Leicestershire

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Failures in recruitment over the past decade is the primary reason behind Leicester's fragile state, says former winger Matt Piper.

The Foxes made astute signings such as Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante, who were key to their Premier League title win in 2015-16. Since then however, signings have been far less consistent and the club has struggled to pivot its strategy after finding success.

"All of a sudden if you're going into the market as a top Premier League team and try and buy a £400k player to put into the first team the fans aren't having it," Piper told BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast.

"In a certain way that strategy was the downfall of our own success.

"What we did is sell one huge asset each season and that can be frustrating for fans because you're never really building by adding players to the best players you've already got.

"For a club like Leicester that was a really smart tactic to move in the transfer market. But, then you have to be really clever and savvy with how you spend that money and we had a number of transfer windows where we weren't.

"Steve Walsh had gone by that point and the recruitment was not at the level of a top Premier League club fighting at the top end of the table. Then the problems start to unravel. Then players think let's get established Premier League players in who have done it.

"The problem with that is the clubs like Fulham and Crystal Palace who were selling us this type of players. We had ambitions to be higher than them and we're taking players they don't want anymore and putting them in our first XI.

"Then, everyone is scratching their heads at why we're down near the bottom of the table with a lack of quality in the group. That is the reason why unfortunately."

Listen to the full documentary on BBC Sounds

Leicester might not have played over the weekend but there is still plenty to talk about because of the league position and lacklustre performances.

BBC Radio Leicester delves into things in the latest episode of the When You're Smiling podcast to look at how a club that was the envy of football for so long is now viewed very differently.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Chris Forryan
Fan writer

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Eat. Sleep. Watch Leicester City play. Write how awful they were. Repeat. Just read my last blog because nothing changes.

We still have a manager who does not seem to have a clue. We are still relying on a pensioner up front who gets no service from the rest of the team. We are still playing a system that none of our players can play. We are still picking the same personnel who are losing week in, week out. We are still picking players, none of whom are fit to wear the shirt.

How did Ruud van Nistelrooy get the manager's job? On the basis of two wins over a Steve Cooper Leicester side? Was Top so unable to see past appointing a 'famous' ex-player as manager? I mean, he might just appoint Wayne Rooney next!

The fans can see what is not working - why can't the manager and board? Do they have a post-match meeting where Van Nistelrooy has to explain himself? Does he turn up or just send in a tape of the previous meeting and say: "Same as last time" as the board doff their hats and say: "Thank you kindly, Mr Van Nistelrooy"?

The manager said we could do another great escape. More rubbish. Last time we survived we had a manager in Nigel Pearson that the players would walk on glass to perform for. A manager who had the nouse to know when things were not working.

Things need to change, from The Top down. Maybe no-one should turn up to the next home game, and we hit the club where it hurts: in their pockets.

Find more from Chris Forryan at Leicester Till I Die, external