Foxes Can Go Straight Up - Howard.

[Matt]

Striker Steve Howard believes Leicester City could be celebrating back-to-back promotions and the prospect of Premier League football in 12 months.

Howard was named the club's player of the year at the League One champions' end-of-season awards on Tuesday.

And the veteran striker says next season could be another successful campaign - both for him and the club.

"If the manager strengthens in certain areas then we could go straight up," he told BBC Radio Leicester.

"You've got to have competition for places - that's what spurs you on.

"And if we keep playing the football that we're playing then I can't see why not."

Howard scored 14 goals in the Foxes' title-winning season to scoop the player of the season award, while fellow frontman Matty Fryatt collected the players' player award.

Former Derby striker Howard, who turns 33 in the close season, said the award meant a great deal to him after a tough start which saw him getting a bit of stick from the club's fans.

"You have to believe in yourself," Howard said. "The gaffer believed in me and the lads believed in me.

"I thought I was playing well but not scoring goals but I stuck at it and knew I'd come good and shut a few people up."

And Howard said the team spirit played a massive part in their achievements this season.

"The lads are all together that's why we've been successful," he explained.

"You cannot be at the top of the league with bad eggs in your side - we're a close unit."

Skipper Matt Oakley won the goal of the season award for his strike against Cheltenham Town in March.

"I thought I was playing well but not scoring goals but I stuck at it and knew I'd come good and shut a few people up."

Well Done Stevie

[Guest]

Good to hear that ther's a bit of belief in the team that it 's possible for successive promotions

Nice one Big Steve

[C-man]

Good ol' Steve.

[Munzie]

Steve Howard fully deserved his acolade this year. Use him properly has a big target man with plenty of aerial balls and support and he's come good. Most of the stick he took last season was unjust as 9 other outfield team mates also put in lacklustre performances.

It's good to read about the belief and confidence our team has - credit to Nigel Pearson for achieving this in his first season given the pressure heaped upon him by the Chairman and fans alike.

I'll always be optimistic in my outlook with Leicester City and, along with super Steve, believe we can mount a serious challenge on the Championship next year. If Pearson spends well and picks up where he left off, why shouldn't we think promotion?

[Koke]

45 seconds with Super Steve - Some may have not read it, but its a good read....

Tell us about your debut. Who was it against? How did you play?

It was for Hartlepool against Chester away. I did all right. I hit the crossbar and should really have scored.

What car do you drive?

BMW X5. Really good

Favourite film?

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I'm massive on Westerns, and that is probably the best!

Favourite TV programme?

24. I've seen all of the episodes and the new series is really hotting up. It could be the best of the lot.

Favourite band?

At the moment, I'd have to say Keane. I saw them the other night at the Nottingham Arena. They were awesome.

Most expensive item ever bought?

My house.

Perfect woman?

My wife. What else do you expect me to say?!

Which mobile?

I've got the iphone. It looks complicated, but I've had no problems with it.

The lads are over for dinner, what do you cook?

Steak. It's the Stevie Howard classic. I'd love to say it comes with loads of vegetables but it will probably be chips!

What boots do you wear?

Pumas.

If you were manager of the club, who would you sign?

Shearer. I'm a Newcastle fan so it's obvious really. The man is a legend.

Best mate in football?

Micky Barron, my old mate from Hartlepool. He's now running the Academy there.

Room mate on tour?

Matty Oakley.

Funniest prank on tour?

Kevin Nicholls at Luton once let off a firework in the dressing room. To say I was scared would be an understatement.

Best goal you've ever scored?

At Luton I scored a side foot volley from the edge of the box. It was against Cardiff and unforgettable! I also scored against Manchester United for Derby which I'll never forget either.

Best stadium you've played at?

For sentimental reasons I would say St James' Park, but for appearance and occasion the Play-Offs Final at Wembley.

Your house is on fire…what one thing do you save?

Apart from my family, my dog.

If you weren't a footballer, what would you be doing?

Probably be a golfer.

Who would be your ideal sponsor?

Somebody like adidas.

What is your golf handicap?

I'm currently playing off 8 which isn't bad but when I was younger I was 4. I don't play now as much as I'd like to.

Life after football?

I want to explore avenues like property.

Interesting fact we don't know about you?

I used to be a builder before I was a footballer.

Best freebie you've ever had?

Probably my phone.

Pro Evo or FIFA?

FIFA

Who's the worst dresser at your club?

Max Gradel. He came in the other day and I thought he had been painting all morning. Awful gear!

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Wears Pumas.

Likes FIFA.

Is there anything this man does wrong?

[Finchy]

Favourite band?

At the moment, I'd have to say Keane. I saw them the other night at the Nottingham Arena. They were awesome.

Oh Steve

[Guest Bilo]

Who's the worst dresser at your club?

Max Gradel. He came in the other day and I thought he had been painting all morning. Awful gear!

You can't say that about Maxi.

[Koke]

You can't say that about Maxi.

Howard has freedom of speech without responsibility - In other words he can say whatever the hell that pleases him, even if it offends people

[Joe.]

Wears Pumas.

Likes FIFA.

Is there anything this man does wrong?

Yes. See jb-101's post for details.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Yes. See jb-101's post for details.

[BoneDog]

Interesting fact we don't know about you?

I used to be a builder before I was a footballer.

We all knew that Steve! An interesting fact would of been something like "On Sunday nights I go dogging"

Good old Steve though, it's good to hear the confidence for next season. With our team spirit at the moment there is a chance anything can happen next season. We proved at Fulham how we can compete with the big boys so you never know

[Koke]

Funniest prank on tour?

Kevin Nicholls at Luton once let off a firework in the dressing room. To say I was scared would be an understatement.

Talking about pranks, Me & some mates did the best prank ever. About 4 years ago, we called up a friend and we claimed to be from Galaxy FM (Birmingham) and if he knew and sang the lyrics to Aqua's Barbie Girl he'd win a holiday for 2 to Ibiza. The plonker fell for it and started singing I'm a barbie girl in a barbie world cue the the big roar of laughter in the background. Within the hour we had it sent out to everyone we knew locally and nationally - Sufficient to say this will haunt him for the rest of his life.

[Guest Bilo]

Talking about pranks, Me & some mates did the best prank ever. About 4 years ago, we called up a friend and we claimed to be from Galaxy FM (Birmingham) and if he knew and sang the lyrics to Aqua's Barbie Girl he'd win a holiday for 2 to Ibiza. The plonker fell for it and started singing I'm a barbie girl in a barbie world cue the the big roar of laughter in the background. Within the hour we had it sent out to everyone we knew locally and nationally - Sufficient to say this will haunt him for the rest of his life.

Pure genius.

[BoneDog]

Funniest prank on tour?

Kevin Nicholls at Luton once let off a firework in the dressing room. To say I was scared would be an understatement.

I used to work at a lead factory/warehouse and folks used to let off fireworks in the canteen. Someone blew a hole in the roof one day. It was the craziest place I've ever worked full of mad b*stards. I had a fight in the canteen one day with a local bouncer who worked with us. I was sittin down with me back to him eatin me snap and he was making a cup of tea. He took the teabag out with a spoon (it was scolding hot) and slapped it full force on me head. I had a skinhead at the time and the teabag proper scolded me head. I just flipped, threw me chair down and smacked him (he was too strong for me but it got broke up and he saw the funny side!). I think I even punched him with the teabag still on top of me head Great days Eddie, great days

[morris1234]

For me, and i would like to know what others think, its about getting that balance of belief and reality just right whether its through the players or fans.

Yes its possible we can get back to back promotions, at this moment i dont see why not, but knowing some leicester fans anything less is unacceptable.

For example, i overheard many people half way through this season saying they wouldnt celebrate had we got promoted from league 1 because they ultimately thought we were a championship team, however the season before the term 'relegation' proved we were NOT. We may have a championship or even premiership set up, but the football (which is surprisingly the main part of football lol) was not good enough obviously. This season we have worked hard and proved once again our championship status and the same thing will need to be done if we were to go up again, theres no other way around it.

If, like i know a lot of city fans will, automatically expect promotion then not only are they being a tad unrealistic but also putting unnecessary pressure on the players which has actually been proven to work in past seasons (hasnt it? ).

Like i said there is no reason why we cant get back to back promotions because you only need to look at teams like bristol city or swansea. Both of whom have perhaps been punching above their weight but with over expectation in past seasons, nobody (including me) knows what our 'weight' is. If you know what i mean?!

Basically what im trying to say is that words mean nothing (mr holloway ), however it is nice to see your players have confidence. very nice actually. but regardless of what happens next season lets just enjoy the ride as much as possible, and hey its a huge achievement if we dont read the name Leicester City in league 1 ever again.

anybody else agree?

[Babylon]

I used to work at a lead factory/warehouse and folks used to let off fireworks in the canteen. Someone blew a hole in the roof one day. It was the craziest place I've ever worked full of mad b*stards. I had a fight in the canteen one day with a local bouncer who worked with us. I was sittin down with me back to him eatin me snap and he was making a cup of tea. He took the teabag out with a spoon (it was scolding hot) and slapped it full force on me head. I had a skinhead at the time and the teabag proper scolded me head. I just flipped, threw me chair down and smacked him (he was too strong for me but it got broke up and he saw the funny side!). I think I even punched him with the teabag still on top of me head Great days Eddie, great days

You have anger issues!

[lou]

Who's the worst dresser at your club?

Max Gradel. He came in the other day and I thought he had been painting all morning. Awful gear!

Why does this not surprise me?

[Guest]

For me, and i would like to know what others think, its about getting that balance of belief and reality just right whether its through the players or fans.

Yes its possible we can get back to back promotions, at this moment i dont see why not, but knowing some leicester fans anything less is unacceptable.

For example, i overheard many people half way through this season saying they wouldnt celebrate had we got promoted from league 1 because they ultimately thought we were a championship team, however the season before the term 'relegation' proved we were NOT. We may have a championship or even premiership set up, but the football (which is surprisingly the main part of football lol) was not good enough obviously. This season we have worked hard and proved once again our championship status and the same thing will need to be done if we were to go up again, theres no other way around it.

If, like i know a lot of city fans will, automatically expect promotion then not only are they being a tad unrealistic but also putting unnecessary pressure on the players which has actually been proven to work in past seasons (hasnt it? ).

Like i said there is no reason why we cant get back to back promotions because you only need to look at teams like bristol city or swansea. Both of whom have perhaps been punching above their weight but with over expectation in past seasons, nobody (including me) knows what our 'weight' is. If you know what i mean?!

Basically what im trying to say is that words mean nothing (mr holloway ), however it is nice to see your players have confidence. very nice actually. but regardless of what happens next season lets just enjoy the ride as much as possible, and hey its a huge achievement if we dont read the name Leicester City in league 1 ever again.

anybody else agree?

We were expected to go up this year and have dealt with that pressure admirably for most of it, I know it's a different league etc. but they're going to get pressure whichever way you look at it next season, whether from those who expect us to go up again, those who expect us to obtain a good midtable position and those who just want us to avoid dropping back down again.

I just find it really refreshing to have some positive momentum, such obvious team spirit and a manager who just does his job without shouting about it.

It might seem unrealistic to some but there's no point going into a game not believing that you can win, and if they do what they've done this season by focussing on one game at a time, there's no reason we couldn't be up near the playoffs with the right signings in the summer

[samuel]

I used to work at a lead factory/warehouse and folks used to let off fireworks in the canteen. Someone blew a hole in the roof one day. It was the craziest place I've ever worked full of mad b*stards. I had a fight in the canteen one day with a local bouncer who worked with us. I was sittin down with me back to him eatin me snap and he was making a cup of tea. He took the teabag out with a spoon (it was scolding hot) and slapped it full force on me head. I had a skinhead at the time and the teabag proper scolded me head. I just flipped, threw me chair down and smacked him (he was too strong for me but it got broke up and he saw the funny side!). I think I even punched him with the teabag still on top of me head Great days Eddie, great days

Was it Norman and Underwoods?

[morris1234]

We were expected to go up this year and have dealt with that pressure admirably for most of it, I know it's a different league etc. but they're going to get pressure whichever way you look at it next season, whether from those who expect us to go up again, those who expect us to obtain a good midtable position and those who just want us to avoid dropping back down again.

I just find it really refreshing to have some positive momentum, such obvious team spirit and a manager who just does his job without shouting about it.

It might seem unrealistic to some but there's no point going into a game not believing that you can win, and if they do what they've done this season by focussing on one game at a time, there's no reason we couldn't be up near the playoffs with the right signings in the summer

I agree with that. You make a good point that it is seriously good to have a team and manager that have the correct attitude and basically do their job without a different agenda.

I also agree there will also be expectation but you have to admit there are many fans (some on here) that will jump on the bandwagon when things are going well but when we have a bad patch they are the first to dish out expletives.

Basically my point is that i want to enjoy the season as much as possible without having "downers" if things go wrong because as we all know a few games can change the whole season outlook and my point wasnt aimed at everybody just at those who (before this season has even ended) are putting a downer on things.

The reason i made the point in this thread was because i was happy at what steve said and i just wanted to say that whatever the result be it 1st or 21st (as long as its not relegation) then ill be happy because of recent personal events the realisation that there are more important things around these days and that i dont want people saying things like 'yeah howard may be player of the season but he wont be any good in the championship'

[Guest]

I agree with that. You make a good point that it is seriously good to have a team and manager that have the correct attitude and basically do their job without a different agenda.

I also agree there will also be expectation but you have to admit there are many fans (some on here) that will jump on the bandwagon when things are going well but when we have a bad patch they are the first to dish out expletives.

Basically my point is that i want to enjoy the season as much as possible without having "downers" if things go wrong because as we all know a few games can change the whole season outlook and my point wasnt aimed at everybody just at those who (before this season has even ended) are putting a downer on things.

The reason i made the point in this thread was because i was happy at what steve said and i just wanted to say that whatever the result be it 1st or 21st (as long as its not relegation) then ill be happy because of recent personal events the realisation that there are more important things around these days and that i dont want people saying things like 'yeah howard may be player of the season but he wont be any good in the championship'

Good post.

We'll never get away from the downers completely (it is city after all ) but I think most of us who have been with the club this season have found a renewed affinity with the club, team and manager and hopefully whatever comes our way next season, it'll keep those negative thoughts at bay

[craigadams22]

Boy, Steve Howard say's Leicester City FC can go straight up into The Premier League after just one season in The Championship ?

It might the lads one or two season's to do it "but" you never know we might become Championship Number One Winners next season, I really hope so for our lads..

Kind Regards

Craig Adams

[MPH]

Boy, Steve Howard say's Leicester City FC can go straight up into The Premier League after just one season in The Championship ?

It might the lads one or two season's to do it "but" you never know we might become Championship Number One Winners next season, I really hope so for our lads..

Kind Regards

Craig Adams

craig you legend!!! where you been!!!!!

[morris1234]

Good post.

We'll never get away from the downers completely (it is city after all ) but I think most of us who have been with the club this season have found a renewed affinity with the club, team and manager and hopefully whatever comes our way next season, it'll keep those negative thoughts at bay

thats why craigadams posted in here, he thought it said ebay.

cheers for your reply lestavez, sometimes some people forget this is a forum and generally dont respect others opinions so you dont get much of a discussion going sometimes. just a lot of pi*s taking (which ill agree can sometimes be hilarious haha )