FoxHole

Stoke City 0 Leicester City 0, Sunday 4 April 2008

There were tears in my eyes when the game ended and I really didn’t feel like talking to anyone. It was as if something had been taken away from me that would never be given back. A genuine sense of shock.

Four hours later and it is starting to sink in. We will be playing local derbies against Northampton and Peterborough, and we could enjoy some long weekends in Yeovil or Cheltenham. Yet I keep thinking if only…

If only Southampton hadn’t scored a third goal. If only the Stoke keeper hadn’t tipped over Stearman’s header, if only the post hadn’t stopped what looked like a certain Leicester goal. If only Holloway had changed tactics about 20 minutes earlier.

If only we hadn’t played so badly in so many games earlier in this season. If only the players had cared.

This match was as nerve wrecking as they come; and when we did finally take the game to Stoke we showed that with some effort we can create chances. But with Southampton beating Sheffield United it was a case of too little too late. The emotional roller coaster was finally over.

A very sad end to a very sad season.

WBA 1 Southampton 1, Monday 28 April

That was a close. The impact even closer…

I’m supposed to be working but I can’t get the league table out of my head.

Leicester City 1 Sheffield Wednesday 3, Saturday 26 April 2008

I apologise for neglecting this blog in recent weeks. Our fortunes on the football field haven’t exactly infused me with the urge to write. But after our display against Sheffield Wednesday, and with relegation staring us in the face, I need to get whatever misery is left out of my system.

To say our second half performance on Saturday afternoon was poor is an understatement. It was more like total surrender.

During a reasonable display for much of the first half, it seemed as if we might actually take three points. Surely, I told myself, the players realise the significance of this match. Clearly, I reasoned at half time, they wont let an equaliser stop them from battering Wednesday in the second half. After all, one win and we stay up!

But the 30,000 who had turned up expecting a victory were made to witness a second half of clueless dreadful, football. It was a shocking demonstration by a team that just didn’t seem bothered. Whereas Wednesday worked hard, fought for every ball, and supported each other; Leicester City were slow, sloppy and spiritless. Quite frankly we didn’t deserve to win and the players should hold their heads in shame. They were an absolute disgrace. As for Ollie, I find myself questioning his tactics. What is the point of long balls up the pitch towards Howard? He doesn’t move and he can’t head the ball. We could all see it wasn’t working Ollie so why didn’t you?

We’re now almost doomed. We wont beat Stoke City on Sunday, so only Southampton can save us. If they play rubbish then we will stay up by default. If not then it’s third tier football for a third rate team. I guess the players wont be that bothered. They’ll find a new club. But us Leicester fans will still be there however futile the cause.

Leicester City 1 Scunthorpe United 0, Saturday 29 March 2008

Relief was in the air at the final whistle. They even played music from The Great Escape over the public address as we left the stadium. But three points isn’t enough to secure safety yet. We need to win our remaining two home matches against Colchester and Sheffield Wednesday, and hopefully take something from the trips to Barnsley, Sheffield United and Stoke City.

The match was hardly an advert for the beautiful game. But then I didn’t expect to see flowing passes and great ball skills. I was, after all, at the Walkers Stadium. It was cold, damp, and the howling wind was blowing rubbish all over the pitch. Most of the game was as expected: Crap. But there were some moments, and Lee Hendrie showed again that he is in a different class. We also managed to get the ball wide and put some crosses in to the forwards. This proved far more effective than the usual long ball as their keeper was forced to make a couple of excellent saves.

But as Leicester fans know you need nerves of steel to last 90 minutes. As Scunthorpe became more desperate, so they looked more threatening. On cue our defence started to panic; and if I wasn’t so cold I’d have chewed off my nails. The ref didn’t help when he added five minutes of injury time. But suddenly the relief we needed finally arrived and I left the stadium in a much better mood than I did last weekend.

On the way back I heard that Derby were officially relegated -in March - ha ha ha.

West Brom 1 Leicester City 4, Saturday 15 March 2008

I was so sure we wouldn’t win this match that on Saturday morning I made some silly joke about how, in my imaginery world, Leicester would win 4 - 0. Never mind though, I’ll settle for 4-1.

I have to say that for the first half an hour or so the commentary on Radio Leicester gave no hint of what was to come. Indeed, when West Brom took the lead it seemed very much like business as usual. We weren’t playing too badly, but nor were we making the most of our chances. Then we mess up in defence. I greeted their goal with the usual bout of swearing and despair, wondering if we’d already lost yet another match.

But how things can change. Clearly the sending-off helped (for a change). As the goals started to go in, the tension in our kitchen increased (no Leicester fan is ever confident of winning while there is still time for the other side to turn it around). And as for Howard, I have been one of those who wondered why he ever made the starting line up. But against one of the top teams in the league, and away from home, he scores a hat-trick. I guess he’ll be playing against Hull then.

So when the game ended at something like 5.00pm, I had that rare but very good”we’ve won” feeling. To top it all, Southampton who beat us last week were thrashed 5 -0!

Southampton 1 Leicester City 0, Tuesday 11 March 2008 

What exactly can I say?

Another defeat, another batch of wasted chances. Ironically, we  have shown  that we can dominate (Bristol City on Saturday) and even win games (a great result away at Cardiff), but the real Leicester City side seems incapable of actually scoring (our four disallowed goals against Preston being the exception to the rule).

Relegation is now closer than ever and morale will surely sink lower. Unlike some fans I don’t blame Ollie. Against the league leaders it wasn’t his fault that we missed chance after chance. And as we have just seen, somehow our players just don’t get it right on the night.

Indeed, we should have beaten Southampton but we didn’t. Verdict: Not good enough.

Leicester City 1 Crystal Palace 0, Tuesday 28 January 2008

I daresay many of Sky’s viewers turned over to watch a drama about another Palace before Leicester scored their winner. This certainly wasn’t a classic. But who cares. We won, and we beat the odious, vile, repulsive, loutish, revolting piece of shit that is Neil Warnock.

Yes, he squirmed on the touchline when it became clear that the ref wasn’t the slightest bit interested in his opinions; and more than once the Leicester fans told him to “sit down shut up”. But despite a fairly tedious match, the final chorus of “Warnock Warnock what’s the score?” was a joy to behold.

Neither side played good football. Palace certainly didn’t look like a team who have been unbeaten in 15 matches, and the flowing passes of Leicester’s performance against Coventry were almost nowhere to be seen. But the team seemed determined, and there were flashes of skill. But as our bones started to freeze, the decision not to stay home and watch the match on TV seemed particularly stupid. But then we scored, and it all seemed worthwhile.

Leicester City 2 Coventry 0, Saturday 12 January 2008

This was a completely new Leicester City, literally. It wasn’t just all the new faces, but the fact that there was movement, and width, and a midfield, and even some skill! Ollie called it a balanced side. How could we disagree.

From the kick-off the difference was there for all to see. Instead of the usual clueless boot the ball up the pitch, there were deliberate passes to the two new Hungarian wingers. The result: we actually created chances (20 apparently). The difference was so notable that when we had our first throw-in, my mate Mike remarked, “My god, they ‘re moving off the ball!”

We left the match in high spirits. What a rare but great feeling.

Leicester City 1 Charlton Athletic 1, Saturday 29 December 2007

This was one of those games where you can almost grasp the three points, only to have them fall over the edge into the abyss of a sickening 1-1 draw. After out-playing Charlton in the second half, taking a one goal lead, and thinking that maybe we’ll actually win two matches on the trot, they scramble an equaliser with just two minutes to go.

Suddenly euphoria turns to nausea, and the icy cold wind reminds us that it’s winter. I left the ground with mixed feelings. Extremely disappointed to have just one point. But considering Charlton’s credentials, delighted with the way we dominated them in the second half. If this form can be repeated in the games to come then relegation wont even be on the agenda.

Leicester City 2 Ipswich Town 0, Boxing Day 2007

We drank some beer after this game (nothing new there) but unlike most matches this season, the conversation included rare expressions such as “they all played well” or “we deserved to win”. (Usually someone mutters “what a load of crap” and the conversation quickly moves onto something other than football).

When we arrived back from the match, my wonderful grandson, who was born a Leicester City supporter, seemed oblivious to our great victory over Ipswich. But since he’s only one year old this is understandable. Indeed, he’s also been pretty oblivious to Christmas itself, finding the remote control just as interesting as a present. Still, while he played, we looked back on a great result.

So Boxing Day was cheerful for more than the usual festive reasons. City played well, worked hard, and yes, they deserved to win.