My Congratulation Message to Leicester City Football Club after the club became the marvellous Premier League champions of the 2015/2016 today!

This will be written with emotions and not be accurate as the historic victory of Leicester City Football Club and their title of the Premier League for the season of 2015/2016. Today is two rounds before the end of season and with Chelsea – Tottenham 2-2 on Stamford Bridge. That gave Leicester City a 7 Point over Tottenham Hotspur on the Second Place in the Premier League.

This has been a season of amazement and wonder. Chelsea breaking down in the start of the season, Aston Villa going into shambles and Sunderland and Newcastle continue to fight yet another season to avoid relegation. So the season have had wonders and been different. With West Ham winning on away at bigger clubs. Liverpool have been either great or terrible; Southampton been under the radar, Everton not there yet again. Bournemouth and Watford securing the place in the league early after promotion last season!

But there been one crazy ride in Leicester City and their ways of winning the title. They started with a weird season where they we’re down in the dumps and had a great escape from relegation. They had a fantastic last part where they won and won. It set the stage for this season even with the sacking of Nigel Pearson. Nobody expected much of Claudio Ranieri as he had just been sacked himself from being the Greece National Head Coach after humiliation of losing 1-0 to Faroe Islands in Europe Championship Qualification match in Athens in 2014. Nobody expected after this that he might resurrect something big in Leicester when he arrived as Manager there.

The goals were set and the standard. He didn’t blink Claudio Ranieri had a plan and it wasn’t to reinvent or buy a new squad. First was set to come as quick as possible to the 40 Points so the level of safety and knowledge of knowing that the Premier League status for another season would be secured. In January he celebrated the 40 Points and the secured place in the league. With that he set a new focus on getting 80 points. Something that was set in the January after a extraordinary first months of the league.

Jamie Vardy scored goals in 11 games in row. That is world-record and a Premier League Record. That was already achieved in November 2015. Many months before the title was in the talking. Riyad Mahrez who came from Le Havre and have been sparkling on the midfield has been voted as the Premier League Player of the Year. Nobody expected this two to sparkle and become vital parts of the Season and change the way we saw the results.

As the last few seasons and after Guardiola won titles and Champions League with Barcelona it’s positive with possession and the direct passing style to keep the ball in the team. Leicester City has been playing a counter-attacking running in the empty space between the midfield and defenders of the opposition. And they have one of that with sometimes as little of 20 % of possession. Where the long-balls and the counter-attacking when the teams have been unstructured because of the team have been in attack and therefore stretched. Not enough players on the right side of the Leicester City high-pulse running midfielders and the strikers like Vardy. The same of with the passes and the technic of Kante and Mahrez, not too talk about the speed of Albrighton.

The same with the soundness of the captain in Wes Morgan in the defense as he set the standard of calm even when they been under and had to turn the result in their favour. With him Huth, Fuchs and Simpson have also showed their strength in defense. As Fuchs, Huth and Morgan have stand strong even when the opposing team have pounded and been around the 16 meter box and knocked the ball away with pace and mastery. As they could have been red-carded and created more penalties with bad tackles or loose the line for offside. The Keeper in Kasper Schmeichel has been good the box and even taken brave steps when the defensive line has cracked.

All of the players together with the leadership of Ranieri have created this; he built on the foundation that Nigel Pearson left behind. Together with the rest of the staff that have recruited and created the group of players that makes the team we knows as Champions today. The staff together with their scout’s looks for players that can actually fits the already established group of players.

So the achievement have been totally mind blowing as the big teams who has spent fortunes on players and salaries are beaten by a club who builds a team and not on already famous players, even outcasts from Manchester United in Drinkwater. Together with Albrighton from Aston Villa, Danny Simpson from Newcastle and the list goes on to their former clubs and their sudden victories approach. Only Huth have won with Chelsea, but not as a fixed part of the 11 players that season, but more as a substitute.

The whole management and the club have achieved something that people like me only achieved on Football Manager or the older versions of Championship Manager. This is like we are managing to come to Champions League with Northampton on the CM 2000/01. It feels like this today. And the Leicester City and all the ones who made it happen can be proud. All the players and the fans can celebrate. I have looked and wondered. It’s been a streak and amazement of the results created by the club. 2015/2016 has made history.

The management, the owners and the players can all be celebrating and congratulation on your first and hopefully not your last Premier League Championship title. Leicester City has waited 132 years, and now has the title and the silverware in their club cabinet. It is well deserved. Also good to know that Jose Mourinho (Chelsea), Louis Van Gaal (Manchester United) or other serial-winners who uses all kind of tactics and ploys to win while being managers of wealthy clubs didn’t hitch the title away from Leicester this year.  

So congrats to all the Foxes, sorry you are Champions and also staying up! We are proud of you and all the football-fans world-wide are happy for you. Even the Tottenham Hotspurs Fans will celebrate with you, but with some shed tears as they we’re so close. Still, the story is all on you and you have made a story that will be remembered. The Team that have been made and kept in the calm hands of Claudio Ranieri proves that the little underdog can overcome the giants who spend £100m pounds in transfers. Something that Leicester City hasn’t done. So again congratulation and you deserve all the praise and glory as the championship is yours; something nobody, none can take away from you.

It took many years to find the remains of King Richard the Third in Leicester City and it have been reburied in a new grave. As much as the finding of the fallen royalty in Leicester was a surprise, the evident victory and winning Premier League! Congratulation and know that you have made the underdogs, the men and woman who enjoy football for its joy and fun. They enjoys victory as it wasn’t he funding and high transfers, but the initial view of building a team is the wonder that you have done. Peace.

PS – Another fun fact – Football related: 

Premier League 2015/2016 – My thoughts after ten rounds

There is now a new campaign and new matches. New stars and new clubs and promoted teams adding spice to the Premiership. The Premier League has now had ten rounds of the 38 rounds. It is an indication though still early, I will say that it shows how this might unfold. Though at a certain level shows how this campaign might be. There will be changes on the table and far from sure that those under the relegation mark. Three teams will go down to Championship. Who that might be is hard to see now, especially with how it has unfolded in recent seasons. Who wins the title isn’t easy choice either? Manchester clubs are on the top four together with West Ham. Tottenham and Crystal Palace, off the top three either Manchester club for the moment, though the strongest team right now is Manchester City.

Bournemouth is having its first ever season in the Premiership. It’s a small club with the smallest stadium in the league. But the stagnation of tactics is straining the team together with the collective damage of injuries in the team. Eddie Howe is a young and modern manager. What he already has done with club is amazing.

Watford is also a promoted team, but not new to the league, they have been here before. But the expensive and buying 13 players from coming up from the Championship has acutally worked together with getting a tactical manager in Quique Sanchez Flores. Igahlo and Deeney have showed the quality and that they are fit for the league!

Norwich went straight back after their last turn down into Championship. They have mostly the same team that went down in the last go-around. Alex Neil the Scot has done well in the club, though the recent results is frightening and looking as bad as under the last months under Chris Hughton.

Now I will take the clubs that is actually under the line at this time!

Aston Villa, one of the royalties that has been in a down-falling-spiral since the last two years of Paul Lambert’s tenure. The freshness Tim Sherwood brought saved the club for the third season in a row. Now they gone with only one victory all season, but before starting the season they lost Benteke, Delph and Weimann. Buying young talent, but not finish products. Then after 10 rounds firing Tim Sherwood! There is surely not being built squads anymore in the club, but quick fixing to save the place in the league! Will they make it this year? They might, but want be easy!

Newcastle has a new manager that has turned down the club three times, twice as Derby manager before fired there. Steve McClaren has surely a big boat to turn. Newcastle hasn’t been sparking in a long time. This is for the first season in a while there been bought players with great potential from the low-countries. One victory and 19^th Place and losing in the tenth match to Sunderland. Is surely not looking like an easy way out for the Tyne-side team!

The 18^th place team is Sunderland yet another team that has struggled in recent campaigns. They fire a manager in the beginning of the season, then saving the place, then running it into the ground in the second campaign of his reign! Paulo Di Canio, Gus Poyet and Dick Advocaat had all the same faith, though Advocaat resigned; it ended before Christmas in second campaign like with the two former managers. Sunderland needs a boast and gotten Sam Allardyce who has history of securing teams and playing safe. Yet another experienced manager, but the team lacks continuity and defensive structure that can builds into using the striking force of Defoe. Time will tell if they will save themselves yet another time.

The Surprise of the season and the giant fall of the league is CHELSEA. Losing five times already and the CHELSEA team need something new. Jose Mourinho has been on a strike and been more paranoid then certain dictators are against everybody else then himself. First the doctor Eva Carneiro was banished. Everybody has target Diego Costa! Every referee has been against CHELSEA!  Like this quotes after losing on Ethiad Stadium to Manchester City:

“A Ramires goal incorrectly ruled out for offside with Man City a goal ahead changed the complexion of this early-season Premier League fixture” (…)”We dominated after the interval and after Ramires’s goal was disallowed, Hazard drew a fine stop from Joe Hart. Two late City goals, from Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho, added some gloss to a final scoreline which did not accurately reflect the bigger picture.” (…)”The Chelsea pressure was mounting and the royal-blue momentum nearly paid off with 20 minutes to go. Hazard lead a rapid break and picked out Diego Costa approaching the left-hand side of the box. He carried the ball, cut inside before squaring for last year’s Player of the Year. Hazard dropped a shoulder and fired for goal, but met his match in Hart” (Chelsea, 2015).

I saw that match; the whole report was like hogwash from certain dictatorships and not a proper match-report. Then the last match kind of confirmed the troubles inside the club. With the cards which has unfolded this season with weak defense of Matic, Ivanovic and Terry. Hazard has been a shadow and only Willian has delivered in the midfield. Falaco came in as a third option, but is still not striking and Loic Remy doesn’t get the time to hit and Costa is just making a lot of fuzz, but not really hitting the goals in the box. Chelsea has issues with Jose Mourinho and his strives to be what he is – a winner and now constantly losing. And his last reaction to losing at a better playing West Ham. Has proven that the Drama of CHELSEA is far from over this campaign!

Stoke has been magnificent under Mark Hughes though this campaign haven’t been either fish or bird. They have not delivered back to back victories yet. They got Shaqiri to the team as they got Bojan last go around. They play more technical and less of Pulis 1-0 counter-strike football. But the results this campaign hasn’t been anything to talk about.

Swansea is in the middle of the league. Third campaign with Gary Monk! The team has evolved and gotten a new favorite in the team. He is Andrew Ayew they got as a bosman player before the campaign, he and Gomis has hit it off. They beat Manchester United in the third match in a row! If they play like that they can still end up over 10^th position! Swansea is steady building and proving that yet another campaign.

Everton with Roberto Martinez had a weak campaign after striving in his first as Everton manager. This season is supposed to pick it up. Still the matches I have seen, it’s too unstable. At this stage the defense that was the strong point of David Moyes is totally gone. The team is filled with young talent, but Gareth Barry is showing that he is starting to be to slow and makes more cards, then doing well. Joss Stones and Ross Barkley has skills and proves viability and not forget Lukaku is a force in him. Coleman and Naismith deserve more credit. Leighton Baines is the hero of the team, though too much injured for the moment. The team can be magical and play fantastic, but it’s not consistent which this club deserves!

West Bromwich has Tony Pulis. That means the dream result is 1-0 or 2-1. They won over Aston Villa and Rondon is scoring. Where did Saido Berahino go? Not Tottenham, but he is around in Birmingham right? Wonder when the fans of West Bromwich are going to be bored with the destructive defensive counterstriking teams of Pulis?

Liverpool has been strictly average after using a fortune in the summer and giving Brendan Rodgers another chance to succeed. FSG the owner’s lost their patience the result and getting a draw with Everton before a week of internationals. The players that the Transfer Committee got and structures of the club has given Rodgers a hard time with losing the best players two campaigns in a row. FSG has later gotten Jurgen Klopp as the savior of the club. Benteke, Clyne, Firmino and Origi haven’t done magic either this campaign. Sturridge has been injured. Coutinho and Allen hasn’t been stabile so it’s not all Rodgers, though he was a working scapegoat and now we can see if the German can get this Merseyside club firing!

Southampton is still up high even after losing Schneiderlin who was important in the last seasons also my favorite player in the team last year Clyne. Ronald Koeman is in the second campaign. With the losing of essential players they still have the capacity to get new ones to fills the slot, also show the quality of Fonte, Mane and Pelle one of them will surely be bought by Liverpool if they follow the procedure of their summer shoppings.. Southampton is still over mid-table and stay there. It wants be a team in one of the Champions League spots, but surely be close to get into the Euro League this year as well! If the 10 first matches is telling the truth of the quality of the team.

Crystal Palace first starting campaign with Alan Pardew he was a shadow of himself in the end of his tenure in Newcastle. He got back into the collaboration as a manager with Cabaye. Bolasie, Puncheon, Sako, Zaha, Chamakh, Jedinak, Wickham, Souare, Campell, Mutch, McArthur, Ledley and Bamford! Is all the mid-fielder and attackers that the EAGLES have this campaign and their attacking forces are amazing. Bolasie is truly a player I would have on any of my dream team! Hopefully Crystal Place will continue to play as amazing as they have done!

Tottenham has actually kept their manager Pochettino and Denis Levy must surely be drinking since he usually fires managers quickly. They have Adebayor, but only official striker is Harry Kane and he has scored in the last of the tenth match in this campaign. Eriksen has been not so visible this campaign. Lamela and Dele Ali can bring fire to the mid-field. Still feels the team is to unstable and still young. And wonder how long Levy can see the team as Euro-League team and with the team they have for now, they don’t have the last spark to get into the Champions League. Harry Redknapp will be somewhere smiling at the movement since he was fired…

Another Surprise then CHELSEA and their fall is the team of Leicester City. Pearson was fired in the summer and Tinkerman was hired. Claudio Ranieri. Who has on his CV the ability to lose as Greece manager to Faroe Islands that must be a special for any modern manager? But that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good coach and manager. He has had the ability to continue the striving team of Pearson and the striker Vardy is the top scorer for the moment with 10 in 10! Mahrez also has been sparkling together with Vardy. Leicester continues to be a shiny light in the Premiership!

Manchester United has not under Van Gaal been playing wonderful attacking football. They have used a tiny fortune on players. Angel Di Maria is still gone even if he was record buying. Is Luke Shaw still there? Martial has been great gamble and maybe saved a lot of points. De Gea staying has been a great thing for the club and a loss for Real Madrid. Because with Romero you could see he was weaker. Still not feeling that the club has an edge in the game or should I say trying to prove a stable attacking or defensive play. Wonder when they find their way and will be the Champions League team who wins more with a force, not “rare luck”.

Slaven Billic has taken over for Sam Allerdyce in West Ham before the start of the campaign. West Ham expects attacking fun play and Allerdyce isn’t that type, though Allerdyce is not like Pulis, still more stable defense play! Billic has proven to be fresh air and giving the players free speed. Kouyate, Obiang, Lanzini, Payet, Sakho, Moses, Valencia and Zarate is proving that this team can play wonderful football. Payet and Kouyate can play around with great defenses. West Ham has already won over Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal this campaign. They are in the top four and if they stay here it will be a giant surprise and guilt trip for many of the smaller clubs compared to the usual suspects. If they survive the hard December program will tell!

Arsene Wenger and Arsenal can be often in a great state and play Playstation football. They have been amazing and been played with more caution, even gotten a stable goalkeeper in Peter Cech. That even Mourinho wouldn’t want to sell before the campaign. The weakness is still in the defense, though Monreal, Bellerin and Coquelin has grown in their defensive rolls. I have faith that Arsenal can be a title chaser until the end, but hope that it doesn’t fall apart as it has done around Christmas and then picking up just in time to reach Champions League spot. Arsenal has a magnificent mid-field with Ozil, Sanchez, Ramsey. Carzola, Flamini, Wilshere, Rosicky and Arteta! So they should have enough good choices in the mid-field, at strikers it’s usually either Giroud or Walcott, and the Costa Rican Campell. Arsenal can bring it in, just not lose it.

Manchester City is leading the league for the moment after having a draw with their arch rival United in the last league match. The team has played well with the new mid-fielders like De Bruyne, Sterling and Delph. Delph has though not been pivotal at all, Sterling and De Bruyne has giving the team pace. Together with Silva and Navas has giving the edge to strikers of Bony and Aguero. It seems like a good thing by the club to keep Pellegini as the manager. Keeping the staff and adding to already solid team with Kompany, Zabaleta and Yaya Toure. City has enough if they are all firing to become the title winners this campaign. Though the stability and winning over “lesser-teams” away like losing to Stoke is not good enough if they want to achieve the title again, depending on how they keep it steady, if they are steady even without Aguero who might be the best striker in the league, then they have the ability to win it!

Well, what will really happen? Will Pardew get Crystal Palace into the top six this year? Will Mark Hughes get his mid-field firing? Swansea will continue to thriving as last season? Slaven Billic will he manage to keep West Ham winning over the Christmas season, because Allerdyce did not manage that! Allerdyce will he be able like his predecessors to save Sunderland yet another campaign? Has Steve McClaren the quality of the team and the mentality to save Newcastle? Aston Villa has been falling of grace long before Tim Sherwood entering the club; will the new man of the club have the capacity to save it?

Will Watford, Bournemouth and Norwich keep it up, even if Norwich is starting to look like they did in the last season in the Premier League when they had 7-8 matches without victories, remember last time they  they went down? What will happen to Southampton, mid table or actually able to crack into Europe again?

Has Klopp the aura to get the Liverpool club back into Europe or will that be a longer run? Will Pochettino get fired for not getting the club high enough this campaign? How long can Mourinho keep his calm and how long will Abramovich tolerate the negative campaign and results before firing him for the second time?

I could go and on. But there been an interesting start of the season and hope it will continue. The best of luck and hope you also will enjoy the Premier League as much as I do. Peace.

Reference:

Chelsea FC – ‘Match report: Manchester City 3 Chelsea 0’ (16.08.2015) link: http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2015/08/match-report–manchester-city-v-chelsea-.html