Which Darkest Leicester moment pained you the most?

[stripeyfox]

1996-97 FA Cup 5th Round Replay, Stamford Bridge. Chelsea 1-0 City (aet)

Still hurts today....

[bovril]

1996-97 FA Cup 5th Round Replay, Stamford Bridge. Chelsea 1-0 City (aet)

Still hurts today....

 

Your profile pic doesn't make much sense then!

[foxes4e4]

Wycombe. But of the given three, Cardiff. We'd played brilliantly for most of the season, had a poor first leg and gone 1-0 down in the away leg, and overcame them both. Missing out on a trip to Wembley due to an offside penalty, and a ridiculous Kermorgant decision in the shootout hurt so much.

Wycombe was the beginning of the end i remember the day watching teletext in kosovo im just hoping now that the last round in the cup  is the end of 10 years of rubbish and near misses

[SystonFox]

The reason I say Cardiff is because I genuinely felt robbed.

Watford, for all 'that' 60 seconds will as far as I'm concerned, never ever be topped in Leicester's history, I thought we were extremely lucky to be where we were. I thought we'd been absolute shite for the majority of the second half of the season and we'd been outplayed in that game as well. I thought the penalty was extremely soft and it's not that I'm saying I wanted him to miss - but I didn't feel like we deserved to be at Wembley that year, I personally think it'd have been a farce.

Cardiff, was just so, so gutting to watch. So many times that season you had to pinch yourself. Whilst being a top Championship club wasn't really something we should consider a big achievement, I'd grown up with the majority of my football being dominated by the Leveins, Kellys, Holloways, Megsons etc... just basically, a Derby of today although if anything worse. No hope, no entertainment, just simply stale season after stale season. It was surreal watching us actually perform at this level and against so many odds when you consider our team was made up of the likes of Weale, Neilson, Brown, Hobbs, Berner, Morrison, N'Guessan, Adams, Oakley, Dyer, Waghorn, Fryatt, Howard, and many others who you'd never have associated with a promotion winning side. I felt that season like we'd seriously over-achieved and in the most unbelievable of circumstances, had actually turned what looked a dead tie into a victory and we weren't even threatened until that horrible fvcking **** Chopra dives, throws every bit of aggression he can muster into trying to get Bruce sent off, and we eventually fall due to one of the most bizarre penalties ever as well as a real unsung hero (of that season at least...) missing the crucial penalty. I was proud of that side, but that truly was a fvcking nightmare and I got over Watford so much quicker than that and it's simply because of merit.

Stoke was a whole different argument altogether, but funnily enough, I felt optimistic. Referring back to the fact we'd been such a dull team, the thought of winning every week regardless of opposition started to appeal more, as wrong as it sounds.

1. Cardiff

2. Stoke

3. Watford

News just in, I hate chopra as much as the next man, but he didn't dive to win that penalty. Alex Bruce professionally mopped him up and in all honesty I wouldn't have been to dismayed if he had shown a red card cos he stopped a proper goal scoring opportunity.

If you think any different then you are wrong. Wrong.

[Brenfox]

Think this thread depends on age & how long you've been supporting City. For anyone over 15 years last years play offs aren't even on the radar. Lots of really sad days under Little & O'Neill. Blackburn, Swindon, Tottenham & Athletico to name a few. The Chelsea cup game with a cheating ref still sticks in my mind.

[I blame Wellens]

The day that bloody drum started.

[deanolegend1989]

News just in, I hate chopra as much as the next man, but he didn't dive to win that penalty. Alex Bruce professionally mopped him up and in all honesty I wouldn't have been to dismayed if he had shown a red card cos he stopped a proper goal scoring opportunity.

If you think any different then you are wrong. Wrong.

 

Yes but it was offside..so the lino should put his flag up then we have 20 minutes left to hold on to go to Wembley. So YES I would of been dismayed double as much as I was!

[moseeds]

First thing that comes to mind is David Speedie falling under Steve Walsh's arm to win a late penno for Blackburn at Wembley. Next is Wembley again and that cvntish spurs player whatever his name was scoring a late winner for them followed by pictures of their fans in our end punching women in the face.

 

This all the way. 

[dorsetfox]

My lowest point wasn't actually any of those 3 (although none of them were exactly fun)

 

Mine was the play-off final loss to Swindon in the early 90's. To be 3-0 down like we were and seemingly out of it and then to come storming back to 3-3 was one of the most energizing 20 minute periods Ive ever experienced watching Leicester. Only to have it all destroyed by a very dodgy penalty was just completely heart breaking

THIS 

 

i was totally devasted and in tears that game  then the second half was one of those moments when you wonder if you will ever get those feelings within a 45 minute period ever again . 

 

to come back to 3-3- was amazing the crowd roared the excitement was there the whole leicester was totally buzzing we just knew we could do it 

 

the a dodgy pen was given and the stadium just fell silent , leicester because they could not believe what had just happened and swindon because they knew if that bell end bodin scored they were in the prem. 

 

they scored and at the final whistle no matter how much we all tried to convince ourselves that we still did well to come back to 3-3 we all knew deep down that game was ours and we were robbed of it 

 

took me bloody months to get over that .

[Dan]

News just in, I hate chopra as much as the next man, but he didn't dive to win that penalty. Alex Bruce professionally mopped him up and in all honesty I wouldn't have been to dismayed if he had shown a red card cos he stopped a proper goal scoring opportunity.

If you think any different then you are wrong. Wrong.

 

Theatrical fall to say the least and absolutely milked it.

 

Wasn't a penalty. He was offside.

[Albert]

Cardiff was painfull but Watford was horrific....really thought it was our time especially after Forest last game of the season.

I speak to my dad religiously after every game....not a word was spoken for a week after Watford. That's a measure for me of how bad it was for me

[Jordan]

The 2010 play-off defeat was horrible, especially considering we well and truly had the measure of Blackpool. I firmly believe we'd have been promoted had we beaten Cardiff that night. 

 

Watford was awful, just awful. Literally the most emotionally devastating 60 seconds of football I've ever seen.

 

The thing about both though is that they came with pride as to how the season had gone, as well as optimism for the season to come. There was a belief we could push on in 2010 and I feel there's a growing surge of belief now. We're edging ever closer to a return to the Premier League, and that softens the blow. 

 

2008 though was the pits. We'd been awful for four years leading up to it, we should have seen it coming really. The worst thing about it was the fact we were at our lowest ebb in our history. The thought of playing Cheltenham and Hereford in league fixtures was a depressing one, the sight of Forest fans invading the pitch and becoming our Championship replacements compounded it. Our local derbies were Peterborough and MK Dons. There was no faith in Mandaric finding a decent replacement for Holloway, most of us expected John Gregory or Mike Newell. We'd seen Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds and Forest take years to escape it and had no reason to believe we'd be any different.

 

That was the worst of the three, just for the sheer hopelessness, embarrassment and despair we all felt.

 

 

The reason I say Cardiff is because I genuinely felt robbed.

 

Watford, for all 'that' 60 seconds will as far as I'm concerned, never ever be topped in Leicester's history, I thought we were extremely lucky to be where we were. I thought we'd been absolute shite for the majority of the second half of the season and we'd been outplayed in that game as well. I thought the penalty was extremely soft and it's not that I'm saying I wanted him to miss - but I didn't feel like we deserved to be at Wembley that year, I personally think it'd have been a farce.

 

Cardiff, was just so, so gutting to watch. So many times that season you had to pinch yourself. Whilst being a top Championship club wasn't really something we should consider a big achievement, I'd grown up with the majority of my football being dominated by the Leveins, Kellys, Holloways, Megsons etc... just basically, a Derby of today although if anything worse. No hope, no entertainment, just simply stale season after stale season. It was surreal watching us actually perform at this level and against so many odds when you consider our team was made up of the likes of Weale, Neilson, Brown, Hobbs, Berner, Morrison, N'Guessan, Adams, Oakley, Dyer, Waghorn, Fryatt, Howard, and many others who you'd never have associated with a promotion winning side. I felt that season like we'd seriously over-achieved and in the most unbelievable of circumstances, had actually turned what looked a dead tie into a victory and we weren't even threatened until that horrible fvcking **** Chopra dives, throws every bit of aggression he can muster into trying to get Bruce sent off, and we eventually fall due to one of the most bizarre penalties ever as well as a real unsung hero (of that season at least...) missing the crucial penalty. I was proud of that side, but that truly was a fvcking nightmare and I got over Watford so much quicker than that and it's simply because of merit.

 

Stoke was a whole different argument altogether, but funnily enough, I felt optimistic. Referring back to the fact we'd been such a dull team, the thought of winning every week regardless of opposition started to appeal more, as wrong as it sounds.

 

1. Cardiff

2. Stoke

3. Watford

I loved that team. What a gritty, blue-collar bunch they were...

 

That team really had no business challenging for promotion, but Pearson did damn well getting rid of shit, bringing in some cool veteran heads, completely changing the fans' attitude, and making his good young players believe they were great. I loved how they bounced back from every slump. I also loved how they reacted to that Wayne Brown incident.

 

2-0 down at Cardiff, it was all over, no team had scored 3 at Cardiff all season... but that team found a way. And yes, they were ****ed by that call. But ****. even though Cardiff battered them in extra time (although Waghorn hit the post, IIRC), the way the squad hung together, as they had all season, I couldn't fault any Leicester fan for believing we could do it in PKs.

 

The thing is, like you say and Dave Henson sang, Kermorgant really did suck for us. And say what you will about Waghorn from then on, but he was outstanding for us that season. And Waggy hit his PK well, too, but Marshall made a damn good save.

 

And again--forget everything you want to say about Waghorn from then until now--it killed me to see him collapse to the ground and cry. The kid--on loan, too--worked his ass off for us that season (and that goal vs Coventry, god damn!). I couldn't bear to see a young kid like that feel like he was to blame, he wasn't, it wasn't his fault at all... it's worth noting that Kermongant was made to walk the tunnel alone while several Leicester players and coaches went through the celebrating Cardiff players/coaches/fans to console Waggy.

 

Not to bring another argument in here, but despite the horrible slump Leicester went through last spring, I was perfectly OK with Leicester giving Pearson a mulligan for last season because of both how much he did for the club in his first go-around, and also because of how poorly the club treated him afterwards. We  were so desperate after the Stoke game, and I worried about the club's future (I never trusted Mandaric, and we had lots of inflated contracts to be rid of). To see us go right back up laughing at the division while some rival clubs found it 10000x worse... and to almost go right up to the Premiership afterwards! Give Big Nige some credit.

 

Don't get me wrong, the Stoke game was a stake through the heart...and relegation to the 3rd tier must be the "darkest day..." But if you weren't heartbroken for that 09-10 team, after all that happened, then football's not your sport. 

 

For me, Watford was surreal and absurd, I watched that game in a bar in Reykjavik at the end of a week-long bender... and I was rocked... but I defnitely felt worse for the squad at Cardiff than the other squads.

 

That said, if I were a Leicester fan when the Swindon game happened, I don't even know what I'd have done, that's got to be the worst.

[stripeyfox]

Think this thread depends on age & how long you've been supporting City. For anyone over 15 years last years play offs aren't even on the radar. Lots of really sad days under Little & O'Neill. Blackburn, Swindon, Tottenham & Athletico to name a few. The Chelsea cup game with a cheating ref still sticks in my mind.

 

This. I think the likelihood is that one's "worst" memory is going to be when you where younger. When I was in my early twenties and going regularly (1992 - 2000 period) then it felt more important. Now, as a 40 year old with kids, the recent play off defeats are dissapointing but not as devastating when viewed in context. I was even able to appreciate the beauty of Watford's runaway goal from our penalty miss as encapsulating what we love about football.

[bovril]

Thinking about it, maybe the most pained I've felt as a City fan was the 2-1 win over Spurs in 2002, final game at Filbo. A very sad moment.

[Manwell Pablo]

Theatrical fall to say the least and absolutely milked it.

 

Wasn't a penalty. He was offside.

 

Yes but he didn't say that in his original post did he he said dive, Bruce did clean out Chopra and you can't really call him a cheat for not pointing out that he was in a slightly offside position. . 

[Manwell Pablo]

I loved that team. What a gritty, blue-collar bunch they were...

 

That team really had no business challenging for promotion, but Pearson did damn well getting rid of shit, bringing in some cool veteran heads, completely changing the fans' attitude, and making his good young players believe they were great. I loved how they bounced back from every slump. I also loved how they reacted to that Wayne Brown incident.

 

2-0 down at Cardiff, it was all over, no team had scored 3 at Cardiff all season... but that team found a way. And yes, they were ****ed by that call. But ****. even though Cardiff battered them in extra time (although Waghorn hit the post, IIRC), the way the squad hung together, as they had all season, I couldn't fault any Leicester fan for believing we could do it in PKs.

 

The thing is, like you say and Dave Henson sang, Kermorgant really did suck for us. And say what you will about Waghorn from then on, but he was outstanding for us that season. And Waggy hit his PK well, too, but Marshall made a damn good save.

 

And again--forget everything you want to say about Waghorn from then until now--it killed me to see him collapse to the ground and cry. The kid--on loan, too--worked his ass off for us that season (and that goal vs Coventry, god damn!). I couldn't bear to see a young kid like that feel like he was to blame, he wasn't, it wasn't his fault at all... it's worth noting that Kermongant was made to walk the tunnel alone while several Leicester players and coaches went through the celebrating Cardiff players/coaches/fans to console Waggy.

 

Not to bring another argument in here, but despite the horrible slump Leicester went through last spring, I was perfectly OK with Leicester giving Pearson a mulligan for last season because of both how much he did for the club in his first go-around, and also because of how poorly the club treated him afterwards. We  were so desperate after the Stoke game, and I worried about the club's future (I never trusted Mandaric, and we had lots of inflated contracts to be rid of). To see us go right back up laughing at the division while some rival clubs found it 10000x worse... and to almost go right up to the Premiership afterwards! Give Big Nige some credit.

 

Don't get me wrong, the Stoke game was a stake through the heart...and relegation to the 3rd tier must be the "darkest day..." But if you weren't heartbroken for that 09-10 team, after all that happened, then football's not your sport. 

 

For me, Watford was surreal and absurd, I watched that game in a bar in Reykjavik at the end of a week-long bender... and I was rocked... but I defnitely felt worse for the squad at Cardiff than the other squads.

 

That said, if I were a Leicester fan when the Swindon game happened, I don't even know what I'd have done, that's got to be the worst.

 

 

I actually have quite found memories of Swindon, it wasn't the first football game I went to but it was certainly the one that opened my eyes to how dramatic the game could actually be and I was just about old enough to grasp what it meant to everyone. It's what got me really properly going with football and I'm quite thankful that. I think it's also just about the first one I can recall from start to finish quite an unforgettable day despite being about 8. 

 

Plus my one of my best mates is a Swindon fan and the Boden penalty is still something we have mock arguments about.

[Bayfox]

 

Yes but he didn't say that in his original post did he he said dive, Bruce did clean out Chopra and you can't really call him a cheat for not pointing out that he was in a slightly offside position. .

 

slightly?? **** i'd hate to see what you consider miles offside.

[Manwell Pablo]

  

slightly?? **** i'd hate to see what you consider miles offside.

 

The ones that are given

[Fox92]

Relegation for me... The fact we got relegated, the fact McAuley hit the post and we could won and the fact the Stoke fans were celebrating right in front of us.

 

Watford pained me more than Cardiff as well. Just because of how it happened.

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

Cardiff pained more than Watford just because i have become to it by that point. We scraped playoffs watford anyway but we deserved to make the final vs Cardiff i really thought that.

[Unabomber]

Personally for me it has to be Watford last season.

 

I went on holiday to Brussels with my two best mates on the Wednesday before, and we watched the first leg in some bar which was obviously decent. We were on our way back on the Sunday and met a fellow Leicester fan at Brussels train station who was also coming home, on the Eurostar we told him the score (we were on the train for the first half) as and when we knew it.

 

When we got to St Pancras it was a rush to get through customs and then to find a pub which was showing the game. We ended up in some boozer just outside the station, where there were a few Leicester fans who we sat with. One of my mates and I had a train back to Leicester at around 4 I think so the plan was to watch the game and then get the train. During the second half it was clear how much we were getting battered so we were kinda waiting for the inevitable goal and then we could go to get our train, however when it got nearer the potential of having extra time we were left in a weird situation, where we had to decide whether or not to miss our train or miss the game. We decided that we would miss the train and get a later one, we all know what happened next. When the penalty was awarded the whole pub stopped (most people were watching the Spurs game on another screen) and everyone watched our game. As soon as they scored it seemed like everyone in the pub was cheering and going mad as they all became die hard Watford fans for about 15 seconds. 

 

Anyway we legged it out with our luggage and just made our original train, on which we were at a table with an American couple and their young child. After a few minutes the woman said "I'm sorry but I just have to ask, what on earth is wrong with you?" So I had to do my best to explain the monstrosity that just occurred, and she was like "wow that is bad". A few stellas later with the gutting feeling at its peak I had a quick silent weep near the toilets as we slowly rolled into Leicester.

 

I think I am just about over it, but wow what a terrible end to a great holiday!

[pleatout]

Where to start.

 

Any game that involved Simon Stainrod  - always seemed to score against us, we were a goal down before kick off

Middlesbrough when Walsh got sent off [again] and they stuffed us 5-0 by half time

Madrid at home is the only time I've ever been truely angry.  It was so obvious that darker forces were at play that day.

 

Anyway, the real one.  The day NP returned.  I've said all along he's rubbish Couldn't manage to blow his nose.

[Kitchandro]

If you weren't heartbroken by either play-off defeat I just don't know what to say. How could you not be?

 

Going back to 09/10, there were so many injustices. Not only was Chopra offside for the penalty but he also should have been sent of in ET for kicking Wellens in the head, as should one of their defenders for a knee high tackle on Berner. 2 stone wall penalties in the first leg as well. It really was a tale of what might have been.

 

I'm so glad I'm not old enough to remember the Wycombe game. I can imagine that would definitely be the worse if I could. Considering we've never won the Cup as well, the humiliation and sense of waste after that must have been absolutely unbearable.

[bovril]

Dunno about the Wycombe game. It was a weird season. Even when we were top a blind man could see how shite we were playing. I think we were first having scored about 5 goals in 8 games. I remember the start of that match really well, the ball was played back to Taggart I think and as he went to hoof the ball a Wycombe player closed him down and their end erupted. You just got that feeling it was all unravelling....

[Frank Large Doughnuts]

Newcastle 4 Leicester 3. Shearer hatrick was hard to take. ButI had  far too much to drink at the time so maybe the feeling was amplified.

Tottenham 2 Leicester 0 FA cup semi final was very aggravating particuarly as they played some Argentinians two days after the  invasion and my dad is from the Falklands. Also, I agree with a previous post. Tottenham fans are particuarly irritating.

However finally I have to say the Athletico Madrid match. How many times will we ever get to a European competition.... and then to be done by the worst referee ever. He was definitely..........sorry I had better not say anymore for legal reasons.......O'Neill couldn't either.