Craig Shakespeare maintains his 100% winning record as Leicester City manager. It really was a shrewd move by Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha to install him as manager.
Absolutely. Claudio Ranieri is a gentleman, but sentiment and living off past glories donât go far in the cut and thrust world of EPL management. Ranieri had spent nearly ÂŁ68 million on new players for this season, just behind Liverpool who spent ÂŁ70 million. The Leicester net spend was ÂŁ24.5, million, as against -ÂŁ14.5 million for Liverpool. With such a poor return on his investment and the real and imminent threat of relegation, Ranieriâs fate was inevitable.
The Leicester story has all the elements of a Shakespearean drama - the tragic hero, the soliloquoys, the plotting, the stabbing in the back, the redemption, the, eh, drama. Wes Morgan is Othello. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is Macbeth. Claudio Ranieri is Banquoâs Ghost. Kasper Schmeichel is Hamlet.
Who better than Shakespeare to come in and bring the story to its natural conclusion, which is that they end up becoming champions of Europe and getting relegated in the same season.
Leicesterâs games at Filbert Street were usually used as the template for Harchester Unitedâs games.
Wes Morgan reminds me very much of John Black - the tough, uncompromising centre-back who was shot dead by a sniper as he lifted the FA Cup in 1999 after Luis Amor Rodriguezâs two literally identical goals denied Manchester United the treble in dramatic fashion.
Shakespeare comes across as a fat, mouth breathing oaf. A poor manâs allerdice, heâs a piggy-cunning class prefect who the muinteoir would leave in charge for a few minutes while he nipped out for a fag, knowing full well that if he was gone any longer, the class would have sussed that the fat cunt was at nothing, and chaos would reign.