The Managers: Claudio Ranieri, 2015-2017

[davieG]

Claudio Ranieri’s appointment Leicester City’s manager July 2015 was not met with widespread acclaim. He had lost his previous job as the national manager of Greece after being defeated by the Faroe Islands.

 

When he took over Nigel Pearson’s Leicester City side which, despite the Great Escape of 2014/15, had spent most of the previous season at the foot of the Premier League, nobody believed that within 10 months his team would be Premier League champions, a feat universally described as one of the greatest stories in sporting history,

Ranieri had already managed 14 clubs, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus, Roma, Inter Milan and Monaco. At Leicester he used this vast experience to build wisely onto the foundations set by Pearson, Craig Shakespeare and Steve Walsh, whose recruitment had unearthed such stars as Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kanté.  Ranieri also benefited from high quality staff at the training ground and from the outstanding team spirit amongst the players.

 

The Italian guided Leicester City to the 2015/16 Premier League title in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Ranieri’s initial target of gaining 40 points to avoid relegation was modest. By October the Club was third in the table. Jamie Vardybroke the Premier League record by scoring in 11 successive games. The team entered the New Year at the top of the table, level on points with Arsenal. The momentum was continued by a constant stream of memorable goals and results such as Vardy’s unforgettable half-volley against Liverpool and the defeat of Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Ranieri’s press conferences featuring such quotes as ‘if they keep a clean sheet, I’ll buy a pizza for everybody’ and ‘dilly-ding, dilly-dong, wake up, wake up!' made him a media favourite.

A 1-1 draw at Old Trafford with two games to go until the end of the season was followed the next day by Tottenham’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea, a result which confirmed Leicester City’s title. The fans partied through the night. The next game, at home against Everton, was preceded by day-long celebrations. There was sunshine, rain, Andrea Bocelli’s outstanding singing before the game, fireworks, a guard of honour by the Everton players, a 3-1 victory and the iconic trophy lift. The celebrations continued into the final game of the season, a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. Ranieri’s team had won the title by 10 points, a massive achievement. The open top celebratory bus tour culminating in Victoria Park attracted 240,000 fans. Murals depicting Ranieri and the team appeared around the city.

 

Ranieri saw his side lose just three games during his maiden season as City manager.

Ranieri’s achievement made him Premier League Manager of the Year, LMA Manager of the Year, European Coach of the Year, BBC Sports Personality of the Year (coach award) and the best FIFA Football Coach. He was also inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.

His team’s profile was raised by being invited to participate in the International Champions Cup in 2016, and he successfully led the Club to be group winners in the Champions League en route to the quarter-finals. However, poor league form resulted in him leaving the Club in February 2017. He has since managed Nantes, Fulham and Roma.

[Tuna]

What can you say?

 

The perfect appointment at the perfect time and delivered the most astonishing success.

 

A legend in the true sense of the word.

[richardsfoxes]

Literally love the man. 

[SouthStandUpperTier]

For one glorious season the man just had the Midas touch.

[Nickfosse]

Right man, right place, right time. 

The planets aligned for the most glorious of seasons. 

[Charl91]

This may be a controversial opinion, but personally I think he did alright.

[Gamble92]

Have we not reviewed all our managers yet? This shit seems to have gone on forever. It mainly reviews the time they weren't with us anyway. As riveting as its been to hear about Gary Megson and Frank Burrows - can we move on.

[Foxin_Mad]

He should really be invited back onto the pitch. He was the right man at the right place at the right time but its likely no one else could have done it. 

[Jattdogg]

It was like turning 16 and having a hot sexy playboy porn star girlfriend for a year.

 

All the gents and ladies were jealous of you.

 

She wanted to get back into the porn making business so fearing the worst (herpes) you let her fly away to be herself.

 

A legend/conquest she will always be to you when you look back.

 

The end.

 

 

[davieG]

11 hours ago, Gamble92 said:

Have we not reviewed all our managers yet? This shit seems to have gone on forever. It mainly reviews the time they weren't with us anyway. As riveting as its been to hear about Gary Megson and Frank Burrows - can we move on.

It's very obvious what the topic is so why view it if it bothers you so much and why post in it helping to keep it on the front page?

[Danizen]

Everything about his reign is still absolutely bonkers. I'd actually forgotten about his failure with Greece until I clicked on this thread. 

[ThaiFox]

I was very uninspired by Ranieri's appointment. But he'll always have my total admiration for the way he managed us in that season.

 

There is no question however, that without Pearson's team we wouldn't have won the P/L. There is also no question that if Pearson had been our manager we wouldn't have won the P/L.

 

It was the two situations that won us the P/L.

 

Ranieri will go down in history as one of our greatest managers. But I just hope Pearson will be remembered alongside him, because in my view, they deserve equal credit.

 

 

[Gamble92]

54 minutes ago, davieG said:

It's very obvious what the topic is so why view it if it bothers you so much and why post in it helping to keep it on the front page?

Cheer up Davie G

[Guest Markyblue]

His face after Sunderland away still gets me now, gentleman, title winner, legend, end of.

[KingsX]

The man just has way too much class for this business.

[Ric Flair]

Like one of them flowers that opens once every 100 years to reveal the most jaw dropping sight ever seen, then 30 seconds later they drop off and leave a brown stump.

 

We witnessed it, it was glorious. Now let's pack the fcuker up. ?

[Corky]

Yes, it ended badly and we'll always regret that but for nine months we had a hell of a time. He guided us through it all perfectly and deserved a big trophy for all his work throughout his career. 

 

And his reception at the Burnley game this season showed that we remembered the good times above the bad. Will always have a huge fondness for him.

[Freeman's Wharfer]

Don’t care if it was just one season, he’s our greatest ever manager.

 

The ‘dilly dong’, the “keep dreaming”, the tears at Sunderland, the clean sheet pizzas, Bocelli... all iconic

 

Two things that stood out for me in that title season:

 

1) Watford (a) - a tight first half and at half time he makes a sub that 99% of the stadium could never have called with King and Schlupp on. Transformed the game and we got the goal we needed

 

2) The pre-match press conference - everyone was worried about Vardy’s suspension. For the first time he comes out and says “now, we go for the title”. It just felt like that was the starting gun for the sprint finish and remember getting goosebumps as I heard him saying it with such conviction

 

[Japanfox]

He was our Italian Stallion.    And wasn't it great to see the Italians celebrating our league win.   Love you  Claudio

[Danizen]

14 hours ago, Corky said:

Yes, it ended badly and we'll always regret that but for nine months we had a hell of a time. He guided us through it all perfectly and deserved a big trophy for all his work throughout his career. 

 

And his reception at the Burnley game this season showed that we remembered the good times above the bad. Will always have a huge fondness for him.

I loved seeing Ranieri side by side with Pearson. Two amazing managers that no Leicester fan will ever forget. 

[David Hankey]

I had been waiting since 1955 for this. Yes we had some successes various promotions and cup runs etc and many relegations but nothing will surpass the great, tremendous season of 2015/16. Thank you Claudio you will, just like our Chairman, remain 'Forever in our Hearts'!!

[Vacamion]

 

Legend. 

 

His command of English is actually not that great, but his personality is massive. 

 

Yes, the stars aligned, but Claudio Ranieri played his part. 

 

The move from DeLaet and Schlupp to Simpson and Fuchs, the focus on clean sheets, having Okazaki as a half striker half midfielder, not changing it when it was working, the steady hand at the end. He played the media like an old fiddle. 

 

And he finally, at the end of our miracle season, he got the recognition he deserved. 

 

It all went sour the next season, but the reaction by the rest of football to him leaving us was probably a symptom of how highly regarded he is across the game. 

 

I love that picture of Kasper holding the crown above his head.  

[davieG]

Sweech 97  · 

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Claudio Ranieri: "I remember my first meeting with the chairman when I arrived at Leicester City. He sat down with me and said, “Claudio, this is a very important year for the club. It is very important for us to stay in the Premier League. We have to stay safe.”

My reply was, “Okay, sure. We’ll work hard on the training ground and try to achieve this.”

Forty points. That was the goal. That was the total we needed to stay in the first division, to give our fans another season of Premier League football.

Perhaps you have heard their names now. Players who were considered too small or too slow for other big clubs. N’Golo Kanté. Jamie Vardy. Wes Morgan. Danny Drink water. Riyad Mahrez. When I arrived my first day of training and I saw the quality of these players, I knew how good they could be.

Well, I knew we had a chance to survive in the Premier League.

This player Kanté, he was running so hard that I thought he must have a pack full of batteries hidden in his shorts. He never stopped running in training.

I had to tell him, “Hey, N’Golo, slow down. Slow down. Don’t run after the ball every time, okay?”

He says to me, “Yes, boss. Yes. Okay.”

Ten seconds later, I look over and he’s running again.

I tell him, “One day, I’m going to see you cross the ball, and then finish the cross with a header yourself.”

He’s unbelievable, but he is not the only key. There are too many keys to name in this incredible season.

Jamie Vardy, for example. This is not a footballer. This is a fantastic horse. He has a need to be free out there on the pitch. I say to him, “You are free to move however you want, but you must help us when we lose the ball. That’s all I ask of you. If you start to press the opposition, all of your teammates will follow you.”

Before we played our first match of the season, I told the players, “I want you to play for your teammates. We are a little team, so we have to fight with all our heart, with all our soul. I don’t care the name of the opponent. All I want is for you to fight. If they are better than us, Okay, congratulations. But they have to show us they are better.

There was a fantastic electricity in Leicester from the very first day. It starts from the chairman and goes to the players, the staff, the fans. It was unbelievable what I felt. In the King Power Stadium, there was a terrific energy.

Do the fans sing only when we have the ball? Oh, no, no, no. When we are under pressure, the fans understand our pain and they sing their hearts out. They understand the complexity of the game, and when the players are suffering. They are very, very close to us.

The Players' Tribune

We Do Not Dream

Claudio Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri

Legend

Apr 6, 2016

I remember my first meeting with the chairman when I arrived at Leicester City this summer. He sat down with me and said, “Claudio, this is a very important year for the club. It is very important for us to stay in the Premier League. We have to stay safe.”

My reply was, “Okay, sure. We’ll work hard on the training ground and try to achieve this.”

Forty points. That was the goal. That was the total we needed to stay in the first division, to give our fans another season of Premier League football.

Back then, I did not dream that I would open the paper on April 4 and see Leicester City at the top of the table with 69 points. Last year on this same day, the club was at the bottom of the table.

Unbelievable.

I am 64 years old, so I do not go out much. My wife has been with me for 40 years, so on my off days, I try to stay close to her. We go out to the lake by our house or maybe if we are feeling adventurous we watch a movie. But lately, I have indeed been hearing the noise from all over the world. It is impossible to ignore. I have heard we even have some new supporters in America following us.

To you, I say: Welcome to the club. We are happy to have you. I want you to love the way we play football, and I want you to love my players, because their journey is unbelievable.

Perhaps you have heard their names now. Players who were considered too small or too slow for other big clubs. N’Golo Kanté. Jamie Vardy. Wes Morgan. Danny Drink water. Riyad Mahrez. When I arrived my first day of training and I saw the quality of these players, I knew how good they could be.

Well, I knew we had a chance to survive in the Premier League.

This player Kanté, he was running so hard that I thought he must have a pack full of batteries hidden in his shorts. He never stopped running in training.

I had to tell him, “Hey, N’Golo, slow down. Slow down. Don’t run after the ball every time, okay?”

He says to me, “Yes, boss. Yes. Okay.”

Ten seconds later, I look over and he’s running again.

I tell him, “One day, I’m going to see you cross the ball, and then finish the cross with a header yourself.”

He’s unbelievable, but he is not the only key. There are too many keys to name in this incredible season.

Jamie Vardy, for example. This is not a footballer. This is a fantastic horse. He has a need to be free out there on the pitch. I say to him, “You are free to move however you want, but you must help us when we lose the ball. That’s all I ask of you. If you start to press the opposition, all of your teammates will follow you.”

Before we played our first match of the season, I told the players, “I want you to play for your teammates. We are a little team, so we have to fight with all our heart, with all our soul. I don’t care the name of the opponent. All I want is for you to fight. If they are better than us, Okay, congratulations. But they have to show us they are better.”

There was a fantastic electricity in Leicester from the very first day. It starts from the chairman and goes to the players, the staff, the fans. It was unbelievable what I felt. In the King Power Stadium, there was a terrific energy.

Do the fans sing only when we have the ball? Oh, no, no, no. When we are under pressure, the fans understand our pain and they sing their hearts out. They understand the complexity of the game, and when the players are suffering. They are very, very close to us.

We started the season very well. But our goal, I repeat, was to save the club from relegation. The first nine games, we were winning, but we were giving up many goals. We had to score two or three goals to win every game. It concerned me very much.

Before every game, I said, “Come on boys, come on. Clean sheet today.”

No clean sheet. I tried every motivation.

So finally, before the game against Crystal Palace, I said, “Come on boys, come on. I offer you a pizza if you get a clean sheet.”

Of course, my players made a clean sheet against Crystal Palace. One-nil.

So I stood by our deal and took my players to Peter Pizzeria in Leicester City Square. But I had a surprise for them when we got there. I said, “You have to work for everything. You work for your pizza, too. We will make our own.”

So we went into the kitchen with the dough and the cheese and the sauce. We tossed our own pies. It was very good, too. I enjoyed many slices. What can I say? I’m an Italian man. I love my pizza and my pasta.

Now, we make a lot of clean sheets. A dozen clean sheets after the pizza, in fact. I think this is no coincidence.

We have six games remaining, and we must continue fighting with our heart and our soul. This is a small club that is showing the world what can be achieved through spirit and determination. Twenty-six players. Twenty-six different brains. But one heart.

Just a few years ago, many of my players were in the lower leagues. Vardy was working in a factory. Kanté was in the third tier of the French league. Mahrez was in the French fourth division.

Now, we are fighting for a title. The Leicester fans I meet in the street tell me they are dreaming. But I say to them, “Okay, you dream for us. We do not dream. We simply work hard.”

No matter what happens to end this season, I think our story is important for all football fans around the world. It gives hope to all the young players out there who have been told they are not good enough.

They can say to themselves, “How do I arrive at the top level? If Vardy can do this, if Kanté can do this, maybe I can too.”

What do you need to arrive?

A big name? No.

A big contract? No.

You just need to keep an open mind, an open heart, a full battery, and run free.

Who knows, maybe at the end of the season, we will have two pizza parties.

Players Tribune

[davieG]

This player Kanté, he was running so hard that I thought he must have a pack full of batteries hidden in his shorts. He never stopped running in training.

I had to tell him, “Hey, N’Golo, slow down. Slow down. Don’t run after the ball every time, okay?”

He says to me, “Yes, boss. Yes. Okay.”

Ten seconds later, I look over and he’s running again.

I tell him, “One day, I’m going to see you cross the ball, and then finish the cross with a header yourself.”

 

[Ric Flair]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

Sweech 97  · 

Follow

  · 

 

 

Claudio Ranieri: "I remember my first meeting with the chairman when I arrived at Leicester City. He sat down with me and said, “Claudio, this is a very important year for the club. It is very important for us to stay in the Premier League. We have to stay safe.”

My reply was, “Okay, sure. We’ll work hard on the training ground and try to achieve this.”

Forty points. That was the goal. That was the total we needed to stay in the first division, to give our fans another season of Premier League football.

Perhaps you have heard their names now. Players who were considered too small or too slow for other big clubs. N’Golo Kanté. Jamie Vardy. Wes Morgan. Danny Drink water. Riyad Mahrez. When I arrived my first day of training and I saw the quality of these players, I knew how good they could be.

Well, I knew we had a chance to survive in the Premier League.

This player Kanté, he was running so hard that I thought he must have a pack full of batteries hidden in his shorts. He never stopped running in training.

I had to tell him, “Hey, N’Golo, slow down. Slow down. Don’t run after the ball every time, okay?”

He says to me, “Yes, boss. Yes. Okay.”

Ten seconds later, I look over and he’s running again.

I tell him, “One day, I’m going to see you cross the ball, and then finish the cross with a header yourself.”

He’s unbelievable, but he is not the only key. There are too many keys to name in this incredible season.

Jamie Vardy, for example. This is not a footballer. This is a fantastic horse. He has a need to be free out there on the pitch. I say to him, “You are free to move however you want, but you must help us when we lose the ball. That’s all I ask of you. If you start to press the opposition, all of your teammates will follow you.”

Before we played our first match of the season, I told the players, “I want you to play for your teammates. We are a little team, so we have to fight with all our heart, with all our soul. I don’t care the name of the opponent. All I want is for you to fight. If they are better than us, Okay, congratulations. But they have to show us they are better.

There was a fantastic electricity in Leicester from the very first day. It starts from the chairman and goes to the players, the staff, the fans. It was unbelievable what I felt. In the King Power Stadium, there was a terrific energy.

Do the fans sing only when we have the ball? Oh, no, no, no. When we are under pressure, the fans understand our pain and they sing their hearts out. They understand the complexity of the game, and when the players are suffering. They are very, very close to us.

The Players' Tribune

We Do Not Dream

Claudio Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri

Legend

Apr 6, 2016

I remember my first meeting with the chairman when I arrived at Leicester City this summer. He sat down with me and said, “Claudio, this is a very important year for the club. It is very important for us to stay in the Premier League. We have to stay safe.”

My reply was, “Okay, sure. We’ll work hard on the training ground and try to achieve this.”

Forty points. That was the goal. That was the total we needed to stay in the first division, to give our fans another season of Premier League football.

Back then, I did not dream that I would open the paper on April 4 and see Leicester City at the top of the table with 69 points. Last year on this same day, the club was at the bottom of the table.

Unbelievable.

I am 64 years old, so I do not go out much. My wife has been with me for 40 years, so on my off days, I try to stay close to her. We go out to the lake by our house or maybe if we are feeling adventurous we watch a movie. But lately, I have indeed been hearing the noise from all over the world. It is impossible to ignore. I have heard we even have some new supporters in America following us.

To you, I say: Welcome to the club. We are happy to have you. I want you to love the way we play football, and I want you to love my players, because their journey is unbelievable.

Perhaps you have heard their names now. Players who were considered too small or too slow for other big clubs. N’Golo Kanté. Jamie Vardy. Wes Morgan. Danny Drink water. Riyad Mahrez. When I arrived my first day of training and I saw the quality of these players, I knew how good they could be.

Well, I knew we had a chance to survive in the Premier League.

This player Kanté, he was running so hard that I thought he must have a pack full of batteries hidden in his shorts. He never stopped running in training.

I had to tell him, “Hey, N’Golo, slow down. Slow down. Don’t run after the ball every time, okay?”

He says to me, “Yes, boss. Yes. Okay.”

Ten seconds later, I look over and he’s running again.

I tell him, “One day, I’m going to see you cross the ball, and then finish the cross with a header yourself.”

He’s unbelievable, but he is not the only key. There are too many keys to name in this incredible season.

Jamie Vardy, for example. This is not a footballer. This is a fantastic horse. He has a need to be free out there on the pitch. I say to him, “You are free to move however you want, but you must help us when we lose the ball. That’s all I ask of you. If you start to press the opposition, all of your teammates will follow you.”

Before we played our first match of the season, I told the players, “I want you to play for your teammates. We are a little team, so we have to fight with all our heart, with all our soul. I don’t care the name of the opponent. All I want is for you to fight. If they are better than us, Okay, congratulations. But they have to show us they are better.”

There was a fantastic electricity in Leicester from the very first day. It starts from the chairman and goes to the players, the staff, the fans. It was unbelievable what I felt. In the King Power Stadium, there was a terrific energy.

Do the fans sing only when we have the ball? Oh, no, no, no. When we are under pressure, the fans understand our pain and they sing their hearts out. They understand the complexity of the game, and when the players are suffering. They are very, very close to us.

We started the season very well. But our goal, I repeat, was to save the club from relegation. The first nine games, we were winning, but we were giving up many goals. We had to score two or three goals to win every game. It concerned me very much.

Before every game, I said, “Come on boys, come on. Clean sheet today.”

No clean sheet. I tried every motivation.

So finally, before the game against Crystal Palace, I said, “Come on boys, come on. I offer you a pizza if you get a clean sheet.”

Of course, my players made a clean sheet against Crystal Palace. One-nil.

So I stood by our deal and took my players to Peter Pizzeria in Leicester City Square. But I had a surprise for them when we got there. I said, “You have to work for everything. You work for your pizza, too. We will make our own.”

So we went into the kitchen with the dough and the cheese and the sauce. We tossed our own pies. It was very good, too. I enjoyed many slices. What can I say? I’m an Italian man. I love my pizza and my pasta.

Now, we make a lot of clean sheets. A dozen clean sheets after the pizza, in fact. I think this is no coincidence.

We have six games remaining, and we must continue fighting with our heart and our soul. This is a small club that is showing the world what can be achieved through spirit and determination. Twenty-six players. Twenty-six different brains. But one heart.

Just a few years ago, many of my players were in the lower leagues. Vardy was working in a factory. Kanté was in the third tier of the French league. Mahrez was in the French fourth division.

Now, we are fighting for a title. The Leicester fans I meet in the street tell me they are dreaming. But I say to them, “Okay, you dream for us. We do not dream. We simply work hard.”

No matter what happens to end this season, I think our story is important for all football fans around the world. It gives hope to all the young players out there who have been told they are not good enough.

They can say to themselves, “How do I arrive at the top level? If Vardy can do this, if Kanté can do this, maybe I can too.”

What do you need to arrive?

A big name? No.

A big contract? No.

You just need to keep an open mind, an open heart, a full battery, and run free.

Who knows, maybe at the end of the season, we will have two pizza parties.

Players Tribune

Spell binding words from the absolute donny.