The Leicester City fan sites have been buzzing for the last few days. Not about the League Cup match against Aston Villa tonight but about an article in the Leicester Mercury .In it, Milan Mandaric has spoken out about the conflict between himself and the fans. He has invited disgruntled fans to meet with him tomorrow night to air their concerns at The Walkers.
It's a brave move. There are a few cynics that see it as something of a publicity stunt but most fans seem to recognise the gesture for what it is.
One of the key questions is just what went on behind the scenes that led MM to sack Martin Allen. Rumours continue to be rife and include allegations of bullying (which have been about since he first left) and drug taking (specifically coke).
Mandaric's comments in The Mercury hint that his reasons were significant and the pathway to his decision pretty clear. It does suggest extreme behaviour of some sort, although beyond that it is speculation.
What I like about the article, as so often with this man, is that he talks about his feelings in amongst the business issues. It is really refreshing in these days of spin and where too much emotion is seen as a barrier to hard business practice to see someone who is prepared to put himself out there.
He is also prepared to meet his critics face to face:
"For 45 minutes, maybe the Walkers Stadium will become the OK Corral on Thursday night. I am prepared for that."
OK he is quite cute and will have an eye to the PR opportunities. On balance though I reckon he is pretty genuine.
That's what I think anyway - and of course as a football fan I am not only allowed but indeed expected to have a view.
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