Jeff Stelling Show Drops Leicester 5000-1 Special with Wes Morgan & Danny Simpson

Full Transcript

The Jeff Stelling Show x Danny Simpson and Wes Morgan

Welcome

Jeff Stelling: Hello. Welcome to the Jeff Stelling Show, brought to you by OLBG. 

Now, just try and imagine Curacao or Haiti winning this year's World Cup. Impossible, isn't it? Maybe that puts in perspective Leicester City's triumph in the Premier League exactly 10 years ago. 

Curacao and Haiti are 5,000 to one to win in the United States, the same price as Leicester City were to win the Premier League title. The bookies thought the Loch Ness Monster being discovered, or Kim Kardashian becoming the next President of the United States, was more likely. 

With all due respect to Wimbledon winning the FA Cup, or Nottingham Forest's brilliant triumphs in what was the European Cup in those days, this is by far the greatest footballing story of my lifetime, and believe you me, that's a long, long time.

A decade on, and with City struggling desperately, we thought it was time to reflect on the ultimate underdog triumph with two of the men who starred for Leicester City. Wes Morgan and Danny Simpson, thanks for joining us, fellas. I'm sure you've talked about this a lot of times, but it's a fairy story you can never hear too much about.

Where were you watching the Chelsea v Spurs game when the title was confirmed?

Jeff Stelling: Unlike most fairy stories, though, let's begin at the end. I remember, and I'm sure most football fans remember, sitting watching that game on a Monday night. You weren't involved. Chelsea against Spurs, which turned out to be the game where the title was decided. Spurs were two-nil up, weren't they, at one stage. So can you remember where you were watching it, Wes?

Wes Morgan: Yeah, we got a kind invitation to Jamie Vardy's house. They put it out there in training, or in the chat. Obviously it's a massive game. "Guys, you're more than welcome to come to ours." So the majority of the boys headed over there, expecting and hoping for the best to happen, but it didn't quite go to plan at the start. 

Half-time happened, and Tottenham were 2-0 up. So you can imagine the atmosphere in the house was a bit calm. Like, okay guys, it’s down to us, we're going to have to do the job ourselves. But the second half was completely different.

Jeff Stelling: Oh man. Danny, what was it like when Chelsea equalised?

Danny Simpson: Yeah, well, when it got to half time we put the drinks away. [laughs] then we got them back out! I just think when Hazard, as soon as the ball left his foot, it was like slow motion. I think we all knew it was hitting the back of the net. We were celebrating, but we were also nervous. There was still a bit of time to go. But yeah, what a feeling when the final whistle went.

And, you know, being together was special. If we were all separate at home it'd be different, but being at Vardy's house and as a team is just so special. We'll never forget it.

Wes's match-saving Manchester United goal

Jeff Stelling: Yeah. I mean, that's one of the games that people will always talk about. They never seem to talk about Manchester United the previous day, when a certain Wes Morgan scored the Leicester goal.

Wes Morgan: Yeah, you know, and I'm glad you brought that up! Obviously, we'd gone into that Man United game thinking, right, if we win, we more or less confirm it. But going to United, it's always going to be tough. 

I'm proud to say I played my part in that game. We were 1-0 down, I scored a header to make it 1-1, and stuck in the game, and the game ended up being a draw. But what was important, we got a point, which proved to be enough to give us that point tally. Eventually, depending on the Chelsea-Tottenham result, made us champions. So it was a very important point.

Jeff Stelling: Yeah. I wanted to mention a goal of yours, Danny, as well, in 133 games at Leicester, but there weren't any, were there?

Wes Morgan: He came close! There was one at Southampton, The goal was open… yeah, I'll let him explain that.

Danny Simpson: No. It was, literally, I think Vardy got through and squared one across in the six-yard box. Fraser Forster was in goal, I think. And honestly, you couldn't miss it. But obviously I did”

I think I was already celebrating, because me and Christian Fuchs had a bit of a thing. I don't think we'd scored. We were both trying to score, and he'd scored. I was like, yes, this is my chance, and Fraser Forster, somehow, I think it came off my heel or something.

Wes Morgan: The goal was wide open. He's in the six-yard box. Somehow he's found the keeper, who's stood on the other side of the goal. Looked like a good save. But je should have definitely scored.

Danny Simpson: I did save one off the line from Mane in that same game. So I'd prefer to do that!

Jeff Stelling: And in fairness, you know, just so we can equal things here, you scored for Newcastle, didn't you against Peterborough, yeah. Remember that, do you?

Danny Simpson: Yeah, like a cross-shot… so a cross. But listen, I like defending. That's my job.

Lifting the title and being told you were too small

Jeff Stelling: So look, you've won the title. You're round at Jamie Vardy's house. I remember it being a wonderful, wonderful story, but what did it mean for you two? 

I remember reading, Danny, that you went to the bottom of the garden and you were in tears. Was this sort of validation for the times you'd been rejected, the times you were told you were too small to be a footballer? Did that all come out then?

Danny Simpson: Yeah, I didn't expect it, but it was exactly right, Jeff. It just poured out of me. 

I think from being young, going to other clubs even before I went to Leicester, you know, QPR and Harry Redknapp, I played most of the games that season, we got promoted, and Harry said he didn't want me, and I could go to Leicester. And even that was a rejection. 

But obviously, I went to Leicester and they took me in. It was such a great group, the manager was great, and the club was amazing. So I just went to the end of the garden and rang my family and friends and was just bawling, emotional, yeah.

Jeff Stelling: I mean, you were small, as you showed us in this photo! How old would you be there then?

Danny Simpson: Jesus… Must have been, maybe seven or eight, maybe, yeah.

Jeff Stelling: Did people genuinely tell you over the years that you weren't big enough to make it?

Danny Simpson: Yeah. So, I was lucky. I was at a good club. I was at Man United, and there was one year, I was 13 or 14, and most of the team got released. But United saw something in me. 

What they did is, they told me to stay down another year because I was too small, and catch up with the rest of the group. The other two lads, they went off to the age group above. From then, I was getting told I might be too small, and even when I was 18 or 19, I wasn't really in the Youth Cup team, so I just had to battle and fight my way through it, and try and work harder than the people next to me. 

It sort of gave me some resilience, really. And anything I could come up against, I felt like I could come across, because people are always saying, not sure, not sure. Man City didn't want me, Liverpool didn't want me. So yeah, it was all that kind of stuff that gets you ready for, you know, achieving something.

Leaving Manchester United and Sir Alex

Jeff Stelling: It must be difficult to cope with mentally. When you did eventually leave Manchester United, I guess the aim is just to have a decent career. A lot of peers, a lot of people, when they've been at a club like United, just disappear without trace, don't they?

Danny Simpson: Yeah. And I also feel like, my time at United as well, when I got told to leave by Sir Alex, that was my club, the club I supported, the club I love. I'd been there 10 years. You just assume you’re going to be there forever. So yeah, it was tough to take that. 

But you know, you've got to, when you leave United and I went to Newcastle, which is a massive club as we know, you just want to have a good career. You don't think you're going to leave and win the Premier League. You just want to get to 34 or 35, have a solid career. But all those little bits of the journey, it paves the way.

Jeff Stelling: How did Sir Alex break it to you then? Was he as forthright as he usually is?

Danny Simpson: The worst thing was, I was already on loan at Newcastle, so I actually didn't get a chance to say bye to everyone, which was tough. But no, he just said, look, it's not meant to be. I think we'd signed, got a permanent for the twins, you know, Rafael and Fabio, so I kind of knew, like, these are good Brazilians coming through, and it was time to let it go. But you still talk. So Sir Alex just said, good luck, Newcastle's a fantastic place to be. Good luck.

Wes's path: Notts County, college and Kidderminster

Jeff Stelling: Wes, I read that your basic ambition was just to play a game in the Premier League. You played some of your career at the third level of English football, and obviously the Championship as well. So did you think that was the pinnacle when you played your first game, let alone winning the title?

Wes Morgan: Yeah, you know, to even think about ever winning a Premier League title was nothing I would even consider. My early days in my football career, especially at youth level, I got released from Notts County, and then kind of didn't have anywhere to go. So I went to college and went to play semi-pro football.

Jeff Stelling: We’ve got a photo from your Notts County days.

Danny Simpson: Size of your legs there!

Wes Morgan: My legs have always been big!

Jeff Stelling: You almost had the opposite problem - people said to you that you were too big.

Wes Morgan: Yeah, exactly. So you got Danny's too small, I’m too big - so a bunch of misfits, really! 

But you know, I've always kind of been one of the bigger kids. In one sense, that helps you, because of the physicality, you can handle that. But sometimes the coaches look at you and think, is he really fit? Has he got that stamina? Can he sustain 90 minutes at a high level? So there were a few challenges for me. 

Like I mentioned, I got released from Notts County, played semi-pro football, went to college, and was thinking, I don't even know if I'm going to make it as a professional footballer. Then I got an opportunity to go for trials at Nottingham Forest, which was successful. Had to work hard, like he said, the size and weight issue was a problem.

Jeff Stelling: So they ran you and ran you, didn't they?

Wes Morgan: They did. Literally on a Saturday, the lads were playing, and I would just have to run. So yeah, it was very tough at the beginning, but I worked hard, broke into the youth team, then eventually got into the first team. Spent a long time at Nottingham Forest. Nine and a half years, been in the Championship, three seasons in League One, and at that time, you know, I was getting older. I was 28 and I was thinking, I just want to play one Premier League game and I'll be satisfied. I can end my career thinking I played with the best, I played in the Premier League, just to get that badge on the shirt would have been, I'd be satisfied.

But I got an opportunity to go to Leicester. And going from Forest to Leicester, it's a bit controversial depending which side you're looking from. But obviously I went there anyway, and I could see what was going on behind the scenes. They'd just been taken over by some Thai owners. They had a real ambition to push for the Premier League. I thought, right, this is my opportunity, I've got to make it happen. 

Went to Leicester in the January window, so it took two and a half seasons before we actually got promoted. And for me, I was more than happy and satisfied at that stage of my career. Little did I know I was going to go on to win the Premier League and to spend many years in the Premier League.

That photo of Wes at Kidderminster Harriers

Jeff Stelling: Obviously, we all associate you with Leicester and Nottingham Forest. But interestingly, one of the photos that you brought in for us is you in a very different kit. There it is. The clue is in the stand at the background, where it says, Harriers.

Wes Morgan: Yeah, same problem, big thighs again. So Kidderminster Harriers. I remember at the time, you know, I was doing well in the youth team at Forest, and the first team was pushing to get into the playoffs, and they wanted some backup. I was probably the next one in line. If a couple of bad injuries hit the defence area, you know, I'd probably be on the bench and in the squad. 

So the gaffer at the time, Paul Hart, wanted me to go out and get some experience, play some first-team football. So I relished the challenge, went to Kidderminster for four weeks, got my first ever professional goal. It was a good experience, especially at that level. It's not as professional as what I was used to, to be fair. But you know, I gained valuable experience at that time and going back to Forest, yeah, pushed on from there.

Playing every minute of the title-winning season

Jeff Stelling: Pushed on to such a degree that when you won the title, you were only the third outfield player ever to play every minute of a title-winning side, which is amazing, isn't it? And the others, you're in good company. I mean, John Terry, Gary Pallister. All centre-halves. 

Wes Morgan: We're the guys that don't get the glory, you know. We're always there to be counted on when it needs to be. But it's a fantastic stat. 

And I think, just to put a bit more sauce on it, the season before, I think I missed maybe one or two games, and then in the off-season I was away playing international duty in two tournaments. 

So I came back to the beginning of the 15-16 season, maybe landed on the Tuesday, trained on the Thursday, and then played on the Saturday, and I went on to play every game when we won the league. 

Danny Simpson: You were just happy to miss preseason, that’s what it was!

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Lifting the trophy: the Everton game and Bocelli

Jeff Stelling: Now, look, we all remember the public celebrations. It was the Everton game, wasn't it? And I'm sure everybody remembers Nessun Dorma and Andrea Bocelli in his Leicester City shirt as well. What was the occasion like then, Danny? And how did you play football after all of that, by the way?

Danny Simpson: Especially after the week we just had as well.

Jeff Stelling: Was it a quiet week leading into that week?

Danny Simpson: We celebrated a lot that week but I actually think that game was one of our better games. We played quite well. But just to build up to it, you know, your friends and family and the tickets, especially when it's something you never thought would happen. 

The night before, I had ex-players ringing me, calling me, saying, listen, enjoy it, take every minute in. From United, Patrice Evra was one of them. It was just an emotional thing. You're trying to then also make sure you still win the game, because you want to finish that game winning. When you get the trophy, but it started off, it was raining the first half, and then all of a sudden, Andy King scored at half-time, and the sun comes out. It was perfect, like it was meant to be. The sun comes out, and we're winning the game, and the whole celebration of the fans. 

It was just unbelievable. If there's the one moment I could take back, it would just be that day, from morning till night.

Wes Morgan: I think with that as well, though, looking back at all the celebrations… we were in the changing room with Bocelli, it's fantastic if you're a fan, and you're out there. Looking back at Bocelli, I'm like, wow, it's unbelievable. We were in the dressing room thinking we're going to get the trophy. 

I'm trying to focus on the game, but I'm getting pulled from pillar to post, like, this is where you need to be, this is going to happen. And you're like, okay, I want to still kind of focus on the game. But all the celebrations, like I think I felt I missed out a little bit on the full day, because we were in the changing rooms preparing.

Danny Simpson: I do think that we should have been in a line on the pitch when he was singing.

Wes Morgan: Well, that's the thing. But we were preparing for the game. But all of that was going on, and it's difficult to get that balance.

Danny Simpson: I think the one thing I do regret was I didn't hug the trophy enough. I wish I'd taken more time with it and got more pictures.

Jeff Stelling: What a feeling that must be.

Danny Simpson: I can't even explain it. Like I said, I grew up at United and around the players there, lifting it and winning it, but to hold it yourself and be a big part of the team with your mates, who are literally your brothers, it's just unbelievable. We're bonded for life. We're still in the WhatsApp group.

The bonding, the chairman, and the dressing room

Jeff Stelling: People talk about that bonding, and I'm sure that during the course of the week after the Monday night game, the Chelsea-Spurs game, there were one or two drinks consumed. But did that happen generally at Leicester? Was that part of the bonding? Could you have a beer together, for instance? Could you be mates, as if you were mates in a job that wasn't football?

Wes Morgan: A secret to our success! No… I think when things are going well, as a group, we like to enjoy our time. 

But what was special about our team was we had the ownership that invested in us. And little things like, they would come down to the dressing room and say, guys, okay, let's get a deal going. If you win the next five we're going to take you for a night in London at the casino, we're going to have a great time. And the lads used to buzz off that. 

I'm not saying that was the incentive for us to win, but it was something for us to be a bit more focused on. Obviously we focused on the game, but to know there's a prize at the end of this, we're going to try our best anyway, but we can have a great time and do it at the same time.

Danny Simpson: Yeah. I think you train with each other that much, and you travel and you’re in coaches, team meetings, analysis, and sometimes you only really speak to certain teammates. Me and Wes are really close, but the other lads, sometimes you go out and have a bit and have a few drinks, and all of a sudden, like, Shinji's good on the karaoke. 

People might have certain issues or problems and you just start talking to people on another level. I just felt like, all of a sudden, I felt closer to certain lads that I maybe wasn't close to. 

And then you get in and you talk about the stories the night before. I just felt like it brought us all quite together. And like Wes said, it wasn't just five or six, it was the whole team, which was pretty unique.

Jeff Stelling: Did Shinji have a song?

Danny Simpson: I've actually got a video of his first song somewhere. He was just one of those, the energy, and the way he played was exactly how he was, you know, when he'd had a few drinks.

Wes Morgan: And what was funny is, obviously Shinji wasn't the best with his English. But once he gets onto the karaoke, it was great. He couldn't put two sentences together, but he was singing a whole song.

Jeff Stelling: Yeah. It was also interesting there, you say when the owner, when the chairman, comes into the dressing room, at most football clubs, when the chairman comes into the dressing room, it's headphones on, heads down, isn't it? You don't want to see them. But it was different at your Leicester.

Wes Morgan: They were unique. They were one of a kind, the ownership, and God rest his soul, Vichai in particular, because they really invested in the team. Made us feel a part of his family. 

Some of the stuff that was done for me personally, and I'm sure some of the guys could say the same, you know, his generosity. I think when we won the league that season, he said, you're going to stay at my house in Phuket. Take your family, go away. We spent a week there. You can imagine a billionaire's house in Phuket. It was an unbelievable experience. 

They were a big part of our success. The way they integrated with the team, the way they brought us close to him and his family and the whole club together, made it very, very special.

Putting the title in perspective: the squads they beat

Jeff Stelling: But the bookies weren't daft. If you looked at the sides Leicester were playing against, Chelsea had John Terry, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois in their team. Man United had Rooney and Juan Mata and Bastian Schweinsteiger. City had David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, Kevin De Bruyne. 

De Bruyne cost City as much as the entire Leicester City squad had cost. I mean, you had Riyad Mahrez, who'd been playing in Le Havre reserves, and N'Golo Kante, who'd been playing in the French second division. And Jamie Vardy, who had worked in a factory, played for Fleetwood, and he'd scored five goals the previous season. He won the league. I think people forget, you won the league by 10 points. 10 points, it's a massive margin.

Wes Morgan: Yeah, when you break it down and put it in perspective, and you look at the opposition, what we were up against, and you look at our team. And we've always spoken about it, we were probably a team of, not misfits, but a team of kind of, not quite made it. 

If you go through the team, Kasper, probably under the shadow of his dad a little bit. Christian Fuchs. I think the only main player that had that Premier League experience was probably Robert Huth. Because he'd been in and around it a long time.

Danny Simpson: He got let on a free, then I came on loan from, was it Stoke?

Jeff Stelling: Yeah. Did you all feel you had something to prove?

Danny Simpson: I think so. I feel like, yeah, even Marc Albrighton, Villa didn't want him.

Jeff Stelling: Which left everybody scratching their heads!

Danny Simpson: That's his club, you know. And N’golo Kante was the one. I think as a back four when we had N’golo in front of us…

Wes Morgan: Made our lives easier, didn't he.

Danny Simpson: He added a few years to your career! He did all the running, he was incredible. It was just a good group, even lads that came off the bench as well. Everyone had something to prove and just had that hunger and desire. We'd fight for ourselves and each other, and friends and family, and the fans.

Jeff Stelling: I mentioned those squads. Let's just round this off by putting it absolutely in perspective. Because not only did you win the league by 10 points, Man City were 15 points behind you, Liverpool were 21 points behind you, and Chelsea, John Terry, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, were 31 points behind you.

Danny Simpson: We only lost three games. Yeah. Insane.

The Arsenal red card and Ranieri's masterstroke week off

Danny Simpson: Not many cards either, though I did get a red against Arsenal. I get reminded of that. 

Jeff Stelling: What did you get the red card for?

Danny Simpson: It was soft. Two yellows. It was soft. But then the one, Welbeck scored the last minute. There's a reason, the story behind that, though. We spoke about it a few weeks ago, when the manager came in and gave us a week off.

Wes Morgan: Yeah, he was reminding me about it, yeah.

Danny Simpson: So, you know, like when you see Arsenal trying to win the league, and there's a lot of talk about Arteta and how he's been with him. 

Obviously we lost that game in February to Arsenal 2-1, and I felt like I'd let everyone down, and it was the end of the world, and we'd let the season slip away. 

And the manager came in, and we didn't have an FA Cup game the weekend after, so we had a free weekend, and we were due to train that week, and he just came in and said, lads, see you next Monday. Have a week off. Forget about this result, forget about football, don't watch social media. Just go and clear your mind, Clear your heads. 

And yeah, we just went off for a week. Some of us went away to Dubai together, and I think that was one of the masterstrokes that he did. Telling us just to go, and we come back, we go again. And I hope you had a good week.

Nigel Pearson's sacking

Jeff Stelling: I mean, we'll talk about Claudio Ranieri in just a moment. The season before, you had a phenomenal run at the end of the season, didn't you. Won seven of the last nine to avoid relegation, because you looked like you were in real trouble at the time, and that was under Nigel Pearson. So what was the players' reaction when Nigel got shown the door during the summer?

Wes Morgan: Yeah, I think it was tough, because especially for me, Nigel brought me in, and gave me the captain's armband after six months. So me and Nigel were quite close. 

I think he saw a lot of himself in me, in terms of my style of play and my character. So yeah, to see him go was difficult, and I was away on international duty at the time, so it wasn't as if I was in and around the club or in the city. I'm hearing the news, and sometimes you get pulled in to, okay, this is the decision we're making, just to let you know as the captain. So from afar, I think I was over in the States at the time, seeing it happen, was very difficult. 

But Claudio came in. Wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. Obviously, I didn't get to meet him for a long time because I was away on international duty. But spoke to the boys, and it was a good feeling, which was positive.

Jeff Stelling: What was your view about Nigel, Danny?

Danny Simpson: Me and Nigel had a love-hate relationship. He'd call me a lovable rogue. 

That year was tough for me. I obviously came to the squad Leicester had built already, and it was tough to get into that squad. They were close, they were fit, and I was just playing catch-up. I felt Ritchie De Laet was always playing in front of me. 

So yeah, I'd knock on Nigel's office sometimes, as you do. 

Jeff Stelling: Brave move. Knocking on Nigel’s door.

Danny Simpson: He’d tell you the truth, by the way, as well!

But I've got so much respect for him, because he always told me the truth. There was no, you know, I said, you went to the door to get answers, and you got them, even if you didn't like the answer. 

So, I was gutted that he left. But Claudio came in, and the first conversation I had with Claudio was that I could move on.

Jeff Stelling: Was it really?

Danny Simpson: Yeah. I didn't play for the first seven games, and that was frustrating, but I just kept my head down, because I loved the group, I loved Leicester, I loved being there. I had an opportunity to leave, but I thought, no, I don't want to leave.

Jeff Stelling: You must have been gutted to hear that?

Danny Simpson: Yeah, because I thought, new manager coming in, you know, you start as we go. 

But I was with the 21s and coming over to train with the boys, sometimes I'd just come over and train with them, like I was a young kid getting his chance again to train with the first team. 

I just kept my head down. And then one day he pulled me into the office and said, I'm sorry that I said that to you in our first chat. I think you could be good for this team. For a manager to say that, not many would do that. 

So credit, no, fair play to Claudio for doing that. And then I got into the team the week after, and never looked back. So, yeah, it kick-started my career again.

Ranieri arriving: scepticism after the Faroe Islands

Jeff Stelling: You played pretty much every game. Missed one for suspension, but other than that, was 30-odd appearances. When Claudio did come in, I just wonder about the view of the players. He’d had a spell in England, and I met him a lot of times, and he was an absolutely adorable character, a brilliant character, but he'd gone off and been manager of Greece, hadn't he? And they'd lost against the Faroe Islands, which takes some doing, you know, and lost his job. There must have been a bit of scepticism amongst the players.

Wes Morgan: Yeah, definitely a bit of a risk from the ownership and the club point of view, especially with Claudio's recent managerial appointments. 

For me, I was away, so I didn't really get to feel the impact. I was hoping just to come back into the team, and I wasn't sure I was going to be playing straight away. I know, as captain, I played all the season previous, but you just never know. 

Like Danny said earlier, it's like a bit of a clean slate for everybody, and everyone's got a second chance. So to go back and get straight into the team, massive respect for Claudio for doing that. 

But there's always that apprehension, like, okay, what's he actually going to bring? Has he still got it? We know he's been successful in the past, but in recent years, it's not really like he's got that anymore, so let's just wait and see. So there's that expectation of what's going to happen.

Pizzas, dilly-dong and the harder side of Ranieri

Jeff Stelling: We all know the story about the supposed rewards of pizzas and the dilly-ding, dilly-dong stuff. But was there a harder side to him? A tougher side?

Danny Simpson: Yeah. What I think was really key for him was that when he came in, I was there preseason, he could see there was something there already that the team had, that Nigel had left. And he didn't come in and rip it all up. 

He kept a lot from the training routines, listened to Craig Shakespeare, kept a lot of stuff the same. He could have come in and ripped it all up and gone, no, I want to do this, I want to do that. And he didn't. I thought that was really key, because he could see the lads were on a roll from the end of the last season, winning those games we had that confidence, and he kind of let us just go with it. 

I think he was really good with keeping us calm. He was good with the media, and he kept us away from it in a little bubble. That's what I felt.

Wes Morgan: I think what was good about Claudio, especially when we were doing well, was riding that wave, winning game after game. 

In terms of the media and the pressure they were trying to put on us, he would take that completely away. 

He loved his catchphrases and one-liners and that. But the media was trying to get that headline. “Are you going to win the league? Can you do it? But no, we're just going to try and get to the magic 40.

Jeff Stelling: Was the pizza thing a real thing, or is that just another one?

Wes Morgan: So that was for a clean sheet. We struggled to get a clean sheet in the first nine.

Danny Simpson: Yeah, that's why he brought Fuchs in.

Wes Morgan: But in typical Claudio fashion, okay, first clean sheet, take you out for pizza. I actually missed it! 

I wasn't there. I watched the scene on the socials. I think I might have been with the international team. I had something else, anyway. But yeah, I missed out on the pizza. That was one of the many things he would cook up.

Style of play under Claudio

Jeff Stelling: It's interesting. You watch you play, and when you look at some of the sides now, inevitably, things like the way the goalkeepers have got to pass the ball to either defender, you try and play out of trouble at the back constantly. That wasn't the way under Claudio, was it? It was much more, you know, if you're in trouble, get rid.

Danny Simpson: Because we had Jamie Vardy the chase it!

Jeff Stelling: Exactly. 

Wes Morgan: We had the players, we had a system. 

And we had a back four, which probably you could identify as, probably not old school, but you know, we stood up to be counted, solid. 

We weren't expecting full-backs to be joining in as wingers and 2-v-2 at the back. Me and Huthy, we had a solid system. 

Simmo would go sometimes to support, Fuchs would go sometimes, but we'd be on a pivot. 

We had a solid midfield once Kante actually got into the team, and Danny Drinkwater. Kante's like two players on the pitch and Drinkwater could spot a pass and deliver a pass.

Jeff Stelling: Didn’t N’golo start in the team, from the beginning?

Wes Morgan: I remember him coming on the first couple of games, he came on left wing at one point. Yeah, Stoke, came on left wing, and he was so good. 

He could play anywhere. Gokhan Inler was probably the marquee signing. So he kind of started, and Kante had to wait for his opportunity, came off the bench a little bit. 

Once he got in, there was no turning back. But like you said, it was probably going a bit more back to front than you would see these days. 

When you've got Shinji Okazaki, who's got 110% work rate for 95 minutes.

Danny Simpson: 60 minutes! That was the joke wasn’t it…

Wes Morgan: And Vardy who would chase down anything, you've always got a chance. We're not just clearing the ball, we're hitting it into areas which we know would benefit our team, and Vardy could get onto it.

Vardy's 11-game scoring run

Jeff Stelling: Everybody had an amazing season. Everyone did. But Jamie, you know, 11 consecutive Premier League games he scored in. And I calculated, just those goals, I mean, it doesn't always work this way, but those goals were worth 16 points effectively in those 11 games.

Danny Simpson: We were playing for him to get that record towards the last few games. We weren't absolutely thinking like, oh, we need to win today's game. We just wanted him to, maybe when he got to seven or eight, you know, we were talking about it, weren't we. We just wanted him to score. 

So even that United game, obviously, I'm a United fan, and I was just desperate for him to get that goal, weren't we. And when he did, it was unbelievable.

Wes Morgan: Also the closer it got to that, obviously the talk was like “can he really?” And then you get to seven, you get to eight, you're like, you've got to do it for us. You've got to do it. We're all right behind you. So we maybe could have scored a couple of extra goals, but we'd tee him up instead. That was a bit of a theme for a bit.

Inspiration for kids: resilience and never giving up

Jeff Stelling: There's a shot of the boy from Fleetwood, the ex-factory worker, with his Premier League winners' medal. And just looking at Jamie and his background, and the fact, Danny, you were told you were too small, and Wes, you were told you were too big, in some ways, you're sort of an inspiration for kids these days, aren't you. That don't necessarily believe everything you're told at a young age.

Wes Morgan: And like Danny mentioned before, resilience is a big, big thing, and you have to go through the tough times, the negativity, to come out the other side. It's easier said than done. A lot of people would crumble because it's just too much. But if you can come out the other side and believe in yourself and your ability, you can go far. 

I think our group is definitely testament to that, because the majority of our group was probably not seen as, okay, they're tipped to be the next superstars in football. We've had to work hard and grind, and that's what we did.

Danny Simpson: I'd like to think, when kids, just don't give up, just never give up, that was our mentality.

Because Jamie's a prime example. Anything's possible. He didn't just stop there. He carried on, and he's still playing now, you know. 

And I just think, yeah, any young kid, you get told no, no, things are not going great. It can easily turn. Just believe in yourself and stick together and get good people around you. You never know what can happen.

When did you first think you'd win the title?

Jeff Stelling: When did you first think you'd win the title?

Danny Simpson: Are we different on this?

Wes Morgan: For me, it was when we played Man City away. Pretty early. You know, middle of February. funny thing, like, we're playing Man City, we know what talent they've got at the Etihad. 

We're thinking, right, if we can just get a point, we're great. But the way we went about our business, the way we won the game, that's when it first clicked to me, like, we could actually be onto something special here. 

Because this is Man City at the Etihad, and we just turned them over pretty comfortably.

Jeff Stelling: Yeah, you battered them! I think you were 3-0 up, weren't you?

Wes Morgan: Yeah, exactly. Ironically, the next game was the Arsenal game. Someone gets sent off. We lose. So that's a bit of a shock to the system, to be fair. But yeah, the Man City game definitely for me, when I thought we could do something special from here.

Danny Simpson: Yeah, I think we had Riyad score that goal. Even just from the lads' point of view, you just look at it, wow, this kid's a superstar. 

We knew how good he was, but that goal, I just remember getting past Joe Hart, his little step over. 

Yeah, but that wasn't really the game. I was too scared to believe that it was going to happen, because I'd feel like, if I do that, something goes wrong. 

So for me, it was West Ham. Which is quite late. The way, because we were playing first before Tottenham. I think they had Europe, they played on a Thursday, so we played before them. We always had a chance to get three points ahead of them. 

West Ham at home, remember the first goal penalty, we were 2-1 down, Jamie Vardy gets sent off, you think, oh, we've not got Vardy for the next game, what are we going to do? We kept fighting. We kept it at 2-1, and we got a penalty right at the end. Jeff Schlupp got a penalty and we drew 2-2. And when we got into the dressing room, that felt like a win, that point. 

That's when I thought, this is ours. This has got to be ours now, because everything's falling into place. If you're Tottenham and watching that, you’re so disheartened that we’ve then we got a point, so it's like, you can get a point in the game, but it was like, have you lost two points or gained a point? We felt like we gained it. And that was for me.

Pressure and the run of one-nils

Jeff Stelling: I don't know if there was a help or a hindrance, but obviously, at this stage, every football fan in the country is rooting for you. 

I mean, everyone, and probably most of them thinking the wheels are going to fall off at some stage. I remember mentioning to you earlier, the Monday night game where you played Newcastle. It was not a thing of great beauty, and you won 1-0 on the night. And I think there were a series of 1-0’s at that stage. I just wonder whether that awareness that you could win the title was making it tougher.

Wes Morgan: Yeah. And sometimes that mentality shift, we go back to the season before, we'd just avoided relegation. So we kind of had no pressure on ourselves, even though we were flying high and everyone was getting a bit excited. We kind of put no pressure on ourselves for a long, long time. 

I don't know if we kind of thought in-house that some of the guys were like, yeah, the wheels are going to fall off at some point, enjoy the ride. But there was no pressure until we got into the warm months of the year, and it's like, oh, okay, we're still up there, guys. We've played everyone, we've beaten everyone, we've not lost hardly any games. Crazy what happened

Danny Simpson: I think we just didn't, like, the 1-0’s, we loved it. They felt like wins, but we enjoyed defending as a team, blocks and clearances. And he’s shout at me, for most of the games, if it was my fault, I'd show it, and then we'd start. 

We were always on each other. So we won 1-0, we got in and we felt great, that we were stopping our team scoring. So yeah, we did enjoy those moments as well. As you know, the good goals, the Vardy and Mahrez score, but I think those series of 1-0’s were like…

Wes Morgan: We don't mind grinding out them games! As defenders, defenders' pride and joy is keeping clean sheets. For me, anyway. You get a clean sheet, that's as good as a goal for me. From a defender's point of view.

Jeff Stelling: Did you go home and talk to your friends and family about the possibility of winning the title, even if you weren't saying anything publicly?

Wes Morgan: I kept myself in a bubble, you know. I wouldn't listen to the news much. I wouldn't listen to socials. My friends obviously would speak about it, my tight-knit group, you know, that's fine, you can just be honest with them.

Danny Simpson: We were in Copenhagen at Christmas. And normally they say it, normally the team at the top of the league at Christmas goes on to win it. Yeah, our Christmas party was in Copenhagen, and I’ll never forget it. We were all in fancy dress, we were all dressed as Pac-Man, Ninja Turtles, Spiderman…

Wes Morgan: It was a Christmas do!

Danny Simpson: In fancy dress. And we were like, that's a team that probably normally finishes, spends Christmas Day winning the league, you know, wins the league. And we were all sat there talking about in our cartoon outfits. I remember that was surreal.

Jeff Stelling: That would have made a great team photo.

Danny Simpson: We must have that somewhere. You were pacman weren’t you?

Wes Morgan: Yeah, I was Pac-Man that year. Sully from Monsters Inc the year after… 

The Tinkerman who stopped tinkering

Jeff Stelling: It's interesting, because Claudio obviously earned the name of the Tinkerman when he was down at Chelsea. It was the last thing he was, really, wasn't it, at Leicester. Because you could pretty much name the team every single week, couldn't you?

Wes Morgan: Yeah. I think for us, we didn't have many injuries. There wasn't much, normally, a reason to change is when you're not really performing, you make a few changes for that. 

So injury-wise, was pretty good. Suspensions, wasn't bad. Team performing each week. So the kind of Tinkerman thing didn't really have the opportunity to come in much. 

And probably just go back a little bit from when you were talking about, what's Claudio like on the training pitches, pretty firm and focused on wanting us to know our jobs. Everyone needs to know the job. 

So there's a bit of a different side we saw, or we knew, compared to what the fans and the media saw. But that's him as a manager, wanting to achieve things and be the best.

Summer of 2016

Jeff Stelling: So you've won the title. That summer must have been a bit surreal, wasn't it? 

Danny Simpson: [To Wes] What was your summer, mate? [Laughs]

I had the best summer of my life. I think I didn't take the medal off. 

I actually remember we went to LA, it was a group of lads, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was actually there with us. Every day I was just like, “you got one of these mate?” We're just having banter with everyone. 

Like I said, it's not something you expect. It was just, you mentioned before, Jeff, about the neutrals coming up to you and congratulating you. So that wasn't just like Leicester fans, it was everyone, even in America, because it's a big underdog story, they love that. 

And everywhere you went, people were just praising you. It was a great summer. I didn't want it to end, really.

Wes Morgan: Yeah. I don't know, like, the owners would have taken us, so we probably had like a four-week whirlwind of celebration, since we were crowned champions. And one of the things the ownership always do is take us to Thailand. 

So we had a spell in Thailand. I would have had international duty anyway, so I would have maybe got a week or two weeks' grace before going back. We had a crazy time as a team, as a club, in Thailand. 

And I remember leaving Thailand to go, obviously, report for international duty, but my summer, especially when I was playing internationals, I'd try and get a bit of downtime. I'd go on a family holiday, maybe get a bit of a holiday with the lads.

Danny Simpson: I said to my mates in maybe January or February, if we win the league, I'll take you to Marbella. Didn't think we were going to win the league! 

When it was confirmed, I had loads of texts from them like, “when we going to Marbella?!”

So, to be fair, my mates I grew up with, like, 10 of us, we all went. Just like I said, friends from they've been there from day one, seen me struggle. There were about 10 of us, and we had a week over there. Just my mates from school and stuff. So it was pretty special.

The next season unravelling and Claudio's sacking

Jeff Stelling: Despite that, the next season started okay, in fairness, but I think by February, it was sort of unravelling. You were out of the FA Cup, and you lost to Sevilla in the Champions League, and were just outside the relegation places. Obviously, Claudio was sacked. We heard all the stories. What was the reaction of the players to Claudio leaving the club?

Danny Simpson: I'm just honest. I think it was mixed. Me, personally, I was sad to see him go. Personally, I think it was tough that season, because we went from Saturday-Saturday, you see it now in the Premier League, with Newcastle, and any team that gets into Europe, your team's struggling in the league. 

I felt like that was us, and we didn't have a big enough squad to cope with Wednesday-Saturday, Tuesday-Saturday. I just think, for me, it was pretty early. We were trying. I think other players might say different. But I think for me, to start, obviously give me a chance, I felt like I owed him a lot. 

So yeah, I think that season was always going to be difficult, trying to balance Premier League and Champions League when none of us had really done that before.

Wes Morgan: Yeah. I think from my point of view, obviously it's never good to see a manager go. 

I've been around the game a long time, probably 15-plus managers. Every season seems to be, at one point, a different manager or two. 

But obviously, with what Claudio achieved, and the significance of what happened, it's always a tough one. It's always a tough one to see the person that crowned a team like Leicester, or helped push a team like Leicester to be champions, go. But at the same time, I'm a bit of a realistic kind of person. I knew results weren't great. I knew we were struggling, in a position where we shouldn't be. 

Performances weren't the best. Even though it was flying in the Champions League, domestically wasn't doing great. So it wasn't a total surprise to see it coming, knowing the ownership expect a lot, especially on the back of the previous season. So it was sad to see, but I wasn't totally surprised.

Danny Simpson: I just think we needed to be like we were Leicester. 

I know we had the gold badge on our arms, but we were Leicester City. The other teams that we defeated and won the title from were not happy. You mentioned the points gap and stuff. They obviously, clearly strengthened. 

And yeah, I just think it was, because it was so good for the last 50 games, the 10 before, when we got relegated, we got 10 games in the 38. I think we got used to winning, and then it was weird for us to be losing, so it was strange. But I do think we were Leicester City.

Was sacking Ranieri the right decision?

Jeff Stelling: Looking back, 10 years on, with the benefit of hindsight, was it the right decision?

Wes Morgan: That’s the question, really. Shakespeare took over, and we still continued well in the Champions League.

Danny Simpson: And then, even Shakespeare didn't really change his role. And then, you know, God bless his soul, his role in the team was so vital as the assistant. So good at it. 

He took it on as the manager and didn't really want to take that on, but obviously felt responsible to. He could. But no, I think in hindsight, I'm going to say it wasn't the right decision, because then the following manager came in, and I didn't get on with, no, Claude Puel came in, and that wasn't a good fit. 

Obviously, Brendan Rodgers ended up coming in, which I think was, I only had a little bit of time of him, but I just thought he was fantastic, unbelievable coach. So for me, I would have liked to have seen Claudio stay a bit longer for what he'd done for us. But football's football.

The Champions League quarter-final and the beginning of the end

Jeff Stelling: Yeah, nine permanent managers since him, you know, so been through a few, and that's not including the so-called interim managers. We call them interim rather than caretakers. 

But you mentioned that in the Champions League Wes, he had a great run, got to the quarter-finals. The Champions League, that's some achievement. Lost narrowly to Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals. But do you think that defeat was the point where the team maybe started to unravel? Was that the beginning of the end for this title-winning team?

Danny Simpson: I felt so.

Wes Morgan: I don't want to admit it, because I'm still in the euphoria of all the good times a little bit. 

But we gave a great account of ourselves in the Champions League. I think we were the last remaining English side at that stage. Even the game we lost, we went out and gave it all. Everyone loves to talk, you know, you give a great effort. But after that, it was definitely a spell where we were like, okay, are we just a mid-table team now?

Danny Simpson: It’s hard to get those feelings back.

Wes Morgan: What are we? A few personnel changes. You lose a bit of the dressing room a little bit. But like Danny said, we went through a manager, I think wasn't quite the right thing, but then Brendan came in, gave us a bit of a boost, and we had some good finishes, good performances.

Jeff Stelling: Won the FA Cup.

Wes Morgan: Won the FA Cup, got the nine-nil against Southampton. Some unbelievable moments. We were fighting for the title, actually, throughout the season, and we kind of dropped off towards the end in a couple of Brendan's seasons. So yeah, it's the cycle of football a little bit, I think.

Danny Simpson: Yeah, I felt like, I felt that I knew certain players would then move on. Our team, we'd already lost Kante, which we didn't want, nobody wanted that. We were coping in the Champions League without him. Imagine if we had him. I always think that. 

And then, yeah, I just think you start to lose your best players. You're happy for them, because they're going to move on into better things. Riyad, Childwell, N'Golo left. But yeah, I felt like that was, for me, my team. It's that little bit of the dream, who is gone, yeah. But it's just football.

Do you still see the lads?

Jeff Stelling: People move on in every different direction. Did you still see the guys? Do you still get together at all?

Wes Morgan: We're quite good. We're in the group chats. Not as active as they used to be, some of the group chats. I'm in about three or four groups, that's from different areas, for me. 

But, especially with the 10-year anniversary kicking in, coming the end of the season, and celebrations that we're trying to organise, we'll speak to all of them a lot at the moment. So look forward to catching up with everyone face-to-face.

Leicester's current plight

Jeff Stelling: I have to mention Leicester's current plight. How do you feel about what's happened at the club in recent seasons?

Danny Simpson: We speak about it all the time, as you can imagine, every time the result comes in. We're on the phone, aren't we?

Wes Morgan: Really difficult. Really, really difficult. And what Danny said, I share. Everything he says, I totally agree with. 

And I think when we look back at our time and you leave the club and you think you left it in a good place, hopefully there might not be the top, top times, but at least you're going to be a staple Premier League club, in and around it, season after season. 

And to see them obviously drop down to the Championship and then come back, I think, wow, we’ve dodged a bullet, and then drop back down, and then see them now, the position they're in, and watching the team and performances, you're thinking, what the hell has happened?

Jeff Stelling: It's been a cliche, it's been a roller coaster ride, as far as the fans are concerned. But from the time you won the title, for the next five years or whatever, it was just an unimaginably fantastic time. With the best will in the world, Leicester is not the biggest city in the East Midlands. Those are days they could never have anticipated.

Wes Morgan: Yeah, unbelievable. When I look back at the beginning of my career and spending half my career in the Championship and League One, and then to get promoted to the Premier League at 30 years old. 

A lot of people think the wheels are about to fall off. The best years, you know, to play in the Champions League, to score in the Champions League, to play in the Europa, the FA Cup, to be a part of a team with some massive performances and big results. And just to see the team go from where it was to what it became. New training ground, which is unbelievable. Just go from strength to strength. And then you leave, you think you're leaving it in good hands, and now you see where it is. Those good times are fantastic, but, why are we where we are now?

The FA Cup final farewell

Danny Simpson: Your last game, FA Cup Final. There's no better way to finish your career and leave a club as captain and lift an FA Cup and say, right, I've done this for you guys. Obviously, it must be even more harder to take.

Wes Morgan: Exactly. You know, you're getting old, 35 or 36, you get demoted to the bench, and then you're not even in the squad, and you're just trying to think, right, this is coming to an end. I probably became a bit of a moaner. 

Danny Simpson: I know you’re a moaner!

Wes Morgan: Obviously, going in, I'm thinking, right, I'm too old for this. But yeah, to see the team competing in the FA Cup, and for me to start the season, then be injured for a long, long time, knowing I'm going to retire, thinking, right, I want one more game, just to get on the grass and say my bye to the fans. 

Little did I know that the last game would have been the FA Cup Final. So it was an unbelievable way to say bye to my career.

The Premier League winners' medal

Jeff Stelling: Not many people have done that. It's a brilliant way to finish. Do you ever look at that Premier League winners' medal?

Wes Morgan: Yeah, I've got it in a fantastic position. What's great, you know, we all got these little mini Premier League trophies given to us. So I've got a good display. 

I've got the Premier League shirt in a frame, and the trophy and the medal, all in one frame, and the FA Cup on the other side of the room. And then obviously all my accolades, medals, and trophies throughout my career, all in and around it.

Jeff Stelling: I read a story, Danny. I really hope it's true, that once in a while, you dig your medal out and you just remind yourself of what you achieved.

Danny Simpson: It's too nice. Sometimes life's tough, and it's nice to remind yourself of what you've done. Sometimes people will come over, and they want to see the medal. So I'll go and get it out and put it on, sit there for a while and let other people see it. So no, it's nice. Like I said, it's something I never thought I'd have. So yeah, it's nice to bring it out sometimes.

Jeff Stelling: Why not? Because it was the achievement of a lifetime. You're both absolutely brilliant. Look, Wes, Danny, loved your company. Thanks very much for joining us. I think it's high time we got out there and got a tenner on Curacao. 

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