Ahead of tomorrow night’s game with Leicester, I’ve been chatting with Phil Holloway from Leicester Fan TV who gave us chapter and verse on all the goings-on at the King Power, including Vardy’s drought, a ‘confident’ Madders and honouring the wishes of their late chairman…
First up, before we get stuck into tomorrow night’s game, care to tell us a bit about Leicester Fan TV and how it all came about?
PHIL: We set up Leicester Fan TV in 2009 to try and encourage supporters to back the team when we were on the edge of relegation to League 1 for the first time in our history. Sadly, it didn’t work, we got relegated, but it’s been the best thing to ever happen to us.
Since then we have won the League One title, the Championship and of course the Premier League… so it’s been one hell of a ride for us all at Leicester Fan TV.
It sure has! Blimey… who saw that coming in 2009.
It’s been quite the season for you guys – not far off 2015/16 levels. Did you see this one coming before the season kicked off?
Not really. Since winning the league, we haven’t really continued at that level. Brendan Rodgers has taken over Claude Puel’s remodelled and much younger and more talented squad and galvanised them into a top-four team.
We are having a great season, but the wheels have come off since we drew with Norwich at the KP in December. you guys kinda knocked the stuffing out of us!
Haha… first time I’ve heard that this season. You saw us *almost* at our best.
Nine points clear of fifth place with eleven to play; you’re not going to blow your chance of Champions League football are you? … even though, by your high standards, you’re having, as you say, a bit of a wobble.
You should be fine on Friday though; there’s this phrase, ‘along come Norwich’, which is also handy for Vardy’s mini-goal drought. We’re kind like that.
Let’s hope that IS the case. Vardy needs a goal. He’s nine games without one and is yet the top Premier League striker this season. With Vardy off form, it’s no coincidence that Leicester are off form.
To say we are a one-man strike-force is an understatement. If we can qualify for the Champions league it would be amazing, but we come to Carrow Road in a nervous state of mind!
You’ll be fine. Remember that phrase I told you…
That ‘goals against’ column looks blo0dy impressive, especially to someone whose team are bottom of that chart (and just about every chart to be honest). I mean, you score plenty too, but has that solid defence been the cornerstone of this season’s success?
We sold the most expensive defender in the world and yet we go on to have the best defence in the league… work that one out!
We have Söyüncü, a Turkish defender, who sat on the bench for 12 months after we signed him, and then last season, the odd time he played – usually in the cup – he looked shaky to say the least!
Then, all of us a sudden, him and Jonny Evans [a bargain at £3.5m] have turned into one of the best centre-back pairings in the league. Add to that Ricardo Pierra, who many wouldn’t be surprised to see leave us in the summer to go to a Barca or similar.
How’s Madders doing? He’s loved here and will get a good reception tomorrow. Are you confident of keeping him and Chilwell in the summer?
We all LOVE Madders. Mind you, I’m not sure we love Madders as much as Madders loves Madders! Perhaps you guys know what we mean 🙂
He is a superb footballer, and he knows it! He has played some brilliant games for us since arriving for what now appears to be a snip at £20m from you… and no doubt this summer he will be the talk of Sky Sports Transfer nonsense. If he doesn’t leave us this summer it will be in 2021, and no doubt for a lot of money.
Chilwell is having a mixed season. Personally I highly rate him, but many Foxes fans would cash in if any “big” clubs would offer us £50m+.
Re. Madders, yes, we do you know what you mean, but without that supreme self-confidence, he’d not be the same player.
Is it possible to go one step further next season and to try and replicate 2015/16? Or is this season peak Brendan Rodgers?
Our chairman’s statement in 2014 said “I want to turn Leicester City into a top-five Premier League club”… and we all laughed. Everyone laughed. BUT, since then, we have won the league, got to the Champions League quarter-finals and again, this season, we look set for a top-four finish and qualification for the Champions League.
Given that statement was made by our sadly departed chairman Khun Vichai some six years ago, it looks like we are fulfilling his dreams.
Blimey, that’s some legacy he’s left.
Am reluctant to ask, but what have you made of our season? We actually played quite well at the King Power in that 1-1; one of our better away performances.
Most fans from most clubs would, I think, like Norwich to stay up. You play football the “right way”. It’s exciting and entertaining from what we see. You have some good players and the fans are great. You guys should be up in the Prem and on a regular basis.
You just need to survive for one season and the second and third are easier, but sadly, I think this season it’s not looking good. ‘Keep the faith’ though as we say in Leicester as our motto, because in 2015 we were cast adrift at the bottom and then went on a great run to avoid relegation, and then won the Prem the following season. So we were sat in your position, and a miracle happened.
Keep Dreaming Canaries, it COULD happen to you!
Haha … you’ll have me believing if you carry on.
Finally, standard, a score prediction for tomorrow night?
Head says a draw, but heart and my blue-tinted glasses say [Leicester] City to win 2-1! We need Vardy, our talisman, to score, and if he does, we will win.
Thanks to Phil for his time.
Just be nice to see us score….
Life seems a lot better tonight.