City pays tribute to former Lord Mayor

Posted: January 10, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: City Council, Leicester, Leicester City FC, Leicester Tigers, Leicestershire, Politics, Sport | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on City pays tribute to former Lord Mayor

councillor bhatti

Former City Councillor Culdipp Bhatti (pictured above), who represented the Rushey Mead ward for 32 years until his retirement last May, has passed away at the age of 80.

A long-serving member of Leicester East Constituency Labour Party, the Punjab-born Mr Bhatti achieved distinction as Leicester’s first ever Sikh Lord Mayor, a role he held from May 1996 to May 1997.

His year of office was particularly notable for the number of trophies won by local sports teams. Leicester City FC, Leicester Tigers and Leicestershire County Cricket Club all won national trophies during that period and were duly honoured by the Lord Mayor at the Town Hall.

In 2005, the then Councillor Bhatti, a teacher by profession, was awarded an MBE by the Queen in her Birthday Honours List in recognition of his services to Children in Leicester.

Friends and former colleagues of Mr Bhatti have spoken of their sadness and sorrow at his passing.

Local MP Keith Vaz described him as a “man of honour, integrity and dedication”, while city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby praised his “passion and loyalty”.

Leicester Voice editor, Colin Hall, who served alongside Mr Bhatti as a Councillor for 13 years,  also paid warm and and glowing respects.

Mr Hall, who himself served as Lord Mayor during the 2010-11 municipal year, said, “Culdipp made a phenomenal contribution, over many decades, to the community, the City Council and the Labour Party.  His record speaks for itself.

“As one of the first councillors of Asian origin in this city, he blazed a trail which others later followed.  He provided support and inspiration to so many of us. We could not have achieved what we did without the help that he gave us.

“During his long and distinguished public office, Culdipp received a wide range of honours, all of which he thoroughly deserved.

“But none meant more to him than the tribute paid by his fellow residents of Rushey Mead, by electing him to represent them on nine successive occasions.

“That’s an incredible achievement – which Culdipp was rightly very proud of.  It tells us everything about the esteem in which the community held him.

“My thoughts are with his widow and his family at this distressing time.”

Mr Bhatti’s funeral service will be held at Gilroes Crematorium, Groby Road, Leicester, LE3 9QG on Monday 11th January 2016 at 12.15 noon followed by a religious ceremony at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara Sikh Temple, 106 East Park Road, Leicester LE5 4QB at 13.30pm.

Donations in Mr Bhatti’s memory can be made to ‘Oncology, Ward 40, Leicester Royal Infirmary’.

Away form key to destiny of Premier season

Posted: January 2, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Football, Leicester, Leicester City FC, Premier League | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Away form key to destiny of Premier season

Claudio Ranieri

Few teams on the planet surprised and delighted their followers more than Leicester City did during 2015.

After looking racing certainties during the first quarter of the year for a return to lower-league football, the Foxes mounted a miraculous recovery to pull out of the Premier League relegation zone, and ended the season in a comfortable 14th place.

However, after a turbulent summer which saw the departures of both manager Nigel Pearson and influential midfielder Esteban Cambiasso, another season of struggle was widely forecast.

Instead, though, the installation of veteran Italian manager Claudio Ranieri (pictured above) into the King Power Stadium hotseat has seen City enjoy what to date has been their most successful season in generations.

At the halfway stage, the club are in second place, trailing leaders Arsenal only on goal difference and well ahead of former champions Manchester United and troubled current title-holders Chelsea.  With six wins on their travels to date, City – for the first time in Premier history – boast the best away record in the league.

Many fans, who previously would have settled for a season of solid mid-table consolidation are now dreaming of a place in next season’s Champions League.  Some are even entertaining the notion that 2016 may be the year Leicester lands its first ever top-flight title.

The experienced and astute Ranieri has taken great care not to give any sustenance whatsoever to such fantasies.  He has insisted that his squad takes each game as it comes, and focuses primarily on securing Premier status for next season.

With 39 points already banked – just 2 short of the total achieved for the whole previous campaign – that mission can now be regarded as being safely accomplished.

The question is now whether the side can continue the momentum that it has built up in the past few months.

As the transfer window reopens, Ranieri faces the dilemma of how to add to the current quality and depth within his squad without threatening the team spirit which has played such an important role in progress during the past year.

While the club’s ambitious owners will make funding readily available, Ranieri’s spending power is unlikely to match that of his direct competitors.  But the scouting network at his disposal,  which has unearthed so many comparative bargains in recent years – such as Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante – can be trusted to deliver for the club once more.

The most significant challenges are likely to come during the next six weeks, when the Foxes are due to visit all three of their closest rivals for the Premier crown.

The outcome of the trips to White Hart Lane, the Etihad and the Emirates may well be paramount in determining that of City’s season in general.

Ranieri may be tempted to succumb to the pragmatic, cautious instincts that afflict so many of his managerial contemporaries and which have been prevalent for many years within the top levels of the game in his homeland.

That course of action, though, would not be in the best interests of either manager or club.  Throughout his tenure – and that of the closing months of his predecessor – City have gained plaudits as well as points by their bold, positive approach, and the players are evidently most comfortable with it.

Many factors, such as injuries, suspensions or the impact of cup competitions, may also influence the remaining months of the season.

But there is every reason to anticipate that the Foxes – even if they fall short of the ultimate prize – will record achievements during the coming year which will not only confirm their position as a genuine top-flight force, but will be remembered with awe for generations to come.