LJS

I think he is a good player who can develop into an excellent one. He probably isn't going to be able to play his role in a two but that's not a criticism of him particularly; just an acknowledgement that he isn't Kante. But not many are. Kante was extraordinary last season.

Watching Sporting-Porto on BT3 now. Porto don't look anything frightening to be honest. Still Cagliari-Roma and Villarreal-Sevilla to come tonight. Got to love European football Sundays.

Snowing in Hinckley now, and in Ellistown according to the old boy.

Absolutely loved it and I think we may go back next year. Definitely the best city break I've done.

If we win the league I doubt I'd really care what happens on the pitch in future. We would have that forever. Not to mention the resulting memories of European Cup football. We will be relegated at some point anyway and for a club our size the chances are that it will happen relatively soon. I'm under no illusion that this is us becoming one of the big boys. This is giving us something fantastic to remember to sustain us through the years of being a mid table second tier side again.

Plenty of snow in Tromso this past week. Flying back home in a couple of hours; that's my winter fix done, roll on spring and hopefully t-shirt weather when I head to Amsterdam in mid-May.

I've watched Coventry Blaze with some mates who are season ticket holders. It isn't really for me. Didn't like the fan culture, didn't like how (understandably) Americanised it was and I was a bit too pissed to follow what was actually happening. So I wouldn't go again but I do think it's good that minority sports have decent followings. I'll try Riders at some point soon, I reckon. The worst experience I had of another sport was Tigers vs Treviso a couple of years back. Treviso kicked some points and Tigers fans applauded. **** that. Again, not for me. But again, I like that there's another sport in the city with a good following.

I'm not missing the point, I'm addressing it. I think 'net spend' is a nonsense measure against which to judge the performance of a manager. They have no influence on the fees they reap. They do have some influence on what of their budget they're willing to spend on incoming players. I'm not slagging Nige off here. I think he has done brilliantly with his resources, I'm just honest enough to acknowledge that the resources he has been given have been very generous compared to the vast majority of other second tier clubs. For some reasons a large proportion of our fanbase seem a bit embarrassed by this. It's bizarre. For years we craved a bit of money and now we have that in combination with a manager who is capable of spending it effectively we seem to want to hide from the facts. Perhaps it's a bit of lingering sensitivity from administration and from our more recent reckless spending under Sven's stewardship. I find it odd, is all. These are very good times, both off the pitch and on it. The two things won't come together often for a club like ours. Lets just enjoy it whilst also being confident enough to be honest about where it has come from.

No idea but he has no influence over that. Clubs pay what they are willing to pay. That is no skill on Pearson's part. It will be the same the other way around, of course. The fees won't be negotiated by Pearson himself. All I'm saying is that he has had generous resources to play with and he has used them. People getting their backs up at the suggestion that he's had more to spend than most of his contemporaries at this level are being silly. He has spent money (well) and to pretend otherwise is disingenuous.

I've googled the Mercury reports (yeah, I know) and they have Drinky, James and De Laet at £1m each and Wood at £2m.

Drinky, De Laet and James were reported to be around £1m each at the time and Wood £2m. Knockaert has been reported to have cost anything between £1m and £2.4m.Pearson has spent plenty but has spent it well. Fair play to him for doing a great job. I was one of those calling for his head this time last year and I'll be on record as saying I didn't think he was capable of winning promotion from this league. I've been proven badly wrong and I'm delighted that's the case. But let's not dress it up as something it isn't.

Yes. One of the reasons many fans were so pissed off last season. Whilst we haven't spunked away the cash others seem to believe there is this notion among some City fans that Nige has done this on a shoe-string. He hasn't.

There's something in those comments about our fans. Even at a goal up and in control there were people getting frustrated. It was the same against Ipswich when we were. 2-0 up. Expectations have gone through the roof. People are disappointed when we aren't 3-0 up at half time. We have most certainly been spoilt. We should just enjoy what's happening. Seasons like this don't come around often for Leicester City.

Absolutely and I've no doubt that it is the result of a deliberate 'sanitisation' of the traditional football fanbase. Ticket prices are another huge issue but it's all related, really. But it's no good people looking back and claiming things were better in the past (even if they were) as a tool by which to persuade people that standing should return. Only the current reality matters. Of course gaining support for this from traditional fans is important but it's also preaching to the converted. They aren't the people who need convincing. There are many on the 'bring back standing' side of the fence who would accuse people like me of not being a 'proper' supporter. It may not come from the official campaign but it certainly exists and only serves to alienate the very people who need the most convincing.

The Premier League have said that modern stadia have improved the match day experience for the majority of fans and I reckon they have that right. The demographic profile of fans has changed a fair bit over the years and consists largely of families and middle class supporters who have been, in part, attracted by 'modern football'. Perhaps those described by some, wrongly in my view as no type of football fan should really be considered as more legitimate than another, as real fans are now in the minority? It is this group of fans who seem more passionately in favour of a return to standing, partly due to nostalgia and partly because they've seen it work elsewhere. I'd describe myself as one of the middle class section these days. I like to sit to watch football and I don't like to sing. I want to watch the football and go home. I'm not interested in the 'fan culture' aspect of it all. But I do think, provided it can be made safe as it would seem it can, people should be given the option to support their club in a different way to that which suits me. If it comes in and improves atmosphere then that's great. Even if it doesn't improve the atmosphere the worst case is that people have more choice as to how they show their support. I don't see a downside.

My worry there would be Swindon. They're a good side but Coventry have had a bit of a bounce since appointing Robins, and I'd suggest their current league position is a false one. I've had money on Coventry myself today. I don't have that much faith that they will do it but the price was a tempter.

I've got three open at the minute: Canada/USA/Mexico/New Zealand/Stevenage/Plymouth/Tamworth - £5 returns £148. The International sides have done their bit already. Coventry/Fleetwood/Wrexham - £2.50 returns £25. Sheff Utd/Gillingham/Luton - £2.50 returns £8.60. I wish I'd stuck something on Newport at Macclesfield now. They were at 3.3 a few minutes back and the form suggests they were worth a pop. I decided against and the bastards have taken the lead.

Gone in with another couple of small bets for tonight: £5 on Burnley/MK Dons/Gillingham @12.5 £5 on Barcelona/Man Utd/Juventus @4.3

Tonight I have money on Brighton/Sheffield Utd/Port Vale (£2.40 returns £14.30). And tomorrow I have Real Madrid/Arsenal/Malaga/PSG (£2.50 returns £35.30).

I stuck £3 on West Ham/Mallorca double tonight. West Ham are going nicely but Mallorca were down to ten after the same number of minutes. Still goalless but they haven't made it easy on themselves.

I accept that the royal prerogative isn't used, but my view is that if they can't use it anyway, they won't miss it should it be taken away, so they can hand it over. As for preferring a representative of the House of Windsor to a President Blair, I genuinely don't understand that view. I've heard it said before and I can't get my head around it. And I think it misses the point by a mile. My own preference, given that choice, would be a President Blair (or Thatcher, or Heath, or Brown, or whoever else), because at least I get the option of chucking them out. And that's the fundamental issue for me. Aside from the fact that I dislike what I do know about the personalities of prominent royals, I can do nothing about their occupation of senior public positions and that is wrong. I'd be more than happy with a transition to a republic with a ceremonial president (not my preferred model of government, but that's a different subject) with the Queen in that position so long as she was elected to it. She'd win easily should the position become available and she decided to stand and people like me would have no grounds to question her political legitimacy.

Not me. We'll be just fine.