It is a much more difficult task to come up with a list of Leicester City’s ten greatest ever defenders than it is for goalkeepers not least because there are more to choose from. That is not going to stop us. I started by identifying 50 possible names to go into our top ten which was further whittled down to about 15. Today, numbers 10-8.
10. Local boy Steve Whitworth is at number 10 on our list. Born locally, red-haired Steve was first choice right back at Filbert Street for nine seasons between 1970 and 1979. All but two of these seasons were spent in the top-flight. A cool, classy overlapping right back, Whitworth’s consistent performances in Jimmy Bloomfield’s team led to his call-up for England in 1975 by Don Revie, himself a former Leicester player. Steve won five caps that year but was subsequently over-looked. The Foxes sold him to Sunderland in 1979 and he played a further nine seasons mostly in the lower leagues. Steve scored only once for City, the winner in the 1971 Charity Shield match against Liverpool played at Filbert Street. The hosts played in the match as Division Two champions in place of double winners Arsenal who were committed to a pre-season tour.
9. Signed from a Scottish amateur side in the late 1950s, John Sjoberg spent 15 seasons at Filbert Street making 414 appearances. All but 79 of his 335 league appearances were in the old First Division. He started out at right back and played in that position as key member of the great ‘Ice Kings’ side who almost won the league and cup double in the 1962/3 season. Eventually, though, he moved to centre half where he formed a formidable partnership with Graham Cross. Majestic in the air and reliably consistent, John’s absence through injury in the 1968/9 season was a major reason why the Foxes succumbed to relegation.
8. David Nish was an elegant attacking full back who played for Leicester City between 1966 and 1973 amassing 273 appearances (and scoring 31 goals) before he left for Derby County who offered a British transfer record fee of £225,000 for his services. He was part of the Derby side that, against all the odds, won the Division One title in 1975 and he also won five England caps whilst with the Rams. He was (at 21) the youngest ever captain of a Cup Final team when the Foxes played Manchester City in 1969 and he led the club back to the First Division in 1971. After retiring, David came back to Leicester and served in various capacities with the club including a two-game stint as co-caretaker manager following Mark McGhee’s departure in 1995. More on Tuesday