Leicester City In The 21st Century: 2011/12
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01
Adding to the squad
A summer of investment into the first team playing squad began in earnest and by the time David Nugent joined on 5 July, 2011, the former England striker was the fifth addition to Sven-Göran Eriksson's side. He followed Lee Peltier, Kasper Schmeichel, Neil Danns and Sean St Ledger in at King Power Stadium.
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02
Pre-season tours
Successive tours of Sweden and Austria followed for the Foxes, who as well as competing in regular pre-season friendlies, also enjoyed some downtime as a squad throughout the two trips.
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03
The Kärnten Cup
City concluded their stay in Austria with a friendly encounter with Spanish side Valencia in Sankt Veit an der Glan, Carinthia.
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04
More signings arrive
Defender Matt Mills was secured for a reported fee in the region of £5M, joining fellow new recruits Paul Konchesky, John Paintsil and Michael Ball, while Michael Johnson and Gélson Fernandes also signed on loan.
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05
An ambitious squad with quality
Sven-Göran Eriksson's Foxes were quickly cast as promotion favourites ahead of the 2011/12 season, but there was still some more business to do in the market.
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06
A showpiece friendly
Before the season got underway, however, the Club officially renamed their home venue as King Power Stadium for the friendly visit of Real Madrid. Lloyd Dyer struck for the Foxes in a 2-1 defeat by José Mourinho's men.
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07
Opening day joy
Lee Peltier's first goal for Leicester came in a slender 1-0 opening day victory over East Midlands rivals Coventry City at Ricoh Arena on 6 August, 2011.
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08
Frustration for the Foxes
Two losses in a row followed that success at Coventry, though. David Nugent was on the scoresheet in a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest later in August, but a 94th-minute equaliser denied City all three points.
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09
Deadline Day drama
After Yakubu decided to join Blackburn Rovers following his loan spell in Leicester, Sven-Göran Eriksson elected to swoop for Everton forward Jermaine Beckford on the final day of the summer transfer window.
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10
Victory over Derby
A 4-0 triumph over another East Midlands rival, Derby County, offered some relief for the Foxes, who had struggled to put together a patch of form. David Nugent, Darius Vassell, Jeff Schlupp and Lloyd Dyer found the net for the home side.
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11
Eriksson departs
Following a 3-0 home loss to Millwall, it was announced that Sven-Göran Eriksson was to leave the Club on 24 October, 2011.
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12
Pearson's Leicester return
After weeks of speculation, former manager Nigel Pearson finally returned to Leicester City on 15 November, 2011. He was joined by assistants Craig Shakespeare and Steve Walsh from Hull City.
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13
A winning start
An opener from Jermaine Beckford and Paul Gallagher's brace registered a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace at King Power Stadium in Nigel Pearson's first game back with the Foxes.
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14
Beating Blackpool
A 2-0 win against Blackpool on 29 November, 2011, thanks to goals from Andy King and Neil Danns, gave Nigel Pearson a second win of his second spell in Leicester, but the Foxes would five games without a league victory over Christmas.
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15
Starting the New Year
City's first match of 2012 ended in a 2-1 triumph at Crystal Palace as Neil Danns and Sol Bamba scored the goals for the Foxes at Selhurst Park on 2 January, 2012. Leicester, though, still struggled to put together a consistent run of form. They remained in the hunt for a play-off place nonetheless.
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16
Winning on the south coast
A real indicator of the quality within City's squad came on 23 January, 2012 as Nigel Pearson's men sealed a 2-0 win at promotion candidates Southampton.
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17
Key arrivals at Belvoir Drive
Nigel Pearson's first signings back at Club included the arrivals of Wes Morgan, Danny Drinkwater and Ben Marshall in January.
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18
An FA Cup run
Leicester's encouraging FA Cup run came to an end at the quarter-finals stage as Jermaine Beckford's strike and a stunner from Ben Marshall weren't enough to prevent a defeat by Roberto Di Matteo's Chelsea in March.
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19
A memorable win
Danny Drinkwater, Lee Peltier, Ben Marshall and Paul Gallagher were all on the scoresheet in a 4-0 win over Doncaster Rovers on 7 April, 2012.
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20
Play-off hopes fade
A 0-0 draw with Burnley at King Power Stadium saw the Foxes exit contention for a Championship play-off berth on 17 April, 2012 as Leicester suffered the consequences of a slow start to their season.
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21
Panayiotou's dream debut
The Foxes' final outing of the season took them to Leeds United and, following David Nugent's opener, Danny Webber equalised for the home side at Elland Road. Just as it seemed it was destined for a draw, youngster Harry Panayiotou stepped up to net the winner on his debut in the 94th minute.
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