Is this the worse it’s ever been?

[1969]

6 hours ago, LCFCJohn said:

For me, we are heading into the darkest era this club has had. We may have had worse on the face of it on the pitch (such as 2005-2008 when eventually relegated). And of course, administration which is round the corner again. But as others have said, context. Pound for pound, the transfer fees spent, the wages paid out to these players, this is next level stuff. It’s not about just expectations from where we were a few years ago, it’s the actually cost associated with this squad.

 

And I have seen a few posts further up this thread that elude to the ‘little old Leicester’ mentality. Those who have referenced this being our level. No. We have the record for number of second tier titles won and our history indicates a relatively equal (weighted a bit more to second tier) balance between seasons in the top flight and second tier. Our natural position has never been in the bottom half of the second tier. That has been in our worse eras, again, 2005-2008. 
 

This is a list of our 10 lowest finishes in the pyramid. I think it is accurate but pulling it together did show that we don’t have to worry about AI taking over just yet!

 

 

1️⃣ 2008–09

• League One (Tier 3) – 1st

• Overall position: 45th

• Lowest point in club history (despite promotion)

---

2️⃣ 2007–08

• Championship – 22nd (bottom)

• Overall position: 44th

• Relegated to League One

---

3️⃣ 2006–07

• Championship – 20th

• Overall position: 42nd

• Relegation fight season

---

4️⃣ 2005–06

• Championship – 16th

• Overall position: 38th

• Start of the prolonged decline

---

5️⃣ 2000–01

• First Division (Tier 2) – 20th (22-team league)

• Overall position: 42nd

• Very poor season after Premier League relegation

---

6️⃣ 1990–91

• Second Division (Tier 2) – 19th (22 teams)

• Overall position: 41st

---

7️⃣ 1987–88

• Second Division – 18th

• Overall position: 40th

---

8️⃣ 1983–84

• Second Division – 18th

• Overall position: 40th

---

9️⃣ 1977–78

• Second Division – 18th

• Overall position: 40th

---

🔟 1968–69

• Second Division – 17th

• Overall position: 39th

 

After yesterday, we sit 34th by this measure of the overall pyramid. 
 

The detachment between the club and fans and lack of light at the end of the tunnel is also like nothing I have ever experienced (supporter since around 2002 when admin happened but was only 8 then).

I think most of those are wrong?

[Phil Mitchell]

In terms of football on display, we’ve seen far worse in terms of technical ability but when it comes to passion and effort? Snakes belly levels.

 

I can get behind your Ryan mcgiverns and Josh lows if they’re busting a bollock at least, this lot just don’t care full stop. Try so hard to stay interested but on and off the pitch they really keep testing the shit out of me. Phil

[LCFCJohn]

1 minute ago, 1969 said:

I think most of those are wrong?

Go on then? I can’t speak to the 1960’s etc but the top batch from the mid 00’s look correct definitely.

[The Horse's Mouth]

Mid noughties was worse, but I’ll say I think we’ll get to a similar standard within a couple of years at the trajectory we’re on

[Pliskin]

6 minutes ago, Phil Mitchell said:

In terms of football on display, we’ve seen far worse in terms of technical ability but when it comes to passion and effort? Snakes belly levels.

 

I can get behind your Ryan mcgiverns and Josh lows if they’re busting a bollock at least, this lot just don’t care full stop. Try so hard to stay interested but on and off the pitch they really keep testing the shit out of me. Phil

This is it.

[Pliskin]

4 minutes ago, The Horse's Mouth said:

Mid noughties was worse, but I’ll say I think we’ll get to a similar standard within a couple of years at the trajectory we’re on

In what way though? We were a modest club then, now we’re not, so how can being shit when you’re modest be worse that when you’ve had it all and lost it? It doesn’t make sense….

Edited 27 December 2025 by Pliskin

[The Horse's Mouth]

1 minute ago, Pliskin said:

In what way though? We were a modest club then, now we’re not, so how can being shit when you’re modest be worse that when you’ve had it all and lost it? It doesn’t make sense….

The question is, is this the worse it’s ever been and instead of elvis hammond we have Abdul Fatawu so yeah it’s clearly not as bad as back then. 

[ALC Fox]

When things are going so wrong off the pitch, you need players to give absolutely everything on it.

 

During the slide into League One and the seasons before it, we had a few that looked like they couldn't give a damn but most of them - despite being limited - looked like they were trying.

 

This is levels below that in how committed some of our players look. Some clearly do. But when players have checked out, they become far less than the sum of their parts. Transport some of these into a confident team with a top manager and they'll fly. But right now it's horrible.

 

The players need to take responsibility for the things they can. We need a character from somewhere who can drag these players up. I thought James was that guy and he continues to deliver but maybe one voice is too few, especially from a young player.

 

We need a Wes Morgan, Steve Howard, Kasper Schmeichel type of character. Leads by example. Uncompromising in standards. Never wilts and brings players up to their level.

 

With potentially James being the only one of those in our squad, I imagine his voice is being drowned out among the cacophony of weak-willed mediocrity.

 

Talent-wise, this isn't the worst it's been. But.it could quite possibly be the meekest, most cowardly squad I've witnessed at the club.

[Derby Blue]

David Pleat 1990/91 was shocking. We would have been relegated to the 3rd tier for the first time in our history if there were 3 teams going down - it was reduced to only 2 relegation places season. In the final week we were 2nd from bottom, a win at home to Oxford saved us, and West Brom went down.

[iancognito]

I think we're seeing now exactly what that helicopter crash meant for this club. Aiyawatt doesn't have desire or the nous of someone like a Mandaric to arrest the decline. He's never here, has appointed inexperienced non-football people to intervene and doesn't have the cash to rebuild. The worst it's been? Definitely. And we ain't hit the bottom yet.

[1969]

17 minutes ago, LCFCJohn said:

Go on then? I can’t speak to the 1960’s etc but the top batch from the mid 00’s look correct definitely.

I don’t have time to go through them all but as an  example 1968/69 we were relegated from the top tier and the same in 1977/78? Don’t trust A.l. 😬

[Footballwipe]

1 minute ago, 1969 said:

I don’t have time to go through them all but as an  example 1968/69 we were relegated from the top tier and the same in 1977/78? Don’t trust A.l. 😬

And in 2006/07 we finished 19th, not 20th.

 

Are the "overall positions" supposed to be where we are in the pyramid, too, cos if they are some of them are just plain basic wrong.

 

If people insist on putting AI slop on FoxesTalk, can they at least take a few seconds to verify it before posting incorrect shit.

[splinterdream]

I was a ST holder until the levein/Kelly era and just didn't think the players looked that bothered so didn't renew, that all felt a little hopeless 

[sm1]

Considering the money we've pissed up the wall along with the gravity of our downfall (PL title, 2 top 5 finishes, FA cup, quarter final CL and semi final Europa), this is way worse then anything in the past. Unfortunately we've got more to fall under Topkin. 

[Pliskin]

28 minutes ago, The Horse's Mouth said:

The question is, is this the worse it’s ever been and instead of elvis hammond we have Abdul Fatawu so yeah it’s clearly not as bad as back then. 

This isn’t what people are arguing…… 

 

This is the whole picture, we’re not talking players specifically….

 

Let’s take a look back……..

Pre Nigel and KP, we were clinging onto the coattails of the MON, era, which was our golden period prior to the last decade…. We were no powerhouses then, besides the characters within the team, but we were a modest football club, we hadn’t really got much in terms of finances, and post MON it all fell apart, because it was his group of misfits and mavericks that made a difference. Other than that, we were a modest operation….. flirted with a bit of success here or there, but largely bounced around the divisions…. So, it was always a real possibility that we would eventually run into some hideous form, because that’s what we were, we were a turd with a fairly modest stadium…. But other than the league cup, and a few promotions there wasn’t much differentiating us from teams around us at this level…..

 

Now it’s completely different…… now we’re a club with a major history, we’ve completed the impossible, and tickled the balls of the biggest clubs, and beaten them at their own game…. In doing so we’ve raised funds that only some clubs could dream of….. so, to now find ourselves back in the championship, and looking like we’re on the verge of going down again, given the context is unforgivable…..

 

Some fans talk about entitlement, that’s not the case, it’s about functioning normally within your means, we’ve sacrificed a team of people that knew what they were doing, for what? We’ve an owner who’s ****ing useless, who speaks of reconnecting with the fans, and throws some cuddly toys into the crowd and then ****s off to Thailand to play pony polo….. and offers nothing more….. and owner who rather stage a PR stunt than actually solve problems….. a man who lets the only decent member of his boardroom to leave, whilst his favourite trolley boy is left to maintain the operations…. This same trolley boy who tossed a hand grenade into the finance department brought PSR charges upon us, and then never once took ownership for his and his mates hideous mistakes.

 

It can’t be ignored that this football club has generated close to £600m…. Close half a billion quid has Passed through the clubs accounts, and we’re breaching PSR? The fact is in this context we shouldn’t be here, we should be competing to get into Europe, competing with the likes of Brighton, Bournemouth, Spurs and co…. But instead we are now a million miles away from the like of Forest, and now ****ing Coventry……. 
 

This is not a tale of “liccle Leicestah Citeh” popping back into their box…. This is the product of catastrophically bad leadership that’s eroded the club to the point of returning to minnow status, despite winning the jackpot on the lottery. 
 

It’s inexcusable no argument can make this situation appear any better….. so yes this is the worst it’s been, because we had it all and have managed to lose it, lose it when the likes of Beighron, Bournemouth, Fulham, Brentford and even Forest, Sunderland, and now potentially Coventry are striding ahead…..

 

This is potentially the start of our darkest period, not because we’re victims of circumstance, we’re victims of our own negligence and incompetence.

Edited 27 December 2025 by Pliskin

[splinterdream]

3 minutes ago, sm1 said:

Considering the money we've pissed up the wall along with the gravity of our downfall (PL title, 2 top 5 finishes, FA cup, quarter final CL and semi final Europa), this is way worse then anything in the past. Unfortunately we've got more to fall under Topkin. 

It looks that way but we just don't know, should we survive this season we may go and bring in some quality players in the summer but the mood music is not good. Aiyawatt is not a leader, and worse with his upbringing he may have opinions on us fans and our place that we may not like, he may not understand how important the fans are 

[Golden Fox]

For me, this is very similar to that first season down under Micky Adams: we'd recently come off a period we'd shown we could compete (then, it was 4 top 10 finishes and 2 league cups), gone down once and bounced back, and despite another relegation, it felt like we should be bouncing back, and on paper, the squad should have been good enough.

 

But it just didn't happen. The side got worse, and the crowds dropped away. I particularly remember gettxing into an argument with the people behind me after an awful performance, the Longerhan goal, and an anaemic Bank holiday weekend 1-0 defeat to a poor Brighton side.

 

It was so frustrating as we went from expecting to be getting back to the Premier League to slowly accepting our new level.

 

To me, they are pretty much identical situations. Couldn't pick which was worse.

[Sunbury Fox]

7 hours ago, LCFCJohn said:

For me, we are heading into the darkest era this club has had. We may have had worse on the face of it on the pitch (such as 2005-2008 when eventually relegated). And of course, administration which is round the corner again. But as others have said, context. Pound for pound, the transfer fees spent, the wages paid out to these players, this is next level stuff. It’s not about just expectations from where we were a few years ago, it’s the actually cost associated with this squad.

 

And I have seen a few posts further up this thread that elude to the ‘little old Leicester’ mentality. Those who have referenced this being our level. No. We have the record for number of second tier titles won and our history indicates a relatively equal (weighted a bit more to second tier) balance between seasons in the top flight and second tier. Our natural position has never been in the bottom half of the second tier. That has been in our worse eras, again, 2005-2008. 
 

This is a list of our 10 lowest finishes in the pyramid. I think it is accurate but pulling it together did show that we don’t have to worry about AI taking over just yet!

 

 

1️⃣ 2008–09

• League One (Tier 3) – 1st

• Overall position: 45th

• Lowest point in club history (despite promotion)

---

2️⃣ 2007–08

• Championship – 22nd (bottom)

• Overall position: 44th

• Relegated to League One

---

3️⃣ 2006–07

• Championship – 20th

• Overall position: 42nd

• Relegation fight season

---

4️⃣ 2005–06

• Championship – 16th

• Overall position: 38th

• Start of the prolonged decline

---

5️⃣ 2000–01

• First Division (Tier 2) – 20th (22-team league)

• Overall position: 42nd

• Very poor season after Premier League relegation

---

6️⃣ 1990–91

• Second Division (Tier 2) – 19th (22 teams)

• Overall position: 41st

---

7️⃣ 1987–88

• Second Division – 18th

• Overall position: 40th

---

8️⃣ 1983–84

• Second Division – 18th

• Overall position: 40th

---

9️⃣ 1977–78

• Second Division – 18th

• Overall position: 40th

---

🔟 1968–69

• Second Division – 17th

• Overall position: 39th

 

After yesterday, we sit 34th by this measure of the overall pyramid. 
 

The detachment between the club and fans and lack of light at the end of the tunnel is also like nothing I have ever experienced (supporter since around 2002 when admin happened but was only 8 then).

Pedant alert!! We didn't finish bottom in 2007/08. We finished 22nd in a 24 team league. We actually managed 52 points - not sure we'll get many more than that this season after the points deduction. 

Edited 27 December 2025 by Sunbury Fox

[LCFCJohn]

1 minute ago, Sunbury Fox said:

Pedant alert!! We didn't finish bottom in 2007/08. We finished 22nd in a 24 team league. We actually managed 52 points - not sure we'll get many more than that this season after the points deduction. 

I’m not sure why it said bottom actually but I should have removed that. I think it was confused with 22 team leagues in the past . But yes I was away we were third bottom that season. I just wanted to gauge what a bad finish in the context of our history looked like and I think it makes the point even if the were a couple of inaccuracies. The overall position for that season is correct.

[justfoxes]

Since Administration and going down to League 1 possibly !!

 

pipes said on RL Sport that the team is far too nice Ricardo is a real gentleman but what we need is a Walsh kind of Captain who’ll scream and shout at the players to sort the schitt out !

 

We can’t go on like this giving games and points away, the team as a collective need to Pull up their big boy pants and deliver a competitive fighting to the last whistle kind of spirit before we have crawled our way back up that table, hearing on Talksport on way home last night the odd COV fan take the pi55 out of Leicesters poor form which is a bit of a pill to swallow but we need Top to sort this Schitty Bull💩 out and tidy up the mess he and Rudkin have left us with !!

[ashbyj]

How much will we have for the transfer market next season should we miraculously survive and offload some of the deadwood?

[The Horse's Mouth]

11 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

This isn’t what people are arguing…… 

 

This is the whole picture, we’re not talking players specifically….

 

Let’s take a look back……..

Pre Nigel and KP, we were clinging onto the coattails of the MON, era, which was our golden period prior to the last decade…. We were no powerhouses then, besides the characters within the team, but we were a modest football club, we hadn’t really got much in terms of finances, and post MON it all fell apart, because it was his group of misfits and mavericks that made a difference. Other than that, we were a modest operation….. flirted with a bit of success here or there, but largely bounced around the divisions…. So, it was always a real possibility that we would eventually run into some hideous form, because that’s what we were, we were a turd with a fairly modest stadium…. But other than the league cup, and a few promotions there wasn’t much differentiating us from teams around us at this level…..

 

Now it’s completely different…… now we’re a club with a major history, we’ve completed the impossible, and tickled the balls of the biggest clubs, and beaten them at their own game…. In doing so we’ve raised funds that only some clubs could dream of….. so, to now find ourselves back in the championship, and looking like we’re on the verge of going down again, given the context is unforgivable…..

 

Some fans talk about entitlement, that’s not the case, it’s about functioning normally within your means, we’ve sacrificed a team of people that knew what they were doing, for what? We’ve an owner who’s ****ing useless, who speaks of reconnecting with the fans, and throws some cuddly toys into the crowd and then ****s off to Thailand to play pony polo….. and offers nothing more….. and owner who rather stage a PR stunt than actually solve problems….. a ma who lets the only decent member of his boardroom to leave, whilst his favourite trolley boy is left to maintain the operations…. This same trolley boy who tossed a hand grenade into the finance department brought PSR charges upon us, and then never once took ownership for his and his mates hideous mistakes.

 

It can’t be ignored that this football club has generated close to £600m…. Close half a billion quid has Passed through the clubs accounts, and we’re breaching PSR? The fact is in this context we shouldn’t be here, we should be competing to get into Europe, competing with the likes of Brighton, Bournemouth, Spurs and co…. But instead we are now a million miles away from the like of Forest, and now ****ing Coventry……. 
 

This is not a tale of “liccle Leicestah Citeh” popping back into their box…. This is the product of catastrophically bad leadership that’s eroded the club to the point of returning to minnow status, despite winning the jackpot on the lottery. 
 

It’s inexcusable no argument can make this situation appear any better….. so yes this is the worst it’s been, because we had it all and have managed to lose it, lose it when the likes of Beighron, Bournemouth, Fulham, Brentford and even Forest, Sunderland, and now potentially Coventry are striding ahead…..

 

This is potentially the start of our darkest period, not because we’re victims of circumstance, we’re victims of our own negligence and incompetence.

Thinking we were a powerhouse because we competed with the big boys for 2-3 seasons is delusional I hate to tell you. Also saying we should be competing with spurs is hilarious as well. You’re right we should’ve stayed in the league and the relegation was inexcusable but that was 3 years ago now not really the situation we’re talking about now.

Post MON the club went from a league cup win to being almost insolvent and needed the city almost to come together to save the club and then a few years later we’d end up in the worst position in our history, not really comparable to the facts now.

Facts are Tops mismanagement at this stage haven’t got us near that stage, yet. Wouldn’t rule it out in a couple of seasons but ultimately if he wants to keep us he will start cutting the cloth accordingly especially when then parachute payments dry up.

 
Also if we were to be in a position of administration again were by far a more attractive proposition before in a time where foreign investment in the game has never been higher.

 

 

 

 

[MC Prussian]

In the end, it all boils down to a distinctive lack of leadership, both on and off the pitch. And a lack of tactical and transfer nous.

Jordan James could be our very own Stevie G (I do hope we activate the transfer clause, because JJ is class).

Other than that, Ricardo – the last reminder of glorious times past – would be our most experienced player right now, but is he truly captain material?

 

I'll second everyone on here who's wishing for players that tell it how it is – I'm craving for identification figures, local lads, heroes, players with potential, players that take pride in donning the shirt.

And that our current team as well as the coaching staff come across as "too nice".

 

To me, this would also mean settling for a spine of 5 to 6 or even 6 to 7 English players in the starting line-up . Right now, the average is about 4 to 5.

Because in its core, communication is the key for a successful team effort, and as a logical consequence, you need more homegrown players to achieve that goal.

 

And we ought build on that, using long-term planning – trouble is, I don't see any planning whatsover. Pretty much every decision at the club these days is extremely short-sighted.

Which brings my argument full-circle.

 

[OriginalRobboFOX]

Just need to redouble our efforts…

[doubledeckerderek]

As a team/squad, no…the 2005 - 2008 group of players just about take that indictment and the 1977-78 group were heading that way before Big Jock turned things around quickly.  But as a club, for me (supporting us since 1964), it is the worst and we’ve not yet reached rock bottom.  Each generation of  board members/owners had its fair share of ****wits and grifters, but there was always one or two (Martin George, Tom Smeaton, John Elson, even Terry Shipman [learning from his Dad who was the real deal as an astute football operator]) who knew how running a football club in this country works, even if they couldn’t or wouldn’t provide any serious personal financial support, so there was hope that the right pick for the next right manager would see an upturn in our fortunes.

 

But the current ownership and operational management have shown consistently for at least the last 5 years that they are incompetent, ethically dubious, tin-eared and indifferent to their most important stakeholders (the fans) and unfit to be trusted with running a club in which literally hundreds of thousands of people (ok..low hundreds of thousands) are so emotionally invested.  I don’t even give Aiyawatt credit for the financial support; it’s his Dad’s money and the conversions of debt to equity were simply re-arranging numbers on the Balance Sheet, rather than a sign of tangible personal support and commitment, because the debt was never recoverable this side of a sale of the club, and if it is now sold still as a going concern, he will be paid for his shares, rather than having the debt repaid.

 

Sadly, I too can’t see things improving before the club goes into Administration, at which point Aiyawatt and his cronies will have to **** off and we then have the chance to start again, from the bottom of the pyramid if needs be.  If the ground and Seagrave are owned by separate entities, so be it.  That particular poison pill has been tried many times before by various delinquent football owners but it’s rarely ended well for them, and it has not stopped clubs emerging from Administration with a viable infrastructure - albeit sometimes after a period of transition.  And if that is what the cretins who currently own and run the club have in mind, good luck with the negotiations with the egg-chasers who would be the only same use potential purchaser, or the Council who would have riots on their hands if they granted planning permission for a change of use to allow commercial development or some other non-sporting use.

 

Hopefully the rising tide of anger amongst the fans will eventually get through to our absentee owner in his Bangkok penthouse or wherever he hangs out these days, and he’ll decide its just not worth the hassle, and will cut his losses and sell up.  Any new owners would be an unknown quantity, and might turn out to be bad as this lot, but they might not, whereas it’s a cast-iron certainty that if the owners don’t change, neither will our downwards trajectory.

Edited 27 December 2025 by doubledeckerderek