“I’m told” – The reporter says there are some really bad apples in the Leicester City dressing room
Leicester City slipped back into League One after losing 1-0 at home to Swansea City, and the fall from grace sparked a dressing room revelation.
With four games to go and now four points from safety, it is a record that, according to those close to the situation, has deeper problems than results alone.
The picture in Leicester is likely to be much darker.
Swansea arrived at the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon with nothing at stake – comfortably in mid-table, with no promotion aspirations, no relegation problems.
They walked away with the three points they had to work for, and the home fans left the floor with the same level of excitement they had had all season.
The only goal of the game came eight minutes into the second half with a counter-attack that summed up everything that has been wrong with Leicester this season.
Exclusive: Leicester battle Crystal Palace for “unbelievable” new manager.
Foxes are looking for an experienced manager.
Eom Ji-Sung won a possession midway through his own half and ran almost the full length of the field before finding Zan Vipotnik in the area.
The Slovenian, who has scored 21 goals in the Championship this season, finished high into the net – his shot hit the crossbar.
Vipotnik is being chased by Premier League sides ahead of the summer window, and it’s no surprise that the Championship’s top scorer is finding the net again, but it was all too easy.
It was a goal entirely born of Leicester’s inability to deal with a simple turnover, and Gary Rowett was left shaking his head on the touchline for the tenth time of the campaign.
Leicester were the better team in the first half. Ricardo Pereira hit the post early on, Patson Daka was twice denied by Lawrence Vigouroux within three minutes, and Oliver Skipp saw an effort cleared by Vipotnik himself on the stroke of half-time.
18 shots in 90 minutes, 12 corners, and not a single goal to show for it.
Rowett’s frustration was clear afterwards, saying it was “absolutely ridiculous” to give up.
Reporter uncovers bad apples in Leicester City’s dressing room
The King Power broke out into the “blow the board” chant as the final minutes drew to a close, the players met with boos and jeers in full force.
For a club that celebrated a Premier League title less than a decade ago, the scenes were a stark illustration of how dire the situation has become.
A six-point deduction for profit and sustainability violations – confirmed after Leicester’s appeal failed earlier in the week – added to the weight of their hold.
Without it, they would have stayed close to the play-offs in the relegation battle. With it, they are second in the tail with four games to go and it looks like they will be playing third-tier football next season.
talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, with sources close to the club, gave an indirect update on the situation in the dressing room following the final whistle.
The comments get to the heart of what many inside the game have long suspected – that Leicester’s problems are not just tactical or structural, but cultural.
A team that has not done very well this season, failing to score in their last four league games and winning just once in their five games is one thing.
The dressing room area defined in those terms is another issue entirely, and one that will need to be addressed with any differences they find themselves in in August.
Next up is Portsmouth away. It would take the collapse of rival clubs and a run of form Leicester showed no signs of producing to change what looked to be an inevitable outcome.
