The Leicester team of 2013/14 was one of the best-ever teams to win the English Championship trophy, with only Reading registering more title-winning points in the history of the Championship.
The Squad
Nigel Pearson had put together a strong, mainly English team, which he thought would get him that all important Premier League spot. After the play-off heartbreak the year before at Watford, everyone at the club wanted to bounce back with automatic promotion, and that's exactly what they did. Masterminded by Pearson and his backroom staff, the club went on to pick up 102 points, losing only 6 games with a goal difference of +40. The table below shows the players that featured (in all all competitions) for the club over the remarkable season and some of their important stats.
| Number | Total Appearances | Total Goals | Still at Leicester? | |
| 1 | Kasper Schmeichel | 51 | 0 | Yes |
| 2 | Ritchie De Laet | 38 | 2 | Yes |
| 3 | Paul Konchesky | 34 | 1 | No |
| 4 | Danny Drinkwater | 49 | 8 | Yes |
| 5 | Wes Morgan (c) | 48 | 3 | Yes |
| 6 | Zak Whitbread | 4 | 0 | No |
| 7 | Dean Hammond | 32 | 1 | Yes |
| 8 | Matty James | 39 | 1 | Yes |
| 9 | Jamie Vardy | 41 | 16 | Yes |
| 10 | Andy King | 33 | 4 | Yes |
| 11 | Lloyd Dyer | 46 | 10 | No |
| 12 | Sean St. Ledger | 2 | 1 | No |
| 14 | Martyn Waghorn* | 4 | 0 | No |
| 15 | Jeffrey Schlupp | 32 | 1 | Yes |
| 16 | Neil Danns | 1 | 0 | No |
| 18 | Liam Moore | 33 | 1 | Yes |
| 20 | Tom Hopper | 2 | 0 | No |
| 21 | Zoumana Bakayogo | 2 | 0 | No |
| 22 | Gary Taylor-Fletcher | 23 | 3 | No |
| 23 | Ignasi Miquel (Loan) | 12 | 1 | No |
| 24 | Anthony Knockaert | 48 | 7 | No |
| 25 | Conrad Logan | 1 | 0 | No |
| 26 | Riyad Mahrez | 19 | 3 | Yes |
| 27 | Marcin Wasilewski | 35 | 0 | Yes |
| 28 | Kevin Phillips | 12 | 2 | No |
| 35 | David Nugent | 51 | 22 | No |
| 39 | Chris Wood | 29 | 8 | No |
The table shows that even in the second season since the trophy was lifted, the backbone of the title-winning side is still present and thriving under new manager, Claudio Ranieri.
The leavers
Firstly, a special mention to the two retirees in Conrad Logan, Leicester's longest-serving player at the time, and Kevin Phillips, who went on to be a part of Leicester's coaching staff before recently taking the role of assistant coach at midlands rivals, Derby. Also, Leicester's top scorer from the season, David Nugent, has moved on to a new Championship challenge at Middlesbrough after a fairly successful Premier League season last season. Nugent deservedly received a great send-off when he left Leicester after striking up a great relationship with the fans. A player who was certainly a favourite with the City fans, Anthony Knockaert, left for Belgian club, Standard Liege, this was after he struggled to make a first-team impression in the first half of last season. The Foxes faithful were also sad to see Lloyd Dyer go, his contract ran its course and the club and player couldn't agree terms. The lightning-fast winger hasn't been able to cement a place a first-team place since his departure, having spells with Watford and Birmingham.
The heroes
Since that famous season, it comes as no surprise to see that some of the influential players have continued to perform at their high standards in the Premier League. Firstly, Jamie Vardy, a £1million signing from non-league Fleetwood struggled to make an impression at the King Power Stadium in his first season. The striker was close to leaving but decided against it and went on to be one of Leicester's best players, coming second on the scoring charts, whilst scoring some vital goals in some of the big games. His playing ability has massively increased this season, being called up to the England squad for the third consecutive international break and topping the league's scoring table after eight games. Riyad Mahrez is another hero, signed halfway through the title-winning season for £400,000, he adapted instantly to the English game, went on to consistently perform for the remainder of the season and has made more than just an impact on the Barclays Premier League since his first appearance last season. Danny Drinkwater and Kasper Schmeichel, both in the 2013/14 SkyBet Football League Team of the Season, have continued to be regular starters for the Foxes and have both impressed the fans so far this season.
The gaffer
Nigel Pearson will go down in Leicester City history as one of the club's best ever managers, reaching two play-offs and winning the championship title in two different spells either side of Sven GoranEriksson big-spending failure. Not always as calm in the press room as he was on the sideline, Pearson will certainly remain in the memory of Leicester fans, for good or for bad. After pulling off one of the greatest escapes in Premier League history last season, Pearson was sacked after a number of press-related problems and trouble with his son, James Pearson, on a club trip to Thailand. Although, he didn't make the best impressions away from the pitch, Nigel Pearson will undoubtedly go down as one of the best, if not the best, manager of Leicester City Football Club.
Individual Awards
Danny Drinkwater - Shortlisted for SkyBet Championship Player of the Season - finished 3rd. PFA Championship Team of the Year.
Liam Moore - Shortlisted for SkyBet Football League Young Player of the Season - finished 2nd.
Wes Morgan - PFA Championship Team of the Year.
Kasper Schmeichel - PFA Championship Team of the Year.
Nigel Pearson - LMA Championship Manager of the Year.
