S****horpe Pre-Match ****

[Mort]

With Hume out it will be imperative to use Campbell's pace.

And what will he do about Clapham? Play Mattock at left-back and 4-3-3?

Play Mattock and another makeshift winger like Hendrie?

Play Mattock and reintroduce Laczko?

Or play Mattock and a proper winger in Beswick?

All sounds way too rational... it'll be Hayles and Howard up front i can see it now!

I have a terrible feeling that despite all the evidence thats shown-up the 5-2-3 system, Holloway might just try and persisst with it.

[STUHILL]

All sounds way too rational... it'll be Hayles and Howard up front i can see it now!

I have a terrible feeling that despite all the evidence thats shown-up the 5-2-3 system, Holloway might just try and persisst with it.

I would be gutted if we went with that. We must go back on attack and 4-4-2.

[Mort]

I would be gutted if we went with that. We must go back on attack and 4-4-2.

Agree totally, even if your looking to 'stop the other team playing' you just dont do that by putting five at the back and inviting the pressure... if we're thinking defensivley I'd be tempted to go 4-5-1 (no idea if our players could pull that off given their current form though), so 4-4-2 it's gotta be, simple system that means we can attack without being over exposed and we have the players to make it work and work well... just frustrating when it doesnt exactly pan out like that.

[Webbo]

So important we get a good start in this match. If it's 0-0 or worse 0-1 at half time that's probably the way it'll stay. If we're 1-0 up at half time I can see us winning this by a cricket score.

[maddog]

If we lose we deserve to go down. The big match is Sheffield Wednesday, the last home game

Sheff Wed are going to be virtually safe by then.

If we aint gonna go down we need Southampton, Cov, or Barnsley too.

The big match is Barnsley away, just like last season.

[Uncle Albert]

Sheff Wed are going to be virtually safe by then.

If we aint gonna go down we need Southampton, Cov, or Barnsley too.

The big match is Barnsley away, just like last season.

Cannot wait.

I think we will win 1-0 on Saturday, be one of the typical Walkers games but we may come out on top of this one.

[Legend_in_blue]

Wasn't the game at S****horpe televised on Sky Sports?

I seem to remember falling asleep halfway through the first half, expecting to see us firing shots in from the left, the right and all over tbh, but all I was treated to was a turgid mess.

I quickly turned off.

I sincerely hope this is not repeated on Saturday.

Otherwise, game over. We will go down.

Win all our home games and we will stay up!!!

[Scow]

I intend to get extremely pissed for this one - the less you remember, the better.

[Joe.]

Oh dear, massive game and I'm not confident at all.

We really have to win this, it could either give us a real fighting hope or leave us for dead it's that important really. Personally I'm predicting a bore draw that we won't look great in at all. I just hope these players prove me wrong and put their all into this one, I'm sure they can understand the importance of it.

Come on you blues.

[lildave3]

Wasn't the game at S****horpe televised on Sky Sports?

I seem to remember falling asleep halfway through the first half, expecting to see us firing shots in from the left, the right and all over tbh, but all I was treated to was a turgid mess.

I quickly turned off.

I sincerely hope this is not repeated on Saturday.

Otherwise, game over. We will go down.

Win all our home games and we will stay up!!!

First half of the away game was all about the great escape and banging on the back.

Good times.

[Uncle Albert]

First half of the away game was all about the great escape and banging on the back.

Good times.

That early in the season.

We were always doomed.

[Tilley]

It will be one of those matches where you are up and down on the edge of your seat with your head in your hands and everyone looking round at each other in disbelief of how we arent winning 5 or 6 nil. Scunny then hit us against the run of play smash the scrappiest goal you've ever seen into the back of our net, sneak a one nil win and we will go down!

Now my hopeful thoughts.

A comfortable 3 nil win in which we finally beat the teams we should be!

or. I will take a one nil scrappy win

[ozleicester]

thats it...there is no way in the world that anyone can confidently predict which leicester team is going to turn up, or how they are going to play, SO...i have decided that all out optimism is the only option from here on.

We will win on Sat.. probably 3 - 0

in fact we will win all remaining games by at least 2 goals

CMON CITEHHHHHHHHHHHH

bring on season 08/09 and promotion in 09

[SamL]

First half of the away game was all about the great escape and banging on the back.

Good times.

Arguably the best Great Escapes of the season. That game was shyte, it was all about the decent-ish atmosphere.

[Ric Flair]

What drives me fookin insane right now is that we need some big performances from our players, you'd like to think in this scenario that with the amount of experience we have running throughout the team such as Oakley, Clemence, N'Gotty, Clapham, Hendrie, Howard, Hayles etc that these players should be relishing pulling this club from the depths of desperation and winning some football matches. But they can't put together two performances in a row, they are absolutely incapable of doing it. Why? These players have won promotions, won trophies, battled relegations, known how to put a run of decent performances together, so why can't they do it now? We have on paper one of the best squads in the lower half of the league, possibly as good as some of the top half teams. The experience running through our team is huge, I cannot comprehend the level of performances from one game to the next from these players.

It really does anger me, especially when our youngsters were the best in the whole of the country last season and they aren't getting a sniff. What message does that send out? Some of our players should be embarrassed and our manager should take some responsibility for this and reward players on merit if he hasn't got the ability to motivate experienced players.

Bollocks, infact double bollocks!

[davieG]

What drives me fookin insane right now is that we need some big performances from our players, you'd like to think in this scenario that with the amount of experience we have running throughout the team such as Oakley, Clemence, N'Gotty, Clapham, Hendrie, Howard, Hayles etc that these players should be relishing pulling this club from the depths of desperation and winning some football matches. But they can't put together two performances in a row, they are absolutely incapable of doing it. Why? These players have won promotions, won trophies, battled relegations, known how to put a run of decent performances together, so why can't they do it now? We have on paper one of the best squads in the lower half of the league, possibly as good as some of the top half teams. The experience running through our team is huge, I cannot comprehend the level of performances from one game to the next from these players.

It really does anger me, especially when our youngsters were the best in the whole of the country last season and they aren't getting a sniff. What message does that send out? Some of our players should be embarrassed and our manager should take some responsibility for this and reward players on merit if he hasn't got the ability to motivate experienced players.

Bollocks, infact double bollocks!

It makes you wonder - some managers will always be right for and excel with a smaller club, poorer players, smaller squad/budget it's an entirely different pressure to being in charge of a 'bigger' club with greater resource.

Shopkeeper or a Captain of Industry?

I fear we just have a competent shopkeeper with the added complication on a mad benefactor.

And I'll raise your double bollocks to a flush of bollocks!

[teblin]

It makes you wonder - some managers will always be right for and excel with a smaller club, poorer players, smaller squad/budget it's an entirely different pressure to being in charge of a 'bigger' club with greater resource.

Shopkeeper or a Captain of Industry?

I fear we just have a competent shopkeeper with the added complication on a mad benefactor.

And I'll raise your double bollocks to a flush of bollocks!

I think people change they way they manage as they are at a "big club", maybe thats the issue.

In the past holloway would have blooded youngsters at other clubs, here he just looked to bring people in.

[Ric Flair]

It makes you wonder - some managers will always be right for and excel with a smaller club, poorer players, smaller squad/budget it's an entirely different pressure to being in charge of a 'bigger' club with greater resource.

Shopkeeper or a Captain of Industry?

I fear we just have a competent shopkeeper with the added complication on a mad benefactor.

And I'll raise your double bollocks to a flush of bollocks!

I think you've hit upon a very important point davie, and that was why I wanted a so called 'big named' manager who had experience of managing a relatively big club and wouldn't be out of their depth when coming to a club that has a few household names. Holloway has his strengths, but a bit like Martin Allen, to get his success he needs a sort of player that he can mould in to his way of doing things. That's not necessarily a criticism as it's inevitable that managers need a certain sort of player to go about their business successfully, but under Mandaric and at a club that is still seen as fairly big, it is capable of getting some players that are looked at as a bit of a coup, proven players. We need a manager that has experience of working with proven players and can motivate them and get through to them.

I hope Holloway learns a lot from this season, that we stay up and that if he is still here, that he has the ability to make the most of the resources he has at this club. I'm sick and tired of all this, especially considering the lack of money this club had for 5 years and now we have a few quid it's just as bad if not worse.

[Sniffer-Clarke]

Come on lads i know its depressing but lets have as many as possible down there tomorrow and try and help save the city from the drop.Because i do feel if we lose this one we are gone and so is the manager.

[Milans Foxes]

He has to go 4-4-2! I would drop Howard as we simply do not whip in enough crosses for him to be of any use. Would push Hendrie out on the left and bring Weso in centre midfield. At least he will play with a bit of passion. Would probably play Hayles as he was our best player against Hull and would stick Campbell in alongside him and use Fryatt as a bit of an impact player from the bench. I think Bell has to play right-wing as Holloway obviously doesn't think Etuhu has the fight for a relegation battle whereas Bell will be keen to impress us or any other club who could potentially buy him in the summer.

Henderson

Mattock

Mcauley

Kisnorbo

Stearman

Hendrie

Oakley

Weso

Bell

Hayles

Campbell

Subs:

Howard

Fryatt

Clemence

Etuhu

N'Gotty

Also, I find it very worrying (from knowitall's post in transfer talk) that Ollie has spent most of the week going round premier league training grounds attempting to sign players and apparently has hardly been at the training ground all week. I hope that he is able to keep us up, just, and we should get rid of him in the summer and start afresh like we were supposed to last season. Get Billy Davies in and push for improvement next season!

[Kilworthfox]

This isn't a must win game, but is definatelya game which we should win given that we have home advantage and they are worse than us.

I hope we win of course but I feel a Preston coming on

if we win Excelent

We draw bad result

Lose up sh1t creak with a mirage of a paddle

[Leonisco]

This isn't a must win game, but is definatelya game which we should win given that we have home advantage and they are worse than us.

I hope we win of course but I feel a Preston coming on

if we win Excelent

We draw bad result

Lose up sh1t creak with a mirage of a paddle

It fooking well is.

[Flexx]

5-1 Leicester.

We surprise a few people sometimes. 4-1 away at West Brom, why can't we beat Scunny 5-1 at home.

This isn't a joke.

[Thracian]

This isn't a must win game, but is definatelya game which we should win given that we have home advantage and they are worse than us.

I hope we win of course but I feel a Preston coming on

if we win Excelent

We draw bad result

Lose up sh1t creak with a mirage of a paddle

Technically it might not be but imagining we would win three of the last five is being seriously optimistic given our results so far this season.

And I don't think our nerves would become less frayed should we draw or lose yet another home game.

Pretty well makes it "must win" to me, especially with three of our last five being away.

[davieG]

Technically it might not be but imagining we would win three of the last five is being seriously optimistic given our results so far this season.

And I don't think our nerves would become less frayed should we draw or lose yet another home game.

Pretty well makes it "must win" to me, especially with three of our last five being away.

Simply from a psychological perspective it's a must win, imagine the impact of losing on the already fragile confidence of both the players and the fans especially if the other teams manage to scrape a point or 3.