With Leicester City having all but secured the Premier League title, Notts TV reporter Jake Brigstock argues they owe another city for their success: Nottingham.
Yes, forget Claudio Ranieri’s defensive tactics, Jamie Vardy’s goals and even team spirit.
The City of Football, home of Robin Hood and host to the original Brian Clough fairytale is owed by Leicester. Big time.
Here are ten reasons why.
1. Wes Morgan got good here
Leicester City’s captain and defensive rock, Morgan played 352 games for Nottingham Forest before transferring to Leicester in January 2012 for the sum of £1m.
The Jamaican international made the PFA Team of the Year 2016, where fellow professional footballers vote for the best 11 players in the Barclays Premier League. And he perfected his craft by the Trent. Your welcome.
2. Kasper Schmeichel cut his teeth at Meadow Lane
Kasper Schmeichel signed for Notts County in August 2009 and spent one season there, where he made 43 appearances before signing for Leeds United. It was a crucial period of development for the young keeper after he making his breakthrough with Manchester City before falling out of favour.
The Danish international transferred to Leicester in the summer of 2011 and has made 197 appearances for the Foxes at the time of writing.
In the first month of signing, he returned the city of Nottingham the favour by being sent off in the 79th minute of Leicester’s away game at Forest, a tie which finished 2-2 at the City Ground, because of two yellow cards for unsportsmanlike like conduct.
3. Riyad Mahrez’s debut Leicester goal
Algerian international Mahrez signed for the Foxes in January 2014.
And his first-ever goal for Leicester came against Nottingham Forest, where he came off the bench to net.
Forest can claim to have kick-started his Leicester career in fine style.
4. Nottingham Forest’s European Cup double set the fairytale standard
Without Forest’s European Cup wins in the 1980s, you might argue Leicester wouldn’t be inspired to do what they’re doing now.
Comparisons are being made as to which feat is the more impressive, but without Forest starting the trend of fast-rising clubs winning major trophies, who knows if Leicester would have gone on to make such waves at the top table.
5. Martin O’Neill laid foundations for Premier League Leicester
The Northern Irish international played for Forest for ten years, making 285 appearances and scoring 48 goals, and was a part of the European double triumph.
It was only after this that he went into management and proved a success at Leicester City.
During his reign managing Leicester from 1995 to 2000, O’Neill achieved promotion to the Premier League in his debut season and established them as a top division club for the rest of his time there. Although they have since been relegated and promoted again, he arguably helped to transform the club’s mentality and achieved success which brought in cash to help fund a new stadium.
He also won two league cups which resulted in Leicester qualifying for European competition in both 1997/98 and 1999/2000.
2013/14 Championship Table
1. Leicester City W31 D9 L6 Pts102
2. Burnley W26 D15 L5 Pts93
3. Derby County W25 D10 L11 Pts85
4. Queens Park Rangers W23 D11 L12 Pts80
5. Wigan Athletic W21 D10 L15 Pts73
6. Brighton & Hove Albion W19 D15 L12 Pts72
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11. Nottingham Forest W16 D17 L13 Pts65
6. Nottingham gave one crucial point to Leicester in their promotion season
During Leicester’s 2013-14 campaign where they won the Championship with 102 points, Forest were incredibly generous to them – they let them have one point.
The sides shared a 2-2 draw at the City Ground after Forest won 2-0 away at the King Power Stadium earlier that season.
Without that point, they’d only have 101 points, which would have put them third and not joint second in the list of the most amount of points gained in a Championship season in its current format.
Leicester are tied with Newcastle, who achieved the same points haul in 2009/10, with Reading clear at the top of the list having earned 106 points in 2005/06.
7. Without Notts County, established in 1862, there might not even be a Leicester
Notts County was the first football club ever created in 1862 with another Nottingham club, Forest, emerging three years later.
Leicester realised how good of an idea it was to have a professional football club in their city and eventually followed suit in 1884.
8. First player to wear shin pads was a Forest player
The invention of the shinpad is credited to 19th century Nottingham Forest captain Sam Weller Widdowson.
In 1874, it is reported that he cut down a pair of cricket pads to protect his shins and he secured them by fastening the pads to the outside of his football socks with leather straps.
It did not take off initially but was then named as a law by the FA in 1881.
Think how badly Jamie Vardy would have been kicked around and how long he could have been out for without this under-rated invention.
9. First goal nets were used at Forest
1891 saw the first game to use crossbars and nets at Town Ground in Nottingham in a game between the north and south of England.
Without these catching on and being in place today, Foxes fans would not have enjoyed the sight of Vardy and Mahrez regularly scoring as much.
10. Ben Hamer
Ben Hamer plays for Leicester City and has made eight appearances for the club since he signed in 2014.
Goalkeeper Hamer joined the Reds on a season long loan on July 25 2015 but this was cut short on August 4 2015 after Forest ran into financial difficulties.
It’s still talked about what could have happened to him without those nine valuable days of experience in Nottingham.
