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If Leicester thought this season was going to be the footballing equivalent of a gap year, visiting new places and learning some life lessons before returning home, then they were mistaken. Being outfought and outperformed by Notts County, a well-organised and energetic team promoted from the fourth tier, brought the harsh reality of life to the fore on Saturday.
Russell Martin’s desire to play out from the back provided the fragile foundation of a dispiriting performance for a team tipped to storm back up. Ollie Cooper charging down the ponderous Alex McCarthy before seeing the ball bounce back off the crossbar welcomed Leicester to League One within six minutes. McCarthy or the confused centre-back pairing of Caleb Okoli and Harry Souttar repeatedly gave the ball away in and around the penalty area as the team created their own problems. Things went so badly that a compilation of the slapstick defensive output quickly gained traction on social media.
Jayden Joseph gave Leicester an undeserved lead, but it did not ignite an improvement and they inevitably gave away an equaliser through inept defending as no one reacted quickly enough to a dangerous situation, allowing the unmarked Conor Grant to pounce in the six-yard box.
With most of the sell-out crowd of 17,172 celebrating their own uplift, and the rapid demise of their rivals, Leicester struggled to cope with the intensity. “We’ve got loads of learning to do and we’ll be better for that, much better,” Martin said.
This was the first league meeting between the clubs since 1994 because they have been on very different paths over the past 32 years. There was plenty of passion for this rare East Midlands derby with County back at this level for the first time since 2014-15 and Leicester fans made the short trip to prove devotion is not determined by trophies and success. They also showed displeasure at the ownership that has overseen the slide and earned the right to boo as their viewing journeyed between subpar and unacceptable.
“A bit of anxiety crept in, the atmosphere changed in the stadium, and that’s the biggest learning for us,” Martin said. “If we don’t look after each other with the ball, like we didn’t towards the end, then it doesn’t suit us.”
When Leicester won the Premier League a decade ago, County finished 17th in League Two and went on to spend four years in the National League. Leicester may think their reputation should mean they are playing on the other side of the River Trent at the City Ground, but that is extremely hard without a paddle.
The uncertainty among the Leicester defence was in tune with the club’s overall situation. A sale brochure has been created to market the club for a takeover, but Martin has not received word that Leicester are officially on the market, despite reports of the owner, King Power, wanting more than £200m. It would seem difficult to reach such a figure based on the distressed nature of the asset, despite a £100m training ground and players such as Oliver Skipp, who cost £20m. For comparison, County train at the local university and their most expensive summer signing was £200,000.
Among the misery, the silver lining is that dropping down the pyramid and selling off assets opens up opportunities for young players. Will Alves, Joseph and Sammy Braybrooke started and looked the most adept in difficult circumstances, while their more illustrious colleagues hid from battle. The trio spent last season out on loan in either the third or fourth tier and that experience among those relegated from the Championship was an ideal fit. The expensive Premier League signings Okoli and Skipp were not representative of their CVs, while the forwards were blunt.
after newsletter promotion
“I said to people it’s not going to be easy,” Martin said. “The first day of the season, we get some crazy results. This was not an easy fixture on Sky; early kick-off; a team that got promoted last year, just down the road. We take it and we move on. And we have to improve next week.”
It cannot be easy being in the Leicester ranks, with their best players being quickly sold after relegation to bring in funds and questions remaining over others. Stephy Mavididi and Wout Faes missed the match after receiving bids, while the captain, Souttar, has interest from Championship sides. Given the unsettled and youthful nature of the squad, some pragmatism would not go amiss, but that is not Martin’s style.
One of Leicester’s key selling points is, according to the brochure, their “140-year storied history”, but their efforts here will not even make a footnote. Leicester cannot assume previous success will mean promotion or a quick sale. It is a club in a state of flux, lacking certainty on and off the pitch. If they hoped the trip to Meadow Lane would be the start of the uplift, they were sorely misguided.
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