Leicester City Football Club finds itself in the midst of an identity crisis that few could have predicted a mere decade ago. That era feels like yesterday, incidentally. The greatest sporting miracle in history is now the past, and the East Midlands team is now staring into the abyss of League One. Alternatively, EFL Championship mediocrity stains the previously ambitious outfit.
Following a period of significant upheaval marked by the departure of Marti Cifuentes and a crippling six-point deduction for financial breaches, the King Power hierarchy has finally turned to a man who understands the weight of the blue shirt: Gary Rowett.
A former defender with partial Foxes blood, Rowett already knows the system from his LCFC playing days.
The 51-year-old arrives with the reputation of a footballing 'logician'. He isn't here to sell the faithful dream: he arrives in order to engineer and facilitate survival.
Rowett's recent remarks to Leicester Mercury, were refreshingly candid about the club's "very, very poor management" in recent years. He noted the sheer absurdity of a former Premier League champion sliding toward the third tier. He has been clear that the current squad of late: while talented, it suffers from a total lack of "chemistry" and consistency.
Gary Rowett: The rationalist tasked with saving Leicester City
The new boss has made it clear that his philosophy will be dictated by necessity rather than vanity. He believes that while some managers are "wedded to a system" regardless of the roster, his approach is to assess the specific "capabilities of the players". Thus creating a winning formula to combat the harsh realities of the Championship.
"It’s very clear to us all what needs to be achieved between now and the end of the season and the work begins immediately.Rowett via LCFC Live
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For a side that has gone 26 games without a clean sheet, his focus on structural organisation and defensive accountability is the cold shower the dressing room desperately needs. Fans have called for an abrupt wake-up call.
"Hopefully we can give everyone, including the fans, a really strong end to the season"Rowett
Rowett boldly insists that while the upcoming fixture list is relatively daunting, the individual quality at his disposal means the team is "capable of winning every one" if City can finally strike the right "balance". He is asking for immediate responsibility from his players, particularly in mastering set-pieces and becoming 'unbeatable'.
"People told me that the team were trying to play an expansive style of football. But the reality is that if that style of football’s not winning you games, and your job is to win, my job’s never been to make myself look good or to make the style of play look attractive to others. It’s basically we want to win games for the fans"Rowett (transcribed by The Fosse Way
For the Blue Army, the appointment represents a (possibly cliché) shift from idealism to pragmatism. Rowett's arrival signals that the time for 'expansive experiments' is over: the mission now is purely about the points required to keep the club afloat.