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Gary Rowett reacts after Leicester City were relegated(Image: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Leicester City chief Gary Rowett believes the club can have a bright future, but has called on the hierarchy to make “big decisions” after they were relegated to League One, 10 years on from their historic 5,000-1 Premier League title win.
While lifting the top-flight trophy at the King Power Stadium in May 2016 ranks as the Foxes’ greatest day, Tuesday night’s 2-2 draw with Hull City will go down as one of their worst as it confirmed a second successive relegation.
The draw condemns them to the third tier for the first time since 2009, and memories of winning the Premier League under Claudio Ranieri, a run to the Champions League quarter-finals, and an FA Cup victory will seem like distant memories.
For City, it leaves them now outside the top six on goal difference after Wrexham’s 1-0 win at doomed Oxford United, with only two games to go.
Four years ago, they played Roma in a European quarter-final; next year, they will take on Bromley. Their demise has come from mismanagement off the pitch, with relegation in part attributed to a six-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
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Rowett, who held his post-match press conference amid a backdrop of protesting fans outside the stadium, believes the club’s downward spiral can be arrested but wants decisive action.
“We all know the journey of a football fan. But of course, it’s been incredibly extreme here,” he said. “Ten years ago, winning the Premier League and such an incredible achievement, to then have this kind of low. It’s going to sting for a few days, but I do believe this football club has the ability to bounce back.
“But of course, some big decisions are going to have to be made over the next few weeks. I’m pretty sure they’re not going to be able to have complete clarity on that over the next week or two, but ultimately, they are going to have to be decisive in what they see the future looking like for the football club.
“Because big decisions are going to have to be made, tough decisions will have to be made to get the club going back in the right direction.
“But it’s a great club with really, really good fans, really passionate fans. You can hear outside there, that’s passion, that’s disappointment because they love their football club.”
Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said in a statement: “Relegation to League One is now confirmed. As chairman, that responsibility sits with me. There are no excuses.
“We have experienced the highest highs, and now the lowest lows, and the pain is shared by all of us. I am truly sorry for the disappointment we have caused. I understand the strength of feeling among our supporters, and we do not take your support for granted, especially at moments like this.
“Our focus now is on what comes next. We will take the necessary decisions to move the club forward, working together to rebuild, improve, and restore the standards expected of Leicester City.”
City boss Sergej Jakirovic was unable to perform post-match media duties after he was sent off following vociferous protestations over Leicester’s second-half penalty, which was converted by Jordan James.
Assistant manager Dean Holden said of Leicester’s demise: “It’s sad to see, I really mean that. It’s a fantastic club, they were everyone’s second favourite team 10 years ago when they won the league. It’s sad to see the drop off they have had in the last few years, and I am sure the supporters have been through the mill.”
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