If those "clear targets" were to do better than a 2-1 loss away at Sevilla they should just have fired him right away, because that's not realistic at all.

It's a business at the top level and Ranieri wasn't meeting expectations. Kante was a huge loss and he wasn't able to change things enough to compensate. It'd be interesting to know what his targets really were but based on what Ranieri repeatedly said, it seemed that Leicester were comfortable with consistent midtable finishes.

Quincy Abeyie wrote:

If those "clear targets" were to do better than a 2-1 loss away at Sevilla they should just have fired him right away, because that's not realistic at all.

Maybe they figured it's better to sack him after a loss in the CL as opposed to dropping another league game with time running out.

The board's statement said they were only hoping to stay up this year, but with that looking very much under threat they seem to have decided he can't keep them up. Those players have really let him down, but there were also rumours all year that he had lost the support of some key players.

A lot of whispers that the dressing room revolted against him and got him sacked. Not surprised given how the Leicester players performed for him this season, a bit similar to how the Chelsea players gave up last year.

Even if he got them relegated this season, and then again, he should still be revered there. Poor decision, given that he just got a good result in Seville and should be at least given the opportunity to complete that task.

Re: your second paragraph, I don't agree. I don't know the whats, whys, or wheres of Leicester's strange season but once a manager has lost the dressing room then he has to go. No coming back from that.

Naturally he'll have a place in Leicester folklore and fans will always love and appreciate that incredible season but this was a decision that had to be made. I applaud the Leicester board. That was a brave move.

Bah, they are cowards. Opposite of brave in ever way. Ranieri well may have lost the dressing room, but what manager is going to come in and guarantee any better than Ranieri at this stage?

If they stay up now, they'll feel vindicated, but it's not really a measure of anything because Ranieri for another 13 games can't be tested, can he?

This one is on the players and overly self-important board who think having money means knowing what's best. He should've been allowed to see out the CL campaign at the very, very least. This sport is becoming an abomination.

flobaba wrote:

Naturally he'll have a place in Leicester folklore and fans will always love and appreciate that incredible season but this was a decision that had to be made. I applaud the Leicester board. That was a brave move.

It's brave in the sense that they are willing to take such a huge risk to achieve success again. But given that he has just achieved a feat that is highly unlikely to be repeated in the near future it's a little short sighted.

I would have personally given him at least until the CL campaign is over, since it was him who gave them this competition (and earned them over 40m+, making them the 24th richest club in the world). They showed real spirit in the Sevilla match.

We've played 25 games and Leicester are a point off the bottom. I don't think they can afford going down. Think it was the right decision - any more time, and they risk all that they've started building.

If they were mid table or something, I'd say it was the wrong call.

flobaba wrote:

Naturally he'll have a place in Leicester folklore and fans will always love and appreciate that incredible season but this was a decision that had to be made. I applaud the Leicester board. That was a brave move.

I was going to write this word-for-word. 

General, he set the tone early on. He signalled, as you say, that the league was unimportant, assuming that his team's floor was as lofty as Arsenal's. When our manager fails, the squad stumbles to 4th. When the Leicester manager fails, the results are more catastrophic

I don't understand how a guy like Ranieri who seems like a very decent man could lose the dressing room so quickly. Even in Mourinho's case it was quite strange, but somewhat understandable given Mourinho's madness. But this?

If they go down I don't think they'd be favourites to come straight back up. Vardy and Mahrez on massive contracts, and no doubt a few others, would kill them in the Championship financially even accounting for clauses reducing their wages. They'd need to get rid of a few, then at that point you're starting in a tough league having to gut your squad and rebuild your team to a certain degree.

Though not popular in the wider footballing world, it's completely understandable why they've made the decision.

I'd be interested to see how Leicester fans feel about this. Would they be happy giving Ranieri the time on the back of his exploits last season, or would they happily ditch him to try and save their Premier League status?