No Shame

A disappointing outcome to a really good game of football.

The game could have gone either way and both teams played with tenacity and commitment.

The Foxes played the best I have seen since I began supporting them almost 2 and a half years ago.

They had shape and discipline. They passed the ball with confidence and had good width.

They do lack some pace on the right wing I would say.

Overall though a very respectable performance and a shame they came out with nothing to show for it.

Doesn't stop me loving them though.

Leicester 'til I die!

Come On You Foxes!

Big day tomorrow.

I can barely wait.

A win for us by two goals or more would put us at the top of the Championship according to my calculations.

We've persuaded our local landlord to have the match on at the pub so I'll be down there with my pint of Stella and a packet of Mini Cheddars.

Fingers crossed then!

Il N' Y A Rien De Place

So there we were in The Fountain.

Junior Goonier joined us with 3 of his mates just after kick off.

Between us we were 3 Liverpool fans, a dyed-in-the-wool Arsenal fan and a Leicester City fan with a slight lean towards the Arse.

Tight start with neither side able to get flowing and both making silly errors when passing.

The odd tense moment.

But then Arshaven was heading for goal when he was brought down.

Great. A penalty.

But no. The ref gave a goal kick.

Revenge was sweet though with that lovely strike from Arshaven just a few moments later.

Nothing sweet about the penalty awarded against Almunia though.

The own goal by the Arse that followed just made me feel sick.

And to then have a wonderful goal in the dying minutes disallowed as offside.

No wonder it was all too much for Wenger.

Sent in disgrace to the stands.

And then a scene that almost made the loss worth while.

Wenger with nowhere to sit, so sweetly defiant.

An iconic football moment I would say.

Burn Him!

How do you spot a witch?

Are you one yourself?

These are questions I am sure have exercised (as opposed to exorcised) your mind during many a reflective moment.

It's been a fairly safe world in recent times for witches.

Until now.

For according to a certain Frenchman, for whom I have more than a passing admiration, the witch hunters are back.

St James' Park Beckons

That time has come.

After getting so close to hallowed turf during our holiday, those foxy boys are going to follow in my footsteps next Monday, and grace the interior of St James' Park.

I can't believe I'm so excited.

I think it will be a really tough and tight match.

Our away form to date has not been bad but this will be a real test.

We may come out with a spring in our step.

Or should that be dribble.

Then again our confidence may take a dive.

Like some others we might mention.

Who's Cocktail?

I am not quite giving you my full attention at the moment as I am posting with one eye on the Arsenal Celtic match. Celtic have just scored a consolation goal.

So then, what on earth went on last night in and around Upton Park?

It seems there was an explosive cocktail of factors which resulted in a recurrence of the violence that used to beset football on a much more regular basis.

Does this mean the beginning of a serious return? Is our beautiful game going to be stolen away from us to act as a vehicle to showcase some of the darker sides of our society?

Or do we have enough information to reduce the likelihood of further occurrences?

Lets see. What were the key factors last night?

Well firstly, there is the bitter rivalry between the two sides.

Then there is the fact that the match was not a league match and therefore an increased number of seats were available for non-regular fans (the regulars choosing not to attend what they see as a less important match).

Couple these with a reported upsurge in football violence 'pornography' and a society with an increased number of people with little to lose as the anesthetic of material wealth on credit card debt starts to wear off.

And some bad decisions about match arrangements .

Like putting away fans in the lower tiers instead of the upper ones.

And not having sufficient police presence.

Most of these things football can't fix on its own.

So anyone out there thinking of pointing a finger at the game and telling it to sort itself out needs to think again.

This is not just a problem for football. It is a problem for our society.

Spot The Difference

What's the difference between Notts County and Newcastle United?

Lots of things of course - like one being on an upward trajectory, and one, at least until recently, downwards. Oh and one has a new owner and one doesn't. And then of course there are Sven and Sol.

But apart from that, I would struggle to tell them apart.

I mean they both play in black and white stripes.

And they are both nicknamed the Magpies.

Hard to spot the difference in some ways then.

Although as far as I know, Notts County has never claimed to have a Messiah.

Let alone two.

Lost Treasure?

I read an interesting article in The Telegraph today.

It bore the intriguing title "The nation should cherish Michael Owen, not allow him to be caned".

As a girl still relatively new to football, my entry point to Michael Owen is probably different to most fans in that my 'knowledge' of him to date is limited to the following;

• He played for Newcastle when I first knew him - from which I deduced he was not good enough to play for any of the top teams
• He is very injury prone and has been out of action more often than not
• He is a spent force who once shone for England but is now a has-been

As you can imagine, therefore, I was surprised when he was bought by the ManUre. Whatever issues I have with Fergie his ability to spot, develop and optimise talent has never been in question.

Interesting then to read Henry Winter's account of the first time he saw Owen play in a competitive match and how he has never forgotten it, nor lost respect for him.

I for one will watch developments with considerable interest over the next few months.

Distraction

Do you believe that difficulties off the pitch affecting a member of the team impact upon team performance?

Whilst I recognise there is potential there for blaming poor performance on such events, I have seen enough examples to believe the theory has some validity.

For example, remember how the Arse flew out of the stocks at the beginning of the 07/08 and were heading in the right direction to win the Prem, then it all fell apart after that awful injury to Eduardo?

Everton seem to be struggling to find their form with the threat to poach Lescott still ongoing. And I note there are currently 1 - 0 down to Burnley as I post.

No surprise then that West Ham lost to Tottenham today in the light of the attack on Calum Davenport. Latest indication is that he might lose a leg. You can't help thinking there must be quite a story behind all that but at this time I am sure we all wish him a speedy recovery.

On a more positive note, Leicester seem to have their focus firmly where it should be. Illustrated by Matty Fryatt's beautiful goal yesterday against Barnsley. Accompanied by the new celebration to the sound of Kasabian.

Having Your Cake And Eating It

My mother always brought me up to believe that salivating is not a ladylike thing to do.

I think that in most circumstances I would agree with her.

But faced with the prospect in about 15 mins time of not only watching my first Match of the Day this season, but also a new BBC offering called the "Football League show".

Now in these days of wall to wall satellite channels you may be surprised to learn that we remain a 4 terrestial channel household.

So the next couple of hours or so are going to be as close to having your cake and eating it as it gets.