What Leicester chairman Khun Top said to Rodgers and why

Monday night football saw Leicester City get the first win of their 2022/23 Premier League campaign, a 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. In the build-up to the match, some comically referred to the occasion as ‘El Sackio’, with their East Midlands opponents not fairing too well with just one win from their first eight games.

Brendan Rodgers has come under a lot of pressure from fans after a fairly disastrous start to the season. And with Chairman, Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha, travelling to watch the game, Rodgers had plenty of reason to make sure his side had a strong performance.

In recent weeks there have been numerous calls for a change in management at the club, many cited the steady downfall of City’s performances throughout the last 18 months or so. With the ruthless reputation that the Thai owners have, many expected to see a corner flag photo from LCFC’s social media accounts announcing the end of Brendan Rodgers tenure as manager.

The Northern Irishman was reassured by King Power boss Khun Top before the match and that allowed him to put to bed any concerns about his immediate future at the club. In his post-match interview, the Foxes boss said:

"“I spoke to him beforehand. It’s always great to see Top”. He asserted that “He’s been really supportive of me” and “They trust me in the work, that’s why I’m still in the job”.Leicestershire Live"

During the interview, the manager of the blue army claimed that the “big pressure” on his job was coming from the media. He said “more is made of it”, (Khun Top’s attendance) because the chair is often seen at matches cheering on the team and hasn’t turned up to audit the manager’s performance.

The performance showed a sign of the Foxes’ ability to move the ball quickly and efficiently. Rodgers added, “The performance was coordinated and cohesive, with a desire”. Along with the individual talent of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, some other faces started to show their true ability, including the new centre-back Wout Faes.

Hopefully the boys in blue can use the momentum of this win to push on as the next few games being against more favourable opponents. Something also noticeable was the team’s strength when it came to set pieces; Leicester’s set-pieces have previously been like a book on designed to explain exactly how not to approach them. However the new set-piece coach Lars Knudsen seems to have really got to work with the boys over the international break.

It seems Khun Top is happy with Brendan Rodgers and wants him to be the man to carry the team back to winning ways. His words of encouragement to the gaffer will have helped him keep focus on the job at hand.