Leicestershire

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Our football news reporter Nick Mashiter has been taking your Leicester City questions.

Stuart asked: Why have we become so uncompetitive and unable to score under Ruud van Nistelrooy, compared with Steve Cooper, when we have the exact same squad ?

Nick: Steve Cooper did not win over the entire squad and therefore had a problem with getting his messaging over, yet his stock has risen given where the Foxes were when he left and - you are right - how they were still more competitive under him.

The players like the clarity and honesty Van Nistelrooy has brought, they respect that, and assistant Brian Barry-Murphy has also impressed the squad with his coaching methods and how clear he makes things.

That said, they can enjoy the sessions at Seagrave as much as they want but if they are losing every week it does not carry much weight.

Players are human - often forgotten - so confidence and momentum will play a part. You can see the confidence drain as soon as they go behind and the goal drought at the King Power will become a psychological problem soon, if it has not already.

There is sympathy for Van Nistelrooy at Seagrave and the fact he hasn't come under the scrutiny many would expect shows the expectations. There is also an understanding he was unable to add significant quality to the squad in January.

Colin asked: What is the single most important thing that Leicester City need to accomplish in order to bring back the fans' pride in the club?

Nick: The communication has to improve. Supporters cannot get behind a club or a project - even though I dislike describing it like that - without understanding the direction of travel and what the club wants to achieve - and why.

Fans want to feel part of their club, understandably, but it has almost felt like and us v them situation when it comes to the relationship with the board.

If there is dialogue about why certain decisions are taken - or, almost more importantly, why they were not taken - then supporters can understand and empathise. Without that they cannot buy into what the club wants to do.

I know Susan Whelan and others at the club have met with the Foxes Trust in what was a candid discussion and those lines of communication must continue. Fans feel numb to the team's plight at the moment, mainly because they feel disconnected from the club.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport's football news reporter Nick Mashiter has been taking your Leicester City questions.

Tom asked: Seeing our club go back to the Championship without laying a glove on anyone is a sad state of affairs. When do we stop blaming the players and start looking at Jon Rudkin and Susan Whelan as being responsible for years of awful management and almost negligent running of our club, particularly around signings, contracts and wages? I do also feel Top is maybe a little naïve, which is understandable given the circumstances surrounding him becoming our owner. Do we need a reset at board level, before getting rid of 70% of the squad which is going to struggle in the Championship next season?

Nick: The focus has been on Jon Rudkin for a while now and, therefore, Susan Whelan will be in the spotlight too.

It is extremely rare a manager loses 13 out of 14 games and there are no calls for their head, it all appears to be directed towards the hierarchy. Supporters acknowledge the problems pre-date Ruud van Nistelrooy, even if there has been no improvement under him.

As Van Nistelrooy watched the defeat at Brentford in November, before taking control, he listened to the calls for Rudkin to go from the away fans and there has been plenty of dissent towards him since.

The banner against Manchester United on Sunday - 'from dogs of war to doggy daycare' was clearly directed at the board.

Rudkin and Whelan oversaw the title win, the Champions League and Europa Conference League runs, the FA Cup triumph and two fifth placed finishes - the most successful era in the club's history - so they have pedigree.

Yet, if relegation - which looks inevitable - comes then someone needs to take responsibility as the legacy of the previous era has been wasted.

It is important to remember, though, Leicester are not the only side at the bottom who have been unable to bridge the gap and that is a wider problem for the Premier League.

Dave: I have genuine concerns that when our relegation is confirmed and our best assets are stripped, we might do a Luton or Derby and drop straight to League One. Do you think we will be able to rebuild enough to stay in the Championship, bearing in mind the EFL are gunning for us?

Nick: The Championship is a competitive and fascinating league but because it is an average one.

We have seen in the last two years in particular the top four have been streets ahead of the rest of the division. It's a discussion for another time but speaking to those in the division they recognise the quality has dropped - Brexit (denying clubs a pool of players who can no longer qualify for work permits), financial concerns and Premier League clubs hoarding players being some of the reasons.

Leicester will remain attractive for players at that level - but that is without the threat of punishment from the EFL or knowing what they have to spend in the summer.

Too much is unknown ahead of next season. Will Van Nistelrooy still be here? Will there be a change at board level? Which players will leave? So we would be second-guessing exactly how it will go but I would still be surprised to see them struggle like Luton.