Anderlecht and Leicester - Supporters Unite

Article by Leicester Correspondent Jonathan Smith

When it was announced that Leicester City had signed Marcin Wasilewski, my first thought was ‘why?’ Nigel Pearson has tended to go for one experienced centre back alongside a younger one during his time as manager of the Foxes. If you look back at the League One promotion winning season, a young Jack Hobbs or Michael Morrison often partnered Bulgarian international Aleksander Tunchev, the 2009/10 season saw the experienced Wayne Brown become a regular alongside Hobbs and this season had seen the emergence of Academy product Liam Moore at the heart of defence next to Championship veteran Wes Morgan. With the wise heads of Zak Whitbread and Sean St Ledger waiting in the wings and Morgan a near ever present it seemed that another experienced centre half would be fairly low down on the list of priorities.

A bit of Youtube research soon showed that Wasilewski isn’t just a Polish international with Champions League experience from his time with Anderlecht; he’s also a fierce competitor who puts his body on the line for the cause. City fans have long bemoaned a lack of battling qualities within the team. When we’ve been allowed to play football we’ve played some decent stuff but when teams have set their stall out to be aggressive, scrap it out and get in our faces we’ve been guilty of rolling over and having our tummy tickled. I wouldn’t fancy trying to tickle Wasilewski’s tummy if I was an opposing player.

It has taken Marcin a while to break into the first team, partially due to the form of Moore at centre half, but since Ritchie De Laet’s shin injury he has made a starting spot his own. Pearson has spoken of the qualities he’s brought to a young squad and how impressive his professionalism has been.

If Leicester City supporters were unsure of how Wasilewski was viewed by supporters of his previous club, Saturday’s match against Millwall should give them some idea. A group of sixty-three loyal Anderlecht supporters were present to support their former player and mobbed him after the final whistle as he approached to thank them. Not only was this a sign of what a good player he must have been in Belgium but also of his character as he seemed to really enjoy being in with the fans rather than applauding from a distance.

The trip to Leicester was organised by the Michils brothers, Anthony, Francis and Alex. One of the Anderlecht die-hards who made the trip was Frank Eeckhout, a 44 year old season ticket holder and follower of the club all across Europe. He told me that one moment in particular that won the hearts of Anderlecht supporters was when Wasilewski, having battled back from a serious leg break which he suffered in a game against Standard de Liege, scored a penalty in a win against the very same opponent. He celebrated by jumping in with his own supporters and his name is still chanted by Anderlecht supporters to this day during the 27th minute (27 being his squad number during his time in Belgium) of matches. It seems that the Polish giant has left a lasting mark on his former club.

The sixty-three Anderlecht supporters are set to make a second appearance towards the end of December when Bolton are the visitors to Filbert Way. In fact, there has almost been an unofficial linking of the two clubs by supporters via social networking websites following the mutual respect shown on Saturday. It reminds me of when Cheltenham supporters won the hearts of City fans by doing the Conga despite losing 4-0 and staring relegation in the face. That led to some Leicester fans attending Cheltenham games and vice versa. It just shows you that football can be a positive force in bringing different communities and cultures together.

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