posted on Feb, 24 2017 @ 06:00 PM
For a long time Claudio Ranieri remained a high profile manager with a record of never quite delivering the goods. Having managed the likes of
Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Juventus, Inter Milan and Valencia. He won a few cups and promotions in his time but the really big prizes eluded him.
Then he goes and wins the Premier League with a bang average team Leicester City last season. Although Kante, Mahrez and Vardy were playing the season
of their lives. But it was still a fairytale that we might never see in our lives again and meant that the dream was at least only on life support and
not completely dead. I am not sure how much of it was pure luck and how much of it was hard work. But it remains the only major league title Claudio
Ranieri has ever won.
Ranieri was well aware of the problems that lay ahead after winning the Premier League. I got a feeling Claudio wanted a shot at how far he could take
Leicester in the Champions League and then would gracefully walk away and possibly retire come May this year. But, with the financial pressures of
modern football, loyalty counts for nothing. You can't sack underperforming players because they are also assets on the balance sheet. So the fall guy
is the manager.
Claudio will be handsomely rewarded for this season despite losing his job. He has earned in excess of £10m compensation for his previous failures in
the past decade. There are not many other businesses where this happens. That said I am sure he will always be fond of Leicester and this one amazing
season he had. Claudio always seemed to me to be like an Italian Bobby Robson. A real gentleman with a sense of humour and a deep love for his
sport.
I am not surprised at the decision to sack him because the only real loyalty in football now is with the fans.
However best wishes to Claudio Ranieri wherever the future takes him.