Continuing our match reporting team’s series of end of season review articles, today is the turn of Eddie Blount
Before the season started what were your hopes on what we could achieve ?
I hoped for a top half finish challenging for a Europa league spot
When looking back at last season, the loss of our Chairman Vichai in late October has to feature in this review, what are your personal thoughts on the chairman, the subsequent reaction of fans to the tragedy and how the club handled proceedings at this difficult time ?
Chairman Vichai was as good an owner as any club could wish for. He cared about the club and its fan base and enabled us to live the dream. He put Leicester on the world football map. Both the fans and the club did not put a foot wrong in the aftermath of the tragedy and made me even prouder to be associated with Leicester City
Given the events of last season what were your overall thoughts on finishing 9th ?,
Finishing 9th has to be seen as a missed opportunity. We had numerous chances to win a place in the Europa League but simply were not consistent enough particularly at home against lower-placed clubs
Ricardo Pereira won the Player of the Year Awards, would he have been your choice and who else do you think deserves praise for their performances?
Ricardo was outstanding and lifted his levels as he became used to playing in the Premier League. I thought Ndidi and Vardy ran him very close
What were your views on the signings made during last season ?
I am still not totally convinced by Maddison but it’s significant that he improved alongside Thielemans so perhaps he has found his best role. Ricardo was worth every penny as was Evans who improved markedly after a shaky start.
Thielemans brought extra quality to the team after taking a few games to settle. Ward did well on the very few occasions he played but we may have paid too much for a No 2 keeper. Ghezzal has some very good qualities but is not physically up to the demands of premiership football
Which player do you think made the most progress last season and why?
Naturally Ricardo is a contender but in this category you look to the younger players and I would single out Choudhury, Ndidi and Barnes. I am stll not happy with some of Chilwell’s defensive positioning
Which player did you think underperformed the most last season and why ?
In the under-performing category it’s a close thing between Iheanacho and Gray. Iheanacho has been played out of position mostly so that would be a mitigating factor, whereas Gray has had regular opportunities but still flatters to deceive. He should model himself on Wilfred Zaha to see what he has to do better
What was your personal highlight of the season?
Not as many to choose from as I would have liked but beating Man City at home was a great achievement
Moving onto next season
In comparison to this time last year, how positive do you feel about next season with Brendan Rodgers in charge ?
Rogers may well prove to be a crucial signing. He clearly sees potential in our club and I fully expect us to finish higher next season with him in charge
What changes do you think are necessary to improve on this year’s squad?
Time alone will bring improvement in our younger players but we need Thielemans or equivalent in midfield and more fire-power to support Vardy. I would like to see a big striker to add more variation to our attacking and make us more of a threat against bus-parking teams
With several experienced players having left the club, would you be looking to add some experience to a fairly youthful squad or would you continue bringing in younger players and develop them ?
It has to be a blend of giving promising youth a chance and using more experienced players. In midfield for example all the regular starters except Albrighton are very young so an experienced play-maker would be of benefit
If you had a chance for a word in the owners ears, which player(s) would you be advising to sign?
I would love to have Zaha in the side. He has run rings round us in the past two seasons
Do you think we can realistically break into the top 6 next season ?
We are not far short of the top 6 and have a number of young players yet to reach their peak. Plus we won the league just a short time ago so we have pedigree! Invest well and we could close the gap
While looking at targets for next season, how important to you is the FA Cup ?
The FA Cup is a side-show these days even though it carries entry into Europe. However we have never won it and I still have fond memories of the competition. Problem is you need a big squad and the luck of the draw! If we did win it I would think it was the best thing since sliced bread
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation