



We may have a goalkeeper who shares his name with a friendly ghost, but the only scares Leicester fans experienced on Halloween would have been in the comfort of their own homes, with horror films. Another week and another comeback secured Leicester the full three points against West Brom and a spot in the Premier League’s top three heading into November.



Had you told me back in May, or even at the very beginning of the season, that coming into this month Leicester would be sitting third in the Premier League, I would have brushed it off. Had you told me that when everything was a little up in the air over summer, I might even have laughed.

It’s a surreal feeling in many ways. To see your club only a few points behind giant clubs like Arsenal and Manchester City and to be ahead of others like Manchester United and Liverpool is something we’ve never really experienced. I don’t know about other Leicester fans, but even though I feel like we deserve our current spot, I’m still pinching myself a little. I was, in honesty, gearing up for a tougher start to the season than we’ve had.

For long term, and long suffering, Leicester fans, it makes the current state of affairs all that much sweeter. It’s not yet ten years since we watched Leicester drop to the third tier for the first time ever after four years of mediocre seasons with players and managers who largely didn’t care. Forgive us if we come across a little excited to be in a Champions league spot entering November, and dominating stats what with Jamie Vardy leading the top goal scorers table and Riyad Mahrez joint second. We’re just not quite used to being so happy and watching such quality football.

After Saturday’s victory away at West Brom, players took to social media to share their happiness and once again to praise the constant support at the Hawthorns. Though I can’t recall a single match this season where either Claudio Ranieri or the players haven’t highlighted just how good the fans were. The support this season both away and at home has been the best for years. There have been a few games where the singing has held up for the full ninety minutes and several away games where it’s entirely drowned out the home crowd. It’s incredible to see this and to see the effect it’s having on the squad, because we haven’t always been so supportive.

The King Power hasn’t always been so noisy and atmospheric, I can remember many a silent home game prior to last season. Don’t be fooled into thinking that this noise is purely down to the introduction of the clappers from last season. It’s mostly down to a complete change of attitude and mindset amongst both the club and the fans.

It’s easier to back Leicester in general with the current owners, squad and manager. Every single person within the club feels committed to making it the best it can be and as fans, we’re on board with this. Even when we lose, the way we attack a game and try means the fans are behind the team every second. Since our owners took over we feel valued as fans as well, not just cash cows; that certainly hasn’t been the feeling for the majority of the years I’ve been watching Leicester. Saturday included another nice gesture from the owners, a free scarf for anybody who travelled.

Rewind to three or four seasons ago and the atmosphere at a home game if we weren’t winning by half-time was poisonous. It became expected that most fans booed at either half-time or full time, though I have never seen the value in booing or how this helps players. There were two to three seasons where it was more enjoyable to support Leicester away from home because it was the only time most fans truly sang and cheered for the team.

Luckily, home games like that are a thing of the past. Players always talk about how much it helps to have a crowd behind you, but this season we’re really seeing just how much it can boost a performance. We’ve supported the team with the same intensity that they’ve attacked the opposition. The celebrations have been more with the fans and the way that Claudio Ranieri gets the crowd going is a joy to watch. I’m proud to stand and sing for this team and the support is reflected in the results.

Of course it’s always easier to support a team who are playing well and winning but even easier when you have players to cheer on like Jamie Vardy. This season almost everybody has been able to see the qualities that Leicester fans adore in Jamie Vardy. You know exactly what you’re going to get with him and he never lacks energy and effort. It was a proud moment for all that he scored in an eighth consecutive game this weekend. Whatever happens with his career from here on in, he’ll remain in Leicester City history books as the only Leicester play to score eight in eight, beating the previous joint-held record by legends Arthur Rowley and Arthur Chandler. A record that had stood the test of time for over ninety years to be precise! A brilliant team-mate, a nightmare to defend against, it’s understandable why Leicester fans and players alike think so highly of him.

While it’s only November the early contender to Vardy for Leicester’s player of the season is Riyad Mahrez. The winger is joint-second top goalscorer in the Premier League with seven and third best for setting goals up, notching five assists now. When you consider that Mahrez and Vardy combined only cost £1.3 million and Leicester are understandably a little smug. It was good to have an away formation that could accommodate Mahrez, because we’ve watched Marc Albrighton put dozens of those balls into the box this season and it was great to have somebody to latch onto the end of them.

Of course, while Mahrez and Vardy get most of the focus due to their goals, the whole team is something else that Leicester fans can be happy about. Collectively, we have a squad of players who want to work for each other and want to win. Everything we do is attacking minded and we want to play creative football. Yes, we don’t keep many clean sheets at the minute, but so long as we can sustain the attacks and score, we’re more than happy to take our time working on this. We look like a team who know how to approach each game and unlike previous seasons, we’re not hell bent on keeping the team or the formation the same for every game, regardless of where it is. The only thing that carries into each game is the mentality to win the ball, create chances and score.

Of course there’s an element of reality to keep us grounded. Just because we occupy third spot now, have two forwards in their best ever form and look capable of beating most teams on our day, doesn’t mean it will last. You don’t need to tell most Foxes fans that though, we know how quickly it can change. Most of us remember going top early in the 2000-2001 season under Peter Taylor, only to go on a losing streak and finish 14th. Should that happen this season, I’d still be proud but it would seem somewhat disappointing given how it’s started. You always hear that forty is the magic number for securing your Premier League status for another season, this is what Leicester fans are looking towards and we’re halfway there. While I don’t expect to hear the Champions League music blasting out of the King Power PA system in twelve months time, it’s difficult to envisage us getting relegated either.

For the first time in a long time we also face a nervous January transfer window. Last year’s was calm, the only slight chance of losing anybody would have been if a club came in for Kasper Schmeichel but his broken foot last December ruled that out. The chances of no clubs trying ambitious bids for the aforementioned Mahrez and Vardy, is slim. Claudio Ranieri and the club have been firm on their stance that they don’t want the players to leave. Luckily for Leicester we aren’t in need of the money and it’s a testament to the club and manager just how happy every player seems. If that continues and we also continue to defy expectations, it’s not likely that either player will want to leave in January, though things change quickly in football.

This is undoubtedly the best and most together Leicester squad we’ve had in my eighteen years of watching them. Whatever happens from here, it’s a great time to be a Leicester fan. Winter is coming, yes, but it’s potential is nail-bitingly exciting.