Why Leicester's Title Win Is Much Bigger Than Football

"chat shit get banged!" - "chat shit win titles!"

Not meaning to sound overwrought or blinded by hysteria, but Leicester City just consummated the greatest sporting feat of all time - and its social impact is huge.

SpideyDreamer

03/05/2016 • 09:37AM

20 years of following this sport (counting from the age of six when I first became sentient and observant), I have found myself increasingly disillusioned by the infiltration of oil money, the eradication of the working-class supporter, and the increasing alienation that has distanced the fans beyond tangibility from their beloved clubs.

The inauguration of mega-rich owners randomly cherry-picking clubs that they wished to bestow wealth, success, and supremacy upon has undermined the legitimacy of traditional models of success. Knowing that you can establish a long-term plan that incorporates a systematic focus on academies, accounts, and solidifying a team spirit that reverberates from the local community right through to the players, manager, and board of directors—only to be unfairly usurped by a club that has been lucky enough to have a foreign takeover, has ripped the heart and soul out of 'the beautiful game'. 

With the fall of Manchester United into mediocrity seemingly inevitable after Sir Alex Ferguson dragged them to one final league title with their worst ever squad, the usurpation of the traditional clubs by the new tycoon-funded clubs was certain. After 'Fergie' retired, the only force that kept the complete takeover of English football by the mega-rich was pushed aside allowing the growing dark cloud to fully cast over this once communal sport. The next two titles were won comfortably by the lottery-winning clubs—Chelsea and Manchester City (Liverpool did offer a threat in 2013-2014 to restore some faith); it was time to accept that English football was to become a two-horse race.

With the shadow of Chelsea and Manchester City obtrusively looming over every other club in the league, buying their best players for ridiculous sums of money that could not be rejected (and usually leaving them on the bench), we had all lost hope in the possibility of a team that could challenge with the foundations of those qualities previously mentioned. Smaller clubs could not fully enjoy seeing their home-grown or obscurely purchased players flourish without panicking that a ridiculous Chelsea or Manchester City bid was imminent. 

Then in 2016—at the heart of this unpreventable emerging epoch—came along "little old Leicester": a club many had tipped for RELEGATION and subsequently ridiculed for their new appointment of benevolent old "tinkerman" Claudio Ranieri.

Claudio Ranieri: the consummate gentleman; but is he "too nice" to succeed? Many had written him off from day one

Just to put into perspective the sheer magnitude of what happened last night, let me present some betting statistics to illuminate the significance of this anomaly:

 "- Bookmakers Ladbrokes had [Simon Cowell] the X Factor judge down as 500/1 to become prime minister - that's 10 times more likely than the Foxes topping the table...

- Many people believed this picture proved that the Loch Ness monster existed and last year Paddy Power had odds on its discovery at 500/1...- Bookmakers thought it was more likely that Elvis, who died in 1977, was found alive and well in 2016 than Leicester City winning the Premier League." (source: http://digg.com/2016/leicester-city-premier-league-explainer)

(it was also cited somewhere on Twitter last night that Kim Kardashian was 2500-1 to become the president of the United States in 2020 - that's two times more likely than Leicester's feat)

There are an unlimited number of other ridiculous possibilities more likely than what happened last night in England, but to list them would overwhelm this post.

It truly is ineffable to put into words how monumental this really is. As I type this, I am genuinely struggling to find the words to convey the size or provide a proportionate analogy. What makes this even more of a shock to me is that Leicester City were only promoted TWO years ago; if any club was to subvert the footballing cartel (which was becoming unthinkable) one could only conceive the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham as plausible; if anybody was to provide a shock, it was most likely the likes of Everton or Stoke, or other long-established Premier League clubs.

Did they do it with the purchase of superstars? Nope, this was a team that primarily consisted of other clubs' "throwaways", free transfers, and obscure buys.

Four years ago, top goalscorer Jamie Vardy was playing non-league football with Fleetwood Town. Released by Sheffield Wednesday at 16 for being "too small", and combining £30-a-game appearances with Stockbridge with gruelling 12 hour factory work, it is the ultimate rags-to-riches story. He beat prolific striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy's 'most consecutive Premier League matches scored in' record to reign as the current record holder at 11 matches in a row.

Riyad Mahrez rose from French second-tier obscurity with Le Havre to become the PFA Player of the Year, and was instrumental to Leicester's title.

Just when you think this could not get any better as the superlative symbol for the victorious underdog, we have to mention the context of Claudio Ranieri. Claudio Ranieri was unfairly sacrificed by the newly purchased Chelsea to make way for a manager more "worthy" of the new funds, and to suit the grandiose intentions of dominance—it was the ultimate patronising act. Twelve years later the demeaned Claudio Ranieri would visit his old club, and reigning champions, Chelsea, managed by the guy that was deemed more worthy of Roman Abramovich's play-fund: José Mourinho. Mourinho was everything Ranieri wasn't: brash, arrogant, marketable, and provocative. He epitomised everything that the new Chelsea were pushing towards—ruthless unrelenting success, eminent prestige, and a pivot into European formidability. Ranieri was to be pushed aside and patted on the back as the departed lovable "granddad" (despite finishing 2nd), while Chelsea demanded an injection of vigour and zeal. Twelve years on, Ranieri would return with a squad that is almost £200m cheaper, defeat them on their own turf, and Mourinho would be sent packing back into the job market. Wow. Almost poetic.

Claudio Ranieri came back to haunt Chelsea and the man who was deemed as eminently more worthy of Abromovich's millions

Who's got the last laugh now? Ranieri put the nail in the coffin on Mourinho's second Chelsea tenure

Just to contextualise the public opinions on Claudio upon his appointment, here is a (now eternally famous) tweet by Foxes legend and celebrity fan Gary Lineker - a sentiment that rivals the analogous statement by former colleague Alan Hansen on Match of the Day regarding Manchester United's 'Class of 92' kids:

In addition to:

and even when Leicester were showing signs of actually achieving this incredible feat, neither Gary, nor the footballing world, were ever fully convinced that they would do it:

Bigger than Nottingham Forest's dynamic rise that culminated in two successive European Cup triumphs you ask?

Most people, including myself, saw Brian Clough's remarkable achievement in the late 70s and early 80s as an unbeatable achievement by the rising underdog. The 2015 biopic, I Believe in Miracles, was timely released at the heart of this epoch of tycoon-ran hegemony in British football —a somewhat sentimental reflection on the former romanticism of English football that had been decimated by the dominant mercenary models of the modern day. I saw this movie as a symbolic parting gift to the majority of football fans that were alienated by the modern game, and a reminder of what once was.

Ironically after the release of this celebratory movie, Claudio Ranieri's Foxes arguably surpassed Clough's achievement.

Why? On paper a team achieving promotion and then going on to dominate domestic and European football seems like the ultimate 'David and Goliath' manifestation - and one that ostensibly seems more impressive than what happened last night. But it is all embodied in the locus of the modern day football climate (re-read above for an insight into the context if you are still not convinced).

This was something that was deemed impossible. It should not have happened. But it did.

Regardless of whether our game regresses back to this emerging hegemony in the years to come, Leicester City injected football with a much-needed substance of endearment and romanticism. It made the nation fall in love with football again (apart from Spurs fans, but even they would not begrudge them this secretly). What is even more special is that the Foxes fans I have encountered from lurking the FoxesTalk forum are not demanding success from hereafter - they are simply happy that they did it - and so they should be!

Finishing this blog entry, I must emphatically state that Leicester are NOT to be patronised. This is not some magical cup-run, or a one-off freak match, this is a team that DOMINATED the top-tier of English football throughout the whole season. They have been consistently on top since the beginning; they have beaten all of their rivals situated near them in the table; and they have been extremely dangerous topped off with the finishing psychological touches of resilience, tenacity, and team spirit. Leicester are as worthy champions as any of the previous ones to me. They played like champions throughout and handled every obstacle with the class and elegance that their manager personifies. I do not subscribe to the echoes radiating around all areas of football related discourse that this is a "freak"—38 games can not be a freak. All the congratulations that are being offered from all clubs around the world are nice to see, but there is a danger of discrediting Leicester based on pre-conceptions. Make no mistake, Leicester are a force: they are the CHAMPIONS on merit. I expect the well-wishing from other club's to subside as they solidify their rightful place on top - and that is a compliment to them.

So here is to Leicester City Football Club—the most unlikely usurpers of the bored tycoons who decided to play Football Manager in real life (without realising, or a care for the alienation of proud communities). It is a triumph of unified spirit, solid community, and true teamwork over the self-indulgent luxuries of fat-cat owners.

Claudio Ranieri's class and likeability epitomised in one video