This is how it feels to be Leicester, this is how it feels to be small

This is how it feels when you're somehow hated by all.

We often hear about the way our press like to build something up before they can gleefully smash it down like a derelict tower. To them, the only thing better than an uplifting, awe-inspiring story about an upcoming talent is the feeling of bringing them back down to earth with an almighty crash, so that they can bury them lower than they ever were before. In sport, it's customary to find a conveniently timed "disgrace" of an England footballer just before a World Cup. Whilst publication in some cases may be justified, it's the overpowering cynicism of the British media that will ultimately defeat any good-will achieved before. As a Leicester City fan, I'm now reading into a new level of faux-disgust at every turn the club takes. The title win put us under a microscope and now everybody is an expert on all things LCFC.

You all know the story. Football players, fans, journalists and even casual-onlookers were lapping up Claudio & Leicester's triumph across the globe. You've heard enough about that.

The following season, Leicester slumped to endless effortless defeats, culminating in a not-so-happy ending to the Foxes' "fairytale". It began with an embarrassing defeat to injury-stricken Hull and quickly worsened. So much so, that by mid-October, Leicester had lost by three or more on as many occasions. City started the season at an all time high, but the early turbulence became a terrifying drop out of the sky. Defeats against lowly West Brom, Watford and Sunderland sadly meant that wins against Man City and Crystal Palace were nothing more than a false dawn. A painful 0-0 at Middlesbrough aside, Leicester began 2017 with another five consecutive league defeats, compounded by the ultimate humiliation in South London, as the ten men of Millwall dumped City out of the cup. Throughout 2016, Leicester's Champions League exploits gave Claudio a much needed reprieve and whilst many Foxes fans begrudgingly felt that his days were numbered, a rallying final 20 minutes in Seville were a beacon of hope that we'd turned a corner.

And then it happened...

On the 23rd February 2017, Leicester sacked Claudio Ranieri. Whilst thousands (including myself), never vocally called for Ranieri to lose his job, we knew that relegation was a certainty with no battle to even avoid it. I couldn't bring myself to shout "Ranieri out" after losing 2-0 to relegation rivals Swansea and not even after watching Millwall fans flood The Den's pitch, resulting in bottles and coins flying from either direction. We knew he couldn't turn it around. We'd hear the same buzzwords churned out after the game from a desperate, seemingly broken manager. "We stick together, we continue to fight". Only we weren't together and we weren't fighting. Not the players, anyway.

And so, the world's sports media descended into a frenzy of sycophantic despair. Only 20 months after scoffing at his appointment, they now demanded that he have a job for life. It quickly became apparent that LCFC were just a soap opera to them and Claudio was bigger than the club. Neutrals over the country would buy into the laughable (ironically Shakespearian) theory that Craig & co had stabbed our beloved Italian in the back. A story of hope was now their tragic tale of betrayal. "Football is dead!" they cried, without a sense of irony about the pundits' scorn at a team trying to escape the status quo that they so eminently depend on. Such a decision was bound to cause embarrassment and it's certainly not one that the Thai owners took lightly. Craig Shakespeare took temporary charge and from then on, Leicester couldn't win off the field. Any success was further "proof" of the theory that they'd downed tools in order to oust the manager that put their names in lights. Would Leicester City players really risk their Premier League careers and paycheques just to spite Ranieri? Any more defeats would continue the nosedive to the Championship, before Claudio's infamous departure. Leicester would go on to finish the season strongly, most notably continuing the Champions League dream with an incredible second-leg victory over Sevilla before they were squeezed out of the quarter finals by Atletico Madrid.

Fast forward to October and Leicester found themselves in 18th place, following a dismal display against West Brom. The two ugliest sides in the league produced a predictably hideous draw that left many LCFC fans yearning for a Sam Allardyce approach. It really was that bad. Again, the owners wasted little time in pulling the trigger and were met with another furious reaction. Rightly, it sparked less controversy than the February firing, but C-list pundits across the country made their overtly emotive feelings known. Column headlines were of similar patronising drivel to what we'd read and heard just eight months earlier.

"This is their level"
"What do they expect?"
"They won't be in the Champions League again!"

These were the thoughts of Mark Lawrenson, Robbie Savage and Gary Lineker but to name a few.

City were 18th, which we all know is a relegation spot. After some not-so extensive research, it turns out that they failed to notice the other 13 positions between the Champions League and relegation.  Maybe that's what the good people of Leicester might expect?

I found myself somewhere in the middle of bemusement at the mainstream comments and extreme disappointment at squandering any chance of building on the greatest triumph I'll witness. Now I was (begrudgingly) in agreement with the Ranieri decision. I was pining for Shakespeare to be given the chance and I'd lost faith in his permanent managerial credentials after another pitiful draw (following Huddersfield and Bournemouth). Either sacking can be considered as hasty, but in both scenarios Leicester were playing diabolical football and seemingly unable to beat anybody. I had no complaints at any of the owners' decisions, yet I found the Shakespeare dismissal almost as sad as Claudio's. He went from being a League One team's second-in-command to pitting his wits against Diego Simeone in a Champions League quarter final. All at the same club.

Alas, it wasn't to be and City only waited a week to hire Claude Puel.
So, who is he?
To most, he was a dour, yet harshly discarded ex-Southampton manager, after finishing 8th and losing the EFL Cup final. In France, he'd won a league title with Monaco, reached a Champions League semi-final with Lyon and very recently guided Nice to a top four finish. Not bad at all is it? Wrong.

Stan Collymore described Claude Puel's appointment as making him feel "baffled, sad and angry".
Leon Osman professed that he'd be "questioning Leicester's ambition" because they didn't act on tenuous links with Carlo Ancelotti. And of course, Paul Merson quickly descended into customary nonsense about "falling over" when hearing City opted for Puel. Bizarre as the patronising ex-pros' opinions are, they were far from the weirdest. There have been many strangely emotive columns from outsiders, but only one winner. Step forward: Jim Holden of the Sunday Express. Every ill-informed view that I've now whinged about for several paragraphs is encapsulated in one beautifully nonsensical piece. Really, it speaks for itself, but the line about The Ashes deserves an honourable mention.

Sacking Shakespeare meant ambitions were too high. When appointing Puel, they were too low. Prior to Puel, Leicester had only ever employed three overseas managers (Sousa, Eriksson and Ranieri). Unbeknown to the Thai owners, Leicester were now responsible for the future of British coaching. Richard Keys, Ian Wright and Jamie Redknapp demanded that we #staybritish (yes this is what Keys wrote) and opt for an Allardyce or a Dyche. Allardyce distanced himself from the role and sought after by Everton, Dyche would be taking a huge risk to leave Burnley only eight games into the season. Upon hearing the news, Doha-based Keys then bemoaned the lack of homegrown managers getting mid-table Premier League jobs with another ludicrous tweet. Lesser known "personalities" George Galloway and Michael Vaughan also spouted inane nonsense on the "farcical" Anglo-French exchange. Such harsh words only showcase a willing to beat Leicester with any stick that they can lay their hands on. This is a man with a CV far more impressive than any realistically available British coach.

This wasn't exclusive to the media, however. LCFC fans themselves were divided on the news. Some agreeing that Allardyce or Dyche were the way to go and others clamoured for Ancelotti, Mancini or Tuchel. Yeah, right.

Stats can be manipulated to support an argument and there is no question that "8th and a cup final" is clouding over what was essentially an uninspiring Southampton campaign. They did indeed only score 17 goals in their 19 home games and were dumped out of the Europa League by Israeli outfit Hapoel Beer-Sheva, despite beating Inter Milan at home. One season however, does not a manager make and before Puel's Southampton had kicked a ball, they had sold key players in Sadio Mane & Victor Wanyama, before losing Virgil van Dijk to injury in February. Ironically, the same people bemoaning Leicester's desire for instant success were the same who are all too quick in dismissing Claude Puel for one season of below-par football. This sounded very similar to when Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri after a dismal four games in charge of Greece. For all Southampton's attacking woes, they still managed to put three past a certain Italian's Leicester side.

I write this after the Frenchman's Foxes swept Everton aside and were held to an entertaining draw in Stoke. Puel was apparently given the job on a superb interview, giving an in-depth analysis of each player and outlaying future ideas for them. He has a plan to coax (or "seduce") Riyad Mahrez in to staying put and might even be a part in turning the disastrous Namaplys Mendy signing into a success. Mendy was actually Claude Puel's captain in Nice's impressive 2015/16 campaign that attracted Leicester's and Southampton's admiration. I have relatively high, but tempered hopes for our new leader. I can only hope that some of his achievements across the channel are replicated in the Midlands and that he'll be given a fair crack, unlike at the St.Mary's. Hastily dismissed at Southampton, he has another chance to prove that he can be a success in the Premier League and with Leicester. Let's give the guy a chance.

Bonne chance, Claude.