The statistical symmetry of Gary Rowett’s tenure (eight points harvested from eight EFL Championship fixtures) presents a veneer of mediocrity that masks a far more treacherous reality. Rather than standing on the firm ground of an ascending rebuild, the LE2 club finds itself treading in sinking sand; every desperate struggle for traction only serves to accelerate their descent into the suffocating depths of the tier two's lower reaches.
The supposed defensive structural integrity, Rowett's primary mandate upon arrival, vanished into thin air against Preston North End. Leaving the unlikely figure of Patson Daka to emerge from a sporting wreckage as a solitary, sprinting saviour to rescue the manager from a truly dire narrative.
​In the sterile theatre of the post-match interview, the former Fox now in charge offered rhetoric that took an almost hallucinogenic turn. To assert that 95 percent of the performance was "good" is a declaration of such profound optimism it borders on the delusional.
"I’m obviously going to be a little bit biassed, but looking at the performance, I would say for 95 per cent of it, it was really good. There were a lot of things to like about it."Rowett - LCFC Live
What Gary Rowett said after Leicester City drew with Preston North End
Were such a metric accurate, modern Leicester would be more akin to trading blows with Arsenal at the summit of the English game rather than languishing in the second division's unadmirable 22nd place. Predictably, the LCFC gaffer reached for the well-worn shield of the international break, citing the 'oddity' of a post-National break, Friday kick-off as a primary inhibitor of victory.
​While Rowett lamented two "silly goals" gifted to the Lilywhites, he was conveniently skeptical that the opposition's own charity was the main reason City remained competitive. His description of Preston as a "well-drilled, good outfit" feels like subjective hyperbole designed to flatter his own failings.
"I know they’d argue that our two goals came from a mistake from them, but we also had 26 other shots."
Furthermore, dismissing the concessions as "tactical errors" rather than "structural" ones is merely high-grade management jargon. A linguistic sleight of hand that does little to comfort a disenfranchised Filbert Way faithful.
​Rowett argues the King Power side's mistakes are minimal. Yet, in reality, they resemble late buses: infrequent until they all arrive simultaneously to ruin the journey.
"I said to them at half-time, ‘I’ll be honest with you, apart from the two goals, which I know sounds ridiculous, there was a lot to like about this and we’ve just got to maintain that."
Despite Daka's arduous journey to Leicestershire from South America, his inclusion against a back-three was the only logical move in a sea of questionable decisions. The Zambian was rightfully lauded for his industry.
Rowett maintains Leicester should have won and must now win every remaining game: a monumental task for a side currently mired in such inconsistency and uncertainty on and off the pitch. To that bold proclamation, a sardonic "good luck" is the only applicable retort.