We asked on Instagram this week whether Leicester City fans were worried about the lack of movement on the managerial front.
86% of respondents said that yes, it seemed like the same old dithering we’ve become accustomed to seeing from our football club. Several other clubs have moved decisively to replace outgoing managers while everyone at Leicester is seemingly on their holidays as usual.
So when they touch down back in this country and start to think about who to appoint, where should they look first?
Since we set up this site in the summer of 2022, this will be the seventh time we’ve asked this question. And as Leicester continue to plummet through the pyramid, the question gets harder and harder. But this time, a clear candidate has emerged.
The new Nige
I don’t like to speculate on specific managers, mainly because I don’t know enough about the wider footballing world and who may actually be available.
The big thing for me is someone who isn’t just a ‘yes man’, but will the club employ someone that fits that criteria? I’m not sure they will.
Ultimately, we need someone who will build an identity, demand high standards and not be afraid to put players, who’ve continuously let us down, into a bomb squad, regardless of their ‘experience’.
Nigel Pearson is the ultimate in Leicester City managers for me, and it’s the no-nonsense, hard-working mentality that he brought that we want to be looking at.
It needs to be someone that the fans can relate to, so they can also help with work on improving the gargantuan divide between the club and fans right now.
We got lucky with Enzo when he came in and I’m happy for it to be someone who I’d not even been aware of like that. It’s just important that there is clarity in style of play (maybe playing a formation other than 4-2-3-1) and preferably it’s someone who makes me say ‘he just gets it’.
I don’t care who it is, just that they start the ball rolling on me not hating them all.
Becky Taylor
Christian Fuchs
It feels like a really straightforward choice. He’s a club legend, did an incredible job keeping Newport up and would surely jump at the chance to come here.
Even ignoring the emotional tie, a young and up-and-coming manager who’s had experience coaching in America and who’s done very well in the league below surely is the way forward?
With the experienced failure-specialist players on their way out of the club, appointing Fuchs would enable a fresh start with someone who’d bring the fanbase together. Throw in Andy King as his assistant and we’re onto a winning combination.
Iain Wright
The most important qualities Leicester City need in any new manager are personality and positive vibes. The club is not going to reset itself until there is some kind of unifying figure at the helm who can command the loyalty of a divided fanbase.
It has also been a very long time since there was a manager who you genuinely believed wanted to be manager of Leicester City, as opposed to either using it as a stepping stone for something better or because they had no other options. We want someone who actually likes us.
Viewed through that lens, you’re basically looking at people with ties to the club lurking around at this level. There are a few: Chris Davies might be a decent manager but his proximity to Brendan Rodgers works against him, Richie Wellens has a sort of deranged Nigel Pearson feel but might be a rubbish manager, Alan Sheehan is also available.
But for me the most fun option is Christian Fuchs. Fuchs is a professional vibesman and at least has the stomach for a fight. He didn’t have to take the Newport job, but he went in there and helped keep them up. He’s regularly called himself a Leicester fan, he knows what sort of style people want to see.
The risk is, of course, that he might not be any good as a manager. But we’ve had plenty of that before, may as well take a chance on something different.
James Knight
After lurching from manager to manager in the last two years, with what doesn’t feel like a cohesive plan from the outside, we’re in desperate need of an identity. Maybe it’s naive to hope that we’ve learnt something from the different styles and approaches but we have to make a different decision this time.
We’re also in dire need of a realist, who can go back to basics (for our defenders) but also can maximise what he’s got. Which is a shoestring budget and likely a very young squad. Any prospective manager won’t be unclear on the task ahead of them but also needs to be prepared to get under the bonnet and see the real damage that’s masked from the public view.
The question of who is trickier. The unemployed market is probably our ideal hunting ground, no compensation fees. But that market is also limited. Then there’s the slightly cheaper options of those second in command who want a shot at leading a team but most of those are unknown to the average fan. Maybe not the man himself, but a Mark Robins type manager who can steady the ship, wheel and deal with loans and cheaper players and who knows the league and what it takes.
It’s understandable that Fuchs has become an obvious name, he’s just pulled off nothing short of a miracle at Newport, saving them from what many thought was inevitable relegation. He instilled a fight into that squad and got them picking up wins. He’s also still well loved amongst fans and it teases a team up between him and Andy King.
I’m unsure if Fuchs is the answer, but why not when no better answer presents itself. All I want is a manager who can be clear with the role for each player, and addresses fans honestly. Who can navigate the tricky relationship with the club but will challenge them appropriately. A manager who understands that what fans want is actually pretty simple when you strip it down, we just want a team that gives their all. That can get you on your feet to cheer them on.
Helen Thompson
The Fosse Way 