Silverware & European History – Rodgers’ Four Years At LCFC

Four years is a long time in football. The game’s landscape is different to one which existed in late February back in 2019. It’s a span of time which has included Leicester City’s first-ever FA Cup triumph, successive European campaigns and a whole host of new Club records.

2023-02-26T08:02:18.036Z

by Sam Stevens

Published

26 Feb, 2023

Silverware & European History – Rodgers’ Four Years At LCFC

Four years is a long time in football. The game’s landscape is different to one which existed in late February back in 2019. It’s a span of time which has included Leicester City’s first-ever FA Cup triumph, successive European campaigns and a whole host of new Club records.

Sam Stevens

2023-02-26T08:02:18.036Z

Silverware & European History – Rodgers’ Four Years At LCFC

Four years is a long time in football. The game’s landscape is different to one which existed in late February back in 2019. It’s a span of time which has included Leicester City’s first-ever FA Cup triumph, successive European campaigns and a whole host of new Club records.

Sam Stevens

2023-02-26T08:02:18.036Z

Silverware & European History – Rodgers’ Four Years At LCFC

Four years is a long time in football. The game’s landscape is different to one which existed in late February back in 2019. It’s a span of time which has included Leicester City’s first-ever FA Cup triumph, successive European campaigns and a whole host of new Club records.

Sam Stevens

2023-02-26T08:02:18.036Z

Silverware & European History – Rodgers’ Four Years At LCFC

Four years is a long time in football. The game’s landscape is different to one which existed in late February back in 2019. It’s a span of time which has included Leicester City’s first-ever FA Cup triumph, successive European campaigns and a whole host of new Club records.

Sam Stevens

2023-02-26T08:02:18.036Z

The Foxes manager during that four-year spell, Brendan Rodgers, stands second in the Club’s win ratio charts for full-time managers – of those to see out a full season (46 per cent). Only Nigel Pearson (51 per cent), one of the most popular managers in LCFC history, sits above Rodgers for the first of his two spells in charge, spanning the League 1 triumph of 2009 and the subsequent, albeit unsuccessful, Championship play-off push.

Nobody has registered better numbers in the top tier. Not Ice Kings manager Matt Gillies (40 per cent), nor double League Cup winner Martin O’Neill (38 per cent). Not even Premier League champion Claudio Ranieri (44 per cent). Of course, each man’s stint in charge were set against unique backdrops. But Rodgers’ standing remains impressive regardless – the Northern Irishman is one of the most successful managers in the Club’s history.

That’s not to say it’s been easy. A global pandemic has presented problems for all teams, financial or otherwise, and Leicester have gone long spells striving for and lacking consistency. That’s the life of a football manager – particularly one who is now the fourth longest-serving in the Premier League, one of the most inhospitable divisions for managers in world football.

Rodgers’ impact at the Club was immediate four years ago. The former Celtic manager joined Leicester City in the months following the tragic helicopter accident of 2018. It wasn't long before Foxes fans were believing again as their side embarked on a historic eight-game winning run – the longest-ever top-tier stretch of victories in the Club’s existence. That run also included the magnificent 9-0 dismantling of Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium.

City were a regular presence in the league’s top four places for two seasons in a row. Yes, it was gutting to miss out on UEFA Champions League qualification on both occasions, but the Club’s presence up there alone was evidence of their immense progress. Rodgers’ men also combined their battles against England’s elite with an intrepid cup run in 2021.

Regretfully in front of empty stands for the most part, the Foxes defeated Stoke City, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester United and Southampton to tee up a final clash with Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea. We didn’t know it at the time, but the Blues from west London were weeks away from being crowned as European champions.

Leicester’s display that day at Wembley – in front of over 6,000 City supporters – was the sort of performance that fans yearn for. It wasn’t pretty at times. It was gusty, passionate. They gave everything for the cause. Whether it be Youri Tielemans’ classic goal, or Kasper Schmeichel’s two heroic saves, these are images seared into our mind’s eye forever. Nearly 140 years in the making, the Foxes finally had added the FA Cup to their honours list.

More Wembley glory followed in the FA Community Shield, beating Pep Guardiola’s generational standard-setters Manchester City. There were epic European triumphs in Rennes and Eindhoven too, as City reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League – their deepest-ever progression in a European competition. Only José Mourinho’s rejuvenated AS Roma side, roared on by the astonishing Stadio Olimpico crowd, could stop Rodgers’ men from reaching the showpiece in Tirana. The Italians also went on to win the inaugural competition.

Big weeks lie ahead for Leicester City and their manager. The events of the coming months are certain to write new chapters in Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes story. It’s been a real page-turner so far.

LATEST HEADLINES

Rowett’s Millwall Assessment Gary Rowett provided his reaction after our 1-1 draw with Millwall in our final King Power Stadium outing of the season on Friday night.

12 Mins Ago

City Draw With Millwall On Filbert Way We drew 1-1 with Millwall in Friday’s night’s Sky Bet Championship fixture at King Power Stadium.

10 Hours 22 Mins Ago

PL2 Play-Offs Defeat For City's U21s Our Under-21s concluded their 25/26 Premier League 2 campaign with a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in the Play-Offs Round of 16.

10 Hours 57 Mins Ago