4th March 2017. By Danni Biggs.
So, was it a shock or a relief that Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri got the sack? Claudio the league-winning manager has been sacked just 9 months after leading his side to Premier League victory. Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton praises those in charge for taking a brave decision to sack Claudio Ranieri.

Reactions to the sacking of Renieri were quite saddening to say the least. Gary Lineker was one of many to express feelings about this outrageous decision. "I shed a tear last night for Claudio, for football and for my club." when speaking to BBC Sport the day after Lineker added "Last season was the inexplicable one, not this season. The fact they are in a reasonable position in the Champions League, they are not in the bottom three and given
the magic of last season surely he deserved more time."

7th May last year concluded one of greatest stories in British Sport. Claudio joined his triumphant squad to lift the Premier League trophy, the first major trophy the manager had ever won.  9 months down the line after guiding a club that narrowly missed relegation to champions and creating history the recent league-winning manager got the sack. The decision came after their 2-1 defeat against Sevilla in the Champions League, which saw the departure of Claudio just 24 hours later.

Was it the Right Decision?


The Italians first season in charge ended in complete success, defying history in fact. A manager that turned Leicester City a team that would be generally found in the bottom half of the Premier League table into champions. Celebrations took place in the center circle where the triumphant squad and Ranieri celebrated his first ever major trophy.

So how did the clubs greatest ever fairytale turn into a disaster, leading to brutally sacking Claudio Ranieri? The man that led the club to their greatest ever moment.

Rage, disgust, outrage, shock were felt by the fans when Claudio was dismissed by the Thai owners of the club. The popular 65 year old Italian won hearts of many with his humor and dignity and of course leading this club to huge victory.

We almost dare to talk about this outrageous brutal decision, but surely there must be a method to this shocking decision made by the Thai owners.

Leicester, defending champions are as you probably know in very poor form. In fact the worst ever performing champions in history. This nightmare of a season has seen the Foxes floating in and out the relegation zone.

What made Leicester be crowned champions last season was them losing just 3 games, with this campaign already at 14. With 53 points after just 26 games played meant they stood 2 points above of Spurs and therefore top of the table. This season Leicester has played 25 games and are now sitting 17th with just 21 points. Of course that was until their fantastic win against Liverpool on Monday.

It was clear that the danger of being relegated was clear when Vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha stated: "It was never our expectation that the extraordinary feats of last season should be replicated this season. Survival in the Premier League was our first and only target at the start of the campaign."

So if you're still in disbelief that sacking manager Claudio Ranieri was the right decision, then how about Monday night when Leicester made it their first win of 2017, with the absence of Ranieri. Surely this is not a coincidence?

Leicester delivered a champions-winning performance against Liverpool on Monday, recording their first league goals and win of 2017. So maybe The Foxes are just getting ready to kick-start their nightmare of a season with a new manager. But who will it be?

The New Leicester City Manager


Known so far there are two possible runners to be appointed Leicester's new manager. Craig Shakespeare, current caretaker manager is set to be given the opportunity to prove he is capable of taking charge of Leicester until the end of the season. However former England manager Roy Hodgson has held secrets about the Leicester job. Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha strongly fancies Hodgson as boss in the long-term.

Craig Shakespeare


The former professional footballer and now caretaker for the Leicester City club is a keen favorite to be new manager at the club, replacing Claudio Ranieri after his departure. Shakespeare will have to wait in his bid to become permanent Foxes manager. The caretaker met with vice-chairman and director of football Jon Rudkin and was told they are happy to leave Craig in charge for their game on Saturday against on Hull City. If Leicester City grabs another emphatic victory as they did on Monday night, it will put Shakespeare in top position to take the job as manager for the rest of the season.

Roy Hodgson  


With a disastrous title defense the 59 year old Thai business man believes that Leicester needs someone with experience to push them forward. 'If an offer comes along that I think is the right one for me and for the club, of course I shall be happy to take it.' Hodgson said in December. Roy is keen to return back to management but is not yet fully sold on the Leicester idea. Jon Rudkin would like to see him to take the job permanently and Aiyawatt has Hodgson in the center of his thoughts. It is expected that in the coming days further talks with the club and former Liverpool manager will take place.