Disconnect, Disillusionment and Disenchantment in the Leicester fan base

Disconnect, disillusionment and disenchantment. Three words that can describe the mood of Leicester City fans after a torrid season. For some fans, this is something they are used to. For others like myself, this is the first relegation in 14 years as an LCFC supporter. Regardless of which camp you are in, no one can deny that relegation is a deeply unpleasant experience. For some, it has had an adverse impact on their health, for others, the scenario just feels terrible. More widely the fall-out of this has exposed glaring fractures within the fanbase and the club itself.

A divided fanbase

Football at the best of times remains a tribal sport, and tribalism often becomes endemic within fanbases themselves. As such, Foxes supporters are no different but the levels of division have only increased as the club’s predicament has worsened. Places such as Twitter have often been a place where like-minded individuals can engage in ‘conversation’ or gather in the aftermath of defeats.

Nevertheless, one only needs to look as far as Twitter to see the gaping divide between different factions. Such divides are inevitably exacerbated in hard times, but it is impossible to ignore the increasing toxicity. There are also certain fans who feel the need to constantly disagree with everything. Others see that because they have supported the club through several relegations, they are automatically a ‘better fan’. Undoubtedly, this remains a vocal minority, but it is increasingly noticeable.

Such division is also evident in-person. Most of the stadium is often radio silent, except L1 and the singing section. Yet people have had the temerity to complain about the singing section for ‘not being loud enough’ as the club feedback found. It is not a requirement for everyone to sing for 90 mins, yet surely more people realise that their role as fans is to support the team. To drive the team forward involves making noise. You only need to look as far as Nottingham to illustrate this. Perhaps, this explains our terrible home record this season.

The final day at West Ham highlighted the divide in the stadium. Whilst some fans clapped, others booed and were given daggers by other supporters. Given the failure of the season, you would have expected a reaction to match. Yet, without any context, you wouldn’t have known we were relegated. The reaction to the game was little different to any other dead-rubber end-of-season affair that has been served up in past seasons. Perhaps, the reason why the club has failed to enact changes sooner is because only a small minority are willing to stick their neck out to bring this about.