Toxic club - an inconvenient truth about our fans

[LeePhilpottsBaldSpot]

Yes - we’re shit. The board avoid accountability, plenty of players are bellends and the club is a mess. On top of that, the atmosphere online and in the ground has become properly toxic. I find this really quite sad because the club has pulled me out of some dark places in my life.

 

For about five years I've thought there are three warring camps at Leicester City:

 

• the board
• the players
• the fans

 

Each camp blames the other two and thinks they don’t need to change themselves - it's the other guys' fault. If they changed, we'd be fine. Each mindset feeds the spiral. Every 4 months we sack a manager as a sacrificial lamb, and the three camps continue. I'm not saying each camp is equally to blame - I'd say 50% board, 35% players, 15% fans. The maddening thing is that if any camp improved, the others would too - but no camp is willing to change.

 

Just look at this place: months/years of posting hate threads on Ayew (103 pages), Winks (171), Rowett (179), Kristiansen (49), King Power (338). Be honest - how much new is being said now? Will posting a 339th page find a billionaire to buy out King Power? Will a 172nd page on Harry Winks find a club to take on his wages. There’s already multiple negative threads about Russell Martin and the poor sod's been in post for about two days.

 

I’m not saying stop criticising, just that endlessly piling on the same targets creates a circle of toxicity that clearly hinders the club. We’re still Leicester City fans, and we’ve seen plenty of times when we've pulled out of dire situations with a bit of unity. I don't think it will happen when we're just relentlessly moaning - especially about things that can't be changed or players / managers that have already left the club.

 

This thread will probably die on its arse after a few laughing emojis and snippy replies, and maybe I'm wrong and that's the 'right' way to support the club these days. But personally, I’d rather try to reset the tone more to the club I fell in love with as a child than keep adding pages and pages to the same old hate threads.

 

Anyone else up for that?

Edited 5 hours ago by LeePhilpottsBaldSpot

[Mike Oxlong]

If you love the club I can’t see how you can clap and cheer what is the continuation of the same mistakes, ignorance and recklessness that are driving it into the ground. A reset is needed but that needs to be in the running of the club, then good things are more likely to follow. 

Edited 5 hours ago by Mike Oxlong

[OnlyOneCity]

Absolutely spot on. Excellent post. The toxicity levels have at times been quite evil, whether it’s wishing malevolence on Rudkin, Top or players, or the vicious spite aimed at other supporters young or old, who choose to support the team as best they can, but whose way is different to those delivering the vicious insults.

[LeePhilpottsBaldSpot]

11 minutes ago, Mike Oxlong said:

If you love the club I can’t see how you can clap and cheer what is the continuation of the same mistakes, ignorance and recklessness that are driving it into the ground. A reset is needed but that needs to be in the running of the club, then good things are more likely to follow. 

I've not said to clap and cheer, more not being one of the toxic elements contributing to the club I love.

 

Meanwhile, in the boardroom:

 

Quote

"If you love the club I can’t see how we can be expected to change the way we run it despite the same lapses in players' effort, and the same negativity from the stands that are dragging it into the ground. A reset is needed, but that needs to be in the attitude of the players and the behaviour of the fans - then good things are more likely to follow.

 

 

And in the players' WhatsApp chat:

 

Quote

If you love the club I can’t see how you can be expected to change our commitment to it despite the continuation of the same board mismanagement and the same pressure from the stands that are driving it into the ground. A reset is needed, but that needs to be in the running of the club - and in the way supporters treat the team - then good things are more likely to follow.
 

 

 

Edited 5 hours ago by LeePhilpottsBaldSpot

[FoxinNotts]

Fair play. I feel the same. I'm a cup half full kinda guy. 

Lets hope we've bottomed out now, and the only way is up.

 

With regards to the fans, this change in attitude has to be aided by the club.

Their needs to be a strategy put in place to rev the fans up, get them on side and get the passion back.

 

 

 

[Rubbersoul]

Whilst I agree with your points it’s an internet forum and nothing is happening. So there’s not much chance for any new discussions to happen. Plus people love to vent and shout into the void. 

 

Personally I’ve completely lost motivation & passion to talk about Leicester. I’m hoping it’s just because it’s the off season and not anything deeper 

[Foxin_Mad]

The thing is those who sit there and accept this and 'get behind' it are supporting this demise. I find this a little weird to be honest. What exactly are we getting behind? 

 

The real issue is, communication is from the club is desperately poor, people may have more sympathy if they levelled with us, tell us the truth of where we are at, the radio silence doesnt help. There is a lack of accountability at the club and this sets a poor culture, if the Football Operations Director is rewarded for 3 relegations with a promotion, what kind of message does this send to others? what culture will it cultivate? 

 

There is an obsessions with a football philosophy that plainly doesnt work, its given 3 relegations in 4 years. Yet instead of learning from mistakes the club doubles down and brings in another manager wedded to sideways and backwards football. .

 

We have wasted an endless amount of money on bad transfers that dont fit into the squad, yet the people who made those decisions are tasked with rebuilding the club and finding the right calibre of layer with the right attitude. Why after 4 years would that improve?

 

The club have chosen to take away the very thing that made this club great and won us the league, the underdog battling spirit, hard work, efficiency, gaining a competitve edge, a team that never quits, players with something to prove. We are now replacing that with players who think they are it, managers who think dominating the ball is more important than basic defending or scoring. Its an attitude led from the top, pretending to be something we arent and not even being very good at that. The basic issue stems to Tops loyalty to certain people, some people are plainly incompetent, they need to be removed. 

 

Nothing changes until something changes.

 

This was the perfect opportunity to reset and instead the club has basically given fans a massive V sign, paraded Rudkin around with his chum. I'm struggling to sympathise with anyone at the club. I live in hope that Martin proves me wrong but I dont see it. 

[LCFCJohn]

The fans just need something to get behind and be positive about.

 

The ownership/board ultimately have full control over the club. The players/manager can impact what happens on the pitch, basics of effort etc. All have a level of control to influence what is then delivered to the fans.

 

Fans are powerless. I know we like to say if we get behind them it will make all the difference and in principle yet. But we’ve seen it doesn’t really work with the type of players we sign. And it’s a limited power available anyway.

 

I’m not saying I agree with it being toxic. But also it’s a forum so people are just venting. 
 

As I say, the sooner we can have something to grasp from the club, something positive to work with the better.

[oldbluefox]

2 minutes ago, LCFCJohn said:

The fans just need something to get behind and be positive about.

 

The ownership/board ultimately have full control over the club. The players/manager can impact what happens on the pitch, basics of effort etc. All have a level of control to influence what is then delivered to the fans.

 

Fans are powerless. I know we like to say if we get behind them it will make all the difference and in principle yet. But we’ve seen it doesn’t really work with the type of players we sign. And it’s a limited power available anyway.

 

I’m not saying I agree with it being toxic. But also it’s a forum so people are just venting. 
 

As I say, the sooner we can have something to grasp from the club, something positive to work with the better.

I agree entirely. It is up to the club to present something worth cheering about. When you are spending (a lot of) money to watch your team and be entertained by their skills, their levels of fitness and their commitment to the club which should mirror that of the fans it is reasonable to expect some semblance of pleasure and satisfaction. If all you are getting is some half hearted performance from a group of highly paid players who couldn't give a sh** about you or the club you have every right to feel aggrieved. I don't agree with some of the abuse thrown at them but likewise I would not be praising them either. It would help if the players remembered people are paying to watch them and are not earning the vast amounts of money they are.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

 

 

[Bob666]

Arguably 50% Board; 48% players; 2% fans.  Unfortunately we don't have any direct input/debate from Board / players so fans live in a vacuum of against / pro the other camps.  

 

I've given up ST this season as I couldn't take the toxity of Board being incompetent/players perceivedly not giving a shit.  However, I've had recent doubts & thought about renewing.  I've always thought RM is a complete twonk & have been happy is hasn't been our manager - now I'm trying to convince myself he might do well & get us back on track.  But then I realise Top/Rudkin are still running the show & brain says "watch from a distance"

 

It hurts but we'll all be LCFC till we die regardless of what Board/players are here - toxic or not.

[The Fosse Way]

The atmosphere at the ground was surprisingly positive under Rowett until we inevitably conceded / lost. It also felt like we moved past the toxicity of the Rudkin chants during the most recent Premier League relegation season to a real apathy because it was clear protest wasn't going to achieve anything.

 

That's despite these past couple of years being unparalleled at Leicester City (and most other clubs). Even when we went down to League One beforehand, that was off the back of several mediocre seasons in the Championship where we'd got used to being average/poor. This has been two straight years of freefall.

 

Regardless of where you start the timer on the decline (and the 10 years since the PL title was a total media misnomer - think more Roma to Bromley in 4 years), a certain amount of toxicity is inevitable because people want their football club to win matches.

 

As others have said, the club's lack of accountability or communication plays a massive part in this but is it really that toxic when we're still selling 23,000 season tickets in League One? If there were any positives to discuss, that would be happening on here but people are wary of being positive when we've never been more than a few weeks away from the latest sledgehammer of doom ("here's the most unpopular managerial appointment in the club's history, now all get behind him for 30 seconds before the news breaks that Leeds want to sue us for £40million!")

[RedSoxUK]

Booooooooo

[purpleronnie]

There isnt a less toxic fanbase than ours.

[Fox92]

It's just posts on an internet forum, nothing "toxic" about it ("toxic" has grown into an overused word now). Things could, probably should, have been much worse. There are other fanbases that have taken to the pitch, surrounded players, surrounded the owners etc and nothing of that has happened here.

[RoboFox]

Not this tosh again. Fans don't hire managers, negotiate contracts, decide strategy or set standards. The board does.

 

A call to "reset the tone" is treating the symptom while ignoring the disease. 

 

Instead of asking "can we all stop being so negative?", maybe the question should be "can the people running the club stop failing with zero accountability?" 

 

The reason these threads are so active isn't because they enjoy being negative, it's because the problems at the club are ****ing constant. 

 

All supporters are asking for is evidence that lessons have been learned and that failure has consequences. Until that happens, criticism isn't "toxicity" it's a reflection of the reality of the club.

[AKCJ]

We're not toxic enough.

 

The extent to Leicester fans toxicity is essentially whinging because Vestergaard hasn't immediately booted it up the pitch.

 

Aiyawatt and Rudkin have it easy and they know it.

[Libertine]

We definitely have toxic fans. We may differ in our opinion as to which fans they are.

[Dan]

The fans aren't harsh enough frankly.

[marketharboroughfox]

You get the club you deserve.

[Footballwipe]

15 minutes ago, RoboFox said:

Not this tosh again. Fans don't hire managers, negotiate contracts, decide strategy or set standards. The board does.

 

A call to "reset the tone" is treating the symptom while ignoring the disease. 

 

Instead of asking "can we all stop being so negative?", maybe the question should be "can the people running the club stop failing with zero accountability?" 

 

The reason these threads are so active isn't because they enjoy being negative, it's because the problems at the club are ****ing constant. 

 

All supporters are asking for is evidence that lessons have been learned and that failure has consequences. Until that happens, criticism isn't "toxicity" it's a reflection of the reality of the club.

Nah sorry mate, it's all our fault. If only we'd banded together and Uri Geller'ed some positivity or nous into the players legs and boardroom's brains then we wouldn't be where we are.

 

Absolutely astounding that bullets are still being taken for this ownership and this situation by people.

 

I completely forgot it's out fault we've had three relegations in four years, lost hundreds of millions of pounds, made a string of bad signings, managerial decisions and alienated the fanbase with sheer incompetence.

 

If only we'd been more positive.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

West Ham fans stormed their executive boxes, Everton chased players out of the city. We just boo a bit. 

 

And what will the OP suggest we do in the ground to make it less "toxic"? 

[HankMarvin]

Look at any club forum that has suffered 3 relegations in 4 seasons and see if it’s toxic.

 

[Chelmofox]

I will accept many things. But referring to Russell Martin as some sort of 'poor sod' who deserves my pity - nah.

[DezFox]

I don’t believe we are toxic enough. We accept consistent failure for too easily, and far too often.