smudger63

Couldn`t agree more.

Absolutely this! There are team mates within the ladies game that are in relationships, should they be investigated? Of course not! Helen Richardson and Kate Walsh, team mates in the GB ladies hockey team, were in a relationship, and are now married, should they have been investigated, and dropped from playing for GB, of course not, it`s ridiculous to suggest that. In every day life, The manager of the company i work for, had an affair with a married co worker of mine, and they are now married, and at no time was i thinking, that is unprofesional, she would be getting preferential treatment over me. Finally, Harry Redknapp was manager of his nephew Frank Lampard at West Ham, Brian Clough manager of his son at Notts Forest, was that unprofesional, and were they only picking them for family reasons, of course not. Ultimately if we are going to have mixed environments, and even unmixed environments in some cases, then nature is going to take its course.

It is, but we have started letting too many soft goals in for my liking. I think Faes and Justin, have both lost a bit of form. I get why he is starting them, Justin is a better one on one defender than Doyle, and playing Coady ahead of Faes, would mean we have less pace at the back, but they can`t go on defenending like they are. Hopefully the break will give them a bit of time to refresh and get back to the right levels again, along with a number of others who`s form has dropped off a cliff in recent weeks.

Having now seen the highlights, Hulls pen was a brain dead push in the back from Mavadidi, but was outside the area, so should have only been a free kick. Vardy should have had a pen for the second challenge on him, Vardy lays the ball back, their guy is too late to the ball and catches Vardys foot, and Seri should absolutely have had a second yellow. Not only did he not move away, he actually walks towards Faes, and as Faes dummys to take it, puts his foot out. It might be soft, but in the laws of the game its another yellow. This was the same guy that was the referee for the Ipswich away game, where he didnt give a stonewall pen on KDH, and he didnt give a blatant second yellow to Harness for taking our player out, 2 minutes after he had been booked before. So if the referees hierarchy are going to demote referees to lower leagues for incompetent refereeing, this guy should be back on park football!

Bristol City who ended Southamptons 25 game unbeaten run and ran Ipswich away pretty close last week. I think Bristol City is going to be a tough game. Norwich have really picked up and have a great chance of the play offs now, so as you say, very tricky. We also have West Brom and Southampton at home, and Preston away could be tricky too. Looking at the remaining games of the top 4, Leeds have got the easiest run in on paper, and likely win the league now, in my opinion. Ourselves, Ipswich and Southampton all have some tough games to play. If we get RIcardo back, and Ndidi back to his level, and our out of form players back in form, and there's a few, after the international break, we should be fine. Carry on with the performances that we are currently putting in, and we will be relying on both Ipswich and Southampton messing up. Its in our hands at the moment, we need to keep it that way!

Could have been worse, but failed to capitalise on Ipswich losing. Good weekend for Leeds, who are likely to go top next week by beating Millwall at home, and Southampton, who with their home game with Preston in hand, have dragged themselves back in it, with their expected win today. Not great for Ipswich, but us only drawing probably slightly softened the blow for them, and they have a chance now to go a point behind us next week, while we play in the Cup. A decent point for us, in a difficult game. A shame we couldn't find the winner, it would have been massive. We really need Ricardo back, and Ndidi back to his best again. Hopefully the break will give Mavadidi and KDH a chance to have a reboot, because its just not happening for them at the moment.

Cue 98th minute ipswich winner. Edited to say, Err! Cue 98th minute Cardiff winner I mean.

Happy Birthday for tomorrow bud.

What a cup run that was! Last minute winner by Earle v Spurs at home 3rd round. 37000 at filbert Street for the 4th round 2-1 replay win against Fulham, after we drew 1-1 at their place, with Mullery scoring goal of the season for them. Demolition of soon to be promoted Luton away 5th round, when City fans were all over the ground. Joe Waters debut and 2 goals away at QPR in the quarters, then a bit of a damp squib at old Trafford for the 0-0 in the first semi game with Liverpool, when we didn't really turn up, and should have lost, but then the heartbreaking defeat in the replay at Villa Park, where we played much better, and we were daring to dream, until Keegan scored out of nothing to knock the stuffing out of us. Their 3rd goal doesn't happen if we were still level at that point, we just got caught chasing the game. I was only a kid in 1974, but still remember the buzz around the City that, that Cup run brought. Great days!

I presume the reason they've changed the name away from financial fair play, is because of the ridiculousness of calling it fair in the first place, when it was clear as day that it was only going to be fair to the "big clubs", and keep them up there and unchallenged. That said, the clubs, us included, voted in favour of it, and now we have to accept the consequences, its as simple as that. I don't know about the younger fan, who have been growing up with football being second to finance, they may feel differently, but it has sucked the joy out of football for me. There was a time when anyone could win the top division, and even a second division club could win the Cup. When getting relegated only hurt our pride, but now it's all about money, and financial plans, and how you cant financially afford to get relegated. This isn't what made me fall in love with football and my club. I'm a fan, all I want to have to worry about is the next game we play, not whether we have breached some financial plan, that means we will have to sell our best players, and still get a points deduction. Leicester City football club have been and always will be a massive part of my life, but modern football as a match going fan, is Shite!! That's another thing that's wrong with modern football, the sanitised nature of "the match day experience" as they like to call it. Where we pay over the odds to sit in a seat, and are pretty much told to sit down and behave ourselves, like we are some kid in a school class room. Where is the passion in that. For god sake, let fans be fans! You can't even get into the ground without an adult if you're under 16, why the hell not?? I was going down the city with mates and without an adult when I was 12, what has changed? I love leicester city, but modern football is absolute shite, they are killing the game I used to love. Man utd v Man City on the box, I'd rather watch a game on the park!

Ipswich have the experience of having the pressure of last seasons promotion to call on too. So this isnt new to them. If its on pure quality of footballer, they would be no where near us or Leeds, but its about more than that. They actually only lost 4 games last season, the same as we did, when we were promoted from league one, so they have lost only 8 of their last 76 league games, thats pretty impressive, even if 46 of those were in league one.

Weakest defence in the top 4, but only lost 4 games, and are still only 3 points behind us.

Depends very much on whether the team are playing for Enzo in his way or Pearson in his.

The only mitigation being that we have been trying to stay within the rules. I can't see that cutting much ice if I'm honest, if we have broken the rules, that we ourselves were part of the collective that voted for, then we will be punished accordingly.

Yep, seemingly the big club bias from the commentary box is alive and well in the ladies game as well.

I would go with Nacho too, but I highly doubt he will close down well, or block passing lanes. What he might add, is a bit more creativity, and even a goal or two, if he's in the right mindset. We are pretty much screwed in the right hand high eight position, until Ndidi or Ricardo are back. Especially with Praet now out as well, so Nacho is worth a go. I don't think Enzo will do that though. He will either move KDH over, and use Akgun in KDH position, as he did yesterday, or if McAteer is available, he will use him.

That's what they said when the Titanic hit the ice berg. "Nah we'll be fine, we're unsinkable".

I keep hearing "we are still top of the league, we will be fine", but I was hearing that for the two seasons we spent in the top four, with similar points advantage, to that, that we are currently blowing, and it went pear shaped. Last season, was the same, " oh we have too much quality, we will be fine", but that quality still wasnt enough to keep us up, even though it should have done comfortably. So I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm still scarred by those collapses, and this season is rapidly heading the same way. We still have time to turn it around, and we can, but momentum is a big thing, and we need to swing that momentum back the other way immediately, before it's too late. What concerns me, is the amount of late goals we've conceded that have cost us points, when under pressure in the final minutes of games. That suggests a lack of mentality to deal with pressure situations, and we are now in a situation where the nearer to the end we get, the greater the pressure, and we have to be able to handle that, if we don't, we ain't going up, it's that simple.

I'm not against what you say or your team, but he won't pick a flat back four. Not sure that Faes would be a great full back either, although he could play Doyle in that system. He won't though, it will be the inverted full back again. I think I would bring Coady in for Nelson, we need some experience and leadership, play Faes in the centre again, even though he is a massive downgrade on Vestergard in that role, And I think I'd bring Doyle in for Justin, who's performances have tailed off recently. The inverted full back, is another problem though. Again i agree, Hamza needs a rest, but im struggling to think of anyone else who is fit, who can play that role. This is not the time to chuck one of the kids in, so maybe we would have to play Justin. The rest i agee with, although my worry with Nacho playing in one of the eights, is that he won't want to close down or block passing lanes, for too long. Ndidi, Ricardo being out especially, and even the loss of the ok but not spectacular Praet, is a massive problem in the system that Enzo will play.

If we don't go up this season, regardless of who the manager will be, there is going to be a massive overhaul, and probable drop in quality, because most of the players are either out of contract, or just not going to want to play another season in the championship. Coupled with what seemingly is going to be a bit of a financial catastrophe if we don't go up. We could easily find ourselves going the way of Stoke, and many more ex prem clubs, who languish in this league and lower for years. That's why going up this season, is/ was imperative. With key injuries to Ndidi and now Ricardo, a lack of creative spark from whats left, and wingers who are now blowing cold rather than hot, and the insistence on playing a Striker who can't kick straight, and has very little technical ability, in what is a system, and way of playing that requires those abilities, then things are looking decidedly dicey. Having a manager that is so welded to his way, and his system, that he refuses to see any other way, is also proving problematic. Can we turn things around, now that momentum seemingly has started to swing against us, I have grave doubts. I hope so, but yesterday we looked like a team that had ran out of ideas, spark and belief.

Justin was even more at fault for their first goal, committing himself and letting their guy get away to create the chance. He had done the same thing 5 minutes earlier, and got turned, and had to commit the foul to stop the same problem arising. He should have learnt from the first time! Justin had an absolute shocker, and should have been hooked for Doyle. Having said all that, and despite Nelson, in my opinion, being the only player to come out with any credit today, I do agree that Coady needs to come in, and should have played today, because in both the Boro and Leeds game, we lacked experience and leadership, which Coady has in abundance.

We can make top two, but I feel likes it's going to take some turning round now. The Sunderland and Hull games are crucial, and must win for me. We need that winning momentum back. If we don't go up automatically, from the position that we were in, there is no way these players are going to be able to turn it round and go up in the play offs. I dont even think we would get to the play off final, such will be the demoralisation within the club.

It was! Another weekend ruined, I'd almost forgot what it was like to be pissed off on a weekend.

Both wingers were poor. Mavadidi wasn't worth his place on the park, and Fatawu for all the ball he had, was so wasteful with it. They wasn't on their own though, probably with the exception of Nelson, who I thought done well, the others were no where near the levels they need to be. The most concerning thing today for me, was that we didn't even create any real chances. The Boro and Leeds games, at least we created, and should have won the games. Today we created jack shite, and lacked any creativity at all.

Anyone who has read Alan Youngs book will know how much he despised Melrose. I reckon it was because Melrose took his childhood mate Martin Hendersons place. He certainly doesn't have a good word to say about him, whatever the reason. I liked Melrose personally as a player, and was fuming when Milne swapped him for Tommy English.