It's impossible not to feel sorry for poor old Claudio Ranieri.
Nine months ago he was the darling of the football world. He'd miraculously steered a team tipped for relegation to a Premier League title that nobody saw coming. This was undeniably the achievement of his career.
How times change.
Leicester have failed to recreate last season's form and currently sit just above the top flight's relegation zone. There's a very real chance that the champions of England could go down and for that reason, Ranieri was given the boot on Thursday evening.
Understandably, the decision has prompted uproar. Gary Lineker, a man who started his career with the Foxes, used his Twitter account to describe the decision as 'inexplicable, unforgivable and gut-wrenchingly sad'.
Many of Lineker's fellow Leicester fans are upset too, including the young supporter who delivered a card to Ranieri's house on Friday. With camera lenses trained on the Italian's front door, Ranieri showed what a bloody lovely man he is by coming out to accept the card. Not only that, he even had the decency to pose for a photograph.
2016/17 might not have gone to plan for him, but Ranieri remains an absolute gent.
https://twitter.com/benchapmanitv/status/835153426845691904
