- Published
Leicester are at one of the lowest points in their history.
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Leicester → publish → history
Sitting 10th in League One, it has been a spectacular decline.
A decade ago, they were reigning 5,000-1 Premier League champions and the toast of the world.
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they → sit → world
Five years ago, the Foxes lifted the FA Cup for the first time and were challenging for Champions League qualification.
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Foxes → lift → qualification
Since then they have fallen fast with financial problems, points deductions and the drop to the third tier, leaving the club up for sale.
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they → fall → sale
But back-to-back wins this week - for the first time since last November - have shown the shoots of recovery after a stuttering start.
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wins → show → start
This summer was a hard reset and, after three relegations in four years, have the Foxes found a way to recover under head coach Russell Martin?
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Foxes → find → Martin
Leicester hit with summer transfer embargo
Tuesday's 4-0 thumping of Bromley followed the 2-1 win over Doncaster which dampened the external noise.
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which → hit → noise
Martin - a sometimes polarising personality with fans who have criticised his style and ability following a 17-game spell at Rangers last season - had been the target of anger following two wins in eight which left them 17th in League One and a point above the relegation zone.
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which → criticise → zone
That has little bearing internally at the club and BBC Sport can reveal the Foxes were working under a transfer embargo for five weeks in the summer.
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Foxes → have → summer
It related to the EFL's Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) with an independent Club Financial Review Panel agreeing future Premier League distributions within Leicester's SCMP calculation could not be used to increase their spending capacity.
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distributions → relate → capacity
It meant the club could not sign players until they brought money in, although it only disrupted the order of summer business.
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it → mean → business
Jeremy Monga and Abdul Fatawu were not sold until the middle of July and only after Monga left for Manchester City on 11 July were the Foxes able to bring in Conor Chaplin and Alex McCarthy five days later.
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Foxes → sell → Chaplin
Four of the starting XI on Tuesday signed on deadline day and 66% of the players joined after the season started.
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season → sign → players
Leicester missed out on targets who were not willing to wait but Chaplin, McCarthy and Wes Burns were just three who were prepared to hold on to join Martin.
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who → miss → Martin
It is the relationships the head coach has built and something which has started to turn the tide at Seagrave.
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which → build → Seagrave
Martin inherited a broken, expensive squad, which had lost the faith and connection with supporters and a dressing room which let egos get in the way and lacked work ethic.
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egos → inherit → ethic
In a different financial reality, it needed to be stripped back and, including loans and academy exits, 34 players left the club in the summer and 16 arrived.
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16 → need → summer
Sources have told BBC Sport the atmosphere at the club has now markedly improved.
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atmosphere → tell → club
The £100m training ground is one of the best in the country - with a herb garden and golf course - but has been seen as part of the problem over the decline in standards.
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ground → see → standards
Players have been allowed to become too comfortable but Martin has worked hard to change the culture and behaviours.
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Martin → allow → culture
There is a blanket ban on mobile phones in the canteen and anyone breaking the rules is not fined, they run.
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they → be → rules
Players - and staff - have to run the length of the pitch and back in 35 seconds three times, with a 35-second break in between.
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Players → have → between
The same punishment is handed out for lateness, with Martin and his senior staff also adhering to it to set the standards.
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Martin → hand → standards
Earlier this season players left tape and drinks at the swimming pool and were shown a picture the next day.
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players → leave → picture
There is an acute acceptance the club needs to show and not tell fans about progress.
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club → be → progress
Yet there is calm and a focus behind the scenes with the appointment of James McCarron as sporting director and Martin viewed as giving the club a strong leadership.
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appointment → be → leadership
McCarron watches training most days and has a close working relationship with Martin.
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McCarron → watch → Martin
Although, despite the positives, it is hard to ignore fan feeling towards the club and chief football officer Jon Rudkin in particular.
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it → ignore → club
His relationship with former chief executive Susan Whelan had broken down long before her departure a year ago.
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relationship → break → departure
Rudkin's policy of also not talking to the media - until this month - has been criticised.
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policy → talk → month
He remained quiet during their plunge to League One and while that has been consistent - having not spoken to the press when Leicester were winning the Premier League - it has left an information vacuum and the club being unable to communicate efficiently to supporters.
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club → remain → supporters
That he finally addressed the fans in an interview with BBC Radio Leicester before defeat to Peterborough speaks volumes of the realisation and determination from the club to try to change - and the dire situation.
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addressed → address → club
It was a positive step forward and internally there is a hope it will lead to more appearances, although there needs to be more substance.
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it → be → appearances
"We do have to remember he saw us through the good times as well.
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he → have → times
He was in when it was all going fantastically," Foxes Trust co-chair Lynn Wyeth told BBC Sport.
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Wyeth → go → Sport
"But do we know what he does all day, do we know if it's all his fault?
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it → know → what
It's all very well the fans targeting Russell and Jon but this all goes down to Top (Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, owner)
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this → target → Top
"It's pretty clear that Rudkin has had his time and since the end of last season and it being put up for sale we've seen more people coming round to the idea King Power and Top needs to go as well."
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Power → have → idea
Everything has led to a massive fan disconnect with supporters disengaged from the senior leadership.
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supporters → lead → leadership
Even after Rudkin spoke, there was a prevailing feeling from some they did not even want to hear from him, such is the frustration towards him and the club.
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frustration → speak → him
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
