Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri says he's surrounded by "sharks".

The under-pressure boss yesterday received a vote of confidence from the club's Thai owners, who pledged their "unwavering support" for Ranieri amid a woeful defence of their Premier League title.

"Now there are a lot of sharks, and I am on the windsurfer," he told a number of national newspapers ahead of the Foxes' FA Cup fourth-round replay with Derby. "I accept this. This is our life.

"Last season was a fairytale, this season is not a fairytale. But it is okay. Now it is important to be positive without bad, bad words.

"It is the same as last season. I speak the same s**** English and they understand me. It's important that they understand me. We try to do our best but this season everything is wrong but we are still fighting and that is my strength.

"That is important for me to see how they speak together, how they speak with me to try to improve some situations, what we are doing well and not doing well. We speak every time about what we need to improve and it's okay, with all my staff and everybody.

"I say to my players, 'My door is always open'. Sometimes I come to them and sometimes they come to me. It's a fantastic relationship. They understand everything well. I think this [club statement] is for you, not for me, because I know the idea of the chairman of the club and everybody."