Leicester

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Former Leicester City winger Matt Piper was left feeling "absolutely gutted" after the Foxes loss to Nottingham Forest and called on boss Steve Cooper to select a captain who will "get after players" on the pitch moving forward.

Speaking on the When You're Smiling podcast, Piper said: "I look at Conor Coady sat on the bench and, when things are all going wrong, you need someone to really get after players on the pitch.

"I didn't see that in the second-half of this game. It does come down to having a leader with that steel.

"If someone hasn't tracked a run or it looks a bit lacklustre - and you are looking at it and feel like the players are still in the changing room - you need to tell them!

"Get after them and wake them up - because this is the Premier League and it is unforgiving.

"I'm just looking at the characters out there on the pitch and it is all a bit too nice. [Jamie] Vards - the legend that he is - was captain, but he is very nice to his team-mates. If you are one of his team-mates then you love him for it, but he isn't a character that is going to make you fearful for your life.

"When things aren't going quite right, Forest are in their ascendency and someone hasn't tracked a run or there is comedic-value defending going on, you need someone to come in with language that I can't say on the radio and that conviction to say: 'Wake up!'

"I didn't see that. It felt like the players were still in the changing room and they hadn't started that second-half.

"They are quite a young side though, so is it a lack of leadership or is it the need for someone to be the nasty guy and get after players? It just lacked something for me."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Leicester boss Steve Cooper has paid tribute to former Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

It is six years since the chairman died when his helicopter crashed as it left the King Power Stadium, following a 1-1 draw with West Ham.

Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare - and pilots and partners Eric Swaffer and Izabela Roza Lechowicz - also died in the accident.

Under Khun Vichai, who bought the club in 2011, the Foxes stunned the game by winning the Premier League in 2016 for one of the greatest sporting achievements, having started the season as 5,000-1 outsiders.

They went on to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League the following season and under his son and successor, Aiyawatt, Leicester City won the FA Cup for the first time in 2021.

Cooper said: "Even if you don't go looking for it, you find it here [at the training ground] and at the stadium. It is a legacy isn't it - a very much on-going legacy.

"You cannot avoid it because it is everywhere. You can see why this club has achieved what it has - the Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League.

"It also goes beyond that with some of the feelings and emotions. I can see that because of the way they make you feel, you want to do so well for them.

"They lead through support, encouragement and good will. There is expectation, of course, aswell - so it is not a soft leadership.

"There are other aspects to the fabric of a football club and the ownership is a huge one here. I take that really personally in how I represent that."

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Leicester City and Nottingham Forest.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 1-1 Bournemouth

• Everton 1-1 Fulham

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We asked for your thoughts after Friday's Premier League game between Leicester City and Nottingham Forest.

Here are some of your comments:

Neil: A decent first-half performance against a good Forest team. However, the second half showed Leicester's main problem this season: not being able to play well for 90 minutes. Terrible defending for all three goals conceded, but the second-half performance was awful overall. Forest deserved all three points.

Ray: Disgusted! Do they not understand how important a local derby is to the people who pay their wages? This game confirmed to me that Justin, Faes and Ayew are not good enough for this league, or indeed club, and several more are on the cusp. Get them gone in January! I suggest the defenders all have a cold shower prior to the kick-off so they are at least awake for the match.

Dave: Steve Cooper, focus on the defence - otherwise you'll end up like Rodgers did! Defensively, we need stability. The minute Vestergaard is fit, keep playing the three Danish internationals at the back. They know each other well and Victor compensates for Jannik's lack of pace. Mads is in a class of his own.

Ben: We played decently. Hermansen saving us again but we gifted them all of their goals, which is annoying. I have lost all confidence in our defence. We need to be playing Coady and Okoli at the back.

John: The defending was Sunday League standard. You cannot survive at this level being as open as that. Why Coady isn't in the team I have no idea. Faes is an accident waiting to happen. A very poor second half. This result makes Ipswich away even more important. City are in a five-team league and they need to finish top.

The latest When You're Smiling podcast has landed.

BBC Radio Leicester's Jack Rafferty is joined by former Leicester City winger Matt Piper at King Power Stadium to mull over the 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Hear from Foxes boss Steve Cooper on the "self-inflicted" result and get the thoughts of the fans who were at the game.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds