MX23RW : Friday, February 7 23:48:31| >> :120:5278:5278:

Brendan Rodgers would dedicate FA Cup win to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha

Brendan Rodgers would dedicate FA Cup win to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
© Reuters
Leicester are looking to win the FA Cup for the first time in their history.

Boss Brendan Rodgers has urged Leicester to win the FA Cup for late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his family.

The Foxes face Chelsea in their first FA Cup final in 52 years at Wembley on Saturday.

Khun Vichai and four others died in October 2018 when his helicopter crashed outside the King Power Stadium following a 1-1 draw with West Ham.

Leicester's fans continue to remember their former owner
Leicester's fans continue to remember their former owner (Mike Egerton/PA)

He bought the club in 2010 and saw the Foxes win a shock Premier Legaue title in 2016.

Son Aiyawatt, known as Top, is now the club's chairman and Rodgers wants to lift the trophy – for the first time in the club's history – for the family.

He said: "We had a chat on Thursday morning around that. We revisited when I first came in, two and a half years ago back in 2019, when I talked about the cause and why we were doing it.

"Back then we sat as a team and collectively had a set of values and a signpost going forward.

"Of course, for Khun Vichai and his family, they were obviously a massive motivator because, even though he's not here, our fight every day is to continue with his legacy and the dreams he had for Leicester and the supporters.

"We still very much feel his presence. You see it here in the training facility and I'm very protective of that. I try to ensure that the players understand that it's more than football why we're here.

"That's a huge part of our story and an influence for the development of this club. We fight every day to protect that."

Rodgers left Celtic to join Leicester
Rodgers left Celtic to join Leicester (PA)

Rodgers left Celtic almost two and a half years ago on the brink of winning the treble for the third straight year.

He has built a team to challenge for the Premier League's top four but insisted he does not view reaching Saturday's final as simple justification for leaving Parkhead.

"I don't want to say that, I knew what I was leaving, I was leaving one of the great clubs in the world in Celtic," said the 48-year-old. "To deal with the pressure there, the expectation and that mental fortitude to deal with the biggest clubs was an incredible experience for me.

"From that point I thought I had taken it as far as I could, it was onto the next challenge.

"It's one of the rules of success for me, you have to be able to test yourself. I'm not a maintainer, I have to be able to build, create and have the opportunity to do that.

"It isn't necessarily at the biggest clubs, arriving to Leicester was the next part of my story. I know when I left Celtic some people weren't happy, some people could understand it but I have my own mind.

"I made a decision which I was very clear on but it's always been about the challenge and test. Coming here was going to be a big challenge against some of the biggest clubs in the world. We have embraced that. It's gone well but we want to keep pushing forward."

ID:447539: cacheID:447539:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6723:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
West Ham United manager David Moyes on May 9, 2021
Read Next:
Five talking points ahead of this weekend's Premier League action
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal24148249222750
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Chelsea24127547311643
5Manchester CityMan City24125748351341
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brentford24103114342133
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton248973539-433
12Crystal Palace247982830-230
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2485112834-629
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs24831348371127
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham2476112946-1727
16Everton236892328-526
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!