The golden glow of 2016 is beginning to feel less like a modern era and more like a distant, flickering memory on VHS video. For the Leicester City faithful, the bond with Chairman Aiyawatt "Khun Top" Srivaddhanaprabha has always been rooted in a deep, almost spiritual respect for the past and, naturally, the late Vichai.
The FA Cup triumph helped partially solidify Top's succession; fans also sympathised heavily with the loss of his father. Yet there is a growing, uncomfortable irony brewing on Filbert Way: the very history that keeps the fans loyal is being systematically disregarded by LCFC's current hierarchy.
Abandoning Leicester City's past
​The latest figure to be left out in the cold is Emile Heskey, a man whose Leicester links predates the King Power era but whose contribution to the club's survival is almost peerless. Long before the modern trophies arrived, Heskey was the local hero who stepped up during the Foxes' darkest hour.
The retired professional flanked Gary Lineker in a consortium that effectively snatched the Foxes from the jaws of receivership. Despite this, and a recent altruistic gesture to volunteer his expertise back at his boyhood club, Heskey found himself met with the deafening silence of top City brass.
"I’m a busy man, but when it comes to my hometown and my club, I wanted to give my time for free, but they have not acknowledged it.Emile Heskey - LCFC Live
"No outreach has been made, they’ve got my number and know who I am, but I’ve had nothing back..."
​Heskey is not alone. Director of Football Jon Rudkin and the Chairman recently oversaw a "non-event" reunion where the legends of the 2015/16 Premier League triumph were conspicuously sidelined. This isn't a one-off oversight; it is becoming a pattern of behavior that this outlet has tracked for around a decade.
While the owners lean on the nostalgia of the 'Leicester Miracle' to maintain their facade, their practical treatment of living history tells a different story. If the hierarchy continues to exclude the pillars upon which the club was built, they may find that the bridge to the supporters finally begins to crumble.