It’s the football story of this, or any other, year.
The only way Leicester City’s transformation from relegation fodder to champions could be any sweeter is if they had an Ireland international in their ranks.
How good would that be?
Since John O’Shea and Darron Gibson were shown the Old Trafford exit the Republic of Ireland have not had an international operating at the summit of the Premier League.
O’Shea and Gibson were the last Ireland internationals to play for a Premier League side in the Champions League – the 2011 semi-final win over Schalke no less (both were spared the 3-1 final schooling at the hands of Barcelona).
The expectation was Seamus Coleman and James McCarthy could help fire Everton to the top four, but nobody expected the pair to challenge for the title and add to the six Irish internationals – Roy Keane, Denis Irwin, Gibson, O’Shea, Jeff Kenna and Damien Duff – with Premier League medals.
It is a depressing reality we have come to terms with that Ireland, at the present time, are not producing players that attract the interest of England’s elite clubs.
But Leicester City?
Last season they were rooted to the bottom of the table, before eventually finishing in 14th place, slap bang in the middle of a Premier League bottom half crawling with Ireland internationals.
Had pretty much any other team bolted from the bottom half to Premier League champions in the space of nine months we would have a first Irish winner since 2011.
Coleman, Gibson, Aiden McGeady and McCarthy were part of the Everton team that finished 11th. Next were the West Ham of Darren Randolph and Joey O’Brien, followed by West Bromwich Albion – who added James McClean to their number during the summer.
Below Leicester in 15th at the end of last season were Newcastle United, who have seen Rob Elliott excel in goal this season. They were one place above O’Shea’s Sunderland and the Aston Villa of Ciaran Clark.
Then we have the promoted sides: Robbie Brady and Wes Hoolahan’s Norwich, Bournemouth – who boast Harry Arter and Eunan O’Kane in their number – and Watford, whose reserve goalkeeper is Rene Gilmartin.
Seriously, what are the chances?
Of all the clubs to make a jump from the lower reaches of the Premier League, it happens to be the one with no Ireland international in their squad.
Leicester, back in the money having imploded financially and sank to the depths of League One in recent years, are just the sort of upwardly-mobile middle-ranking club that are in the market for solid Irish professionals.
They took Robert Huth from Stoke on loan last season initially, it could just have easily been a central midfielder (Glenn Whelan) or striker (Jonathan Walters) they were after.
Danny Simpson has had a transient career, to say the least. Signed from QPR in 2014, did the full-back represent a better investment than Derby’s Cyrus Christie?
Spare a thought for Conrad Logan. By the time the Donegal man was released last summer he was the club’s longest serving player, at the Walkers/King Power Stadium since 2001 the goalkeeper has been keeping himself busy with media work as he recovers from an Achilles injury.
He only made 30 appearances in total for the Foxes, enjoying seven separate loan spells as Leicester went through a turbulent recent history and 11 permanent managers.
Signed from Preston in 2011, Sean St Ledger endured a turbulent time at the club but was awarded a Championship winners medal in 2014 before being released at the end of his contract.
Rows with then manager Nigel Pearson and a serious knee injury prevented the Colorado Rapids man from ever truly settling in the East Midlands.
It could have been different, he could have been playing in the centre of defence with Wes Morgan or Robert Huth.
He could have been a contender. WE could have been contenders!
