From almost certain relegation, redemption, ostriches, a surprise sacking and hiring to a potential challenge for the Premier League crown, this year has definitely been out-of-the-ordinary for Leicester City.
For almost every fan that has sat inside the King Power Stadium, been glued to a television, listened keenly to a radio and unhealthily refreshed a Twitter feed, it's been quite an unusual twelve months.
So, we here at VAVEL.com decided to look back on 2015 - a year that has seen the Midlanders become the first team be transformed from Championship-bound certainties to genuine Champions League contenders...
Renewed optimism?
Coming into 2015, the Foxes (then under the enigmatic Nigel Pearson) were rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table and looked destined for a swift return to the Championship after obtaining a paltry total of only 13 points. Nevertheless, the new year brought in fresh hope for the King Power Stadium faithful.
After beating Steve Bruce's Hull City 1-0 in the final match of 2014, the Foxes pressed on and managed to gain another crucial 1-0 win over relegation rivals Aston Villa. In fact, Pearson's men also pulled off a spectacular comeback draw at Anfield on New Year's Day after previously being 2-0 down.
Furthermore, the Midlanders had also managed to put together a somewhat promising run in the FA Cup. Progressing to the Fifth Round of the historic competition, they managed to dispatch of the likes of Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur in stylish fashion.
As a result, supporters were hopeful that the club would be able to avoid relegation and (somewhat optimistically) lift some silverware to accompany their second tier title of the previous campaign.
A false dawn?
Nevertheless, this is a good as it got in the early periods of 2015 for Foxes' fans. In a run that stretched all the way from the 17th of January to the 21st of March, Pearson's men could just not buy a win and in fact went a period of eight games without managing to obtain a single victory.
Falling to slim 1-0 defeats at home to the likes of Stoke City and Crystal Palace, Leicester City's small stay in the top flight looked all but over. The pressure also looked to be getting to manager Pearson. In what was a bizarre incident, the former Middlesbrough defender appeared to strangle Eagles' midfielder James McArthur mid-match (not to mention his foul-mouthed touchline spat with a supporter).
However, following a dire 0-0 stalemate with fellow relegation contenders Hull City, fan frustration also appeared to grow. Booed off after a uninspiring display against the ten-man Tigers, this Leicester City team looked bereft of confidence.
Furthermore, following a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, the Foxes sat seven points adrift of safety with only nine games to go of the campaign. So, it was safe to say that supporters had started making plans for trips to Ewood Park and the Macron Stadium as opposed to Old Trafford and The Emirates.
The Great Escape
On the other hand, the players were not prepared to let their top-flight status slip away without a fight. Gaining their first win in the league in just under three months with a 2-1 victory over Sam Allardyce's struggling West Ham, the Foxes looked to defy the odds and become only the third team in Premier League history to stay up after being bottom at Christmas.
Following this huge victory with an outstanding comeback 3-2 win at The Hawthorns against West Bromwich Albion, some fans were starting to believe. As a matter of fact, the Foxes gained maximum points on another five occasions until the end of the season (including a 1-0 win over Burnley, a 3-0 pounding of Newcastle United and even a 2-0 victory over Ronald Koeman's impressive Southampton).
Despite the Midlanders falling to a 3-1 loss to eventual Premier League champions Chelsea, the good mood was firmly back in the terraces of the King Power Stadium as a result of their position outside of the relegation zone (regardless of the aforementioned Pearson's bemusing ostrich-based attack on a journalist).
As a result, in the penultimate game of the season at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland, the Foxes pulled off one of the most satisfying 0-0 draws in the club's long history. Securing their Premier League status for another year, the Midlanders had made history by winning seven out of their last nine games and managing an outstanding finish of 14th in the top-flight.
Relegation favourites yet again
In spite of this overwhelming escape from relegation to the Championship, the Foxes headed into the new season as one of the favourites for relegation. Although, this prediction wasn't helped all that much by the previous player of the season, Esteban Cambiasso, announcing that he wasn't going to renew his contract with the club.
In fact, it then got much worse for supporters. In a shock move, popular manager Nigel Pearson was relieved of his duties during the summer and all of the good work that the Englishman had done at the club in his three and a half years at the helm looked to go to waste.
With Claudio Ranieri replacing him following a tenuous search for a new man, supporters and pundits alike were left disappointed and most predicted another season of struggle at the King Power Stadium.
New players, same outcome
However, looking back, it appears that these pessimistic predictions seem way off the mark. Spending generously in the summer, the Foxes brought in numerous quality additions such as Switzerland captain Gokhan Inler and the clinical Shinji Okazaki. Nevertheless, the pick of the bunch has to be the acquisitions of the classy Christian Fuchs (on a free transfer no less) and the unbelieveable N'Golo Kante.
Since taking the reigns, Ranieri has continued the evolution at the King Power Stadium. Kicking off with a 4-2 victory over Sunderland on the opening day, the Foxes have only tasted defeat twice in the league since then (at the hands of Arsenal and Liverpool).
Obtaining impressive wins over the likes of Chelsea, Everton, Crystal Palace (and amongst others), the Foxes have been the surprise package of the Premier League. With the key duo of Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy (who amazingly broke the record for scoring in consecutive Premier League games) stealing the headlines, they have become the first team to be top and bottom of the top-flight on Christmas Day in consecutive campaigns.
So, ending the year with a 0-0 draw at home to Manchester City, the Midlanders sit joint-top of the pile with Arsenal on 39 points and genuinely look capable of sustaining a challenge for the Premier League crown in 2016.
