The mood around Leicester City has reached a new low this season, and it could get even worse on Thursday night ahead of their trip to West Ham.
Leicester’s 4-0 defeat to Brentford on Friday night sparked a toxic atmosphere at the King Power Stadium, with the fans calling for Ruud van Nistelrooy to be sacked, and rightfully so.
Since taking charge of the Foxes in November, the 48-year-old has collected just two league wins, including Leicester’s 3-1 win over West Ham in his first game in charge.
It’s now also an embarrassing 10 defeats in 11 league fixtures for the Dutchman, who could lose his job with another loss on Thursday night.
Leicester travel to West Ham, a side managed by Graham Potter, and with five points separating them from 17th-place Wolves.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 27 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 37 | 56 | -19 | 22 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 27 | 3 | 8 | 16 | 26 | 57 | -31 | 17 |
| 19 |  LeicesterLeicester | 26 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 25 | 59 | -34 | 17 |
| 20 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 27 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 19 | 65 | -46 | 9 |
An unlikely victory would close the gap to two, but considering their abysmal form, supporters have no hope of securing a mammoth result.
Anthony Taylor will officiate West Ham vs Leicester City
Stuart Attwell was lined up to officiate Leicester’s trip to the London Stadium, but now, Anthony Taylor has been drafted in as a late replacement.
Leicester boast a strong record against West Ham, having won their previous three clashes against the Hammers, with the Foxes experiencing some highs and lows when Taylor is in charge.
When the 46-year-old has officiated a match involving Leicester, they’ve collected 15 wins, nine draws and 11 losses, with 62 yellow cards and one red card dished out in those fixtures.
Perhaps controversially, supporters may be feeling relieved that Taylor has been selected for this huge match-up, having awarded some decisions in their favour previously.
Taylor has helped Leicester City in the past
Normally, fans of clubs will be worried about the appointment of a certain referee. In the case of Taylor, Leicester supporters can’t complain about him being in charge.
In Leicester’s comeback win over Southampton in October, Taylor was at the centre of attention when he failed to award the Saints a penalty for a blatant foul on striker Paul Onuachu.
Jordan Ayew tugged Onuachu’s shirt in the box without a spot-kick given, but at the other end, Ryan Fraser was sent off for a tug on Jamie Vardy, which VAR deemed a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.
Some poor decision-making from the referee helped the Foxes secure a vital three points, and it isn’t the only occasion when Taylor has helped Leicester.
Micah Richards once criticised Taylor’s decision to award Leicester a penalty during a 1-0 win over Wolves in November 2020.
A spot-kick was awarded when Max Kilman handled Dennis Praet’s cross, though it was debatable whether or not he had enough time to move his hand out of the way of the ball.
Richards thought he didn’t, branding the decision as ‘soft’ while believing the referee made a poor decision by awarding it.
“It was soft. I don’t know where he is expected to put his hands there, his hands are in a natural position for where the ball is going to go,” he said via Birmingham Live. “I felt really sorry for the defender there because I don’t know what he is expected to do.
“For me, that was the wrong call but Vardy tucks it away nicely.”