What must it be like to be a Leicester fan now?

[ChippenhamRed]

Today’s game got me thinking. Leicester have won the Premier League and FA Cup in recent years. That’s way beyond expectation for their club. There is nothing left for them to realistically achieve, and it’s extremely unlikely they will ever repeat it. In essence, for their fans, they have completed football.

So what must it be like to be a Leicester fan now? Is a regulation 1-0 win against Bristol City exciting any more?

What drives me as a City fan is the potential to achieve things I’ve never seen us achieve; promotion, perhaps a cup final, maybe even European football one day (yes I’m a naive fool). It’s the possibility; it’s the daring to dream.

I wonder if I would lose motivation for football and City, if we were ever to do it all, like Leicester have done, and then find ourselves back in the second tier. Might there be a sense of “what’s the point any more?” Or would I just keep coming back for my fix of the football drug and hope to do it all again?

[BCFCGav]

Well the dream once you’ve won something is to win it again. Teams are always winning trophies, always getting ahead of your club. We’ve won League 1 four times, if we found ourselves down there again god forbid I’d still be desperate for number 5 and nervous before all the games.

[Mark_LCFC]

5 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

Today’s game got me thinking. Leicester have won the Premier League and FA Cup in recent years. That’s way beyond expectation for their club. There is nothing left for them to realistically achieve, and it’s extremely unlikely they will ever repeat it. In essence, for their fans, they have completed football.

So what must it be like to be a Leicester fan now? Is a regulation 1-0 win against Bristol City exciting any more?

What drives me as a City fan is the potential to achieve things I’ve never seen us achieve; promotion, perhaps a cup final, maybe even European football one day (yes I’m a naive fool). It’s the possibility; it’s the daring to dream.

I wonder if I would lose motivation for football and City, if we were ever to do it all, like Leicester have done, and then find ourselves back in the second tier. Might there be a sense of “what’s the point any more?” Or would I just keep coming back for my fix of the football drug and hope to do it all again?

Aside from the tribute to Vichai (which obviously wasn't the right time) this is the first time Nigel's been back here since he left, we never got to give him a send off. Same with King and James really. For me at least this has probably been the easiest game to get up for since the Roma ECL semi-final. We currently share the record for the most second tier titles with Man City so that's an obvious hope for this season. We've gotten to a European Semi-Final, our rivals have won the European Cup twice so obviously there's some long term aspiration there. It's probably Jamie Vardy's last season so we've got to make the most of him while we've got him. And we can pretty much tour all the sides we used to struggle with trying to get out of the second tier and gloat about having 'completed football' It's not as hard to motivate yourself as you'd think.

[stephenkibby.]

Celtic fans seem to keep pretty motivated despite winning the league 120 years in a row.

[Bar BS3]

What about being a Man City fan...?

Anything but winning the title is a shock & failure.

Only winning 2-0 today must have seemed dull & drab.

Expecting to win, no matter who you are playing - you can only be left disappointed - bar the times it's an exceptional win, or a moment of world class quality goal - that stands out above all the other goals...

Where actually is the fun in going only expecting to win & being diassapointed by anything other than a goal feast..?

Where do you go from winning everything - is only the quadruple trophy hall their incentive now.?

Disappointment & failure at failing to retain the champions league year after year - or just getting used to that to a point it's expected or seen as a season of failure..?!

I was chatting to an old school Man City fan on Holiday - he has his season tickets - but only bothers going to about half the games because it feels like a bit of a foregone conclusion... 

Can it really be fun, really..?!

[38MC]

23 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

Today’s game got me thinking. Leicester have won the Premier League and FA Cup in recent years. That’s way beyond expectation for their club. There is nothing left for them to realistically achieve, and it’s extremely unlikely they will ever repeat it. In essence, for their fans, they have completed football.

So what must it be like to be a Leicester fan now? Is a regulation 1-0 win against Bristol City exciting any more?

What drives me as a City fan is the potential to achieve things I’ve never seen us achieve; promotion, perhaps a cup final, maybe even European football one day (yes I’m a naive fool). It’s the possibility; it’s the daring to dream.

I wonder if I would lose motivation for football and City, if we were ever to do it all, like Leicester have done, and then find ourselves back in the second tier. Might there be a sense of “what’s the point any more?” Or would I just keep coming back for my fix of the football drug and hope to do it all again?

So if you win the league once the dream is over? Also think you’re being disingenuous towards Leicester as a club with their size and potential. 

[ChippenhamRed]

4 minutes ago, Bar BS3 said:

What about being a Man City fan...?

Anything but winning the title is a shock & failure.

Only winning 2-0 today must have seemed dull & drab.

Expecting to win, no matter who you are playing - you can only be left disappointed - bar the times it's an exceptional win, or a moment of world class quality goal - that stands out above all the other goals...

Where actually is the fun in going only expecting to win & being diassapointed by anything other than a goal feast..?

Where do you go from winning everything - is only the quadruple trophy hall their incentive now.?

Disappointment & failure at failing to retain the champions league year after year - or just getting used to that to a point it's expected or seen as a season of failure..?!

I was chatting to an old school Man City fan on Holiday - he has his season tickets - but only bothers going to about half the games because it feels like a bit of a foregone conclusion... 

Can it really be fun, really..?!

I think it’s a bit different being a Man City fan. It’s a realistic prospect for them to do it all again. They get to travel to new places and new grounds as part of their European adventures. And they won’t get bored of winning the Champions League for a while yet.

Whereas for Leicester, it’s very unlikely they’ll scale the same heights again. I just wonder if I might find it hard to be motivated by second tier football if I’d seen us win the PL and FA Cup. It would feel like there was nothing left to realistically achieve. But everyone’s motivations are different and I understand many wouldn’t agree.

[ChippenhamRed]

6 minutes ago, 38MC said:

So if you win the league once the dream is over? Also think you’re being disingenuous towards Leicester as a club with their size and potential. 

Yeah, a little bit I think, if it was incredibly unlikely to ever happen again and you’d slipped down a division.

It’s nothing against Leicester at all. I just don’t think it’s likely that lightning would strike twice.

[Ostrich]

I think there probably was that feeling through last season and certainly at the end. If we were currently performing as Southampton are then it would have carried over. Recent success possibly meant relegation felt about 10x worse sure and I doubt this season will ever feel as good as Nige’s promotion year.

But now we’ve had a reset and we’ve got a new era starting so there’s excitement around where that can go. We know we’re probably not winning the PL again but there’s still the chance to go up, be competitive like Brighton rn, go on another European tour etc.

Things we’ve done in the recent past were great but that doesn’t diminish the possibilities for the future.

[Mr Popodopolous]

Getting there is often the fun part. The journey can certainly outstrip the destination.

In the case of Leicester that may switch into the title season, the 2013-14 NP title season and perhaps after a low under Hollowhead- amusing when he of all people took them down, the beginning of their redemption under NP in 2008-09.

To add to Leicester fans.

The Hollowhead point is in no way a dig at Leicester, more that we have history with him owing to the connections to our clownish local rivals.

Edited September 23, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[ChippenhamRed]

1 hour ago, Mark_LCFC said:

Aside from the tribute to Vichai (which obviously wasn't the right time) this is the first time Nigel's been back here since he left, we never got to give him a send off. Same with King and James really. For me at least this has probably been the easiest game to get up for since the Roma ECL semi-final. We currently share the record for the most second tier titles with Man City so that's an obvious hope for this season. We've gotten to a European Semi-Final, our rivals have won the European Cup twice so obviously there's some long term aspiration there. It's probably Jamie Vardy's last season so we've got to make the most of him while we've got him. And we can pretty much tour all the sides we used to struggle with trying to get out of the second tier and gloat about having 'completed football' It's not as hard to motivate yourself as you'd think.

 

57 minutes ago, Ostrich said:

I think there probably was that feeling through last season and certainly at the end. If we were currently performing as Southampton are then it would have carried over. Recent success possibly meant relegation felt about 10x worse sure and I doubt this season will ever feel as good as Nige’s promotion year.

But now we’ve had a reset and we’ve got a new era starting so there’s excitement around where that can go. We know we’re probably not winning the PL again but there’s still the chance to go up, be competitive like Brighton rn, go on another European tour etc.

Things we’ve done in the recent past were great but that doesn’t diminish the possibilities for the future.

Good replies, fair play to you, and an interesting perspective on where you are now. I have some relations who are big Leicester fans so you’re a result I always look for.

[Baldyman]

Being a football fan is a bit like playing a great computer game . Most will keep going with it to try to get to that next level and some actually manage to complete the game ……. But then what ? Not so sure about Leicester but Man City fans are now at the completed computer game stage . Only have to hear the polite applause at the Etihad today when they scored against Forest . Personally I think “trying” is far more fun than being the absolute best of the best !! 

[Out of his pie crust]

7 hours ago, Bar BS3 said:

What about being a Man City fan...?

Anything but winning the title is a shock & failure.

Only winning 2-0 today must have seemed dull & drab.

Expecting to win, no matter who you are playing - you can only be left disappointed - bar the times it's an exceptional win, or a moment of world class quality goal - that stands out above all the other goals...

Where actually is the fun in going only expecting to win & being diassapointed by anything other than a goal feast..?

Where do you go from winning everything - is only the quadruple trophy hall their incentive now.?

Disappointment & failure at failing to retain the champions league year after year - or just getting used to that to a point it's expected or seen as a season of failure..?!

I was chatting to an old school Man City fan on Holiday - he has his season tickets - but only bothers going to about half the games because it feels like a bit of a foregone conclusion... 

Can it really be fun, really..?!

How’d they feel in 98/99? If you’d been there as a fan in those times, wouldn’t you enjoy these times.

 

[Bobbie]

This is real life not champ manager. Football is about more than simply completing an objective. It’s a deep rooted culture and way of life. Football fans, be it Leicester, City or Wherever are in it for life, not just until they’ve won something. You can’t simply ‘complete it’ as there is always a next season to come. 

Edited September 24, 2023 by Bobbie

[Bar BS3]

6 hours ago, Out of his pie crust said:

How’d they feel in 98/99? If you’d been there as a fan in those times, wouldn’t you enjoy these times.

 

They had been there in those times & yes, initially of course they did, & still do - but going to pretty much every game, with anything less than a resounding win by several goals, being seen as a disappointment - must be rather weird & must all start to feel a bit boring after a while.

Of course, they are immensely entertained on a weekly basis - but that lack of competitive edge to matches, after a long period, must feel like something is missing from the competitive nature of the sport we love.

It must almost be like going to the theatre every week, rather than going to watch a competitive sporting fixture. 

Of course we'd all love it - but after a decade of dominance it must all become a bit samey - with only the fear of dropping off the top (Man Utd) as a motivation & let's be honest, Man City have the wealth & infrastructure to make that unlikely anytime soon - although we all know that, however good or dominant a club is, in never lasts forever.

[ChippenhamRed]

6 hours ago, Bobbie said:

This is real life not champ manager. Football is about more than simply completing an objective. It’s a deep rooted culture and way of life. Football fans, be it Leicester, City or Wherever are in it for life, not just until they’ve won something. You can’t simply ‘complete it’ as there is always a next season to come. 

I get that. I just wonder if it loses something when you’ve scaled such heights, achieved the ultimate, and are then miles away from it and very unlikely to ever do it again. A sense of “after the Lord Mayor’s show”.

Football means different things to different people. My instinct - which I accept is personal to me and won’t necessarily be shared by others - is that football would never matter quite as much as it did before.

[Bobbie]

1 hour ago, ChippenhamRed said:

I get that. I just wonder if it loses something when you’ve scaled such heights, achieved the ultimate, and are then miles away from it and very unlikely to ever do it again. A sense of “after the Lord Mayor’s show”.

Football means different things to different people. My instinct - which I accept is personal to me and won’t necessarily be shared by others - is that football would never matter quite as much as it did before.

Fair enough and you are right to state that it will mean different things to different people but for me that’s way too simplistic a view. I reckon if you supported Leicester you may question what it was like to support Bristol City and spend several years stuck in mid-table championship obscurity 

[Harry]

If I was a Leicester fan, my main aspiration would be to be able to drive away from the ground without it taking about 4 hours!! 
Bloody horrendous traffic set up round that ground. 
 

By the time we got away and stopped in the services, there were Watford fans in there. They’d been to Leeds!! That’s just mental 

Edited September 24, 2023 by Harry

[Davefevs]

3 hours ago, Harry said:

If I was a Leicester fan, my main aspiration would be to be able to drive away from the ground without it taking about 4 hours!! 
Bloody horrendous traffic set up round that ground. 
 

By the time we got away and stopped in the services, there were Watford fans in there. They’d been to Leeds!! That’s just mental 

That’s because I heard you drive like Miss Daisy

[maxjak]

Right now it must be great to be a Leicester fan?   Last Season must have been depressing, every  week .........lose, lose.  This season, every week ..........win,win.  What is there not to like?   

And then next season it will be back to.................lose, lose.   Ha!   And so it goes?

[1960maaan]

4 hours ago, Harry said:

If I was a Leicester fan, my main aspiration would be to be able to drive away from the ground without it taking about 4 hours!! 
Bloody horrendous traffic set up round that ground. 
 

By the time we got away and stopped in the services, there were Watford fans in there. They’d been to Leeds!! That’s just mental 

The train to/from Leicester and New Street was horrible. They apologised for delays and crowding on the way to Leicester, on the way back it was ridiculous . Literally shoulder to shoulder and no windows or AirCon . Seeing as this would be just about every other Saturday, you'd think they would have sorted things . 
The Stewards knew nothing about the Bus back to the Station, the near by roads were shut and the walk wasn't bad, but you'd think they'd know. It being a New-ish Stadium you would have thought the traffic system would be as good as it gets.  I guess there's only so much you can do trying to get 32k people away from the ground at one time. 

[Ska Junkie]

23 hours ago, Mark_LCFC said:

 We've gotten to a European Semi-Final, our rivals have won the European Cup twice so obviously there's some long term aspiration there. 

Interesting, I assume you mean Forest? I always thought your main 'rivals' were Coventry and theirs was Derby?

Please excuse my ignorance.

Edited September 24, 2023 by Ska Junkie

[Mark_LCFC]

5 minutes ago, Ska Junkie said:

Interesting, I assume you mean Forest? I always thought your main 'rivals' were Coventry and theirs was Derby?

Please excuse my ignorance.

Our order of dislike is Forest -> Derby -> Coventry
Coventry alternate between us and Brum depending on who you ask
Forest/Derby obviously have a stronger rivalry than we do with either but we generally hate them more than Cov.

[Swede]

Actually I found myself looking around the King Power and thinking with Nige on board this is what can be achieved.

I think a lot of pundits and football fans didn't give Leicester the respect they were due in winning the Premier League.

[Miah Dennehy]

I feel their pain. We will never win the Watney Cup again.

[Lanterne Rouge]

1 hour ago, Miah Dennehy said:

I feel their pain. We will never win the Watney Cup again.

I suppose after reaching the heady heights of mid table in the third division you must feel that you`ve completed football.

[Miah Dennehy]

15 hours ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

I suppose after reaching the heady heights of mid table in the third division you must feel that you`ve completed football.

12th is top half!

[cidered abroad]

When eevhave

On 23/09/2023 at 18:14, ChippenhamRed said:

Today’s game got me thinking. Leicester have won the Premier League and FA Cup in recent years. That’s way beyond expectation for their club. There is nothing left for them to realistically achieve, and it’s extremely unlikely they will ever repeat it. In essence, for their fans, they have completed football.

So what must it be like to be a Leicester fan now? Is a regulation 1-0 win against Bristol City exciting any more?

What drives me as a City fan is the potential to achieve things I’ve never seen us achieve; promotion, perhaps a cup final, maybe even European football one day (yes I’m a naive fool). It’s the possibility; it’s the daring to dream.

I wonder if I would lose motivation for football and City, if we were ever to do it all, like Leicester have done, and then find ourselves back in the second tier. Might there be a sense of “what’s the point any more?” Or would I just keep coming back for my fix of the football drug and hope to do it all again?

Whilst I understand your thoughts, I can't agree with them.

Football mirrors our lives. If we had all been happy when we've done/achieved what we set out as youngsters, then what is life worth in later life. Whether a worm or a lion, this life is the only one we get; it's not a rehearsal for a second or third time.

I'm now eighty and while I don't yearn to go trekking through mountains, I still want to achieve on the physical side. And learning new languages, new skills. 

I love City and want to go til the day I drop whether we're in the top or bottom tier but to see us back among the big clubs would be wonderful.