Guest Bilo Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 Picture the scene. It's April 27th 1963, and a tired but delighted Leicester City are trudging off the pitch at Hillsborough after beating Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final. It's been a great season for the Foxes. Named the Ice Kings by the national press, a 4-3 win over Manchester United at Filbert Street less than a fortnight earlier put them top of the league with just five games to go. Even having foregone a game to Everton and dropped points against Wolves a week before Hillsborough, Leicester remain just three points off the top spot with a game in hand. Only the West Midlands trio of West Brom, Aston Villa and Birmingham as well as Bolton are left to play, none of whom are higher than 15th in the table. That's right, a Leicester City team with four games to go was three points, four league games and a cup final away from achieving what had only been achieved by two teams in 75 years of football history. That feat was winning the double of FA Cup and League Championship. It looked doable. The country expected, anticipated. The Preston North End team of 1888 and the Spurs team of 1961 were about to be matched. Oh, and guess who Spurs had defeated in the final just two years earlier? Sadly, it all went wrong for City. The pressure of the last four being away from home due to the enormous number of fixtures lost to the bitter winter of 1962-1963 and a below par display against an emerging Manchester United side proved our undoing. We ended the season potless, and our wait for either trophy is ongoing 50 years later. But what if.... What if we'd managed to sneak home as league champions? What if we'd walked out onto that Wembley pitch, heads held high as champions of England, and done what we did on April 16th: beat Manchester United? Where would Leicester City be now if Matt Gillies' side had achieved something many pundits had said was impossible in the 1960's game just three years earlier and won the league and cup double? Would it have been a springboard to bigger and better things? Famous players, massive crowds, European glory? Would it have been a flash in the pan like our near neighbours Nottingham Forest, brief and glorious but now all but forgotten by all but fans of the club, as the club continues to push for promotion to the Premier League? Who knows, if not for a loss of nerve and fixture congestion, people today would talk just as wistfully of Matt Gillies as of Matt Busby.
Mark_w Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 But we'd have all grown up glory supporters. And that would mean that this forum would be filled with morons who demand instant success, expect us to win every single game and call for managers to be sacked every time we suffer a minor run of poor form... wait...
Webbo Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 It's a nice thought but I doubt we be much different to where we are now. Forest won the league and European Cup, twice, and they're in the same division as us.
blueblood88 Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 What if? What if? What if? Seems to be the motto of Leicester City Football Club. Nearly men, always have been, always will be.
Guest Bilo Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 What about David Moyes being looked at as a replacement for MON instead of Peter Taylor? That would have changed things a lot.
The Year Of The Fox Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 But we'd have all grown up glory supporters. And that would mean that this forum would be filled with morons who demand instant success, expect us to win every single game and call for managers to be sacked every time we suffer a minor run of poor form... wait... Haha brilliant but sadly true
Corky Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 What if we'd had Swansea's start in Europe compared to the draws we received?
Webbo Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 What about David Moyes being looked at as a replacement for MON instead of Peter Taylor? That would have changed things a lot. Said publicly that he didn't want the job. I often wonder what would have happened if Harry Redknapp had took the job.
Guest kristianity77 Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 What if Holloway had been made to put right what he did wrong....would we now be in the Premiership??? ...ill get my coat
Stadt Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 What if Yann hadn't of chipped it? What if Knocky would've scored that pen? What if Levein/Allen/Megson/Holloway/Sousa weren't terrible?
Guest Bilo Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 What if we'd managed to build the stadium on Bede Island South while we were still a mid-table Prem side with occasional forays into Europe?
Freeman's Wharfer Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 What if we'd managed to build the stadium on Bede Island South while we were still a mid-table Prem side with occasional forays into Europe? Big 'what if' that one! Seemed to all come just to late for us with the stadium. I'm a big believer in a natural order in football. We'd still be a top tier to second tier club just because of fanbase, size of city etc. Football's very cyclical and despite purple patches clubs like Wigan and Hull will find themselves back in the lower eschelons in a few years/decades.
Guest ttfn Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 What about David Moyes being looked at as a replacement for MON instead of Peter Taylor? That would have changed things a lot. Moyes was looked at. One director at the time was vociferous in his support of Moyes over Taylor, but it didn't happen for whatever reason. Or maybe it was Moyes over Bassett. Either way, there was a serious possibility of Moyes coming in.
FoxesAreBlue Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 Moyes was looked at. One director at the time was vociferous in his support of Moyes over Taylor, but it didn't happen for whatever reason. Or maybe it was Moyes over Bassett. Either way, there was a serious possibility of Moyes coming in. I wonder if, when offered the Man U job, Moyes thought.... "Fvck me, what if I had gone to Leicester?!"
stockyfox Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 What if? What? April 27th 1963, 5 o’clock! This was indeed our finest hour. We were Leicester City. We were the ‘Ice-Age Champions’. We were unbeatable. We were Division 1 Champions-Elect and ................exactly one month later, our world fell apart. And by God, it still hurts – yes, it really hurts – yes, 50 years later, it still hurts. Five of us in one car and not one single word was said from Wembley back to Ibstock! Recently at the KP Stadium, we had a superb Sunday afternoon with Davie Gibson and friends. However, in welcoming us, Davie’s first words were to offer a profuse apology for his way-below par form in that Wembley final. Yet less than a fortnight before, we had gone to Old Trafford and drawn 2-2. The return fixture was the very next day. We were brilliant. Man Utd were brilliant. Denis Law scored a hat-trick including the most incredible goal I have ever witnessed. But Ken Keyworth scored a hat-trick – all in the space of six minutes but Heath’s goal secured a 4-3 victory. I was at Hillsborough. I was at Old Trafford, I was at Filbert Street, I was at Wembley – Oh yes I was at Wembley – just as I had been there two years earlier. And it still bloody hurts!
LCFC FOX Posted 22 August 2013 Posted 22 August 2013 What if that poster didn't have Pearsons trainers on his laptop screen
tomtom Posted 23 August 2013 Posted 23 August 2013 Said publicly that he didn't want the job. I often wonder what would have happened if Harry Redknapp had took the job. If Saggyface Redknapp had took the job we'd be in a bigger financial mess than we are now (like pompey) and he'd of jumped ship at the first possible chance or joined our biggest rivals (oh, like pompey). Personally I am glad he's never managed our club and hope he never does
Fox92 Posted 23 August 2013 Posted 23 August 2013 "What if"... You can build your whole life on "what if" moments, let alone a game of football. It didn't happen so it's irrelevant.
Guest ttfn Posted 23 August 2013 Posted 23 August 2013 "What if"... You can build your whole life on "what if" moments, let alone a game of football. It didn't happen so it's irrelevant. You must be a hoot at parties. I'd love to hear what you think of "Imagine".
Fox92 Posted 23 August 2013 Posted 23 August 2013 You must be a hoot at parties. I'd love to hear what you think of "Imagine". I don't get what you mean...?
Fox42 Posted 23 August 2013 Posted 23 August 2013 Great. Now I have the Kate Winslet song in my head. Thank you.
Guest ttfn Posted 23 August 2013 Posted 23 August 2013 I don't get what you mean...? Irrelevant. There are countries. So don't imagine there aren't. Irrelevant.
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