Supporters worried by fall-out from Spain

Leicester city's fans, already acclimatised to turmoil on and off the pitch over the past few seasons, reacted with a mixture of "disappointment and dismay" yesterday to the unfolding events in Spain. With the majority of the club's players returning to training subdued and unable to talk about the latest crisis, it was left to the supporters to voice local concerns.

"It's obviously a worry that the club is having its name dragged through the mud," Ian Bason, the chairman of the Foxes Trust fans' group, said. "It's hard to know at this stage what's going to happen because we're still not certain what's going on.

"There's been a mixed reaction from fans I've spoken to. A lot of people are 100 per cent behind the players. Others are clearly worried about the prospect of supporting players implicated in serious events like these. But we'll have to wait and see whether anyone's actually found guilty of anything."

The Foxes Trust was formed in October 2002 in response to that year's major crisis at Leicester, the financial one that threatened the future of the club. Two days after the Trust was formally launched the club was plunged into administration, where it remained until February last year.

When the current owners took control, they did so partly funded by £130,000 of Trust members' money. That did not insulate Leicester from brickbats from rival clubs, who accused Leicester of dodging their financial responsibilities. It was widely perceived they had benefited by shedding debts, giving them an unfair advantage during their successful push for promotion.

"There was quite a lot of anti-Leicester sentiment," Bason said. "It's something we had to deal with even though when you consider the facts, they show we were forced into administration, we didn't opt for it. Eric Hall effectively put us in administration by serving a winding-up order on the club."

The irony of that situation is that Hall, Dennis Wise's agent, served the order after Wise took legal action against the club following his sacking by Leicester in summer 2002. He had been sacked because he had broken team-mate Callum Davidson's cheekbone in a dispute over a card game during Leicester's pre-season tour to Finland.

Earlier this week, Wise finally won an appeal against unfair dismissal, leaving him in a position to claim compensation. The only upside for Leicester in Wise's claim is that it is against the holding company set up to guide Leicester through administration, not the company that has run the club since administration.

Leicester's varied recent troubles have been most obvious on the pitch. Bason said that fans had always anticipated a tough season but this week's events will inject another unknown variable into the equation.

"We knew we'd be in a relegation battle and any fan would have taken 17th place before the start of the season," he said. "What we don't know now is how the players will react. What's happened in Spain could strengthen resolve and pull the players together. Then again, it could just demoralise them."

Bason added that the supporters have mostly stood firmly behind their team this season, with the notable exception being the 5-0 home defeat to Aston Villa in January. That game even saw a supporter walk onto the pitch and approach goalkeeper Ian Walker in protest at his side's lame display.

"It goes without saying the guy should never have been on the pitch and certainly should never have been allowed to reach Walker," Bason said. "He was walking, for goodness sake. But he was disgusted at that one display and there was general disenchantment that day."

Bason said his club's fans remain wholeheartedly supportive of manager Micky Adams. That view was echoed yesterday by Cliff Ginetta, the chairman of Leicester City Supporters' Club. "[What's happened in Spain] will be a massive blow to Micky," Ginetta said. "After the recent game at Middlesbrough, where we lost a two-goal lead in injury-time, he looked stressed and this will not help matters for him.

"The guy has already been working with his hands tied behind his back and we desperately need him to stay at Leicester City. He is the cornerstone of the revival at the club after being relegated two years ago. I don't see him quitting but there again you wonder how much can a man take? How often do you have to keep being hit by bricks before they hurt."

Ginetta believes any absence of Paul Dickov, one of three players in custody in Spain last night, will be "a massive loss" after his contribution over the past 18 months. "If he is not available, it will leave Leicester with an even bigger mountain to climb."

Since the relative stability of the Martin O'Neill era, that is something they have become used to.