Nottingham forest, the one that masterminded that story has been sent packing, why? Because the Foxes are on the brink of relegation with just one point above Hull City on the log joining the league of managers sacked after winning the league- Pellegrini, Mancini and Mourinho would testify. It has become a theme this days “win the EPL, get sacked.” On a streak of five consecutive losses, another could see them swimming in blatant relegation ‘rivers.’ Ranieri has failed to win the motivation battle of his squad evidenced by the fact that they have won only five Premier league games all season- no one saw that coming-, they haven’t even been able to find the net in 2017- unbelievable- and a whopping 14 games lost all season winning zero away games despite the presence of last season’s club leading scorer Jamie Vardy and PFA Player of the Year winner, Mahrez. Leicester City Football Club released a statement that says thus: Leicester City Football Club has tonight parted company with its First Team Manager, Claudio Ranieri. Claudio, appointed City manager in July 2015, led the Foxes to the greatest triumph in the Club’s 133-year history last season, as we were crowned champions of England for the first time. His status as the most successful Leicester City manager of all time is without question. However, domestic results in the current campaign have placed the Club’s Premier League status under threat and the Board reluctantly feels that a change of leadership, while admittedly painful, is necessary in the Club’s greatest interest.
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| Claudio Ranieri- independent.co.uk |
The Special one tagged the Italian ‘a loser’ for always coming short in his several spells as a manager- a second place specialist- Ranieri led the Foxes to an unbelievable title triumph- first in their 133-year history, Mourinho faltered with Chelsea after only winning the title six months before his own sacking. These days, both managers smile at each other, yet his reward is the sack after only receiving the support statement from the club two weeks ago 24 hours after losing 1-2 at Seville. Rewarded with a new contract doubling his previous wages, everything has since changed ranging from the lack of support from the club to the players’ attitude, it just wasn’t working anymore and the club had to make a decision. They did and it could well turn out to be the panic button because despite their struggles in the league, they have actually surprised in Europe topping their group, one which included FC Porto, FC Copenhagen and Club Brugge losing only once, to Porto. They scored a vital away goal at Sevilla albeit with some luck, they have surprised. Ranieri knows the club, he knows the players and given more time, he could have turned things around because despite last season’s surprise, this season’s main objective is to avoid the drop.
Leicester’s vice-chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, said: “This has been the most difficult decision we have had to make in nearly seven years since King Power took ownership of Leicester City. But we are duty-bound to put the club’s long-term interests above all sense of personal sentiment, no matter how strong that might be. Claudio has brought outstanding qualities to his office. His skilful management, powers of motivation and measured approach have been reflective of the rich experience we always knew he would bring to Leicester City. His warmth, charm and charisma have helped transform perceptions of the club and develop its profile on a global scale. We will forever be grateful to him for what he has helped us to achieve. “It was never our expectation that the extraordinary feats of last season should be replicated this season. Indeed, survival in the Premier League was our first and only target at the start of the campaign. But we are now faced with a fight to reach that objective and fe
el a change is necessary to maximise the opportunity presented by the final 13 games.”
Reports of dressing room altercations had surfaced in a manner in which Mourinho suffered at Chelsea. Several of last season’s best performers have failed to live up to expectations and have since gone under the radar. The likes of Drinkwater, Morgan, King, Okazaki have failed miserably in the quest to pull off another upset. New signings seem to also suffer from the same syndrome as the likes of Nigerian pacy winger Musa, Ghanaian’s Amartey and the likes have flattered to deceive. Only striker Slimani and new signing, Ndidi could be given some respite. Although, in truth, many didn’t expect any surprises as this kind of fairy-tale comes once in many years as many top teams failed to hit gear last season. They are an average team and everybody knows that and they are crumbling under pressure as they tend to slip into obscurity. The loss of N’Golo Kante played a major role though but that shouldn’t be an excuse for the below par performances. You could argue that the signings made to cover his absence are mediocre, yet that was how the Chelsea powerhouse and Mahrez were discovered by Ranieri. They were relatively unknowns before they became popular in the most lucrative league in the world.
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Ian Wright
✔ @IanWright0
Claudio Ranieri sacked! Unfortunate news I think! Wonder how I'd feel if I was a Leicester player right now
. Could I have done more
10:04 PM - 23 Feb 2017
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michael owen
✔ @themichaelowen
Total and utter disgrace. #Ranieri
10:11 PM - 23 Feb 2017
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michael owen
✔ @themichaelowen
I've lost a lot of love for the beautiful game today. The players and fans of Leicester have been massively let down.
10:23 PM - 23 Feb 2017
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The man has done his best and he will forever be in the history books of the club and soccer at large after doing the unexpected. The club has betrayed him and so has the players. Ranieri will not be forgotten, he will be remembered for the way he managed to survive the spotlight of the English media, the way he diverted pressure off his players, the bond he shared with the fans, his Italian accent and his non-petulant 2016/2017 season. He never shied away from shouldering blame. He was a soldier and he deserved better. The sacking game has started, who will be the next to receive the hammer?
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