Leicester's title the unlikeliest success story in English history
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As Tottenham Hotspur players lost their heads and a 2-0 lead at Chelsea on Monday, Leicester City’s title was confirmed with two games to go. It’s a story that has captured the imagination of the world to the point that in the last week, its barely been possible to buy a pint in Leicester without a journalist asking your opinion on Claudio Ranieri and his remarkable side.
As Leicester celebrates a championship so improbable you suspect many of its fans still can’t believe it’s happened, we look at the historical context and rank it among the most unlikely successes in the history of English football:
1. Leicester City wins the Premier League
The ridiculousness of what Leicester City has achieved has become familiar. It was bottom of the table 13 months ago. At the beginning of the season it was 5,000-to-1 to win the title–or as improbable as Elvis being discovered alive. There was all that weirdness with the ostrich, the body of Richard III, then the Thai prostitutes and racially abusive orgy. There was the 64-year-old manager who had never won a league title and had left his last job after a defeat to the Faroe Islands. There was the center forward who was playing non-league football four years ago. None of this should have happened.
Timeline: Leicester City's incredible Premier League title run
Leicester has had some good fortune, as even Claudio Ranieri acknowledges. There won’t be many seasons in which Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United all under-perform so badly. It’s rare, extremely rare, for half a dozen players all to hit peak form at the same time as Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy, N’Golo Kante, Wes Morgan, Danny Drinkwater and Robert Huth have done.
But from the sparks of the autumn, Ranieri has kindled a great fire, showing that it is possible for a smaller club, with organization, determination and belief, to pick off more vaunted opponents. Toward the end of the season, as rivals faltered, Leicester became remorseless. Salvaging a draw against West Ham spoke volumes for Leicester’s character.
Leicester City's unsung heroes: Beyond the Foxes' star trio
But none of that explains why this is the most improbable triumph in English football history. Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest and Alf Ramsey’s Ipswich Town have their claims, as perhaps do Kenny Dalglish’s Blackburn, Ron Saunders’ Aston Villa or Clough’s Derby. But Blackburn had spent huge sums of money and, like Villa and Derby, had been near the top of the table for a couple of seasons before their success.
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Forest and Ipswich won the season after promotion, remarkable achievements. But what sets Leicester apart is context. Football has become a world without shocks. The big teams win, the distribution of money and their huge financial advantages have seen to that. Forest’s title came six years after Derby’s and 16 years after Ipswich’s. In the five years before its title, two Second Division teams won the FA Cup. Football was less predictable then; there was no rigid financial stratification. Shocks happened; everybody thought they’d stopped. Had Tottenham won the league this season, it would have been a surprise; for Leicester to win it should have been impossible.
GALLERY: Leicester's top moments in its storied season
Leicester City's Top Moments of 2015-16
The first points; Aug. 8, 2015
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In what turned out to be a sign of things to come, Jamie Vardy scored the club's first goal 11 minutes into the season and Riyad Mahrez scored two of his own to give Leicester a 3-0 lead 25 minutes into a 4-2 win over Sunderland at King Power Stadium.
Immediate response vs. Spurs; Aug. 22, 2015
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Riyad Mahrez answered Dele Alli's 81st-minute goal a minute later, and even though Leicester suffered its first non-win of the campaign in the 1-1 home draw against Tottenham, it showed a promising resiliency against a club it would be fending off down the stretch.
Comeback vs. Villa; Sept. 13, 2015
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Facing a 2-0 deficit at home to lowly Aston Villa, Leicester mounted a furious comeback, with Ritchie De Laet, Riyad Mahrez and Nathan Dyer scoring in the 72nd, 82nd and 89th minutes, respectively, to steal three points in dramatic fashion.
Another 2-0 comeback; Sept. 19, 2015
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Again down 2-0, Leicester rescued another point from a losing position at Stoke City. The Potters raced out to their lead within 20 minutes, but Riyad Mahrez's penalty and Jamie Vardy's 69th-minute equalizer salvaged the point.
Vardy rescues a point; Oct. 17, 2015
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Leicester found itself down 2-0 to Southampton (sensing a theme here?) but roared back late. Jamie Vardy scored twice, once in the 66th minute and the dramatic equalizer a minute into stoppage time, earning the Foxes another point from a losing position.
Clean-sheet pizza; Oct. 24, 2015
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It took 10 games and a promise of a pizza party from manager Claudio Ranieri for Leicester to keep a clean sheet, but the Foxes did just that in a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. The pizza promise became an instant part of Leicester lore, and the club went on to keep 14 more clean sheets–including six in seven games down the stretch.
Vardy's scoring record; Nov. 28, 2015
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Jamie Vardy set a Premier League record scoring in his 11th straight game in a 1-1 draw vs. Manchester United. Ruud van Nistelrooy previously held the mark.
Sweet revenge for Ranieri; Dec. 14, 2015
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With manager Claudio Ranieri facing Chelsea–the team that ushered him out in 2004–and squaring off against Jose Mourinho–the man who replaced him–Leicester wound up with the bragging rights and three points. Jamie Vardy scored off a perfect Riyad Mahrez pass, Mahrez added a gorgeous goal of his own, Leicester won 2-1 and Mourinho was promptly fired.
Schmeichel saves a point; Dec. 29, 2015
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On the heels of a Boxing Day loss to Liverpool, Leicester proved its title chops by holding contender Manchester City to a 0-0 draw. Kasper Schmeichel made a pair of key first-half saves, and Leicester bounced back three days after the setback to secure a meaningful point.
Huth's header beats Spurs; Jan. 13, 2016
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Defender Robert Huth's perfect 83rd-minute header from Christian Fuchs's corner–his first goal since last April–gave Leicester a 1-0 win over Tottenham at White Hart Lane, snapping a three-game winless run. Given how the title race would come down to the two clubs, the point swing has proven to be massive.
Vardy's wonder-volley vs. Liverpool; Feb. 2, 2016
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Jamie Vardy scored twice in a February win over Liverpool, but it was his first goal that had the world talking. After running down a long ball from Riyad Mahrez, Vardy unleashed a 25-yard volley off the bounce to stun the Reds and help Leicester exact revenge for one of its three losses on the season.
Huth scores two at Man City; Feb. 6, 2016
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A match at Manchester City was supposed to be the start of Leicester's downfall, but the Foxes were having none of that. Robert Huth scored in the third minute to shock the Etihad faithful, and he added another later to proclaim Leicester's intentions in a 3-1 win.
Ulloa beats Norwich late; Feb. 27, 2016
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Both times Leicester lost to Arsenal it followed up with wins over Norwich City to right the ship. The second time was far more thrilling, with Leonardo Ulloa scoring an 89th-minute winner at King Power Stadium to put the title ship back on course.
Officially safe! March 1, 2016
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Not that it was ever remotely in doubt, but Leicester ensured safety from relegation with a 2-2 home draw vs. West Brom. Given Claudio Ranieri's cautious approach to overstating goals, the preseason expectations and last season's heroic charge out of the drop zone, the achievement was still notable and allowed Leicester to officially look ahead to bigger things.
Kante returns, Mahrez scores vs. Watford; March 5, 2016
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Vital midfielder N'Golo Kante returned from an injury and Riyad Mahrez scored a highlight-reel goal–again–as Leicester won at Watford 1-0 to keep pressure on Tottenham and Arsenal in the title chase. The club's record away from home (11-2-4) is a big driver of its overall success.
Okazaki's bicycle kick beats Newcastle; March 14, 2016
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Shinji Okazaki's bicycle kick goal gave Leicester a nervy 1-0 win over Newcastle on a day which Leicester entered leading Tottenham by just two points in the Premier League table.
Captain Morgan helps Leicester extend lead; April 3, 2016
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With Tottenham dropping points to Liverpool the previous day, Leicester took full advantage. Defender and captain Wes Morgan scored his only goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Southampton that stretched the club's lead atop the table to seven points.
Leicester clinches Champions League place; April 10, 2016
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It went overlooked given the club's title aspirations, but Leicester clinched an almost equally improbable place in next season's Champions League with a 2-0 win at Sunderland, cementing a top-four place. Jamie Vardy's two goals did the honors.
Ulloa's late equalizing PK vs. West Ham; April 17, 2016
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Leonardo Ulloa calmly converted a penalty kick deep into second-half stoppage time to cap a game full of controversy and secure a vital point in a 2-2 draw with West Ham.
Ulloa scores two in Vardy's absence; April 24, 2016
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With leading scorer Jamie Vardy suspended because of a referee altercation in the previous match vs. West Ham, Leonardo Ulloa stepped into the starting lineup and scored twice in a 4-0 rout of Swansea City. A Tottenham draw the following day put Leicester in position to clinch the title with three points from its final three games.
The Vardy Party; May 2, 2016
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Leicester players gathered at Jamie Vardy's house to watch Chelsea take on Tottenham in the decisive match in the title race. It was the Vardy Party to top all Vardy Parties, as Leicester was crowned champion following the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Ranieri's Guard of Honor; May 14, 2016
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Claudio Ranieri returns to Stamford Bridge, where he was jettisoned in 2004 for Jose Mourinho, and steps through Chelsea's guard of honor, which the outgoing champions provided for Leicester City.
2. Sunderland wins the 1972-73 FA Cup
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The reputation of the FA Cup was built on shocks and romance, on the fact that any club can enter and that any club can win. Since World War II, there have been three winners from the Second Division, as well as surprise victors such as Wigan beating Manchester City in the final in 2013, Wimbledon beating Liverpool in 1988 (although it finished seventh in the league that season) and Coventry beating Tottenham in 1987. But the greatest upset of all, paving the way for Southampton and West Ham to win from outside the top flight in 1976 and 1980, was Sunderland.
They’d been in sixth-to-last in the Second Division when Bob Stokoe arrived in December 1972, fearing a first-ever relegation to the third flight. But under him Sunderland rose, beating high-flying Manchester City 3-1 in the fifth round in an epic replay at Roker Park.
They then beat Arsenal 2-1 in the semifinal:
But that just set up an even harder task in the final, against the mighty Leeds of Don Revie.
Sunderland, unthinkably, took the lead after 31 minutes, a Billy Hughes corner falling in the box for Ian Porterfield to slam in with his weaker right foot. Leeds rallied. It attacked in great waves, but Mick Horswill was tireless at the back of midfield, Dave Watson and Ritchie Pitt titanic in central defense. And when Leeds did get a shot on goal, it encountered an inspired Jim Montgomery.
Watch: Leicester City players, fans celebrate Premier League title
Early in the second half, Paul Reaney sent in a deep cross to the back post. Trevor Cherry, advancing from left back, got to it with a diving header, but Montgomery, plunging to his left, made an excellent save. The ball, though, fell to Peter Lorimer, six yards out with the goal at his mercy. Montgomery, incredibly, pushed himself up and stretching backwards, horizontal, three feet from the ground, turned his shot up and onto the bar from where it bounced to safety.
So implausible was it that on television it took until the third replay before the co-commentator realized he’d saved it.
Leeds deflated at that, and Sunderland, anxiously and heroically, hung on. At the final whistle, Stokoe, idiosyncratically dressed in tight red tracksuit bottoms, a raincoat and trilby, skipped onto the pitch, ignoring everyone until he had Montgomery in his arms, perhaps the most iconic image there is of an FA Cup final.
3. Nottingham Forest wins back-to-back European Cups (1979, 1980)
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One of the greatest myths in English football is that Brian Clough should have been named England manager when Ron Greenwood got the job in 1977. Clough then had pulled off one remarkable achievement, leading Derby County to promotion and, in its third season back in the top flight, to the league title. But he had fallen out with the club chairman, Sam Longson, and a subsequent spell at Leeds United had ended in acrimony after 44 days. It’s true that he’d just led Nottingham Forest to promotion to the top flight, but nobody expected what came next.
Clough was cocky, quotable and abrasive, a man who provoked love and irritation in equal measure. He was also a brilliant football manager, adept at getting the absolute utmost from his players and, with his assistant Peter Taylor, masterful at putting together sides with natural balance.
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He made John Robertson, who had previously been dismissed as scruffy and overweight despite his talent, into one of the greatest playmakers in Europe, operating from the left, with a defensive left back, usually Frank Clark, behind him.
On the other flank, to balance, Viv Anderson was encouraged to attack from right back, with the right-sided midfielder, usually Martin O’Neill tucking in.
In 1977-78, Forest lost only three games as it swept to the league title. That, though, was only the beginning. The following season, it faced the reigning champion Liverpool in the first round of the European Cup and won 2-0 on aggregate. It saw off AEK Athens and Grasshoppers before a grueling semifinal against FC Cologne. Forest went 2-0 down in the home leg but came back to lead 3-2 before a late equalizer gave Cologne the advantage. In West Germany, though, Ian Bowyer headed the only goal of the game as Forest won 1-0.
In the final, a header from Trevor Francis, the first £1 million player in the English game, was enough to beat Malmo.
Having won it, Forest defended its crown the following year, with Robertson scoring the only goal of the final as Forest, inspired by the excellence of its goalkeeper Peter Shilton, held off a siege from Hamburg.
[youtube:https://youtu.be/Q3lYix7T3rs]
Clough had taken two provincial clubs to league championships and, even more incredibly, had made one of them European champions. Forest remains the only club to have won the European Cup more often than its domestic title.
4. Ipswich Town wins the title, 1961-62
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When Ramsey was appointed manager of Ipswich Town in 1955, it had just been relegated after its only season in the Second Division. He had played for Arthur Rowe’s push-and-run side at Tottenham but recognized a more pragmatic style of play was necessary to get out of the Third Division South.
That December, he made a key tactical switch, pushing the inside-forward Jimmy Leadbetter, a skillful, intelligent player whose major failing was his lack of pace, out to the left wing. Leadbetter was worried he wasn’t fast enough, but Ramsey’s concern was more his use of the ball.
“I was pulled back, collecting balls from defense–the other fullbacks wouldn’t come that far out of defense to mark me, so I had space to move in,” he explained in Dave Bowler’s biography of Ramsey. “As I went further forward, I could draw the fullback out of position. He wouldn’t stay in the middle of the field marking nobody, he felt he had to come with me. That left a big gap on the left-hand side of the field. That was where [the center forward] Ted Phillips played. He needed space, but if you could give him that and the ball, it was in the back of the net.”
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Promotion was won in 1957, and as center forward Ray Crawford was signed from Portsmouth and orthodox right winger Roy Stephenson from Leicester City, Ramsey’s plan took shape. Ipswich went up again in 1961, and, to widespread bewilderment, went on to win the title the following year, despite having spent only £30,000 assembling its squad, less than a third of what Tottenham paid to bring Jimmy Greaves back from Italy.
Ipswich, The Times said, “defy explanation–they do the simple things accurately and quickly; there are no frills about their play and no posing. They are not exciting; they do not make the pulses race… maybe, after all, there is a virtue in the honest laborer.”
With little or no television coverage to expose the Leadbetter tactic, nobody knew how to combat them to cope. The next season, though, teams knew what to expect. Ipswich lost the Charity Shield 5-1 to Spurs and by the end of October it had won just two of 15 games.
5. Aston Villa wins the 1982 European Cup
The end of 1980-81 was like a slow bicycle race. Aston Villa won only two of its final five games of the season but that was still enough to take the title from Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town, which lost seven of its final 10 games of the season. Ron Saunders used a record low of 14 players that season, as Villa won its first league title in 71 years.
Results faltered badly the following year: Villa won just one of its first nine leagues games, and in February Saunders left the club following a dispute over his contract. He was replaced by his assistant Tony Barton, a 44-year-old former Portsmouth outside-right who had never managed a club before. Out of both cups and struggling in the league, Villa still had the European Cup to play for, having seen off Valur Reykjavik and Dynamo Berlin in the first two rounds.
In the quarterfinal, it drew 0-0 away to Dynamo Kyiv, then won the second leg 2-0 with goals from young forward Gary Shaw and the tough center back Ken McNaught. The winger Tony Morley got the only goal in the home leg of the semifinal against Anderlecht, and Villa kept another clean sheet in Brussels to go through 1-0 on aggregate.
In the final, Villa met the great Bayern Munich, a team featuring such internationals as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Klaus Augenthaler, Dieter Hoeness and Paul Breitner.
Villa had finished the season 11th. It seemed an absurd matchup, even more so when experienced goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer suffered a recurrence of a shoulder injury after 10 minutes and had to be replaced by 23-year-old Nigel Spink, who had played just one game for Villa before. He was superb, though, as Villa held Bayern at arm’s length and then, in the 67th minute, scored the most famous goal in club history.
Dennis Mortimer, the captain, played the ball forward to Shaw, who used the run of Gary Williams outside him as a decoy and slipped a pass in to Morley. He squared, and Peter Withe had a simple finish from six yards.
Villa held on and Mortimer collected the trophy; remarkably, it had been raised the previous year by Liverpool captain Phil Thompson, who had gone to the same school as him in Kirby, Liverpool.