Why Leicester should be patient with Steve Cooper

Reasons to persevere with Steve Cooper at Leicester City

1. Most Leicester fans recognise that this season was always going to be a struggle. Finishing 17th, just above the relegation zone, would still be regarded as a success for the Foxes and it is still eminently achievable. 

2. There have been patches where Leicester have excelled – the first half against Palace and the second half against Arsenal come to mind – and, although the performances have not been maintained with the team either losing a lead (as against Palace) or failing to do enough in the second half to win or rescue games, the team have been competitive in every game they have played. Roaring back from 2-0 against Arsenal last Saturday was no mean feat

3. I would also say to fans and pundits: ‘what did you expect?’. The financial gap between the big six in the Premier League and the other 14 is big and getting bigger. It is rare for the big six to fail to win against one of the clubs outside of the elite and two of the Foxes matches (a third) have been against two of the richest clubs in the land – Arsenal and Tottenham. Even more important is that the gap between the Premier League and the Championship is also getting wider. As Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United found out last season, and Ipswich and Southampton are discovering this, it is not easy for promoted teams to survive.

It won’t be easy for Leicester too irrespective of who the manager is. The club’s position has not been helped by the ridiculous Profit and Sustainability Rules which forced the sale of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall before the season started. They have since been in the bargain basement transfer market, again not the fault of the manager.