Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PURE EMOTION
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers: On the field we take each day as it comes. Off the field we celebrate a wonderful life
forefront of people’s minds again today. Supporters are also getting involved with ‘A Walk for Vichai’ from the city’s Magazine Square to the stadium. Boss Rodgers, whose side are fourth after losing 2-1 at Liverpool before the international break, reflected: “I talked about it Thursday morning. “There will be a lot of emotion on and off the pitch these next five games before the next break, and we will be very much together. “The club will show the solidarity on and off the pitch that was really created by Vichai. On the field, you take each game as it comes. Off the field, you commemorate a wonderful life.”
Foxes’ fan-favourite Gerry Taggart drove away from the King Power Stadium a year ago with his two sons relieved at Leicester’s late fightback.
An 89th-minute equaliser by Wilfred
Ndidi (below) had earned the Foxes a point against 10-man West Ham. Yet the game soon became irrelevant as the entire city of Leicester was plunged into mourning by the devastating helicopter crash.
It left former City defender Taggart reflecting on his own escape after being in the vicinity of the crash minutes before it happened.
But from the ashes of the appalling events has sprung a foundation in Leicester’s late owner’s name to generate funds for good causes.
And Taggart (left), who played for the club from 1998-2004, insists the 2016 champions are set for even greater future success as they look to honour the memory of tragic Vichai.
The 48-year-old told Mirror Sport: “I met him on a couple of occasions – he was always smiling. The first I knew of what happened was on my way home. I was getting a lot of phone calls from some of the staff here.
“Both of my sons had been to the game with me. When I dropped them off, I answered my phone and it was the club making sure I was OK.
“I asked why and they told me what had happened. I then realised I had missed it by about two minutes because we had seen the fire brigade.
“The owners did a lot for the city of Leicester – especially for the children at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.
“That was one of the reasons why the outpouring was as great as it has been.
“I expect in years to come the club will make sure they progress through the Vichai Foundation and ensure the legacy will stand the test of time.
“It is a massively important role for the club to play and the legacy of the owner and this football club will carry long into the future.”
On the exact anniversary a week on Sunday, Leicester will open a memorial garden at the crash site, where staff members Kaveporn Punpare and Nusara Suknamai, and pilots Eric Swaffer and Izabela Lechowicz also died.