Leicester City Fan View: Why Craig Shakespeare had to go and the candidates to replace him

A point, rescued quite late on, against West Brom wasn’t enough to save Craig Shakespeare’s job at Leicester City. He finally resorted to changing from our usual 4-4-2 but it was a change that comes too little too late. The Foxes sit within the relegation zone and in need of a big shake-up. The first step being in getting a new manager.

Support for Shakespeare has been lacking for more than a few games now. There’s little joy in sacking a man who’s been with the club for so long and who seems so nice. In football, it doesn’t always pay to be nice though. His reluctance to even try experimenting, along with a poor start has cost him. The change last night saw us get a point, but didn’t wipe out the incredibly lacklustre sixty minutes that preceded it.

READ MORE: It’s become impossible to defend Craig Shakespeare

To say Leicester were slow on the ball would be generous. When we did find ourselves in possession there was no urgency to get it up field and make it count. Simply put, Tony Pulis’ side wanted it more for the majority of the game. So it’s of little surprise that we were so wasteful and frustrating. Nor was it a huge surprise that we started with a largely unchanged side that fitted the same old formation and tactics. When that failed he did take the risk. We took off Danny Simpson, used Albrighton and Ben Chilwell as wing-backs and threw Islam Slimani into the mix too. We looked instantly better and the substitutes both played a role in the equaliser. So why didn’t he try this previously?

Given previous results, and those over the weekend, this was a must win match for Leicester. It was also a game that from kick-off, felt unlikely to give us that victory. Shakespeare’s sacking looked more inevitable as the evening played out. It’s one that risks upsetting the squad but was a must, we’ve gone backwards as opposed to seeing improvement. The man leaves with the admiration of many, he was always a brilliant and well respected coach but this particular leap to the main man has proved too much too soon. Ultimately Shakespeare finds himself axed, though he’s not the only one at the club guilty of under-performing since the summer. He’s just the one who pays the price.

READ MORE: Poor first halves and reliance on failing 4-4-2 costing Leicester

The big question is not so much who do we want to replace him, but who is available and willing? The obvious candidate in the summer would have been Marco Silva but given how well things are going at Watford, that ship appears to have sailed. There is a positive, the timing means we’re not just dealing with managerial scraps and the likes of Alan Pardew. Looking at the available managers, it’s easier to rule out those I wouldn’t want.

It’s impossible not to discuss the possibility of Nigel Pearson coming home, even though it seems pretty unlikely. Currently at the reigns of our sister club in Belgium, would the man who departed for non footballing reasons fancy it? Our owners appear to be back on good terms with him but quite how far remains to be seen. There are some big names out there currently available. The likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Mancini may be very over ambitious given our current outlook. I’d be a little more optimistic in attracting the likes of Thomas Tuchel, still a free agent and yet to try his hand in the Premier League. We need experience this time and somebody who’s not afraid of a challenge.

Whoever does take charge won’t find it an easy task. We’re a side low on ideas and confidence. We’re also short in midfield and they’ll have to be as patient as we are with Adrien Silva unavailable until January. But bringing somebody in at this stage gives them several months to evaluate the squad and they’ll have a transfer window to make quick changes if required. We certainly didn’t give Shakespeare the same time as Claudio Ranieri was given to turn it around. This time, the owners want league safety assured a little sooner.