At the beginning of April 2015, newly-promoted Leicester City were seven
points adrift at the foot of the Premier League. What happened next was
truly extraordinary. Not only did Leicester pull off one of the great
escapes to survive in the top flight but they continued their form into
the following season.
The manager who orchestrated Leicester's promotion and survival, Nigel
Pearson, had left the club by then, replaced by the former Chelsea,
Juventus and Roma manager Claudio Ranieri. The press gave 'The
Tinkerman' no hope of staying the course and the bookies installed
Leicester as one of the favourites to be relegated. They were priced at
5,000/1 to win the Premier League.
Against all these odds, Leicester built up a lead at the top of the
Premier League table that was, by stages, fanciful, improbable,
extraordinary and finally insurmountable. On 2 May 2016 Leicester were
crowned Premier League champions. The season would make stars of Jamie
Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. In November, Vardy broke Ruud van Nistelrooy's
record by scoring in eleven consecutive Premier League games and he
would later be crowned FWA Footballer of the Year. Mahrez's goals and
assists, including magnificent solo goals against Chelsea and Manchester
City, won him the PFA Player of the Year award.
If Arsenal's unbeaten season in 2003/04 saw their team dubbed the
Invincibles, then Leicester's exploits in 2015/16 have made them The
Unbelievables. This is the story of their season as seen through the
eyes of the supporters who have followed them up and down the country
with an increasing sense of wonder.
