Leicester City’s players and manager appreciate vocal support - so when will the club embrace it?
A vital late winner scored at the Kop end. The final whistle following a tense Championship encounter. The aftermath of the trophy being hoisted into the air on the halfway line.
They all had something in common: the players, the manager and the coaching staff of Leicester City each drawn to one corner of the ground.
Those celebrations in the SK1 corner on the final day of the season spoke volumes, the traditional lap of honour skewed hugely in favour of the area of the stadium that backed the team most vociferously throughout a campaign of real ups and downs.
From where I was standing, on the other side of the pitch, it looked like a thank you for that backing and an appreciation, as we’ve seen at the end of most games, of the efforts made by Union FS, the singing section and that corner of the stadium in general.
I’ll be returning to SK1 next season after several years in other sections, feeling the same pull as the players and Enzo Maresca. I wasn’t the only fan to feel that way, with relocations to the singing section proving so popular the club’s ticket office telephone lines went into Fofana mode and refused to play ball.
This is the club that proclaims itself desperate for everyone to go digital but which also routes hundreds of people keen to relocate their season tickets through a tiresome multi-channel process. That is apparently still a better approach than offering the ability to do it in a couple of clicks.
Changing systems can be complex, challenging and expensive - but the fan experience has never really been prioritised over things like Seagrave and trips to Monaco.
Those that did eventually get through were told they were unable to relocate to the singing section, a classic LCFC message that didn’t appear to be communicated anywhere prior to the relocation period opening.
The issue here was wider than the ticketing decisions and the implementation of certain systems though.
Watching Enzo Maresca and his players acknowledge Union FS’s efforts, those in charge of the ticket office and the club in general should have had the same thought as the social media guy jogging over to that area as quickly as he can: “This is great. We need to harness this.”
If the so-called singing section (the need for which clearly indicated a massive problem in the first place) was a trial, then surely Maresca has given the verdict with his determination all season to pay his tribute to those involved?
Maresca seems determined to shake things up at a club that had gone stale, effectively calling out the football administration side in recent weeks. His regular beeline for SK1 feels like his attempt to do the same for the atmosphere.
The next step should have been obvious: embrace the positivity; expand the section.
It seemed a no-brainer. A big campaign. Use this opportunity to grow the area of the ground that is making an impact.
That should be the reward from the club for the use of photos of the singing section all season to try and depict our stadium as some kind of impenetrable fortress full of passionate ultras. Because it’s not exactly representative of the whole.
Normally, you’d expect a 97-point title-winning season with 17 home wins out of 23 to result in a bouncing ground for most of the year. The whole stadium should have been a singing section. That wasn’t my experience for the vast majority of last season. The feelgood factor of the Norwich, Birmingham, West Brom and Southampton games was welcome, but it doesn’t mask the underlying issues with the atmosphere.
And as for a return to the Premier League - the club must know we’re going to need vocal support more than ever.
I wouldn’t want to speak on behalf of Union FS, but the general vibe from the club towards them doesn’t appear to be hugely cooperative. Whether it’s the club’s attitude to talks over the £25 charge for physical season tickets, the slowness of the confirmation of the Jamie Vardy tifo at the Blackburn game or the desire of fans to relocate to the section, there’s an arm’s-length feel to it all.
Regardless of what the club thinks or does, this little corner of the stadium is breathing new life into some. Ultimately, a move back to SK1 feels like my last attempt to start enjoying matchdays again.
This is where one particularly weird element of the fanbase demands a mention. At the Blackburn game, the bloke in the seat behind me said - and this was just one comment among 90 minutes of negativity - “We’re shit, it’s been a rubbish season, I’m bored and I’m not staying to see the trophy”.
On my dying day I’ll still be trying to understand the motivations of someone who’s spent a significant amount of money on a hobby they seem to actively loathe. I wish I could shut it out, but this is the kind of thing that actively detracts from my enjoyment of watching Leicester City.
That experience on the final day was the final straw, in fact, making up my mind to relocate.
The adjustment of expectations once more will be difficult for a lot of people. Nobody is expecting 17 wins next season. I’d be overjoyed with half that number at the moment (subject to what that might actually mean after any points deduction).
But I don’t want it to be about the winning quite so much next season. It’s got to be about more than an afternoon being a success or failure based on three points, and it feels like SK1 is the best place to make that a reality.
It’s easy to spout 90 minutes of negativity and harder to force meaningful change in a crowd of thousands. Some of us relocating are effectively acknowledging those efforts from hard-working individuals in Union FS and SK1 by trying to do our bit to unofficially expand the section ourselves. Hopefully the club starts to see the merit of greater positivity in that direction on a more regular basis too.
