A History Lesson

[Nebdingo]

Just some interesting reading, I'm sure most of you know a lot of this, So its mainly for our younger fans.

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Leicester City's history starts in 1919. It took Leicester six seasons to get their act together and become a major force in English football. Under the guidence of Peter Hodge and later Willie Orr Leicester reached their best ever place in League football ending as runners-up in the 1928/29 season.

A team build up by manager Peter Hodge and later Willie Orr. Players like Hugh Adcock, Arthur Chandler, Adam Black and John Duncan will forever be part of Leicester history with a few club records that will be almost unbeatable in modern football.

Leicester ended un a runners-up place in the 1928/29 season and played some fantastic football. The title was snatched in front of their eyes by Sheffield Wednesday, only one point in front of Leicester.

Leicester had some problematic years after that and one of few highlights in the 30's was a 6-6 draw against Arsenal. An amazing scoreline for a football match.

Leicester managed to reach their first FA Cup final in 1949. As a struggling 2nd division club it was a surprise that they should end up as finalists against a legendary Wolverhampton Wanderers. The game ended in a defeat despite the fact that the queen that day weared a dress in Leicester colours.

In the 50's the club bought one of the greatest goalscorers the league have seen, his name was Arthur Rowley. He scored some amazing goals and his tally 434 league goals in total is still a record in English football. Rowley also scored 44 goals in the 1956/57 season, a club record it might be problematic for any other to reach

Matt Gillies build a great team in the 60's with names like Gordon Banks, Graham Cross, Frank McLintock, Colin Appleton and Mike Stringfellow. Later it was sparkled with Len Glover, Peter Rodrigues, Peter Shilton and Allan Clarke. Three FA Cup finals was reached but all ended in defeat. The first in 60/61, loosing to a legendary Tottenham which that year one the double. In 1963 Leicester was close to a sensational double act themselves but it ended with a defeat against Manchester United in the FA Cup and they also ended fourth in the league. In 1969 Leicester achieved a "poor man's" double. Runners up in the FA Cup final and relegated from the first Division. It was Leicester's fourth FA Cup final in 20 years and the fourth the defeat.

Leicester managed to win their first title as a club in 1963/64, when the League Cup was won after two games against Stoke in the final. They also reached the final a year later, but again it ended with a defeat, this time against Chelsea.

Leicester once again stumbled down below the top, but it took only two seasons to get back and in 1971/72 it was again time for top flight football for Leicester. Leicester also was invited to play the charity shield that year and managed to grab "the place" with a unique Steve Whitworth goal against Liverpool. The manager that had promoted Leicester was tempted by an offer to become the new Manchester United manager and left. Jimmy Bloomfield was appointed and the former Orient manager started his "small revelution". Most of the team that clinched promotion was switched with a group of new players that has a fantastic status among Leicester fans today.

Alan Birchenall, Ketih Weller, Dennis Rofe, Jon Sammels, Frank Worthington, Steve Earle and Mark Wallington among others all came to Leicester under the first years of Bloomfields time at the club. Leicester reached the FA Cup final in 1974 and forced Liverpool to a replay, but it ended in defeat and Liverpool went on to win the title. It was a great team but they were always "nearly". Whitworth, Weller, Worthington and Shilton all played for England during that days.

Jimmy Bloomfield left the club in 1977 and a team of "old men" was left to Frank McLintock. McLintock also had a poor summer and only managed to sign his old friend Eddie Kelly. It started ok with a couple of draws, but when Frank McLintock decided to sell Frank Worthington to Bolton the fall started. The gap after Worthington was never covered and Leicester ended that season in relegation and a long and struggling time of almost 20 years came after that.

Jock Wallace and Gordon Milne managed to take Leicester back to the top, but the teams was not strong enough to really become a major force in English football. A few stars was produced and players like Gary Lineker, Alan Smith, Kevin MacDonald and Gary McAllister all went on to win major titles and also became full international players.

In the 1990/91 season Leicester avoided a drop to 3rd division in their last game of the season. David Pleat went out and in came Brian Little. Little took Leicester to three play off finals and managed to get promoted in 1993/94. The team was not prepared for Premiership football and went straight back to the 1st division. A man with the name Martin O'Neill was appointed manager in the end of 1995 and he started to build a team that for many will be seen as a team that never peaked as they should despite reaching three League Cup finals and winning two of them.

O'Neill had five fantastic seasons in charge of Leicester with all four seasons in the Premiership ending above 10th position. Leicester won the Worthington Cup in February 2000, and a special league game against Sunderland showed that the team had a fantastic chance to even fight for the big honours. Players like Steve Guppy, Stan Collymore, Emile Heskey, Neil Lennon, Matt Elliott, Robbie Savage and Muzzy Izzet shined in that team. Leicester sold Heskey and couldn't persuide Martin O'Neill to stay at the club and the O'Neill era came to an end.

A promising start from new manager Peter Taylor saw Leicester at the top of the table in October 2000, and staying in the top four until the middle of March. A FA Cup quarter final match against Wycombe at Filbert Street ended in a shocking defeat and Leicester couldn't manage to win more than one game after that. A new and problematic time reached the hands of yet another manager and Taylor got sacked in October 2001.

Today Leicester fight for promotion to the Premiership after getting relegated in the 2001/02 season.

City Milestone:

1929 - Runners-up 1st division

1949 - Reaching their first FA Cup final

1961 - Reaching another FA cup final

1961 - First time in Europe, reaching the 2nd round of the European cup winners cup

1963 - Reaching FA Cup final for the 3rd time

1964 - Leicester win their first major trophy, The Football League Cup

1966 - Leicester player Gordon Banks wins the World Cup

1969 - Their third final of the 60's, but again defeated

1974 - Reaching the FA Cup semi.final losing the replay against Liverpool

1982 - Yet again in the FA Cup semi-final, but defeated by Tottenham

1985 - Leicester's first £ 1 million sale (in total), Lineker sold to Everton

1991 - Avoiding the drop to 3rd division in the last game of the season

1994 - Signing their first £ 1 million player, Mark Draper from Notts County

1997 - Winning the Football League Cup for the 2nd time

1997 - Playing in Europe for the 2nd time, defeated in the first round agianst Athletic Madrid

1999 - League Cup final at Wembley, defeated by Spurs

2000 - Winning the Football League Cup for the 3rd time

2002 - Muzzy Izzet play in the World Cup semi-final with Turkey

2002 - Moving out of Filbert Street and into a fabalous new arena named Walkers Stadium

Players of importance

1900 - 1945

Hugh Adcock and Arthur Chandler

Hughie Adcock the Coalville born right winger totalled 460 appearances for the first team between 1923 and 1935, as well as winning 5 England caps. He made his debut on the same day as his partner Arthur Chandler for whom Hughie laid on many of his club record 273 goals. 'Channy' totted up 118 consecutive appearances from his debut, quite a feat for a centre forward, and eventually totalled 419 games for the club before his move to Notts County in 1935, having managed his final appearance for the club just two games after Adcock.

Adam Black

No one in the club history has appeared in more league games than Black. 528 games from 1920 to 1935. A right back born in Scotland. He came to Leicester from Bathgate. Peter Hodge signed him up and made Black an important player in the legendary team of the 1920's.

Reg Osbourne and John Duncan

Two of Leicester's internationals from the inter-war period. Although born in South Africa was capped only once by England as full back during his 10 years career at Leicester, in whiched he played 249 games. Club captain John Duncan once socred six goals in a game for City, on Christmas day 1924. His leadership inspired the team to their greatest hights, and he was rewarded with one Scottish full cap in 1925. By the time he retired, in 1930, he had scored 95 goals in 295 outings for City and would later be destiend to return to the club as manager to oversee their great FA Cup final achievements of 1949

1946 - 1970

Sep Smith

Sep is an extraordinary player and played in Leicester from his debut in 1929 until his last game 20 years later in 1949. He played a total of 586 games for Leicester, but 213 was during the World War II and don't count in the statistics. He was capped once by England and served the club in a period that wasn't the most glamarous for the club. Sep Smith at the age of 90 was present when Leicester had their tribute times at Filbert Street last season.

Graham Cross

Another player with more than 500 games for the club. Graham came into the Leicester team in the early 60's and played another 15 seasons before he left for Brighton. Capped at England U.23 level several times and played that both played in midfield and in the back four.

Gordon Banks

Banks is Banks. One the best goalkeeper in the World and probably not that famous for his time in Leicester. His save in the World Cup in 1970, from Pele's header will for always be regarded as a save from heaven. Banks left Leicester in 1967 and gave his "Leicester gloves" to Peter Shilton.

Arthur Rowley

Arthur Rowley scored 44 goals in one season for Leicester and that record will be hard to beat. Rowley also scored goals for Fulham and Shrewsbury and is the player in English football with most goals in history with a tally of 434 goals in 619 games. Rowley never managed to reach the eyes of the England managers, since he played most of the time with a struggling Leicester team in the bottom of division 1 or in the top of division 2.

1971 - 2000

Frank Worthington

Frank Worthington was supposed to sign a deal with Liverpool, but it fell through and Jimmy Bloomfield managed to sign the striker from Huddersfield in 1972. He was a main reason why Bloomfields Leicester team did so well and he made his full England debut in 1974. Worthington played league football until he reached his 40's and stopped on a total of 757 league games from 1966 to 1988, representing 11 different clubs. Worthington was maybe the symbol of the entertaining and attacking football Leicester played during the time Bloomfield was in charge.

Mike Stringfellow

Another legend following Leicester in thick and thin during a period of 13 league seasons from 1962 to 1975. A fantastic striker and later midfielder that played a vital part both in the Gilies era and the Bloomfield era. Stringfellow reached a tally of 315 league games and it could have been more if he hadn't been troubled with injuries. Under Jimmy Bloomfield he became a super-sub and was on of the first players to get that title.

Keith Weller

Weller made a name for himself during his time with Chelsea, winning a cup winners cup medal with them back in 1971. A few months later Jimmy Bloomfield managed to sign him, and Dave Sexton, the Chelsea manager at the time, said later that it was his most stupid move in the transfer market. Weller's wing play is something that every flank player in England can learn from. He played only four times for England. Weller left Leicester in 1979, almost eight years after he made his debut.

Gary Lineker

Again a player that made his name in football after leaving Leicester. He wrote his name in world football history when he became the top goalscorer of the World Cup tournement in 1986. He was a fantastic goalscorer and together with Steve Lynex and Alan Smith they were a feared attack in the 1980's. He played 80 times for England and his last cap came against Sweden when substituted with Alan Smith.

Peter Shilton

Took over the gloves after Gordon Banks and played for Leicester from 1966 to 1974. He was record sale, when Stoke paid £ 325.000 for his services. He had his best league period under the time he was with Nottingham Forest, winning the European Cup twice, The League cup twice and the league. He played for England for almost 20 years making his debut in 1971 and playing his last game in the World Cup in 1990, 125 games later. His league career started in 1966 with Leicester City and ended 1005 games and 31 years later with Leyton Orient. He is at this moment the player with most league appearances ever in English football.

Muzzy Izzet

Izzet arrived in Leicester first as a loan signing, back in 1996. He was a major key player in Martin O'Neills team and has more than 200 games under his belt allready. Muzzy Izzet also played in the World Cup semi final in 2002 v. Brazil and will be a symbol of the era under Martin O'Neill and hopefully also under Micky Adams.

Source

[potter3]

Are they not counting the years as Leicester Fosse?

[golden gordon]

good stuff Matt Gillies has got to go down as one of the all time GREAT managers of any football team, not just Leicester City

[Surreal Madrid]

I would guess mainly lifted from " Of Fossils & Foxes".

[Guest]

Are they not counting the years as Leicester Fosse?

I suppose they're being pedantic.