of the season because they are scared of a few boo’s at full time? Could we be even more unprofessionally run?

 

Interesting that Percy makes the point about financials too which a lot of people were mocking me for yesterday… 

Edited 17 May 2025 by Dames

[Raj]

1 hour ago, Dames said:

This reads as if the club are forcing our best striker to miss the last game of the season because they are scared of a few boo’s at full time? Could we be even more unprofessionally run?

 

Interesting that Percy makes the point about financials too which a lot of people were mocking me for yesterday… 

I would have thought Vardy missing the Bournemouth  games makes it MORE viable that the rest of the losers get a resounding  and well deserved Booing from the travelling fans?

 

We all know that the timing of Vardys farewell from City is to deflect from the vitriolic  abuse they would otherwise( and justly so)have received tomorrow.

The Vardy farewell just deflects all that.

 

Clever PR for a change from lcfc

[blue army 1988]

1 hour ago, Dames said:

This reads as if the club are forcing our best striker to miss the last game of the season because they are scared of a few boo’s at full time? Could we be even more unprofessionally run?

 

Interesting that Percy makes the point about financials too which a lot of people were mocking me for yesterday… 

Don't worry about people mocking you on here.

People mocked me for saying RVN had no "proper" football experience and wouldn't do well.

Even saw someone who had previously called me an idiot for my view, post saying that he new we would be in this position. The urge to find the post and screenshot it back to him was strong 😂

 

Regarding your post, I don't think A, the club would push him out or B, any plan to go out would be any one else's apart from Vardys.

He loves the club and wants to go out on a high in front of the home fans

[Mark_w]

 

Loving his profile in the History section, I reckon it's just about paid off

[StanSP]

The Tyler interview is brilliant.

[moore_94]

Photos from his last training session

 

Edited 17 May 2025 by moore_94

[moore_94]

[moore_94]

[moore_94]

[moore_94]

[HankMarvin]

Jamie Vardy’s farewell party a convenient distraction from Leicester’s rudderless decline

Club legend’s final appearance on Sunday will deflect attention from ‘s---show’ season and worrying sense of uncertainty about the future

John Percy16 May 2025 2:47pm BST

Jamie Vardy, bought by Leicester for £1m from Fleetwood in 2012, won the Premier League and FA Cup and scored 199 goals for the club Credit: Getty Images

Jamie Vardy will wave farewell to Leicester City this weekend and his departure serves as a brutal reminder of how far the club have fallen.

Vardy has rescued Leicester on so many occasions and will be at it again on Sunday, saving the club from a potentially toxic atmosphere over a season he has branded a “s---show”.

The final game for Leicester’s greatest-ever player, against another relegated club in Ipswich Town, promises to be an emotional and poignant afternoon. He has been present to help deliver a multitude of memories, including a Premier League title, FA Cup, magical European nights and 199 goals.

If there is to be a glorious end to this fairy tale, Vardy, 38, will score his 200th goal at King Power Stadium in his 500th, and final, match for the club.

There is little doubt that his goodbye comes at a very convenient time for owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha and Jon Rudkin, the club’s director of football. On Sunday the full focus will be on the club’s greatest-ever player – as it should be – and all the problems from a nightmarish campaign will be briefly pushed aside.

Yet as Leicester prepare for a future in the Championship without their £1 million legend, so many questions remain unanswered.

Nearly four weeks after the club’s relegation was confirmed, there has been no public statement on how they intend to bounce back.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, the head coach, is still waiting for clarity on what his future holds. He was unable to prevent relegation and, despite encouraging signs in recent weeks, the expectation is still that he will leave.

For a club whose communication from the boardroom to managers has often been poor, this is no way to treat a Premier League legend. Regardless of his record. Van Nistelrooy is in complete limbo. He presented his vision for the club’s future early last month, before relegation was even confirmed.

In those talks, he outlined how he envisaged reshaping the squad with a list of potential signings. He also highlighted the strength of the club’s academy, and how talented teenagers such as Jeremy Monga and Jake Evans will be key players in the future. Since that day, there has been silence. Van Nistelrooy has no idea whether he will remain in charge for next season.

Ruud van Nistelrooy is still unclear about whether he will be manager next seasonCredit: Getty Images/Joe Prior

With so much uncertainty, the club are drifting. Worryingly for Van Nistelrooy, players available on free transfers are already slipping through his fingers.

He said on Friday: “There is no news on this [my future] to bring and when there is, I will let you know. I said five or six weeks ago that it needed to be the sooner the better.

“It’s visible in performance and points, and goals scored and conceded, that we have improved. We can’t take away the disappointment of relegation, but I’m happy with how the players have been performing. We want to finish the season as well as we can.”

This weekend, many players and staff members from the memorable Premier League title-winning season of 2015-16 will be present. Danny Drinkwater, Shinji Okazaki and Matty James are confirmed attendees, while Nigel Pearson – the manager who signed Vardy from Fleetwood in May 2012 – is also expected to be there.

Many of them will be pained by what has unfolded over the past few years: two relegations in three seasons, declining standards and a poor culture in place of one that was once a huge source of pride.

Leicester City’s 2016 Premier League triumph seems like a lifetime ago Credit: Reuters/John Clifton

Fans are demanding change but not expecting it. The threat of apathy replacing anger should be a serious concern for Leicester’s board.

Externally, there will be tired accusations of entitlement and that Leicester’s relegation is the cycle of football. Those accusations completely miss the point. Leicester seized their shot at glory, and then squandered it.

Going into this weekend, fans’ group Union FS issued a statement claiming that plans for a Tifo dedicated to Vardy had been blocked by the club. Leicester are rumoured to be honouring Vardy by using an external agency. “Tifo by fans, not hired hands” was the title of the Union FS statement.

What is next for Vardy? He will fly out for a family holiday early next week and has been excused from Leicester’s final game at Bournemouth.

The difference between finishing 18th and 19th is worth almost £3 million, with Ipswich facing West Ham at home on the last day. Leicester will go above Ipswich this weekend with a win.

Yet Van Nistelrooy will go into the Bournemouth match without his leading scorer, as Leicester and Ipswich fight for the dubious honour of finishing third from bottom. Vardy was always going to bid farewell on his own terms. But his absence next weekend still feels rather odd.

Next season he will be watching from afar, perhaps in the Premier League, and the big question is what happens next for the club he taught to dream.

Leicester’s Ben Nelson in Chelsea’s sights

Chelsea are interested in signing Leicester City’s highly rated defender Ben Nelson.

The 21-year-old is being tracked by a number of Premier League clubs and has just completed a successful season-long loan spell in the Championship with Oxford United.

Despite being out for four months because of injury, Nelson made a huge impression while out on loan. In fact, Chelsea were considering making a move for him in the January transfer window before he suffered a thigh problem that required surgery and ruled him out until March.

Nelson was given his first-team debut at Leicester last season by Enzo Maresca who is now, of course, Chelsea’s head coach and continues to admire the centre-back, who has so far played for England up to Under-20 level.

In February 2024, Maresca described Nelson as the “ideal” defender, adding: “He’s quick. He can play right or left – it’s perfect.”

He made eight appearances for Leicester that season, with Maresca saying he had the potential to become a “big-club player – no doubt”.

At that time Maresca revealed there was interest in Nelson from other clubs.

Ben Nelson’s performances for Oxford United left Chelsea considering a January move Credit: Getty Images/Ryan Hiscott

Chelsea are in the market to strengthen in central defence and Nelson would fit the mould of a promising young player they can further develop. The Leicester academy graduate would also count as home-grown.

Following the end of his loan spell at Oxford and with Leicester having been relegated to the Championship, the plan is to integrate Nelson into the first team for next season.

However, given the significant Premier League interest in him, led by Chelsea, it may be difficult for them to hold on to Nelson. It remains to be seen what kind of fee he would command, but he has already been tipped as a future England international and has been likened, in playing style and ability on the ball, to John Stones.

Leicester have cashed in on players in previous summers and not least last season, when they sold Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea for £30 million.

There is also the question of what kind of financial pressure Leicester will be under because of their relegation and the ongoing uncertainty as to whether they will face a profitability and sustainability rules charge from the EFL, having returned from the Premier League.

There is, therefore, the expectation that the club will be interested in selling players this summer, although they may prefer to move on more expensive and more highly paid established first-teamers.

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[VLC86]

Shocked it’s his final session even if he’s not playing next week.

[moore_94]

 

[coolhandfox]

59 minutes ago, VLC86 said:

Shocked it’s his final session even if he’s not playing next week.

Not a lot of point training if you aren't playing again this season.

Edited 17 May 2025 by coolhandfox

[Dames]

15 hours ago, VLC86 said:

Shocked it’s his final session even if he’s not playing next week.

The Percy article says he will be on holiday next week…

[VLC86]

19 minutes ago, Dames said:

The Percy article says he will be on holiday next week…

I’ve just read that. 
 

I know it’s Vardy and he absolutely deserves to go out on his own terms, but I find that all to be quite bizarre if I’m honest. 

[hejammy]

39 minutes ago, VLC86 said:

I’ve just read that. 
 

I know it’s Vardy and he absolutely deserves to go out on his own terms, but I find that all to be quite bizarre if I’m honest. 

It's cheaper outside of the holidays and he's now got to budget as he won't be getting any more Rudkin contracts.