The Daily Mail (which hasn't been kind to Leicester City in the past) reported a few days ago that Leicester City's promotion rivals are set to petition the Football Legaue and the Premier League if (WHEN) the Foxes win promotion to block their move into the top flight. It seems that they feel that Leicester have an unfair advantage because they used a legal loophole to write off massive amounts of debt when New Fox PLC took over the club and brought the Foxes out of administration, never mind that what Leicester City did is completely LEGAL and approved by Inland Revenue. Unfair advantage, huh? Hmm... let's see just how unfair this is (some of these have been mentioned in other threads around BigSoccer)... • Leicester did not ask to go into administration. They had no choice. • Perhaps if Leicester were not in debt when they were in the Premiership, they could have made better signings to help their survival campaign. • The club's only two preseason signings, Nicky Sumerbee and Billy McKinlay, originally signed UNPAID contracts to join the club. • Try explaining that Leicester had an unfair advantage to the 30+ staff employees who lost their jobs the day after the administrators took over the club and the others who were made redundant soon afterwards. The Leicester squad each gave a small portion of their wages to keep a laundry lady on the payroll—but not every club employee was that lucky. • Leicester's players have deferred AT LEAST 25% of their wages until the end of the season with the condition that they will be repaid after the season if the team wins promotion. Even though the players originally refused to do this, and the PFA told them not to do this, they eventually agreed. Instead of demanding transfers to clubs where they would be guaranteed their full wages, they agreed to take less pay and try for promotion and sacrifice their own pay for the cause. • While the club is in administration and playing in Division One after several years in the Premiership, the fans have done everything they can to back the club. Leicester have Division One's highest attendance and their new trust, Foxes Trust, has worked tirelessly in helping the club back on its feet. • Since going into administration, Leicester cannot buy or loan in any players. This is hypocrisy at its finest, as Notts County—while under administration—had loaned in Leicester's Jon Ashton last October. • Leicester City were told that their transfer embargo would be lifted if the new consortium met the Football League's regulations for taking over the club. Even though Leicester City and New Fox have done everything the Football League had asked of them, the FL decided to keep the embargo on LCFC indefinitely to teach them a "lesson." • Who's chairing the FL? The respective chairman of Ipswich Town, Sheffield United, and Millwall. I sense a conflict of interest, don't you? • ...and despite not being able to sign any players, working with no money and one of the smallest squads in Division One and being misled by the Football League time and time again, Micky Adams has Leicester City SECOND place with 10 games remaining. And for all of the hard work that has gotten Leicester City this far, we now hear rumors that jealous clubs want to take away from Leicester what, come May, they will have justly deserved? I'm not sure if I buy these rumors even though the anti-Leicester "conspiracy" has gone on and on, but the thought alone makes me sick. All season long, it's been Leicester City against the world—and the Foxes are winning. They haven't gotten any help from anybody except for themselves and their fans. Leicester are in a good position to win promotion now, and although they face a very difficult stretch at the end, I know they can do this, I know they deserve to go up. If they keep doing what they've been doing all season and stick with their defiant attitude, they'll be back in the Premiership. It must start this weekend with the game against Preston and it will go on until the end. Come on, Foxes, let's do this!!! "FOXES NEVER QUIT" IS BACK! BLUE ARMY COME ON, LEICESTER!
Jeff Whitley transfer blocked Yes, although the Football League cannot block Leicester's promotion, just when you thought the madness would stop... ...the Football League today blocked the free tansfer of Jeff Whitley to Leicester City. Whitley was willing to play for free. http://leicestercity.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=889&p=2&stid=8300281 "I think we may be the most hated team in the league for some reason"--Micky Adams
Thanks for that tidbit of news, JoBeck. Obviously, things are very much complicated over there. Lest people forget, this is the same FL who couldn't stop "Wimbledon FC" from moving to Milton Keynes. That's if that move actually happens.