The Foxes Trust welcomes the interviews Top provided to Radio Leicester, Sky Sports News and other media on Sunday 25 January.
The Foxes Trust, along with large elements of the fanbase, have been calling for direct communications and openness from the club’s Senior Leadership Team and, whilst we remain a little perplexed around the timing (just hours before the dismissal of Marti Cifuentes), the fact that for the first time in over 10 years Top has started to communicate with fans through the media has to be a good thing.
We’ve also been seeking some accountability for the failings of the club in recent years, both on the playing side and the handling of the club’s finances. Top has stated whilst the Senior Leadership Team operates as a collective, ultimately the buck stops with him. In his own words, if anyone is at fault ‘blame me’. But we’re left thinking some in that collective may be more guilty of failure than others.
We feel we have to make some allowance for the fact that English is not Top’s first language, and that may be the reason for some of the analogies and contradictions made, but that aside it’s clear that to get a more in-depth picture of what has happened, the people at the club directly responsible for overseeing the playing side and its finances, should be speaking up. We have been left with more questions than answers.
Leicester City supporters remain deeply concerned about how the club is being run and the almost perilous state of affairs on the pitch, and although perhaps well-intentioned, Top’s interviews have not allayed those fears … for many it has exacerbated them.
We have not seen any communication from Jon Rudkin since his appointment as Director of Football in 2014. It’s time for him to step up and provide clarity on all matters relating to the football operations.
Jon Rudkin should now explain the likely timeline about the quest to appoint a new CEO, new Sporting Director, and a Manager/Coach. We need more details from our current Director of Football about:
- where the club is going on the playing side,
- what the huge deterioration in performances is down to,
- why controls were not in place to ensure we didn’t encounter problems with PSR, and
- what lessons have been learned.
Once the new CEO and Sporting Director are in place it is absolutely essential that they can both communicate with supporters and the media, and that they actually do so, to ensure that supporters are clear where the club is heading. It should also be made clear what the roles and responsibilities are for the new CEO, the new Sporting Director and in respect of Jon Rudkin’s new role.
In the meantime, we wish Andy King well in trying to get the best out of the players at his disposal and delivering improved performances both in terms of technical ability, work rate and results.
Sky Sports News – “Leicester City: Club owner speaks for first time in 10 years on Premier League title, father’s legacy and struggles returning to top”
BBC Radio Leicester – “Khun Top The Full Interview“