Dear LCFC,
This is not an easy letter to write considering how I’ve been antagonistic to your success almost throughout the season and repeatedly downplayed your fast, direct and purposeful brand of counter-attacking football just because you’re a rival club and you clearly posed a threat to my team’s tittle ambitions.
I’m burying my head now in utter shame.
On the 24th of May 2015 when the English Premier League (EPL) wrapped up with your team barely escaping relegation and at the start of the 2015/2016 football season when your squad managed by Claudio Ranieri who was returning to England with a somewhat tarnished reputation, having just been fired as manager of the Greek national team, nobody, absolutely nobody gave you a chance.
Nobody even expected you to qualify for the Europa League let alone be crowned kings of England, a feat which has now secured you a place in the Champions League next season to play with the crème de la crème in Europe.
There’s a part of me that like to feel justified for writing you off. That’s because of my conviction that not even a single member of your squad or staunchest supporter believed the Premier League trophy would be coming to the King Power Stadium in May – reasons being that you barely escaped relegation the season before, you didn’t have Lionel Messi in your side and were bereft of the financial muscle.
But I should have changed my mind in January, February or even March, I never did.
So sorry Leicester, I was so wrong. So horribly wrong.
After you only signed Robert Huth, N’golo Kante and Shinji Okasaki for a combined fee of around £33 million in the summer of 2015, I thought those players were nobodies.
Those signings together with other members of your squad churned out results week in week out in remarkable fashion including inflicting impressive defeats on perennial title contenders like Manchester City and Chelsea so much so that many people started saying, ‘’this is too good to be true’’.
Then pundits and fans predicted that a time will come when you’ll experience a bad spell that will cost you the tittle. I waited for that time, it never came. All I saw was a team getting better and better with each game and defying all the odds.
I can even think of one specific occasion when the season was half way gone. I was listening to a football show on radio and sent this text message:
‘Leicester City have been the dark horse of the season thus far. Will they clinch the title? Call be a joker if you like but I reckon they won’t be able to sustain their momentum till May.’
Oh how wrong was I, again!
I’ve been so impressed by the brilliance of your manager all season. Your squad’s togetherness is admirable as is your fighting spirit.
When it became clear my team wasn’t going to be champions and it became a two-horse race (between you and Tottenham Hotspurs), I found myself in a very awkward position - I had to choose between two teams I disliked. Strange as the situation was, I chose you without thinking twice. I became your supporter until the end of the season at least. After all, I hitherto didn’t have any reason to dislike you but Tottenham I’ve disliked since my love affair with a certain Premier League club.
(Whoever understands rivalries in English football perhaps now know the team I support). 😀
In a season where Chelsea have imploded, Manchester City have been indifferent, Manchester United have been mediocre and Arsenal have been Arsenal, no one will argue that you thoroughly deserve to be champions.
Your achievement is special, unprecedented and inspiring. No doubt it will go down as one of the most astounding chapters in the biggest story the Premier League has ever told.
Congratulations!
Kind regards,
Joe
