Reactions to Claudio Ranieri’s appointment back in July show how he’s defied every expectation

Leicester City's 2015/16 will go down as the most remarkable in the history of the Premier League.

You all know the story by now. Having ended last season at a canter to just about avoid relegation, the Foxes sacked manager Nigel Pearson over the summer, replacing him with Claudio Ranieri. The Italian had been out of work since the previous November after he was dismissed as manager of the Greece national team following a disastrous Euro 2016 qualifying campaign which saw the 2004 champions defeated by the Faroe Islands. But for whatever reason, Leicester and Ranieri have proved to be a match made in Heaven, with the Foxes now on the cusp of the most unlikely league title of all-time. Still, when Ranieri arrived at the King Power Stadium on July 13, 2015, things didn't look so positive. Former Foxes striker Gary Lineker was not overly-enthused with the appointment. https://twitter.com/GaryLineker/status/620629826303598592

While former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann reckoned the only way was down for the former Chelsea boss.

https://twitter.com/DietmarHamann/status/620682402566791168

Ranieri's time at Greece made many question his credentials.

https://twitter.com/Redknapp/status/620628397132124161

His appointment brought common refrains of "where are the English managers?"

https://twitter.com/WrightVince/status/621749016850771968

And it didn't take long for the fans to turn on him.

https://twitter.com/SimonJones23/status/621782139235868673

For some, he was destined to fail.

https://twitter.com/johncrossmirror/status/620723450441826304 https://twitter.com/JoshHartleyyy/status/620732861256212480 https://twitter.com/UncleRBenson/status/620726907303235585

Nobody thought Leicester would be fighting for a title, while Chelsea battled in mid-table obscurity.

https://twitter.com/themichaelowen/status/629660825251241985

But he still had some supporters in the early days.

https://twitter.com/Pobstongue/status/620726820074332161 https://twitter.com/RiLeigh84/status/620722679050584065

As for us? Well, we'd love to say we saw it coming but...