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• ‘We will be back’ says Leicester chairman following relegation

  Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has dismissed calls from some supporters to sell the relegated club and promised the Foxes will soon return to the Premier League.

  Despite beating West Ham 2-1 on Sunday, Leicester dropped into the Sky Bet Championship seven years after being crowned champions of England and two seasons since winning the FA Cup.

  It is a remarkable fall from grace and one that Leicester chairman Srivaddhanaprabha says has led to him receiving offensive messages, some of which have been “outright abusive”.

  “I have received a massive number of messages from our fans – both positive and negative,” Srivaddhanaprabha said in a statement published on the Leicester website.

  “Some want me to sell the club, some using offensive and thoughtless words, and some have been outright abusive.

  “But for every hurtful message I have received, I have also received messages of support, of appreciation, of unity – both remotely and from people I have met anonymously in public, who always come to say hello to me and to my family. It means a lot to us.”

  Srivaddhanaprabha’s father Vichai and his family bought the club in 2010 and took Leicester into the Premier League four years later. Leicester produced possibly English football’s greatest underdog story by winning the title in 2016.

  Club chairman Khun Vichai was killed in a helicopter accident at Leicester’s King Power Stadium in October 2018.

  “It was the most painful experience for me and for my family, but the support and love we received from our Leicester City family made our bond even stronger,” Srivaddhanaprabha said of the accident.

  “I made a commitment, as chairman, to continuing to pursue the ambition my father and I shared for the club, to ensure that the realisation of his vision for Leicester City would ultimately become his legacy.

  “We want to thank you and let you know that we still have the same ambition for Leicester City that we had 13 years ago.

  “The incredible support we had in our stadium yesterday, the positive messages we have received from our fans and the constructive comments we must take on-board – we will gather all this support and use it to power our recovery.

  “Power to justify our fans’ belief in their club. Power to take us back to the Premier League.

  “Next season is going to be tough, but it will be a year for collaboration and unity. We will come together and fight to return to the Premier League.”

  Leicester finished fifth twice as well as eighth during manager Brendan Rodgers’ three full seasons in charge.

  But Srivaddhanaprabha acknowledged the impact of Covid had a serious effect on the club’s finances, with summer cutbacks meaning that Rodgers was unable to significantly strengthen his squad.

  The departures of long-serving goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to Nice and defender Wesley Fofana to Chelsea also had a detrimental effect on the squad.

  Rodgers left at the end of April with Leicester in the bottom three, and his replacement Dean Smith was unable to prevent relegation after taking charge for the final eight games.

  Srivaddhanaprabha said: “Relegation is a consequence of 38 games and over that period, we haven’t been good enough.

  “Over the coming days and weeks, we need to reflect on the processes and decisions that have brought us to this point.

  “What we learn from this experience must convert into action that makes us stronger and prevents this happening to us again in the future.

  “We took Leicester City into the UEFA Champions League, giving our supporters those amazing Wednesday nights, under the lights in Porto, Brugge, Copenhagen, Seville and Madrid.

  “We used the fruits of that success to keep reinvesting in the club, strengthening our squad, improving the experience for our fans and starting plans for major projects like Seagrave and a stadium expansion that would give us long-term strength and growth.

  “Of course, these milestones place our situation today into quite stark context, but I reference them to highlight the progress we have made as a club in the last 13 years, which gives me confidence that we will build again.

  “Relegation is undeniably a significant setback, but it will not define us. Today we share the loss and the pain together. But we will be back.

  “This responsibility that I continue to live is one of the greatest responsibilities in my life and I will continue to put everything into it – my passion, that of my family and the entire King Power community.”

• James McArthur hails Roy Hodgson’s impact at Crystal Palace

  Roy Hodgson’s future at Crystal Palace is up in the air but outgoing midfielder James McArthur believes the veteran manager breathed fresh life into the Eagles during his second stint at the club.

  Hodgson returned to Selhurst Park two months ago on a deal until the end of this season, taking over at a side that were winless in 13 games and hovering three points above the Premier League drop zone.

  Palace won five of their remaining 10 fixtures under Hodgson to quickly banish thoughts of a relegation tussle and they finished 11th – above Chelsea – after a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

  Afterwards, Hodgson was tight-lipped about whether he will still be at Palace next season and McArthur revealed he and his team-mates expressed their gratitude towards the 75-year-old.

  “In the changing room all the boys thanked him,” McArthur said in quotes on the Palace website. “We don’t know what’s happening next year, but we thanked him for his effort this year.

  “The coaching staff have been brilliant, the team are playing with real confidence right now and he’s instilled that in the lads.”

  McArthur, who announced last week he would leave Palace after nine years, made his 253rd and final appearance for the club at the weekend, replacing Cheick Doucoure midway through the second half.

  Forest took the lead just after the half-hour through Taiwo Awoniyi but Will Hughes struck moments before McArthur was brought on as a substitute as the spoils were shared on the last day of the season.

  “It was (an emotional moment) but I was just focused on trying to get back into the game and winning it,” McArthur said.

  “I don’t think we were as good as we have been in recent weeks, but Forest are a good side who make it hard for you. When they get that goal it’s tough to break them down.

  “Thankfully we got that goal and were pushing for another one, but it wasn’t to be. We’ve got strong characters in that changing room.

  “We’re one of the best teams in the league for coming back and we showed once again what we’re made of.”

  The draw extended Forest’s unbeaten sequence to four matches at the end of the campaign, with narrow wins against Southampton and Arsenal this month preserving their top-flight status.

  Hughes’ strike denied them just a second victory away from home this term but Forest head coach Steve Cooper hailed the effort of his side before turning his attention towards the next few months.

  “The guys have all stepped up recently,” Cooper said. “They deserve a lot of credit.

  “We’ve now got to have a productive summer. There will be a little rest, but we’re going to be working during the summer to make sure we return for pre-season in a better place on and off the pitch.

  “We cannot stop, we cannot stand still. By staying in the Premier League, we’ve given ourselves such a good opportunity to build and keep growing.”

• We’ve done a great job – Ryan Mason

  Ryan Mason said he and his coaching staff have “done a great job” during his second spell as Tottenham’s interim manager.

  Tottenham closed their Premier League season with a resounding 4-1 win at relegated Leeds on Sunday, but have failed to qualify for European football next season for the first time since 2008-09.

  Mason said: “When I go on my summer holidays I would hope and expect that everyone inside of our training ground knows who I am, who my team is and what we stand for.

  “The hope and expectation is that you guys and everyone else sees that too. I know we’ve done a great job. I really do.”

  Tottenham fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Manchester United at home in Mason’s first game back in charge and have since won two and lost three of their last five matches.

  The 31-year-old former Spurs midfielder, whose previous stint in temporary charge came after Jose Mourinho was sacked in 2021, replaced previous interim boss Christian Stellini with six games remaining.

  Tottenham had sacked Antonio Conte at the end of March and while they were then fourth in the table, they had exited all the cup competitions and weary fans had grown disillusioned over their team’s playing style.

  “The circumstances were very difficult,” said Mason, who urged the club to get get their next managerial appointment right.

  “I think anyone in the world coming into this situation for six games coming off the back of what had happened and the position we were in was going to find it tough.

  “Also if you add into that being on an interim basis, where there’s uncertainty it makes it even tougher.

  “But we’ve stuck to what we believe in, we’ve transitioned a little bit I believe in a short space of time and the players have responded, they’ve given us everything and ultimately that’s all I can ask.”

  Throughout his six games in charge, Mason has called for the club to rediscover their identity and feels that is the biggest factor as they continue their search for a new manager.

  “The most important thing for any club in world football is to have an identity, know who you are and who you want to be and stick to that,” he said.

  Mason also paid tribute to Harry Kane, who scored twice at Elland Road – in what could be his last game for Tottenham – to take his league tally to 30 for the season.

  “I think he probably doesn’t get the appreciation he should,” Mason added.

  “The goals yes, outstanding, a 30-goal season in the Premier League is incredible but also his overall performances are just outstanding.

  “I also think as well to go through what happened in the World Cup, from a mental point of view, to come back and do what he’s done for the past four or five months, I think it speaks volumes for the player and the person.”