News From The Foxes' Den

So shall we take a look what's new at the Foxes' lair then girls?

Well for one thing the kit.

LCFC have launched a new away kit. Not bad is my verdict (despite the dodgy sponsorship logo). I think Georgie Girl would look pretty cool in one of those tops. Anything to seek a bit of attention.

Then there are the two new backroom staff, Craig Shakespeare and Steve Walsh.

And Mr Pearson has started off his tenure with some disciplined training it would seem.

I also learned today that Leicester City are rated 5/1 by the bookmakers to return to the Championship this coming season.

So it's not all doom and gloom. And this little foray into the world of Leicester City once more has left me with a little stirring inside of hope and expectation.

I'm so excited.

No One Hit Wonder

My lover is a Reading fan. Fortunately I am a kind girl and I love him despite this.

Funny club in lots of ways Reading. They have not really featured in the news particularly since I established my interest in football (which admittedly was only in March this year). Compared to many of the other Premier League clubs they are minnows. Their promotion in 2006 was the first time the club had ever been in the top division since they were established in 1871.

What is more, they did it is style. They secured promotion earlier in the season than any other post-war team and had the highest tally attained in any of the 4 top divisions - ever! Ironically it was a win against Leicester that earned them that distinction.

Steve Coppell, their manager, the man who led them to these dizzy heights of success, appears to be a gentle, modest man. An article in The Observer earlier in the year suggested that in the same way that dogs resemble their owners, football teams resemble their managers. It goes on to describe The Royals as presenting an image of fair-minded, unpretentious decency.

Any media coverage I have heard relating to them seems to mirror this. For example, teams get described as "playing against" Reading rather than commentators talking about X versus Reading.

They had a cracking first season in the Premiership last season but have had a number of defeats this year. Some suggest this is evidence of a phenomenon referred to as "second season syndrome". This refers to a pattern whereby clubs who get promoted and do well in their first season in the Premiership, struggle in the second.

Steve Coppell has previously been scathing about there being such a thing, but now accepts that Reading are suffering the effects.

In an interview on Talk Sport today with Hawksbee and Jacobs, the Reading goalkeeper, Marcus Hahnemann, said that last season they had the advantage of being an unknown quantity to most of the other Premiership sides and therefore they had the element of surprise. Other teams are much more prepared this year and The Royals are paying the price.

Despite this dip in form, however, they are currently 12th in the table and well clear of the relegation zone. I suspect we might not see the impressive 8th place finish of last year (narrowly missing out on a place in Europe) , but my guess is they will probably achieve a respectable overall performance.

I hope my lover is able to deliver to a similar standard.

The Punditry Of Pies And Parkas

Clearly my reputation as an emerging football pundit has reached further than I realised. When I arrived at The Walkers today there was Sky Sports waiting to interview me!

Seriously they did! And it was screened, because I had a bemused phonecall from my stepson later in the afternoon who had just seen it.

I was asked about my views on Megson and what we might want in a new manager etc. And there was me in my LCFC shirt, new LCFC scarf, dodgy parka and hair all over the place.

Just goes to show a girl can never be sure when stardom will strike and should be prepared at all times. If I had known I was going to be on TV I might at least have tried to show a bit of cleavage.....

Anyway back to the match.

I have to say that whilst you might argue I am hardly an expert (this is only my third live match), today was the best I have seen the Foxes play. They weren't perfect by any means and Barnsley were not the most challenging side. Nevertheless, there were times when play got exciting enough for me to leap to my feet and shout/cheer/applaud. Being in the Kop meant I had a great view of the two goals too (see picture above of Kisnorbo's goal)

To add to it my lover and I shared the headphones for his little radio and listened to the commentary on Radio Leicester. For a girl new to the game like me it was a really useful way to learn as I went along, whilst still getting the atmosphere of being at a live match.

Having taken a quick look at Talking Balls my fairly positive views seems to be at odds with the fans posting there. I stand by them though. I have had a great day out. And I am famous!

PS: My first pie experience proved a disappointment - as you can see from the picture

Ginger Mourinho

The Blue Army is gearing up.

On 31st October we play Chelsea in the Football League Cup. 6,500 tickets have been sold to LCFC fans, with over 2000 going on the 39 official coaches.

And in an amazing coincidence, Gary Megson has recently been dubbed Ginger Mourinho by Foxes fans. Not that I am convinced the Chelsea fans will be fooled of course. I mean our fox-coloured version could not in all honesty be mistaken for a twin, tragically separated at birth from The Special One.

I do hope, though, that Megson has built a better relationship with Milan than poor Jose and Abramovich.

Left Is Best

I'm left handed. And proud of it.

Unfortunately, being left handed has not always been regarded as a good thing. Indeed, right handers have a history of persecuting us poor lefties.

There have been many famous left handed people through the ages. Leonardo Da Vinci, Ghandi, Aristotle, Beethoven and even, according to this article, Jesus Christ.

We Lefties (who are controlled by the right hemisphere of our brains) are reputedly good at music, art, creativity, perception, spatial awareness and, (not surprisingly if you have met me), genius. We are also supposed to be able to think more quickly, and this is deemed to be particularly valuable in sport, including football.

Predictably, then, there have been a number of famous football players who favour their left side. Diego Maradonna is deemed by some to be the best left sided footballer ever.

This commentator thinks the best footballers are those who can play with both feet and that not enough attention is paid to practising with the weaker limb.

Not sure of the 'handedness' of any of The Foxes players but I would settle for one effective foot on each if it meant they beat Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow. Given their disappointing 0 - 0 draw against Wolves earlier in the week, though, I am not holding my breath. If I did I would probably risk asphyxiation.

PS: I have solved my internet problem. Turned out to be interference from my lover's car alarm! So I've made him park down the road - and told him I will tolerate no more interference.

Spooks And Spirits

Sorry for the absence. Still having problems with my Broadband.

I suspect Leeds United fans had a hand in making some of the equipment. Either that or there are spooks in it. Anyway, it is not working properly.

So The Foxes played The Potters yesterday. Score 1 - 1.

This is what Melton Fox, one of The Foxs fans had to say about our performance:

"Nothing to say, other than a nondescript performance from a nondescript bunch of players."

Interestingly, another fan, Dikin, talks about the notion of 'team'. He says that whilst there are some better players in the squad this year, he still doesn't see a 'team'.

I say interestingly because it is something I have been thinking about too.

Remember the replay match against F*****t? Well I think it is significant that The Foxes went on to win that game.

My theory is that it was team spirit that worked for them that night. They were joined in an act of sportsmanship and it led to a feeling of being part of something bigger. That 'spirit' was then captured in the way they played.

Well it's a theory anyway.

Meanwhile, I will be on the telephone first thing tomorrow to see if I can get a bit of 'team spirit' from BT.

Bloody Nose

Leicester City - 1 goal

Aston Villa - 1 bloody nose

Matty Fryatt - there's only 1 Matty Fryatt!!!!!!