Leicester 'Til I Die

I've lost my virginity. As far as going to watch Leicester City Football Club is concerned anyway.

What a day. I had the most fantastic time. So much to talk about - the game, the fans, the pies. I hardly know where to start.




The Game

We won. 1 - 0. Although it should have been 2 - 0 because in the second half one of our players shot at goal and as the goalie saved it he and the ball went over the line. Plain as day from where I was sitting. But the referee did not seem to see it and the goalie was only too happy to kick it away as soon as possible. The Foxes had most of the play although Barnsley did rally for a while after we scored. Man of the match for me was Shaun Newton.

The Fans

"Leicester 'til I die". They sang. They clapped. They cheered. They chanted. They sang songs about how wonderful Leicester are. They sang songs about how poor the support for the opposition was. They sang songs about Leeds getting relegated. If I had been one of those Foxes it would definately have spurred me on and given me confidence. Shame about the idiot we saw trying to damage the seats. Still the fans controlled themselves well when at the end some of the Barnsley fans rushed onto the pitch. Quite a lot of them as a matter of fact. More idiots.

The Pies

It's not just a myth. Pies everywhere. Kiosks that only sell lager and pies at the stadium. People eating pies all around me. Out of the foil with a fork. But best of all, on the way to the match, the biggest cakes and pies I have ever seen in a Barnsley shop. It was like food for giants. Huge sausage rolls. Massive iced buns. And the biggest custard tarts I have seen in my life.

No wonder Barnsley lost. It is quite clear they eat too many pies.

Whistling For Love

How many rules do you think there are in football then?

If you are anything like me you probably think there must be hundreds. In fact there are only 17. Known as The Football Laws, these are currently determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and were last updated in 1997.

One of these rules covers Referees (Revision tip: all referees are bastards). This lead me to thinking more about referees. Reading about it on Wikipedia, there are a couple of interesting points of note. Firstly, their use of the whistle is not mandated by the football law on the subject. In fact they used to wave a handkerchief! And until the 1950s blazers were worn instead of a jersey. Very chic!

Refereeing, it would seem, is an art form. Most referees aren't paid either. So they do the job out of love for the game. See here for what happens when love and art come together (apologies for the politically incorrect title but it was too good to miss)

Infection

You will have to excuse me if I don't post every day for the next few days. I am staying at my lover's house. Looking forward to 4 days of joy and relaxation. Oh and football of course.

It's a weird thing you know this football. How it gets under your skin. Intrudes into your head. Grabs your attention.

I guess once you have got the bug you have got it. Infected for life.

For example, I have found myself initiating conversations about football. Several times a day. Or when I hear someone mention it I respond so that we end up talking about it.

Take today. I was on the train when an older gentleman came and sat opposite to me. He looked to be in his late 60s and walked with a stick. He saw the man next to him reading the sport section of The Mail and said "The Telegraph is the best paper to read about sport in. The tabloids don't know what they are talking about".

So I said "Do you like sport then?". That was it. Turns out he is 77. He told me all about how important sport had been in his life. A qualified coach in 6 different sports and observer of anything and everything. His favourite is football and he played as a semi-professional for Hereford in the 1950s. He has defied death 5 times - including a brain tumour when he was just 18.

And he also told me how he is now crippled with arthritis, which he puts down to all those years playing sport with passion. He said "People ask me if I regret playing so much sport now I am disabled. I tell them I don't regret any of it and would do it all again"

How amazing is that?

The Horn And Other Things Exciting

Take a look at the picture.

Wanna know what that is?

Only two tickets to the Barnsley v Leicester game this Saturday!!

And they are mine. I'm taking my lover with me (well he is taking me actually because he is driving). We are going to leave early in the morning and take a gentle drive up. My lover suggested that we might stop for lunch somewhere but I said no because I want to be sure to keep some room for my Pukka pie.

I ordered a Foxes scarf at the weekend but they said it would take 7 days or more to come so I won't have it for Saturday (Aaahhhh!). Never mind.

I had better start swotting up. Learning the names of the players in our team. Learning the names of the Barnsley players. Learning what positions they all play in. And some songs of course.

I wonder what the Foxes will be wearing? Barnsley wear red so I am not sure if we wear our away kit automatically or only when the other team wear blue.

And apparently the team comes out to the post horn. That's what I read on the message board anyway. The fans have mixed views about it (predictably!). Some think it an important tradition to hang on to. Others would replace it with something more modern that meant something to the team.

Personally I think the sound of a hunting horn should spur those little foxes to run and use their heads to outsmart the hunters.

So I'm in the horn camp - although I haven't heard it yet of course so I reserve the right to change my mind if it is dire.

It's all very exciting.

Old Or Young?

I have been thinking about positions. Football positions of course. What else?!

I don't know anything about football player's positions. Where they are allowed to go on the pitch and which positions are called what. So I asked my lover. He told me that the players can go anywhere they want according the rules of the game. Tactically players are more likely to be given an area of play to cover but in theory they can go anywhere.

And my lover also told me (for as he says he is very knowledgeable on the subject) that different teams and even different countries play very differently when it comes to positioning.

Which left me wondering (as you do), whether such tactics have changed over time. So I have been doing some research again. And I have found just the place to discover the answer to this. I'll leave you to decide whether you think there has been improvement over time or if the old values were the best

He Tries His Best

Number 15 in the LCFC squad. Nils Eric Johansson. Although he seems also to be known as Nisse Johansson which I have to say I think I prefer. Not least because Nils sounds too much like you would never score a goal. Like Nil Point (you have to pronounce 'point' like the French though or it doesn't work).

Six foot one of meaty Swedish football player, who likes to play centre-half (we haven't covered positions yet but he is a defender).

And, it would seem, immortalised by a group of people called Dirty Frank, who describe themselves as "Leicester Rock and Roll legends". Forthcoming gigs include a garden party, a wedding party and a charity gig on a trailer.

Anyway, Dirty Frank have written and recorded a song called "Try My Best". This, according to Wikipedia, is based upon a 'throw away line" by Johansson who said "I try my best". Bless!!

It has of course occurred to me that the information on Wikipedia may not be correct. Or that it is a clever marketing plan by Dirty Frank.

If the latter, then as an intimate friend of mine would say - "Fair play to you".

Fox In A Hole

When I read the story of this little fox earlier it made me think about our own little Foxes. They have certainly managed to get themselves into a hole in recent times.

But then is that really the whole picture? Maybe the journey towards the hole started further back. Like the little fox in the picture. He (for only a boy fox would have done such a stupid thing) must at some point have wandered off from the safety of his mother, his brothers and sisters and their lair and decided to have a little adventure of his own. His mother had told him to be careful and not to wander off and get lost or else he would get into danger. Only he forgot his mother's warnings. He forgot about danger. And he wandered gaily on his little foxy way, picking up a grub here, chasing a mouse there and generally having the time of his life.

And then bingo. He found this wonderful playground. He forgot all about his lair. He forgot all about his mother and brothers and sisters. He forgot all about danger. He started to play. But then all of a sudden he couldn't move. He was stuck. He was in danger. He might die.

What a good job he was found. It took them 2 hours to free him. The man who saved him, Filan Fanderic, said "I really care about foxes". And the little fox lived happily ever after.

And the moral of the story is - always listen to your mother.

Spot The Fan

Today has been a good day. It has been a good day for the following reasons:

1. My roots are done
2. The Foxes beat Preston 1 - 0
   
3. The Foxes will not now be relegated
4. The LCFC Under 18s team won the FA Premier Academy League Group B title (I have no idea what this means but it is a good thing I understand)
5. I have made a new friend called Eric (see comments on previous post) who is going to buy me a drink when I go to my first match (I wonder if they sell real ale at the stadium)

Like I said - a good day.

I have been a Foxes fan for exactly one month and one day now. In that time I have experienced;

• the excitement of my first match
• the disappointment of losing
  
• the drama of a manager sacked
• the emotion of following the thoughts and feelings of the fans on the message boards
• the enlightenment of being awestruck by The Walkers Stadium
• the anxiety of facing relegation
• the joy of winning

After all that I am wondering if I can now consider myself a proper fan. But then how do you define such a thing? Is it the number of matches that you have attended? Is it that you know lots of facts about the club and the players? Is it because you always know where they are in the league, how many points they have, how many they need to win or avoid relegation?

Or is it the level of passion you feel? Is it about how often you think about LCFC, the level of emotion you feel when they win or lose?

My new friend Eric has written about one particular LCFC fan, Bernie. I don't know that much about Bernie and neither does Eric. We don't know where he lives or what his life is like really. We don't know what makes him tick.

What we can both see is that he is a fan.

Maybe it is not something you can define. Maybe it is something you just know.

Rooting For Those Foxes

It's a big day tomorrow for The Foxes. They play Preston North End.

Preston North End sound a bit indecisive to me. For a start they couldn't seem to settle on one name. Should it be Preston? Or Preston North? Or North End? Oh lets have them all. They have four nicknames too - The Lilywhites, The Invincibles, North Enders and The Guild. Clearly they could not decide whether sanitary towels, puppets from Thunderbirds, characters from a dodgy northern soap opera or a firm of bouncers was most suitable.

Milan Madaric has arranged free buses to encourage the fans there. Everyone is going. Imagine the atmosphere. A day trip to Preston. You can see what they have got to look forward to here.

I'd like to be going myself of course. Unfortunately I have to have my roots done.

Fingers crossed for them though, eh.

Get Down And Dirty

There are those who might say that professional football is not what it was. There are those who might argue that it is positively sanitised on the pitch. Players have carefully coiffured hairstyles to keep in place, sponsorship logos to keep visible and a generally cool image to promote.

I am not suggesting that they never get muddy knees or even that their kit doesn't need the occasional wash. But its not unreasonable to say that it is probably not the most 'get down and dirty' experience in the sporting world.

Unlike Swamp soccer. Described as a "growing sport which takes as much out of the legs as it does out of the washing machine", and is played on boggy marshlands. It is an exhausting, demanding activity where delicate ball-control skills do little good". Players must stay mobile or face sinking.

As you can see here players get a bit grubby.

The rules are as follows:

• Play is in two halves of 12 minutes
• Teams consists of a goalkeeper and five outfield players, with a maximum squad of 12
• Corner kicks, penalties and throw-ins are taken by drop kick
• There is no offside rule
• The playing area is smaller than a full-size pitch but larger than a five-a-side pitch
• The penalty area must consist of a bog 16ft deep
• Players are not allowed to change their shoes during the game
• Unlimited substitutions are allowed
  

See a video here.

2007 sees the tenth anniversary of the World Championships in Finland (where the game originated) between July 12-15. Call +358 (0)8 748500 to book. Or maybe if there were enough of use we could hire a coach. What do you think?

Jurrasic Park

"She talks a good game, but the verdict is split ..." was the headline on page 72 of the Daily Mail today.

Before I get into the story though, let me just explain about the Daily Mail. I would not want you to think I make a habit of purchasing newspapers. I can't remember the last time I bought one. But I heard this story on Five Live and decided to follow it up. Research. Oh and of course I did take the time to read the write-up on Leicester's game yesterday. But that was by the by.

So back to the story. What is this - "Da da da da dadadadada da da da da da da"? Answer - the Match Of The Day song. A programme all about football. And for 43 years the sole domain of the boys when it came to commentating. Until now.

They are going to let a girl do it! Hurrah!!

But just as the first sign of the sun brings out all those puny white chested men and women with fantastic suntans that deny going anywhere near a sunlamp, this wonderful piece of news has brought out the dinosaurs. The timid ones say things like "I'm indifferent to the issue" (Simon Jordan, Crystal Palace Chairman) and "the problem she has is that she is the first" (Barry Davies, BBC Commentator). Steve Curry, Junior Brontosaurus at Sportsmail appears to find this a threat to a world of perfect order, where he listens to "the controlled commentaries of John Motson, Mike Ingram and Alan Green", fearing this will be replaced by "a new arrival whose excited voice sounds like a fire siren".

Mr T Rex himself, Dave Basset, ex-premiership manager (the "ex" being a clue to his dinosaur status) not only thinks women commentators some sort of abomination, but says he never really agreed that we should have women officials. Oh and his wife agrees. Must be true then.

Never mind. We all know what happened to the dinosaurs.

A Little Bit Of Magic

I don't know what to say. The Foxes played again tonight. The Foxes lost again tonight. 1 - 2 (Revision tip: Always put the home team's score first, even if it is lower and sounds funny)

To be fair, they were playing Birmingham. And to be even more fair, Birmingham are at the top of the Championship. So it was always going to be a tough match.

Unfortunately I didn't get to listen to the game as I was out, although I got my lover to text me progress. So since I got home I have been reading the message boards.

It's a sorry tale. Some are just giving up hope and think we are doomed to relegation. Some just feel really sad. A few are angry. And some others are very worried but see signs of hope. They say the team played really well during the last 20 minutes. They say they really tried hard. That's the best I have heard since I became a loyal and trusty fan of those little Foxes.

We are in trouble. There is no doubt about that. But something seems to be happening. There is a sparkle of magic. Maybe the players will be caught in the spell. Maybe they will capture the spirit of football. Just long enough to keep us in the Championship at least.

Please.

On Yer Bike

Like I mentioned yesterday, one of the problems with The Foxes appears to be their fitness. According to the various commentators that is, including fans and indeed the new manager himself.

Of course being a girl I immediately get confused by that term. It probably seems common sense that they mean physical fitness. As in stamina and flexibility and muscle tone. But to a girl that likes to giggle I can't help thinking about whether this could all be down to the way they look.

So I've done a bit of research on our behalf. Looked at each of their photographs. I have to say I don't know how proper it is for a 40 something girl to be looking at boys as young of her son in this way. I did of course attempt to keep some professional distance.

Anyway, what I have concluded it that stamina and flexibility and muscle tone are an important part of either type of fitness. So that's what they need to focus on.

Now you may be sitting there thinking " It's alright for her. She is at a nice safe distance. Easy for her to say they should be training harder" (OK I know the chances of you actually thinking that are probably quite slim but it is a literary device to lead me into my next point!). So I have decided to lead from the front and set an example. To that end I have got my almost unused 5 year old push bike out, in a distinctive shade of purple, complete with purple helmet (that's enough of that!). I have been on a training ride.

So boys, I've set the example. Off you go!

They Started It

Come closer girls. I've got a bit of goss!

There was me all set to do a post about what went wrong for Leicester City yesterday. How they need to focus upon a combination of motivation and focus and fitness. I was then going to talk about the semi-final match between Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers (I think) which amid high passion and drama ended with Chelsea 2 - 1 up after extra time.

Then I hear something much more interesting. A bit of scandal. For apparently, - come a bit closer, that's it - apparently, there has been some cheating going on. Can you believe it?!

There is this trick going on with the ballboys. When the ball goes out of play they are supposed to run after it and pass it back to the team that is putting it back into play. Putting it back into play can and should give an advantage to the team that does it. Rumour has it that the ballboys at The Walkers stadium are under instructions to pass that ball as quickly as possible when it The Foxes turn to throw it in, so that they can take their opponents by surprise. On the other hand if the ball is to go to the other team, they are to be as slow as they dare.

Well, it would seem that Norwich complained on Saturday. Which will mean Leicester City will get fined. And everyone will know they are cheats. Shameful!

On the fan message boards it says they have been fined for this before. Someone said that Cambridge United started it. Which of course presents a moral dilemma!

Should you refuse to stoop to such a level and play properly by the rules when your opponents do it to you and gain a distinct advantage? Or should you take the pragmatic view that if everyone else is doing it it is only reasonable to take action to give yourself an even chance? Or should you decide it is dog eat dog and try to come up with something even more cunning?

Answers on a postcard please to Georgina Best, c/o The Walkers Stadium, Leicester

Let's Be 'Avin' You

We play the Canaries today. Aka Norwich City football club. Wonder how it will be. I predict 1-1.

Of course there is more to this match than meets the eye. Obviously it is important because it is the first game with our new manager. Obviously it is important because we need to turn our fortunes around and move away from any possibility of relegation. Obviously it will be an important lift to Foxes fans if we win.

For Nigel Worthington, however, it has special meaning (although not special in a Jose sort of way of course). Norwich used to be the team he managed. Until he got fired for poor performance. When he left he said:

"I am a loyal person. I have been manager of this football club for six years when it has been absolutely tremendous. But my team will live to fight another day and I intend to live to fight another day as well. We all took the plaudits when things were going well, and I'll take the bullets when it is not going well. I'll miss the club, the lads, the fans and most importantly the wonderful city of Norwich. I'm leaving Norwich, but Norwich will never leave this old fool's heart."

Best you don't have it in your heart today Nige!

Of course Norwich was not without it's problems during his time there. Well known as the team most loved by librarians, it took an inspirational if slightly slurred speech from their "back-to-basics" cookery guru and director Delia Smith to even raise a cheer out of them.

Lets hope they have a bit more of a tune in them today. Come on Norwich - let's be 'avin' you!

Jose And The Technicolour Dreamcoat

Chelsea Football Club has just scored a double whammy. Petr Cech has been named player of the month in the Premiership for March. Jose Mourinho has been named manager of the month.

Petr Cech is the goalkeeper for Chelsea and he got his award for not letting in a single goal since January 20th. Well done that man! Jose Mourinho is the manager of Chelsea. He got his for instilling a "never say die" attitude into his players apparently. Gritty stuff.

Jose Mourinho is something of a controversial character it would seem. Once describing himself as "special", -"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one." - he is renowned for his self belief and dapper attire, according to Wikipedia.

He has a unique style of management, which mixes fire and brimstone with a jolly old sing along.
He has, according to his own version of events, worked closely with God:
"If I wanted to have an easy job...I would have stayed at Porto - beautiful blue chair, the Uefa Champions League trophy, God, and after God, me."
He is able to single- handedly lead a team to victory:
" We are on top at the moment but not because of the club's financial power. We are in contention for a lot of trophies because of my hard work."

Here he describes the secret of his success. He really is special isn't he!!

I close my eyes and stand there grinning,
We can’t stop winning,
You’d be grinning too.
When I first came,
I was delighted,
Could have managed United,
Any team will do.
I wore my coat,
The world is merry,
I’ve got John Terry & Drogba too.
I switched them round,
They all are hating,
But I like rotating.
Any team will do.

Rotate on Jose we say! Ole!!

The Gentle Touch

I rather recklessly decided to go for jog the night before last. Just for 20 mins or so. First time for about a month. And boy did I know it! My thighs are killing me today.

Which got me to thinking about sports injuries. It seems to be an occupational hazard for footballers. Sometimes they get injured during matches. Sometimes they get injured during training. Either way they rely upon good physiotherapists.

Obviously needing to see a physiotherapist is not a good thing. It means you have an injury. But it also means you get to have various body parts massaged. If it is your calf muscle then you can look forward to a firm but gentle rubbing of your lower leg. If it is a neck injury then gentle stroking and light massage are likely to be close behind. I'm not sure how groin injuries are treated though.

If there is a wayto apply physiotherapy to team spirit, passion, skill and self belief, I certainly hope Nigel Worthington knows how.

Whilst I wait to find out I'll think about a little physiotherapy for myself.

One Hump Or Two

How could I possibly have known when my alarm went off at 6am this morning that it was to be the start of a day full of drama. Of suspense and speculation. Of hope and disappointment. Of excitement and disbelief. Of confusion and more confusion.

That was a rhetorical question by the way. That means you don't have to answer it.

What am I talking about? Well Rob Kelly has been sacked as manager of The Foxes. Someone called Nigel Worthington has been appointed as an interim manager.

All the drama started with a text mid morning from my lover. "Kelly's been summoned". I immediately looked at the message board. It was buzzing. Over 160 people logged on. No-one seemed to have any proper insider info but rumours were rife. The next couple of hours comprised tense nail-biting and finger-crossing that Kelly's replacement would be someone I had at least heard of.

Then at about 1.15 I got another text. "It's Worthington".
"Whose Worthington? I asked out loud to anyone that might give me an answer. "He's our new manager".
"Oh that's Frank Worthington" says one of my colleagues. "Used to play for Arsenal".

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. For what hindsight tells me is that when such an assertion is made by someone that is a) a girl and b) knows possibly even less than me about football, then caution might be a worthwhile tactic. My eagerness to familiarise myself with our new manager as quickly as I could resulted in me throwing caution to the wind, however.

Thus it was that I spent half an hour googling Frank Worthington. Who of course used to be a footballer and indeed played for The Foxes for a while during his career. Hence why the penny took a while to drop.

Not that the appointment of Frank Worthington would have been without interest. His autobiography "One Hump Or Two" apparently "reflected his interest in the ladies". One reviewer of his book said "PC readers might frown at the sexist language and dodgy sex-as-football metaphors not to mention the salacious photographs of his second wife Carol".

Us? Frown at sexist language? As if!

Look forward to seeing what salacious offerings his namesake will bring to Leicester City.

Who Ate All The Pies?

Of course if I had chosen to become a Manchester United fan I would be celebrating tonight. They beat Roma (an Italian side) 7 - 1. Very good. That'll teach their police to beat up our fans.

Now then, just imagine if that was Leicester. And I was there. At the Walkers Stadium. My first match.

I'd have rung ahead of course to make sure they got some of those Pukka Pies suitable for vegetarians. And that they sold hot chocolate as well as bovril. I would be wearing my Leicester home strip shirt, with a number 7 and GEORGINA written on the back. I would have an LCFC scrunchie in my hair and a Leicester City scarf around my neck. I would buy a programme but not use it so that it would stay nice and clean as a keepsake. And I would have warmed up my voice on the way up in the car so that I could join in the singing when it started.

Of course the alternative would be to bring up the Guardian Unlimited website so I could monitor the score, open a bottle of Kriek beer, munch my way through 2 flakes and a mars bar and slightly defer gratification around a tube of smarties (about 10 minutes).

Which would you choose?

Tie Me Kangeroo Down Sport

A whooping by Plymouth. 3 - 0! How awful is that.

I am not going to dwell though. Lets think about Patrick Kisnorbo instead. What do you mean who? Only the LCFC captain. Or at least he was today. He is Australian and indeed has played for his country. He plays in defence although can turn his hand, or probably his feet, to midfield.

He said after today's defeat that the team has to focus on their own game for the rest of the season. Which left me wondering whose game they have been watching until now. Maybe that is the problem. Maybe they have been watching another team that have been winning and thinking it was themselves. Only to wake up and realise that they are 5 points from the relegation zone. How shameful.

And there is Mr Kisnorbo. On the fringes of the Socceroos at one point according to one source. To come to this. Now there's a man who needs to put a bounce back in his step.

Road To Damascus

I'm not a religious girl by nature. But today I went on a pilgrimage.

It all started on Friday when I was planning to go out on my motorbike over the weekend. I decided Sunday was the day but wasn't quite sure where to go. It is nice riding on your own in some ways but it helps to have a destination in mind I find.

Then all of a sudden it hit me. I would go and see the stadium. Our stadium. The Walkers stadium.

So that is where I have been today. Over 200 miles round trip. 2 and a half hours to get there. Lost in Leicester for a further 2 hours. No help from 5 of the 6 people I asked. 2 had never heard of it. Not sure they even knew what football was. 2 gave me detailed directions, but I didn't even manage to find the first landmark they alluded to.

The fifth was wearing a Leicester shirt. I couldn't go wrong. His directions were clear if complicated. I navigated my way through the city and there before me was the stadium. The Rugby stadium! Can you imagine.

Anyway, victim number 6 of my drive-by quizzing was spot on. As I went around a corner there it was. Massive. And beautiful.

The place was pretty much deserted. All locked up. I wandered around the small garden of remembrance at the front. I was touched by the messages of love for lost ones and by the passion they must have held for their team to choose that as their last resting place.

As I say I am not religious. But the hushed silence of the place reminded me of an empty cathedral. I reflected that maybe this is a modern cathedral. Both are places where people raise their voices together in worship.

And as I travelled back home along that old roman road, the Fosse Way, I thought about all those soldiers that had marched along that way over the years. All around I could hear invisible voices chanting "BLUE ARMY, BLUE ARMY"

No caustic comments to make. No irony. Today I was touched by the spirit of football. Awesome!

Who Am I? Who Am I?

Who am I? I am Matty Fryatt. Aged 21. Number 12 in the LCFC squad. I am a striker.

Not to be confused with Matty Groves who was killed by a nobleman after being seduced by his wife. Poor little lamb.

Our Matty (born Matthew Charles) is just a bit younger than my own son, who doesn't play football but is the sweetest lad (and who will have something to say about what I have just done to his street cred if he ever reads this!)

According to his own website, Matty still lives at home with his parents and his favourite drink is milk shake. Bless!

Matty has been injured for the last couple of months. He made his comeback on Friday and scored a goal against Derby. Hooray that man!

It is believed Matty has further potential. He will just need to be careful not to cut himself shaving once he starts. Otherwise he will have to miss more matches due to injury.

Little Bo Peep

D-Day today. Leicester v Derby. Outcome? 1 - 1. Not bad given the doom and gloom around in recent weeks.

In the way that Leicester City are called The Foxes, Derby County are called The Rams. Except The Fox's fans call them The Sheep.

Now you may be reading this and wondering if you are sheep or a fox? No? Well bear with me anyway. Because you can find out here.

It is probably reasonable to assume that Derby fans are as passionate about their team as Leicester City fans. In fact I found this video clip of a Derby fan who appeared to have got lost on the way to the match. Poor soul.

Another player profile next post. Bye for now!

Who Says Boys Can't Multi-Task?

The Foxes' goalie (that is football speak for 'goalkeeper') on Saturday was Paul Henderson. He is number 13 in the squad. He has been with LCFC for nearly 2 years, having taken a free transfer offer from Bradford.

He clearly lied about his age in order to get into the team, claiming to be born in 1976, 4 years after he was at his peak as an ice hockey player. Amazing what a haircut and a bit of botox can achieve. He has grown a couple of inches since then of course. He has also written a book.

A man of many talents. Which is of course exactly what you need to be a goalie. In fact I don't know how men manage to do it at all, multi-tasking not usually being their thing. For instance, take a look at the picture above. Mr Henderson in action. Note how he manages to perform a 'jetee', catching the ball that is coming towards him, looking beneath the ball through his arms at a woman who has just bared her breasts to attract his attention, whilst preparing to lift his right leg so that he can kick his opponent on the way down and pretend it was an accident.

Now that is quality.

Every Girl Loves To Shop

Good news! I've just made a great discovery. You can shop and 'do' football at the same time. How good is that?

On the official LCFC website you can buy all sorts of interesting things. LCFC replica shirt. LCFC hoodies. LCFC mugs, LCFC scarves, LCFC gloves, LCFC hats, even hair scrunchies amongst other items.

Of course, looking at it more dispassionately I would have to admit that the range is a little limited. For example it probably would not appeal to someone that was not a Leicester City fan. I would like to see more pictures of little foxes on the clothing too. Sweet. But hey its a start and more importantly its shopping!

I can't decide whether to go for a hoody or a shirt. Or maybe wait in case they change the strip next season. What do you think?

Sing When Your Winning

I have been occupying myself with finding out about football songs. Being a bit of a musical girl I thought this might provide a much-needed connection.

I managed to find a most instructive website which had told me everything I need to know.

For example, we are told "A good football song ought to be simple and rhythmic" The lyrics must also be uncomplicated "as it really wouldn't do anyone any good if everyone had to stop halfway through the song to go and look up the words".

This seems very sensible to me. The site also explains the historical origins of some of the more well known songs. Unfortunately I cannot repeat most of them here as they have rude words in. One song which tries to establish who ate all the pies which starts "Who ate all the pies, who ate all the pies"apparently refers to the tradition of eating meat pies at football matches.

Not sure where that leaves a veggie girl like me.

There are also actions which more experienced football fans do to accompany their singing once they have mastered the words. Such as rhythmic clapping, foot stamping, pointing and mock bowing.

As already explained there are rather a lot of swear words in these songs. If you want to read some of the songs Leicester City fans sing look here. If you can't be bothered, here is an example of the sort of horrible song fans of The Foxes might sing to one of their rivals, Nottingham Forest (if you are of a sensitive disposition you might want to switch off now):

In your Forest slums,
In your Forest slums,
Your mum's on the game and your dad's in the nick,
You can't get a job 'cause your so f*****g thick,
In your Forest slums.

In your Forest slums
You look in the dustbin for something to eat
You find a dead dog and you think it's a treat
There's p**s on the pavements and s**t in the street
In your Forest slums

Like I said, not very nice. Not big and not clever.

A bit funny though.

And one final thing about football singing before I go. You are supposed to sing as much if not more when you are losing. For support to the players and to show you are hard and don't care.

So, sing when your losing girls - not just when you are winning.

Storm Clouds Forming

Its doom and gloom in the LCFC chat rooms. Fans are starting to talk about relegation becoming a distinct possibility. How shameful!

You might say "You gotta take the ups with the downs kid" - well you might if you were John Wayne or some other dodgy cowboy. But relegation has particular significance for The Foxes because according to Wikipedia, Leicester City Football Club is one of only 10 clubs that have always been in the top two divisions of the football league.

So it's history in the making. Bad history.

The Foxes next game is on Friday. It is what's called "a derby". This means they are playing against a neighbouring team.

In the world of football, you are supposed to hate neighbouring teams more than you hate any others. You are supposed to make up horrible songs about them and sing them whenever you get chance.' Derbies', it seems, contain the passion of football.

The main teams that LCFC play against in 'derbies' are Nottingham Forest and ... er... Derby. This Friday's 'derby' is against ..er... Derby.

And the way The Foxes are playing at the moment the fans are not too confident they are going into the fight fully armed. No wonder passion is high!