Why Leicester should be patient with Steve Cooper

I wrote at the time of Steve Cooper’s appointment as Leicester boss that it was a good appointment. Objectively, that was a reasonable claim to make with his impressive track record as a coach and his experience of keeping an unfancied side in the Premier League.

The early part of Cooper’s tenure, though, have been fraught with problems. The results and performances in pre-season didn’t inspire a great deal of confidence and that has continued into the season. Six league games in and the Foxes have only managed three points, no wins and no clean sheets. The team couldn’t even see off League Two Walsall in normal time in the league cup tie, a result and performance that saw a hostile reaction from the travelling Leicester fans.

The Blue Army along with some pundits – including my colleague on FoL - have been quick to register their own, largely critical, thoughts. The abandonment of Enzo Maresca’s possession game but with no discernible consistent system to replace it; too ready to defend deep sometimes playing with three defensive midfielders with little outlet going forward; the dropping of the popular Ricardo Perarie; the failure to play both Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu in the same starting line-up as his predecessor had done so successfully last season and the inability of his team to put together a full 90-minute performance. 

As a result of all of this, some fans have already had enough with many calls for Cooper’s head made on social media, the terraces and on fans' forums. There have even been, unsubstantiated, rumours that he has lost the dressing room. 

Is this criticism justified? Football managers, of course, live or die by the results their teams obtain on the pitch and Leicester’s start has been poor. A number of points, though, can be made in Cooper's defence.