The news that Andy King, one of the most distinguished players in Leicester City’s history, is to retire as a player at the end of the current season, came as little surprise to members of the Blue Army.

Currently at Bristol City, the club of his boyhood affections, the 35-year-old Wales midfielder has made just 14 league appearances during the current campaign and it was clear he did not feature in the future plans of boss Liam Manning.

Fans and former managers alike have been quick to pay online tributes to a player whose remarkable achievements during his time at Leicester lifted him to legend status.

After being released from Chelsea’s academy at the age of 15, King found another route into professional football at what was then the Walkers Stadium. To say he made the most of that opportunity would be a huge understatement.

The first signs that his career would be far from the ordinary came when he helped City lift the Premier Academy League title in 2007, beating a Sunderland team that itself fielded several future Premier stars, including Jordan Henderson, who himself would enjoy a notable career with Liverpool and England.

At that time, few believed that the senior crown would ever join its junior counterpart in the Foxes’ trophy cabinet, particularly when City’s first team were relegated to League One the following year.  By that time, King had progressed into the senior squad, but made a limited impact during a tumultuous and troubled campaign.

However, under the auspices of new manager Nigel Pearson, King was able to play a key role in City’s revival, gaining a regular berth in a side which swept to the League One title at the first time of asking, and maintained its momentum after its return to the Championship. During this time, he also gained the first of his 50 caps for Wales, the country of his grandfather’s birth.

Despite Pearson’s departure in summer 2010, following a particularly cruel playoff exit at Cardiff, King’s progress continued under Sven-Goran Eriksson, in a campaign which saw him finish as City’s top scorer and earn a place in the Championship team of the season. However, the impact of a rapid turnover of players during this period eventually told on both the team and King himself, and a string of indifferent results in 2011-12 heralded the end of the Eriksson era at City.

Even Pearson’s return to Leicester could not stop King’s career from entering a prolonged period of stagnation, which was a contributory factor towards two further failed promotion campaigns.  By the time City finally returned to the top flight in 2014, he was no longer a regular first-team starter, though the demands of a gruelling season ensured he still played a key role within the squad.

Many media pundits, together with a section of City’s own fanbase, were less than convinced that the team as a whole, and King in particular, would be able to withstand the rigours of Premier League football.  Indeed, for the first three-quarters of the 2014-15 season, neither team nor player did much to dispel such doubts.

But a switch to a three-man midfield, reputedly at the insistence of veteran Argentine signing Esteban Cambiasso, helped to bring a dramatic improvement in form.  King rediscovered the goal touch which had appeared to desert him, and his late winner against West Ham, coupled with another strike against Swansea in the following home match, helped to provide the impetus for one of the most improbable escapes from relegation in Premier League history.

This proved to be merely the opening chapter for one of the most incredible fairytales in the history of sport, with City making light of the departures of both Cambiasso and Pearson to launch an unlikely - and ultimately successful - bid for the title. 

Although King often played second fiddle to the midfield duo of Danny Drinkwater and the hitherto-unheralded N’Golo Kanté, his deployment as an auxiliary midfielder to protect crucial leads during the closing stages of many City victories throughout this heroic campaign, proved one of many masterstrokes by the maestro Claudio Ranieri. 

King thus became the first (and to date, the only) player in the Premier League era to win league winners’ medals at each of the top three levels. His goal against Everton in the final home game of the Premier title season provided particular delight for the City faithful.

He managed to continue this success at international level that summer, helping Wales to reach the semi-finals of the European Championships for the first time.

However, although he featured in the Foxes’ run to the Champions League quarter-finals the following season, his career suffered a distinct downturn in the subsequent years. Increasingly marginalised at Leicester, King endured a series of unsuccessful loan spells at various clubs before finally leaving the King Power Stadium in 2020, though he still managed to set a record (later surpassed by Kasper Schmeichel) as the City player with the most international appearances.

But just as it appeared King would be lost to the game, Bristol City offered him the opportunity - which he eagerly took - to rebuild his career and realise further childhood ambitions. As a consequence, during the past three seasons, he has played a significant role in the consolidation of the Robins’ status as a Championship club.

As he brings down the curtain on a distinguished playing career, King can look back with pride on his numerous achievements during the past 17 years. Not only has he lived the dream, he has played a full and active part in bringing others to life.

Many in the game, whether fans or colleagues, will wish him well in whatever he chooses to do in the future.

Five football managers in danger of the axe during 2024

1. Mikkel Arteta (Arsenal)

The Spaniard was given lavish funding during the summer to propel another push for the gunners’ first Premier League title in two decades.

However, neither Kai Havertz nor Declan Rice have looked entirely convincing during their time at the Emirates, and three league defeats during December have brought rumblings of discontent within a notoriously twitchy fanbase.

Should Arteta again fall short - and a run in the Champions League may push his squad’s workload beyond breaking point - such unease could spread to the Emirates boardroom, especially if the club is looking upwards at neighbours Tottenham in the final league standings.

2. Eddie Howe (Newcastle)

As the first manager since Sir Bobby Robson to guide the magpies into the Champions League, Howe fuelled hopes that he would be the man to restore the club’s status as a northern powerhouse.

But his reputation has suffered a setback in recent weeks with a tame group-stage exit from that competition, together with indifferent domestic form.

Unless Howe can stop the slide back towards mid-table mediocrity, the patience of his club’s Saudi owners may come under increasing strain.

3. Mauricio Pochettino (Chelsea)

Despite overseeing an extensive investment in players, the Argentine has yet to provide the results for which his owners would have hoped.

Although injuries to key players have disrupted the squad, other clubs have faced similar issues during the season and found ways to overcome them.

Pochettino may have to look to the cup competitions for salvation, to avoid becoming the latest addition to the Stamford Bridge scrapheap.

4. Brendan Rodgers (Celtic)

Following his ignominious exit from Leicester, the former Liverpool boss eagerly accepted the chance to recapture former glories in Scotland.

But his progress at Parkhead second time around has been far from smooth, overshadowed by both off-field disputes and European embarassments.

Although a recent victory over Rangers brought short-term respite, his rivals’ resurgence, together with international call-ups causing serious damage to his squad, may well present Rodgers with challenges that prove beyond him.

5. Erik Ten Hag (Manchester United)

As with other managers in the post-Ferguson era, the Dutchman has found the Old Trafford hot seat a little too warm for comfort.

The progress made during his first season has been completely reversed by his inability to secure consistent performances from either senior players or the series of expensively-acquired duds recruited on his watch.

Unless his side produces a drastic improvement in form in the coming months, a summer exit appears inevitable.

1. Middlesbrough
2. Leeds United
3. Coventry City
4. Millwall
5. Ipswich Town
6. West Bromwich Albion
7. Southampton
8. Leicester City
9. Sunderland
10. Bristol City
11. Hull City
12. Norwich City
13. Watford
14. Preston North End
15. Birmingham City
16. Sheffield Wednesday
17. Huddersfield Town
18. Blackburn Rovers
19. Plymouth Argyle
20. Swansea City
21. Stoke City
22. Queens Park Rangers
23. Cardiff City
24. Rotherham United

My Champions League Power Rankings - April 2023

1. Manchester City

2. Real Madrid

3. Milan

4. Internazionale

1. Real Madrid

2. Bayern Munich

3. Manchester City

4. Napoli

5. Benfica

6. Chelsea

7. Inter Milan

8. Milan

Today, for the first time in the 21st century, Nottingham Forest will host neighbours Leicester City in a Premier League fixture on virtually equal terms.

It is a scenario which, less than a year ago, appeared beyond the wildest fantasies of even the most fervent of trees.

While the Foxes were revelling in their second European tour in as many seasons, Forest languished in the middle reaches of the Championship, as they had done so often throughout the previous two decades.

But last February’s FA Cup clash between the sides proved to be a catalyst for a remarkable transformation.

As Cup holders, fielding a host of experienced internationals, City expected to progress with some comfort against spirited but limited opposition.

Such complacency, though, was ruthlessly dispelled as the hosts, amid frenzied scenes not witnessed in West Bridgford in many years, swept to a 4-1 victory in front of the BBC cameras.

This success gave Steve Cooper’s side confidence and belief which would serve them for the rest of the season and beyond.

With the ever-nostalgic fanbase convinced that a return to past glories was imminent, Forest embarked on a run that not only saw them reach the promotion playoffs, but also - albeit with some highly benevolent refereeing decisions - prevail in them.

The club’s owner, controversial Greek billionaire Evangelos Marinakis, embarked on a lavish summer spending spree, buying more than TWENTY players at a cost of over £150m in order to ensure his side made a positive impact in Forest’s first Premier season since 1999.

Hopes within the fanbase that the trees would take the league by storm proved to be ill-founded, as Forest endured a series of hidings on visits to Manchester City, Arsenal and Leicester.

On their home turf, though, they have been a different proposition, with victories over West Ham and Liverpool helping to lift them out of the relegation zone.

In addition, Cooper has guided them to the semi-finals of the League Cup.

Meanwhile, the Foxes’ tribulations have continued since last season’s surrender of their much-coveted trophy.

Brendan Rodgers’ side - once feared by the strongest teams in the land - went through the whole of 2022 without a single victory against a side in the league’s top half.

A brief resurgence before the World Cup was halted by a heavy home defeat by Newcastle, since which further losses have left several fellow strugglers looming large in the rear view mirror.

Defeat today will plunge City into a relegation dogfight for which the club, in its present state of turmoil, does not appear - mentally, physically or financially - capable of withstanding.

And such an outcome would provide further evidence that the status of regional powerhouse - held with such distinction by City during the past decade - is now moving back northwards along the A46.

ultrafox1963:

Piqué calls time on Camp Nou playing career

Barcelona and Spain legend Gerard Piqué, a multiple world champion, has announced that Saturday’s home game against Almeria will be his last for the club.

The centre-back, who has been locked in a pay dispute with the club hierarchy for several months, has become a Barça icon during his 14-year medal-laden stint at Camp Nou.

However, having been reduced to fringe status in the squad during the current season, Piqué has now decided to focus full-time on his extensive business portfolio.

His decision to leave, at a time and in a manner of his choosing, reflects both his strength of character and his desire to avoid the fate of several of his former team-mates, whose departures from Camp Nou took place in rather more ignominious fashion.

A native of Barcelona, Piqué quickly attracted the attention of Barça’s renowned La Masia academy during his youth. But he shocked the club in 2004 when opting for a move to England with Manchester United.

He did not exactly take Old Trafford by storm, making only a handful of first-team appearances in his first two years there. However, a successful loan spell back in Spain with Zaragoza allowed him to gain valuable experience in La Liga.

Upon his return to United, Piqué’s promise was more evident during a season that saw him collect three winners’ medals, including his first in the Champions League. Within days, though, Barça offered him the chance to return to Catalonia, which he eagerly accepted.

This move was quickly vindicated, as his breakthrough into the first team enabled him to play a leading role in Barça’s 2008-09 treble-winning campaign. Further success followed at national level as he featured in Spain’s victories in both the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship.

Alongside such luminaries as Xavi (later his manager), Andrès Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, Piqué helped to ensure that the decade that followed would be the most successful in Barça history.

But the stratospheric levels that both he and the club reached under Pep Guardiola (and later, briefly, Luis Enriqué) could not be sustained. A series of frustrating exits from the Champions League, in which defensive frailties were regularly exploited, sparked fears that Piqué’s powers had started to wane.

To adapt his club’s famous phrase, he has long seen himself as “more than a footballer”. He has built an extensive business empire, including stakes in two lower-league clubs and tennis’s Davis Cup, while his long-standing relationship with global pop star Shakira - the mother of his two children - enhanced his celebrity status even further.

Furthermore, as a regular, often outspoken advocate of independence for Catalonia, Piqué has hinted at a potential future career in politics.

In view of the diverse range of activities in which he became involved, it is perhaps little surprise that his form became more erratic. But he remains popular with the Barça fanbase, which may well have been a factor in the club indulging him more than was prudent in recent years.

Piqué is now about to hang up his boots for the final time. But this will not mean his association with his hometown club will cease.

Few in Catalonia will be surprised if he returns to Camp Nou in some capacity in the future - maybe even as Barça president.

Championship

Champions: Norwich

Promoted: Middlesbrough, Coventry

Play-offs: Sheffield United, Burnley, West Bromwich Albion

Relegated: Blackpool, Rotherham, Birmingham

League 1

Champions: Sheffield Wednesday

Promoted: Plymouth, Portsmouth

Play-offs: Ipswich, Peterborough, Derby

Relegated: Morecambe, Forest Green, Cheltenham, Port Vale

League 2

Champions: Northampton

Promoted: Mansfield, Swindon, Bradford

Play-offs: Stockport, Tranmere, Doncaster

Relegated: Barrow, Stevenage

Chelsea vs Leicester - 19 May 2022. Sun sets on the Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge

An early header by Roma striker Tammy Abraham in the second leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final proved enough to send his side to the first-ever final of the competition, as – yet again – Leicester City fans were left cursing their side’s chronic inability to defend set pieces.

Everything the Blue Army feared at the Stadio Olimpico duly came to pass, as the combined effects of a hostile home crowd, Jose Mourinho’s notorious dark arts (perfected over decades) and indifferent (at best) performances by match officials were too much for City to overcome.

But the pitifully poor policing and stewarding of the event, which saw exchanges of missiles between rival groups of fans before, during and after the match, should be the subject of a UEFA investigation.

Had the result been different, there is every likelihood that many travelling Foxes could have been seriously injured or even killed. The level of protection offered to us by the host club was woefully and scandalously inadequate, with this correspondent the subject of attacks with both fireworks and flying bottles.

The home side spent several hours before kick-off whipping their fans into a frenzy, no doubt well aware of how often their visitors have wilted on previous occasions, at home and abroad, this season. Sadly, these efforts duly reaped their reward, with too many City players once again failing to do themselves justice.

Even so, had the visitors been awarded a penalty in the opening minutes, when Wesley Fofana was clearly wrestled to the ground to stop him reaching a James Maddison corner, the outcome might still have proved more positive for the Foxes.

Instead, Serbian referee Srdjan Jovanovic set the tone for the evening by rejecting City appeals, and with the VAR refusing to intervene - indeed, he was not to do so at any stage of the game - memories of previous improper behaviour by Italian clubs in the later stages of European competitions were brought to mind.

Roma mounted a series of early attacks in response, and a dubiously-awarded free-kick saw Pellegrini bring Kasper Schmeichel into action with a fierce-struck attempt that the City captain managed to turn over the bar.

The breakthrough, though, came shortly afterwards, as the home side forced a corner from which Pellegrini found the head of Abraham who gave Schmeichel no chance.

As too often during this campaign – and indeed in previous ones – the keeper was far too passive in dealing with set pieces, especially as the senior authority in defence. It beggars belief that the management and coaching team appear to have made no effort whatsoever to correct this vulnerability, more befitting of a Sunday pub team than a club in contention for European honours.

Pellegrini continued to cause problems for the City defence, forcing Schmeichel into another save. At the other end, attacks were sporadic, with Jamie Vardy unable to make any impact on the well-organised home rearguard.

Brendan Rodgers switched to a 3-5-2 formation at the interval, withdrawing both Ademola Lookman and Harvey Barnes and introducing Daniel Amartey and Kelechi Iheanacho. However the changes did little to lift City’s fortunes, as the hosts continued to exert an iron grip on the game.

With frustrations building in the stands, a section of visiting fans engaged in pitched battles with Roma stewards, prompting the intervention of baton-wielding riot police. Surreally, the beer-seller who had been serving other City supporters in the gangway a matter of yards from these disturbances, continued with his activities as if nothing was happening.

As the game meandered towards what seemed an inevitable conclusion, the Foxes finally roused themselves into an effort on target, but Maddison’s effort was comfortably saved by Rui Patricio, as was a similar strike by Iheanacho shortly afterwards.

There was no surprise in seeing the hosts taking every opportunity to wind the clock down, wasting time, exaggerating every challenge and making a series of lengthy late substitutions. Mourinho may not be the all-conquering managerial force he once was, but he ensured his extensive experience of big occasions was made to count here.

Nevertheless, City had a number of setpiece opportunities in the closing stages, but Maddison – perhaps less than fully fit – was unable to make use of any of them. Indeed, Roma came close to extending their lead, when a long-range strike by Oliveira almost cost Schmeichel off guard before being fumbled behind.

The final whistle was greeted by jubilant scenes in most areas of the stadium, with home celebrations understandably prolonged, as sadly was the goading by Roma supporters in the section adjoining the away corner.

It was well past midnight local time, over an hour since the game’s conclusion, when the City hordes, by now somewhat bedraggled, were finally allowed to leave the stadium, and even then, this action was accompanied by skirmishes with police.

Although some bemoaned – and not without reason - the quality of refereeing during the game, the reality was – as the bulk of travelling fans acknowledged - that Roma were the better side over the two legs. Mourinho’s side showed greater hunger, desire and intensity, as well as making home advantage tell in a way City had been unable to do in the first leg.

As for the Foxes, the remaining league games will reveal how much faith this squad retains in the manager. They may also determine the extent of the changes that will be needed this summer if the club is to return to European competition – at whatever level – in the foreseeable future.