No doubt by now most Leicester City supporters will have seen, or at least heard about, the in-house interview Khun Top did on the 7 November, which was released in the last few days on the Club’s official website and YouTube Channel.
It may not have given supporters everything they wanted to hear from the Club’s senior leadership, and some may believe that the interviewer should have been from a more independent media source, but there is no denying that after the Trust’s constant lobbying for the communication void to be filled, and the Trust also exerting pressure for this to happen through the Fan’s Advisory Board, this is at least is a start. But we want more, we want it soon, and we want it to be a regular feature of engagement with supporters.
Being fair to Khun Top, this was an encouraging start because for the first time some culpability was accepted.
The four key things we learned both from Khun Top, and through the prompting of the interviewer, were:
- There was an acceptance that it’s been too long since Khun Top communicated directly with supporters and that was his fault.
- He wants a closer relationship with supporters and wants to communicate more in the future to inform fans how the club will move forward.
- He accepts that errors have been made, and said specifically that the Club had not planned in a contingency for the possibility of a relegation in 2022/23.
- There is an ambition to return to the Premier League but getting back is going to take time as a rebuild is needed.
We also welcome Khun Top stating that in his role as acting CEO he intends to have regular dialogue with the Fans Advisory Board.
Elsewhere through the John Percy article in the Telegraph, it’s reported that the Club accepts it needs ‘more experience, expertise and personnel’ and speculation is that the club is going to recruit a new Technical Director to ‘take control of recruitment and scouting’ with Jon Rudkin ‘moving upstairs’.
Usually, the role of a Technical Director will also include the responsibility for setting out the strategic direction of the playing side of the club, the development of coaching, performance analysis and sports science.
If the Club are seeking a new Technical Director, it remains to be seen what approach will be taken to identify the right person for the post and how roles and responsibilities between the new appointee and the existing Director of Football are carved up. Ideally the Trust, as set out in our five calls to action following the end of season survey, would want the new Technical Director to have full responsibility for steering the whole of the playing side of the club, working closely with the football manager/coach, in order to take the Club in the right direction. What duties that will leave with the current Director of Football we don’t know as we’ve never been told what his duties are.
So overall we very much welcome these first steps in communication, the acceptance of some culpability, and the promise a more engaging leadership from the Club.
What has become clear, is that Khun Top very much needs a Technical Director that can not only plan and manage the strategic direction of the football club, but someone who also has the communication and engagement skills to translate that to the supporters. The current Director of Football has never communicated his strategy, plans or thoughts, nor has he ever directly engaged with national and local media, the fan base, the Trust or any of the other Leicester City supporter groups.
More information
The YouTube Video Channel – ‘I Want People To Be Closer’ – Khun Top Speaks
The Telegraph article – Leicester City director of football Jon Rudkin to move ‘upstairs’ in major overhaul
9 June 2025 LCFC and the Communication Void – Foxes Trust
23 June 2025 LCFC and the Communication Void (Part 2) – Foxes Trust
26 September 2025 Updates on Trust Survey Actions & Responses – Foxes Trust
The Premier League – Who are sporting directors and what do they do?
FA course for Technical Directors Technical Directors Course | England Football Learning