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Leicester Memories Peter Taylor The soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division arrive in Leicester on 14th February 1944 . The 82nd Airborne Division established its headquarters on the Braunstone Park before the invasion of Europe . Peter Taylor All-star contributor Nissen Huts left empty by the 82nd Airborne on Braunstone Park , were readily used for emergency housing after the war .

Made In Leicester Rob Hubble Silver Street / Loseby Lane 1963.

Made In Leicester Rob Hubble Narborough Road / Celt Street 1963.

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/jose-mourinho-picks-leicester-city-9977007 Why Jose Mourinho picks Leicester City glory over Man United and Man City dynasties The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss, now in charge of Turkish side Fenerbahce, picked Claudio Ranieri when asked to decide between Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola ByJordan Blackwell 12:19, 26 FEB 2025 Claudio Ranieri wins a battle between Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola because of Leicester City’s incredible title, Jose Mourinho has said. The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss, now in charge of Fenerbahce, was asked to choose between the legendary Manchester United manager and the current Manchester City boss, but flipped the question. While Ferguson (13) and Guardiola (six) have won the most Premier League titles, they do not compare to Ranieri’s single triumph with City in his eyes. Asked on John Obi Mikel’s podcast to pick between Ferguson and Guardiola, Mourinho said: “It’s impossible to compare generations, impossible to compare the potential to do things. “Both of them are historic in the Premier League. But for me, the historic one in the Premier League is Ranieri. “Because winning with Leicester is something unique. To win four, five, six titles with Manchester United in that generation is great, but… To win five, six, seven titles with Man City in this generation is great, but… “With Leicester, there is no but. For me it is the most incredible title I have lived through.” Mourinho’s final game in charge of his second spell at Chelsea was a 2-1 defeat at the King Power Stadium during City’s run to the title. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez scored to inflict a ninth defeat in 16 games on Mourinho, leaving his reigning champions just a point outside the relegation zone. Mourinho often disparaged Ranieri during their title battle in Italy, when the Portuguese boss was in charge of Inter Milan and Ranieri was at Roma. But since City’s title win, he has been a lot warmer towards the Italian and has routinely praised his work, especially with Leicester.

If it can't be 100% what is the point of it. Let's not forget it's only a PL mandate because the clubs voted for it. It's like the council saying it's not the council tax money we're spending it's from Central Government - where the hell do they think they get the money from?

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/alves-injury-update-after-leicester-9976216 Will Alves injury update after Leicester City loanee misses crucial Cardiff victory The teenage attacking midfielder, having started the Bluebirds' previous two matches, was absent on Tuesday night as they gave their survival hopes a boost by beating Hull ByJordan Blackwell 10:00, 26 FEB 2025Updated10:04, 26 FEB 2025 Cardiff City are keeping their fingers crossed for Will Alves after the Leicester City loanee was sidelined by a knee injury. The teenage attacking midfielder was absent for the Bluebirds’ 1-0 victory over Hull on Tuesday, a crucial win in the battle to avoid Championship victory. Alves started the previous two matches, and registered his first assist in the 1-1 draw with Plymouth at the weekend, so it was a surprise he was not included in the squad against Hull. And Cardiff manager Omer Riza confirmed after Tuesday night’s fixture that he had suffered a knee injury, the extent of which is so far undetermined. “Will Alves took a whack on his knee against Plymouth and it swelled up,” Riza said. “We’re managing that and hopefully that’s not too serious.” Any kind of knee injury for the 19-year-old will be a concern given the ACL surgery he underwent just over two years ago. That injury slowed Alves’s progress and the loan to Cardiff is his first true spell in a senior side. City are hoping he can hone his game and be in contention for first-team minutes at the King Power Stadium next term. As things stand, City will be dropping down to the Championship, the division Cardiff are increasingly hopeful of staying in. The victory over Hull was their first win in five league matches and one that lifted them to 19th, six points clear of the drop. The Bluebirds are next in action this Friday night, when they face Premier League side Aston Villa in the last 16 of the FA Cup at Villa Park.

Waves Of Nostalgia · Follow On August 9th 1963 - The first ever edition of 'Ready Steady Go! was shown on UK TV. Introduced by Keith Fordyce and 19 year-old Cathy McGowan. The first show featured The Searchers, Jet Harris, Pat Boone, Billy Fury and Brian Poole and The Tremeloes. Originally 30 minutes long, it expanded to 50 minutes the following year, and soon attracted the most popular artists, including The Beatles, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Rolling Stones, The Four Tops, The Kinks and many others. The final show was in Dec 1966 after 175 episodes

I'm think of starting a new topic . How they used to mean us.

...and we still couldn't score meanwhile Damsgaard helps Brentford get 4 goals.

Retro Rewind · Follow Ken Leek was a talented Welsh footballer who played as a center-forward, best known for his time with Leicester City and Birmingham City. Born in 1935, Leek began his career at Northampton Town before moving to Leicester City in 1958. A natural goal-scorer, he played a crucial role in Leicester’s attack and helped the club reach the 1961 FA Cup final. However, in a surprising decision, he was dropped from the squad for the final against Tottenham Hotspur, a move that remains a major talking point in Leicester’s history. Shortly after, he transferred to Birmingham City, where he made an immediate impact. Leek was also a key figure for Wales, earning 13 international caps and scoring crucial goals, including two in the 1958 World Cup that helped Wales reach the quarter-finals. After his playing career, he remained involved in football and is remembered as one of Wales’ underrated strikers. He passed away in 2007, leaving behind a strong footballing legacy.

Another exception, I've seen it all from the 60s onwards. Compared to previous declines this time it's more to do with how we've been rearranging the deckchairs whilst the club sinks into an abyss, shades of Taylor only with him it was mostly the manager this time it's firmly on the shoulders of all those running the club. It makes me both angry and sad with how we've thrown away a golden opportunity to really establish the club to be seen as a 'permanent' member of the PL. The fall has been catastrophic and self inflicted. To watch the club passively overseeing the decline and doing nothing about it. Add to that they are happy to spend time and money ensuring their public face is seen as philanthropic with many community projects whilst alienating and extorting every penny from match going fans, more so those without ST. I seriously wonder why I still have interest but it's hard to just give up on something that's always been part of your and your families life.

None of this takes into account all the players who left for nothing.

With Trump now controlling the make up of the White House press it’s looking more and more like a watered down version of how the Nazis got total control of Germany. Frightening!

Shades of Gareth Williams about him but without the ego.

Made In Leicester Rob Hubble Belgrave Gate / Foundry Square 1956.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg18pvz7kko The seven bills due to go up in April Energy costs are one of a number of bill rises which will come into force at the start of what some commentators have described as "awful April". The exact amount you pay will depend on your individual circumstances, and where you live. Although minimum wages will increase from April, and wages on average have been outpacing inflation, household finances could still come under extra pressure. Here are seven ways in which you could be affected. 1. Water bills Water bills for households are due to go up in England and Wales by £10 more per month on average, but there's a lot of variation depending on the company, external. For example, the annual Southern Water bill will jump 47% to £703, while Anglian Water customers will pay 19% more, or £626. Factors including whether households have a meter and how much water used will also impact bills, which are being front-loaded for the next five years, meaning the big increase is coming in April. Water companies in England and Wales have said the increases are needed to invest in creaking infrastructure, including sewage, and to build more reservoirs. In Scotland, water bills are set to rise by almost 10%. Scottish Water, which is a public body, said spending was needed to cope with periods of "drought and intense rainfall" brought on by climate change. Domestic customers in Northern Ireland are not billed for water, with the system funded by the devolved government. 2. Energy bills The annual energy bill for a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will go up £111 a year to £1,849 from April. Regulator Ofgem increased the energy price cap because of higher wholesale costs and inflation. The cap is set every three months and limits the amount suppliers can charge for each unit of gas and electricity, but not the total bill, so if you use more, you will pay more. It affects 22 million homes in England, Wales and Scotland. Standing charges - fixed fees to connect to a gas and electricity supply and vary by region - are rising again for gas but dropping for electricity, but it depends on where you live. Ofgem is suggesting households consider a fixed tariff for a bit of stability, even though there's speculation of prices dropping in July. 3. Council tax It is likely the tax you pay to your local authority will go up from April. In England, local authorities with responsibility for delivering social care can increase council tax every year by up to 4.99% without triggering a referendum or local vote. Smaller councils without social care duties can increase bills by up to 2.99%. For 2025-26, the government is allowing Bradford, Newham, Birmingham, Somerset, and Windsor and Maidenhead to bypass the 4.99% cap, meaning they could raise council tax by more. Council tax rates in Scotland have been frozen or had limited increases since 2007, but they are expected to go up in April, in some cases by as much as 10%. The Scottish government says it is offering local authorities an extra £1bn in 2025-26 to help reduce the scale of any rise. In Wales, council tax rates could jump by as much 15% in some areas. Local authorities were given £253m by the Welsh government in its draft budget, but council leaders say more money needed. Northern Ireland uses a domestic rates system, external instead of council tax. All of Northern Ireland's councils have reported district rate increases for the next year. 4. Car tax From April, the standard rate of tax for cars registered after April 2017 rises £5 to £195 a year. According to the RAC,, external you may pay less or more if your car was first used before 2017. The exact amount for your road tax will depend on the year your car was registered and the type of fuel it uses. One big change is that electric vehicles (EVs) will no longer be tax exempt. EVs registered from April 2025 will pay the lowest rate of £10 in the first year, then move to the standard rate. The standard rate will also apply to EVs first registered after April 2017. 5. Broadband, phone and TV licence Rule changes introduced by the telecoms regulator this year mean that mobile and broadband providers must now tell customers "in pounds and pence" about any price rises, as well as when they occur. The new rules typically only apply to new customers, so any price rise will depend on when you took your contract out. For instance, under the new rules, someone with a mobile Sim only contract with EE will see their bill go up by £1.50 a month, or £18 a year. But for the majority of customers who took their contract out before 10 April 2024, they will face an increase of 6.4%, based on the inflation rate last December, plus an additional charge. Similarly, most Virgin Media broadband customers will face a 7.5% rise in bills, but for anyone who took out a contract after 9 January this year, their monthly bill will go up by £3.50. The cost of a TV licence will also go up by £5 to £174.50, and for a black and white TV it will go up by £1.50 to £58.50. 6. Stamp duty and house prices House buyers in England and Northern Ireland will start paying stamp duty on properties over £125,000 in April, instead of over £250,000 at the moment. First-time buyers currently pay no stamp duty on homes up to £425,000, but this will drop to £300,000. Anyone starting a search for a property now would likely struggle to move before the stamp duty changes. 7. Hidden tax rises The government has kept in place the freeze on tax thresholds on income tax and National Insurance until 2028, a policy brought in by the previous government. This is often dubbed a stealth tax - as governments don't explicitly label it as a tax. But the policy amounts to a tax rise because of a process called "fiscal drag", which sees more people "dragged" into paying higher rates of tax as wages rises. According to figures from the government's financial watchdog, external by 2028-29, nearly four million additional people will be expected to pay income tax - and three million more will have moved to the higher rate - due to the threshold being frozen. Related top

Bus stop advertisement in Portland Row London Fake? But who cares.

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ruud-van-nistelrooys-rationale-jordan-9971845 Ruud van Nistelrooy's rationale for Jordan Ayew and Bobby De Cordova-Reid picks may not stack up The Leicester City manager has been explaining why he has selected the experienced wide duo over the likes of Facundo Buonanotte and Stephy Mavididi in recent weeks ByJordan Blackwell 07:00, 25 FEB 2025 For the past five games, Jordan Ayew and Bobby De Cordova-Reid have been Leicester City’s starting wingers. It has not been a popular decision. It can sometimes be difficult to tell if social media anger is restricted to online spheres or is echoed by match-going fans, but the crowd inside the King Power Stadium made their voices clear on Friday night. When it was announced 10 minutes into the second half that Ayew would be replaced, a huge cheer went up. The noise grew louder when his replacement, Facundo Buonanotte, had his name read out. The Argentinian and one of last season’s stars in Stephy Mavididi are the men that City supporters appear to want on the wings. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s opinion has differed. Why? Asked last week for his reasons behind Ayew and De Cordova-Reid’s continued selection, he said: “It’s the balance in our team that we have to look for. Creativity and experience and being solid. “I look for a balance in being solid and not conceding, and then the other side is creating. It depends on the opponent but I look for that balance to reduce goals, of course, but we also have to create. That’s why we have different options on the wings.” But is van Nistelrooy getting that balance right? City have scored in only three of their last 11 Premier League matches, while they’ve not stemmed the flow of goals against them either. Here, we take a look at the statistics to see how City’s five wing options – Ayew, De Cordova-Reid, Mavididi, Buonanotte and Kasey McAteer – stack up against each other, with van Nistelrooy's current preferred options trailing in areas where they'd be expected to perform better. Shooting While Buonanotte and Ayew have scored the same amount of Premier League goals, it is the Argentinian who looks to be the biggest goal threat of the five wingers. He comfortably takes the most shots per game, and that’s not just because he lets fly from everywhere and anywhere. He has the highest expected goals tally too, while his shots on target rate is only second to De Cordova-Reid. Ayew ranks second for shots per match, but is tied with McAteer in second for expected goals per match. Creativity Buonanotte leads the way here too, creating more chances per game than any other City player, even more than star man Bilal El Khannouss. Mavididi ranks second for chances created but is the most prolific of the wingers for completed passes into the box. Ayew has been the best for completing crosses though. Passing This is perhaps the first surprise, as it would be assumed that Ayew and De Cordova-Reid, as the safer options, would have the best pass completion rate, retaining the ball and taking the pressure off the defence. But that’s not the case. In fact, Buonanotte leads the way, slightly ahead of Mavididi, with both on 75 per cent. Ayew is on 72 per cent, while De Cordova-Reid and McAteer are on 70 per cent. Plus, of the quintet, Mavididi and Buonanotte are the more forward-thinking passers of the ball, completing the most progressive passes per match. Getting into space City’s wingers need to be an outlet, positioning themselves in space where they can be found by defenders and midfielders. It is Mavididi who receives the most passes. It’s possibly because he’s the most traditional of the wide options, and is more likely to stick to the flank and not get bogged down in congested central areas. Buonanotte ranks second. When it comes to receiving progressive passes, McAteer shoots up to join Mavididi at the top. Again, that will be in part because he tends to stick wide, but also because he’s the most likely of the five to make runs in behind, and so most likely to be found with balls over the top. One statistic that’s not available is how long players keep hold of the ball once they do receive it. To the naked eye, Ayew does seem to hold up the ball for longer, and when he does, that’s less time the opposition are in possession, and less time City spend defending. Ball-carrying and dribbling It won’t be a surprise to read that Mavididi is the most prolific carrier of the ball. He takes it forward the most yards per match, while carries into the final third and into penalty area more often than any of his rivals out wide. It’s a contested battle behind him. Buonanotte is second for carrying the ball forward, but Ayew is second for getting into the final third, while McAteer is just behind Mavididi when it comes to dribbling into the box. When it comes to taking on defenders, Mavididi and Buonanotte attempt to do so most regularly. Their success rate is similar too. While Ayew attempts fewer take-ons, his success rate is about the same as Mavididi and Buonanotte’s, whereas McAteer’s success rate is well back, while De Cordova-Reid very rarely tries to beat a man one-on-one. It should be noted that it’s actually Abdul Fatawu who by far leads the way in all of these categories, but the Ghanaian will not play again this season. Losing the ball Ayew miscontrols the ball most often of the wingers, with Buonanotte in second. When it comes to being tackled, Buonanotte, Ayew, and Mavididi are dispossessed an even amount. It’s McAteer that comes out best in this category, the homegrown winger rarely giving up the ball in this manner. But anybody who has watched City this season could say without checking the statistics that it is Ayew who wins the most free-kicks, and the numbers do back that up. Defending It’s tough to judge defensive work purely through statistics as so much of the job is dependent on good positioning and quelling danger by forcing the opposition to look for alternative routes. But in terms of what can be judged, Buonanotte is well ahead when it comes to making tackles and interceptions. McAteer is second, while De Cordova-Reid is way back, the Jamaican rarely making an impact on that side of the game. Nuanced pressing statistics are not available, but what is known is that Buonanotte and McAteer are best for blocking opposition passes, suggesting they are closing down opponents more effectively.

LCFC Women · Follow Flying the flag

Leicester City FC · Follow Leicester City has the 14th highest annual wage bill in the 24/25 Premier League.

.....and that's just in one direction.

These are still not 'televised' then.

Born and Raised in Leicester · Follow MRS DOUBTFIRE Anne Fine, OBE FRSL, the writer of Mrs Doubtfire was born in Leicester on 7 December 1947. Anne is best known for children's books although she also writes for adults. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and she was awarded an OBE for services to literature in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours List. She has written more than 50 children's books since her first at the age of 24, including two winners of the annual Carnegie Medal and three highly commended runners-up. For some of those five books she also won the Guardian Prize, one Smarties Prize, two Whitbread Awards, and she was twice the Children's Author of the Year. For her contribution as a children's writer, she was a runner-up for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1998. Fine is one of only seven authors to win two Carnegie Medals (1936–2012) and the only author of three Highly Commended books, and she was the second Children's Laureate (2001–03). Her book Madame Doubtfire was made into the film Mrs Doubtfire starring Robin Williams, and Goggle-Eyes was adapted for BBC TV. Her work has been translated into 45 languages. Information credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Fine