JibrinGary Rowett concedes Leicester City supporters have every right to voice their frustrations before tomorrow’s clash with Norwich City but has pleaded with fans to rally behind the team once the action gets underway.
On Saturday lunchtime Rowett will take charge for the first time at the King Power Stadium having restored a flicker of hope the side can dodge relegation to League One.
Crucial draws at Stoke City and Middlesbrough have halted the losing streak that saw Rowett installed a couple of weeks ago.
However, supporters have not overlooked the fact the club have suffered two relegations in the last three seasons, are dreading a third demotion, have been hit with a points deduction and a revolving door of managers in recent campaigns.
As a result fan group Unite for Change intend to stage a pre-match demonstration calling for King Power to sell-up.
Asked about that Rowett said: “I think that however everyone feels and everyone has that right to do whatever they want to do.
“Listen, there’s a lot of people, including the people at the club that are passionate about the club, that want the club to be successful, so you can understand frustrations.
“I think the main bit for me really, and I spoke about it, the only way we win games of football and the only way we improve the situation is if we’re galvanised and all together.
“So hopefully by the time the game kicks off, everyone’s in the stadium, everyone’s looking positive and trying to help each other to achieve the result we want. I think that’s the main thing.”
Rowett also knows his players play a massive part in generating a positive vibe inside the stadium and his instruction to them is straightforward.
“Work hard and win games, there’s no secret to football is there? I’ve never met, well, I’ve met a few, but I haven’t met many fans that you go and work hard as a team and win a game of football, and they don’t feel like their Saturday evening is an awful lot better for that process.
“That’s the only way you can do it, so that comes on the pitch. I’m not a big believer in that the fans have to lift the players. I think the players have to show a performance that allows the fans to get behind.
“Every single Leicester fan, if they see players chasing and showing that real heart and fight and fire, we’ve got the quality, if we show that, I believe that every fan will get behind us and we’ve seen that in the two away games so far.
“A brilliant following, got behind the players, clapped them off afterwards, you can see they’re super proud of the efforts and probably almost compartmentalising, what’s happened before these two games is nothing to do with me and nothing to do with the way that we want to do things.
“So ultimately it’s really getting behind that I think and and it will make a big difference.”
Jibrin
