Leicester chairman right to put immature squad in their place | OneFootball

After 12 games played, Steve Cooper had managed the Foxes to one point behind where they were the last time they featured in the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers by this stage. Aiyawatt "Top" Srivaddhanaprabha has taken matters into his own hands to steer the King Power side in the right direction and is doing that in fine fashion.

Remembering that tragic campaign, Top was rightly criticised by supporters for acting indecisively when Rodgers' team were floundering and performing well below season expectations. This ultimately left the temporary head coach Dean Smith with little time to undo the damage, and although his team performed better, they were unable to dig themselves out of the relegation zone.

This time, Leicester's Chairman has handled the situation perfectly. Steve Cooper was given the opportunity to lead the squad, informed the goal was simply survival and did not wait until it was too late to change course. Although the Welsh head coach may have been shocked by the sacking, this was the right course of action at the right time.

As we mentioned, players were disillusioned with the management of the club, some going so far as to speak with Khun Top about the poor quality of tactics, lack of understanding of tactics, and lack of motivation. By waiting until this moment, the boss both gave Cooper a fair shot, and resolved the matter quickly.

Leicester City Chairman criticises squad

However, that disillusionment went too far. In a party that was sanctioned by the Welshman, several players went to Copenhagen to dance and sing, while being photographed with a sign saying 'Enzo I Miss You'. That reeks of unprofessionalism and the optics on that considering our lowly position in the league are concerning.

Again, the Chairman has weighed in on the topic. Sometime after the party pictures surfaced, Top held a meeting with the dressing room and hit back at them strongly for failing to show the proper levels of professionalism and in ditching the key identity of the Foxes: the team is a family. The boss even mentioned how that atmosphere was a source of pride for his late father Khun Vichai: an emotional appeal to the players.

Further to this, Khun Top reminded the players that they themselves were also responsible for the poor performances which ultimately led to the demise of Steve Cooper. These are professional footballers, and even if the tactics were not proper, these are people that should be capable of showing a bit of fight and leadership to make the right on-pitch decisions. Top is 100% right to point out the lack of decorum and the lack of hard work: especially when it has mainly been defensive errors or passes which led to goals, not necessarily poor tactics.

Throughout this difficult situation, Khun Top has risen to the occasion. The right call was made with Cooper, the right call was made to reprimand the players, and the right call will be made on the replacement head coach. Leicester City needs the players to get focused on the task and stop messing around, going to parties, and failing to make an impact on the pitch.

I expect the players to improve massively after the interventions from chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha. With a new head coach to go along with it, a little bit of discipline and perspective for the leaders in that dressing room should bring them back in line with the vision. Leicester City ought to be a family that is professional, works together, and it always grateful for those who worked with them, not mocking them as they are sacked.