Chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha trusts Brendan Rodgers to turn Leicester City’s season around, the manager said after guiding his team to a long-awaited first victory of the campaign. Top flew in for his first City match in six weeks and was treated to a terrific performance at the King Power Stadium as a James Maddison masterclass guided Rodgers’ side to a 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. The manager, under heavy pressure following a six-game losing streak, spoke to the chairman before the match and said he still has the trust and support of the Thai owner.
Brendan Rodgers said: “I spoke to him beforehand. It’s always great to see Top. He’s come before (this season) but of course more is made of it with you guys putting me under big pressure. He is always there and he’s been really supportive of me. They trust me in the work and that’s why I’m still in the job. They expect me to take the team out of it after what was a really difficult summer for us. The performance was co-ordinated and cohesive, with a desire, and we’ve got to build on it.”
The result saw City lift themselves off the bottom of the table, while it also ended the worst run of Rodgers’ managerial career. Asked if he felt relieved to end the losing run, Rodgers turned the focus towards the supporters, and how they needed repaying following the 4-1 FA Cup at Forest back in February.
Brendan Rodgers said: “I’m just more pleased for everyone else. It was a big night for us. We needed to repay the supporters. The game last February in the FA Cup, we never showed the desire to win a derby game. Maybe some of the boys had never played in derby games so didn’t know what it meant, but they certainly knew after that. They knew what tonight meant. It was great to see them perform in a pressure game with that composure and quality. Then to get the result and send the supporters home happy. Now we can look to build on that. It’s a good feeling. For me, I love working with the players here and I’ll continue to encourage to support them and manage them and prepare them to be the best they can be. Hopefully now we can push on.”
