The season so far...

With this weekend’s trip to Colchester called off due to international call-ups, it’s a good opportunity to take stock of the season so far. Some facts have been repeated many times before but are worth doing so again; Leicester are unbeaten in League One and possess the best defensive record in the division.

Nigel Pearson has been named Manager of the Month, and deservedly so. He’s produced results, but much more importantly he’s changed the atmosphere around the Walkers Stadium. This season the club feels like the home of professionals. What Pearson lacks in a sense of humour, he makes up for with a sense of direction.

Some players have performed way above expectations. Matty Fryatt in particular has made a mockery of his career record of 0.26 goals per game with six goals in six appearances.

Others have provided just what was hoped of them. Max Gradel and Lloyd Dyer have excited the Foxes faithful with an energy and creativity not seen at the Walkers since the days of Muzzy Izzet. Michael Morrison deserves attention too having stepped up two divisions and coped admirably. Morrison has no doubt aided by the experience of Alexander Tunchev and the ability of Jack Hobbs.

The numbers say this has equalled City’s best start to a season in the post-war era, but there are also other telling statistics…

Shots
In all games but the JPT trip to Hartlepool, City have made more attempts on goal than their opponents. City have made 81 efforts on goal so far this season with just over half (43) being on target. By contrast, Leicester’s opponents have managed just 43 attempts on goal, with 31 of those working the keeper. City’s goals to shots ratio is 0.19, for their opponents it has been 0.09.

When broken down by individual players the numbers look positive for Matty Fryatt. His 18 shots (12 on target) have resulted in six goals, a strike rate of 0.33. Steve Howard’s 14 attempts (8 on target) have produced 3 goals, a strike rate of 0.21.

Possession
Leicester are much better at using the ball effectively this season. In three of their four League One games they have kept the ball better than their opponents. Some may argue that possession is nine tenths of the law, but City have managed to win 2 of the 3 games this season when they have seen less of the ball. At Hartlepool in particular, City had just 44% of the possession, but managed to leave Victoria Park with a 3-0 victory.

Discipline
City have received just five yellow cards in all competitions so far this season, this despite committing more misdemeanours than their opponents. Leicester have committed 90 fouls in the campaign so far, their opponents 74. Perhaps one explanation for this discrepancy is the number of fouls committed by Steve Howard, who has managed to accumulate a total of 23 offences already this season, almost all for jumping unfairly with defenders.

Assists
Another positive is the number of different players credited already with assists this season. Eight Leicester players have assists to their name already in 2008/09, a record only Oldham can equal. It is probably no coincidence that the player with the most assists in League One (Mark Wright) comes from MK Dons, a team that has just three players with assists this season. One of the Foxes biggest strengths this year is that their goals really can come from anywhere on the pitch.

This really has been an excellent start to the 2008/09 campaign. History shows that when Leicester start well, they keep up the momentum.

Let’s hope history repeats itself.

Match Review: Cheltenham Town

Was there ever any doubt? City end August in top spot after a commendable start to life in League One. 1,782 Leicester fans saw City triumph at Whaddon Road, a ground that as we mentioned saw many casualties last season. It’s unlikely Leicester will remain in 1st place come next Saturday thanks to the postponement of the trip to Colchester, so enjoy it while it lasts.

As always, here are some numbers to digest…

5 – The number years it has been since Leicester City were top of any table. A 1-1 draw at Rotherham United put City top of Division One on 12th April 2003 after Portsmouth (who had led the league all season) slipped to a 2-1 defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday. In 2000, a goalless draw with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light was enough to leave the Foxes top of the Premier League for a glorious 13 days from 1st-13th October 2000. Manchester United quickly brought City back down to earth with a 3-0 victory at Filbert Street to replace City at the summit.

11 – The number of seasons you have to go back to find a Leicester City away win as big as this one. On 26th April 1998 the Foxes travelled to Pride Park and found themselves 4-0 up inside 15 minutes. There was no such madness at Whaddon Road, but this was City’s biggest away win in over a decade.

9 – The number of points the Foxes have won after leading at halftime. This a 100% record which isn’t too staggering in itself, but shown with last season’s statistics reveals an interesting pattern. In 2007/08 the Foxes led at halftime on 10 occasions - nine of these matches were won, with one drawn. Leicester’s record of converting halftime leads into victories was the second in the Championship only to Stoke. The Potters didn’t drop a single point once ahead at halftime. So, if you want a good bet this season, Leicester-Leicester as a double result looks pretty safe.

Match Preview: Cheltenham Town

Cheltenham has always been more famous for its racecourse than its football team. Few City supporters would have pencilled in Whaddon Road as a highlight of City’s away calendar but the Foxes must take points from places such as this. With a win tomorrow City have a chance to establish themselves as pacesetters in League One.

Previous Meetings
Cheltenham have only been part of the Football League since 1999 and the two sides have never met in a competitive fixture. For what it’s worth, The Robins were defeated 2-0 by City in a 2007 pre-season friendly thanks to goals from Matty Fryatt and Darren Kenton.

Reasons To Be Confident
Cheltenham have leaked goals at a rather alarming rate so far this season. In their first three league games they’ve conceded four on two occasions.

Cheltenham did not win a single game last season in which they trailed at halftime. If Leicester start well, they could seal victory early.

Cheltenham will once again be fighting to avoid the drop this year having finished 17th and 19th in their last two campaigns. There is little to suggest from their opening to the season that The Robins will pose a real threat to Leicester. Cheltenham scored just 42 times in League One last season, the second lowest total in the division.

Reasons To Be Worried
Whaddon Road is by no means an easy place for away sides to take three points. In the absence of away form in 2007/08, Cheltenham survived by being difficult to beat at home. Only five sides won at Whaddon Road last season.

Michael Morrison will face former Cambridge Utd teammate Ben Gill in tomorrow’s match. Gill has opened the season with some lively performances as an attacking midfielder. He scored the winner deep into extra time in Cheltenham’s Carling Cup 1st Round win at Southend before finding the net again and receiving a red card in the home win against Swindon just five days later. The 20 year old promises to be a handful.

Of the 10 games in which Cheltenham were level at halftime in 2007/08, they won six and lost only 3. In terms of points per game, this was the second best record in League One.

Miscellaneous Fact
Cheltenham Town have gone 10 games since their last draw.

On This Day
Leicester’s uninspiring start to the 2004/05 season continued with a televised defeat at home to Brighton & Hove Albion. Adam Virgo’s first half effort was enough to defeat a lacklustre Leicester side.

Overall playing record for 30 August;
Played 23, Won 8, Drawn 2, Lost 13, Scored 32, Conceded 37.

Selected Odds
Cheltenham – 13/5 (Bet365)
Draw – 5/2 (Coral)
Leicester – 11/10 (Sportingbet)

Match Review: Tranmere Rovers

Yesterday left many Foxes fans wondering how a striker with no pace, a terrible first touch, an inability to beat his defender and, until Saturday, had shown no inklings of being able to head the ball suddenly finds himself joint top scorer in League One alongside Richard Lambert of Bristol Rovers. Numbers are Matty Fryatt’s friend at present, but surely his tally is due at least in part to the terrible defending Leicester have faced thus far.

Here are some other numbers to digest after yesterday’s win…

2 – This was the first time a match between Leicester and Tranmere had been settled by two clear goals. The 3-1 margin did much to hide the concern some fans held in stoppage time before Fryatt finished Rovers following a session of head tennis.

11 – The number of seasons you have to go back to find a City side taking seven points from their opening three games. This is City’s best start since the 1997/98 campaign, when their opponents were Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester United. The last time City went unbeaten in their opening three matches was in 2000/01 under Peter Taylor, but that side could only manage one win and two draws. Leicester City have yet to win their opening three league fixtures in the post-war era.

33/1 – The odds you would have got on Steve Howard opening the scoring and City winning 3-1. I suspect that barring my dad (the jammy so and so) few punters would have been collecting winnings from this result.

Match Preview: Tranmere Rovers

Perhaps the only thing stopping City fans feeling overly buoyant about the Foxes start to the 2008/09 campaign is the strength of opposition. Some consider the Foxes fortunate to have faced promoted sides in their first two league games. The fixture list has certainly enabled Leicester to land on their feet. Enter stage left Tranmere Rovers. The Merseysiders have League One written all over them. This is Rovers’ eighth season at this level after relegation in 2001. City are about to be introduced to the moribund football of the 3rd tier. An unprepared Leicester side could be in for their first scrap of the season.

Previous Meetings
The last time these two sides met was in much happier circumstances for both teams. In 2000 Rovers were led by John Aldridge. Somehow he’d managed to lead a team of freebies and loans to a major cup final. Unfortunately for Aldridge and Tranmere, they faced Leicester in the heyday of the O’Neil years. City won the final Worthington Cup final 2-1. For both clubs its been downhill ever since.

The overall record stands at six wins for the Foxes, three wins for the Super Whites and a further three draws. Rovers last recorded a win over the Foxes in November 1995. A solitary goal from Ian Moore was enough to defeat Mark McGhee’s men at Filbert Street.

Reasons To Be Confident
Leicester have yet to concede a goal and are one of only four teams in the entire Football League with a pristine defensive record.

Tranmere have gone ten games without a win away from Prenton Park. Its been six matches since they took any points at all on the road. Swindon Town comfortably beat Rovers on the opening day at the County Ground and a further Carling Cup defeat at Grimsby seem to indicate this record is set to continue.

Tranmere aren’t exactly comeback specialists. When their opponents scored first in 2007/08 Tranmere managed one win, four draws and 14 defeats.

Reasons To Be Worried
No game between these two sides has ever been settled by more than one goal. In this fixture these is no such thing as a two-goal cushion.

In the last six meetings between the two sides there have been three own goals. Neil Lennon was the last City player to put through his own net against Tranmere.

There are suspiciously few statistics which point towards a Tranmere victory. Pessimists unite!

Selected Odds
Leicester – 8/11 (Blue Sq)
Draw – 13/5 (Bet365)
Tranmere – 9/2 (Bet365)

Away Days

One of the more unconventional statistics about Leicester’s first two League One opponents was that both MK Dons’ and Stockport’s promotions were due in part at least to very impressive away records. In both instances, the teams took more points on the road than in front of their home fans. MK Dons were the most extreme case, taking 17 more points away than at stadium:mk.

So how important has away form in League One been to teams chasing promotion to the Championship?

After City’s goalless draw at Stockport many fans consoled themselves with a cliché, if you win your home games and draw away, promotion is yours. Of course it isn’t really that simple and the Foxes will need more than away draws to secure promotion.

In the last four seasons;

• No team has been promoted automatically taking less than 30 points away from home.
• Only two teams have won less than 10 games on the road and gone straight up.
• All automatically promoted sides have at least a top 5 away record, more than half had the first or second best away form that season.
• The average number of away points taken by automatically promoted clubs from League One has been 38.
• The average number of away points taken by teams who’ve finished second is 33.

In the absence of good finishing, City failed to turn 1 point into 3 at Edgeley Park last weekend. It was certainly two away points dropped. What is clear from these numbers is that Leicester cannot rely on their home form alone, especially as teams will play a far more compressed game at the Walkers Stadium than on their own patch.

However, what these numbers also show is how rare it is for promoted sides to take more points on their travels. Of the eight sides automatically promoted since 2004 only one, Swansea City, has performed better away.

On the basis of these numbers the target for City should be a solid total of 10 away wins. Since the turn of the century only one team (AFC Bournemouth) has won 10 games away from home in this division and failed to make the play-offs.

Some better finishing on Saturday might have meant City only needed a further nine.

Match Review: Stockport County

3 games, 3 goals, 3 clean sheets, 3rd place, how efficient. Post-match Pearson talked up the positives and City can certainly have a right to be pleased with their start.

Here are some numbers to mull over...

1 – The number of times Matty Fryatt has scored in consecutive starts for Leicester, today was his 90th appearance in a Leicester shirt. Steve Howard has yet to score in consecutive matches for the club. Perhaps in hindsight the goalless draw at 17/2 would have been a good bet.

2 – The number of games involving Stockport that finished 0-0 last season. Leicester were involved in seven scoreless encounters in 2008/09. They failed to score in 19 league games, that’s 41.3% of their matches.

4 – The number of teams in the Football League who have yet to concede a goal. Leicester are joined in this list by Reading, Watford and Shrewsbury. The Foxes already have the best defence in League One.

17 – The number of clean sheets Leicester managed in 2007/08. With two already in the bag it looks as if reaching the 20+ mark would not be an unreasonable target for City.

Statistic of the day goes to BBC Radio Leicester’s Ian Stringer: Leicester have never won on the 16th August. Remarkable.

Match Preview: Stockport County

Quirks in the fixture calendar like this aren’t enough to force an urge to find out when the last occurrence like it involving City took place. It’s doubtful anything will top Arsenal and Liverpool facing each other three times in a week anyway. The Foxes are looking for back-to-back league wins and their third win on the spin. Lets look at the numbers...

Past Meetings
City’s last trip to Edgeley Park was back in 1924 when, for what it’s worth, Leicester took the points in a 2-0 win. Stockport’s last victory over Leicester at home came earlier in the same year; it was a 3-1 victory in the old Division Two.

City only looked comfortable after Stockport were reduced to 10 men on Tuesday night, but further changes are expected to the line-up so it would be unwise to read too much into the game.

Reasons To Be Confident
In modern times this is something of a roll for Leicester, two wins coupled with two clean sheets. Pearson will be hoping to build on last weeks win and keep City’s 100% record. As previously noted, City need at least seven points from their opening four fixtures to get over 50% of points available. Click here to find out why that’s so important.

Leicester’s away form was nowhere near as bad as their home record last season. City’s haul of 24 points away from the Walkers last year was the 13th best record in the Championship. By comparison the Foxes had the 23rd best (or perhaps more accurately, 2nd worst) home record last term.

Steve Howard and Matty Fryatt scored in the same week and the world didn’t end. Perhaps anything is possible in League One.

Reasons To Be Worried
Nobody beat Stockport 1-0 last season. In fact, Stockport only failed to score on four occasions. They may have lost their three top scorers from 2007/08, but County under Jim Gannon clearly feel attack is the best form of defence. City’s back line will need to be on guard.

The last time Leicester won three consecutive games was in February 2007. City won 2-0 at Ipswich, 3-0 at home to Coventry and 1-0 at Burnley to give Rob Kelly some breathing space at the beginning of the Mandarić era. It was part of a sequence that saw Leicester go six games unbeaten - dizzy heights indeed.

The bookmakers have Leicester down as favourites for the game. This is uncharted territory. Leicester were not favourites for a single away game last season. Their record as favourites was hardly stellar in 2007/08. City won 6, drew 7 and lost 8 when the bookies had them down for a victory. A wise man would keep that loose fiver in thier back pocket this weekend, but if you must have a flutter...

Selected Odds
Stockport – 21/10 (Bet365)
Draw – 23/10 (Bet365)
Leicester – 13/10 (Bet365)

Match Review: MK Dons

A match with many positives; two goals for Fryatt, good starts from no less than five debutants and a clean sheet (something City didn’t manage in all of pre-season).

Here are some numbers to consider...

2 - Before Saturday Matty Fryatt had never scored a brace for Leicester. The Fryastarter (as he shall henceforth be known) had netted just 7 times in the last two seasons. The last time he scored twice in a match was in 2005 in Walsall’s 3-1 victory over Rotherham.

6 - The number of years since City had last won an opening day fixture. In the last 4 times City have won on the opening day they’ve been promoted on 3 occasions. The exception, an opening day win against Aston Villa in 97/98.

19.5 – The average age of the Foxes defence at the end of the game. There were tense moments before Fryatt sealed the game, but the fact they held firm deserves credit.

1 – The number of shots Steve Howard attempted. It was off-target.

I was on Foxpodder (an excellent Leicester City podcast now in its 3rd season) this weekend talking about the game and this blog. Follow the subscription link on the right to have a listen.

Pre-season Review

It’s difficult to be enthused by pre-season. Practising tactics and testing team sheets for the new season isn’t really for the fans. In general, pre-season can be seen in much the same manner as film trailers, we’re presented with brief glimpses of the stars but all too quickly they’re removed. Pre-season is something of a tease that, just like a film trailer, can prove entirely misleading.

Pre-season results mean little to nothing so comparing with previous seasons is redundant. Instead, this review shows who played, for how long, in what matches and what this could mean for Nigel Pearson’s first starting XI against MK Dons.

NB: The games against Quorn and Ilkeston Town have been excluded from this analysis as neither game was managed by Pearson. These outings were essentially youth/reserve games.

Nine players appeared in at least some part in each of City’s six pre-season fixtures. They were; Morrison, Oakley, Gilbert, Howard, Gradel, Fryatt, Campbell, Wesolowski and Kishishev. Morrison, Oakley and Gilbert were the players hardest at work this summer, each playing over 400 minutes during pre-season. Morrison was on the field of play longer than any other player, clocking up an impressive 450 minutes from a possible 540. The former Cambridge Utd man is very likely to find himself starting next week.

Of the remaining defenders, it appears Gilbert (405 mins) and Tunchev (232 mins) will be battling through training next week to partner Morrison. Tunchev’s work permit issues meant he got less time on the pitch than he might otherwise have done. Jack Hobbs (157 mins), on loan from Liverpool, is also in contention.

Of the full-backs, Mattock (310 mins) can be confident of his role at left-back and James Chambers (225 mins) seems to be the most logical fit to the right-back position. However after Ian Holloway asked the squad what positions aside from their own they were comfortable playing in Ollie quipped he’d rename the team “Right-back United” such were the results. Of City’s back four, right-back is the position with most question marks over it.

Moving into midfield and we find Matt Oakley (434 mins) secured in central midfield. Who will join him is more of a mystery. It isn’t apparent if Pearson has even made this decision himself having wrestled with different pairing throughout pre-season. The two leading contenders are Wesolowski (274 mins) and Kishishev (244 mins) though they could be forced to sit on the sidelines if Pearson favours the more creative option of Nicky Adams (188 mins). One thing we can be sure of is the central midfield will not contain both Wesolowski and Kishishev, the pair replaced each other 3 times during pre-season.

The flanks are more easily deciphered. Dyer (326 mins) and Gradel (307 mins) seem like solid choices for the left and right wing respectively.

Pearson’s most vital decision could well be picking City’s strikers. The front-runners are Howard (308 mins), Fryatt (303 mins) and Campbell (295 mins). Of these three only Fryatt has played a full 90 minutes which shows just how much tinkering has gone on with the Foxes’ attack. Fryatt leads the others with four goals to Campbell’s two and Howard’s solitary strike against Hinkley Utd. With no new signings, Pearson must place his faith in two men from three who failed to deliver last season. A little’n’large partnership is likely and ultimately Howard and Fryatt may well get the nod for the opening day.

At the other end of the scale there are clearly some players who will be disappointed with their preparations this pre-season. Barry Hales played just 64 minutes whilst Bruno N’Gotty managed only 45. Some young players who might have hoped to build on their first-team appearances last season haven’t really got much playing time either, in particular Andy King, who managed only 128 minutes. Meanwhile summer signing Harry Worley appeared for just 151 minutes, perhaps he’s failed to impress the new boss.

So, in theory at least, the starting XI against MK Dons should look something like this;

1. Paul Henderson
2. James Chambers
15. Michael Morrison
5. Alexsandar Tunchev
23. Joe Mattock
22. Max Gradel
8. Matt Oakley
7. Radostin Kishishev
11. Lloyd Dyer
9. Steve Howard
12. Matt Fryatt

Saturday can’t come quickly enough.

Update: 04/08/08

Following James Chamber's move to Doncaster Rovers today, expect Kerrea Gilbert to fill in at right back on Saturday.

How Important Is August?

Pre-season is well under way and at least Leicester seem to be finding the net easily enough. 20 goals in five games, no-matter the opposition, is a pretty impressive tally. It will no doubt be endowing the players with a sense of confidence so desperately needed at the Walkers Stadium.

As with so many aspects of life, confidence in football is key. Over the last few decades Leicester City’s seasons seem to have been shaped by early season momentum. Good early form leads to a strong campaign whilst bad opening results leave the club at best in mid-table.

The numbers here are pretty overwhelming. In the last four seasons, City have taken the following percentages of available points in August;

Season	Points won in August	Total Points Won By Champions
2004/05	28%	68%
2005/06	33%	77%
2006/07	47%	64%
2007/08	44%	59%

Compare those percentages to seasons in which the Foxes achieved league success;

Season	Points won in August	Total Points Won By Champions
1993/94	67%	65%
1995/96	58%	60%
2002/03	72%	71%

In each of the seasons where City took over half the available points in August, they achieved promotion. When they’ve failed to take over 50%, mid-table mediocrity or worse awaited them. We can also see from those figures the percentage of points won by the league champions in each season. When City start in good form, they stay in good form.

Dig deeper into the statistics and it appears this need for early impetus is not shared by other clubs. In fact, quite the opposite is true. In League One it has been the early season no hopers who have gone on to reach the promised land of the Championship. In the last three seasons, not a single club promoted from League One took more than half the points available in August. Here are the numbers season by season;

Season 2005/06	Points won in August	August League Position	Final League Position
Southend Utd	44%	12th	1st
Colchester Utd	28%	22nd	2nd
Barnsley	39%	15th	5th (Pl)

Season 2006/07	Points won in August	August League Position	Final League Position
Scunthorpe Utd	20%	24th	1st
Bristol City	40%	14th	2nd
Blackpool	27%	19th	3rd (Pl)

Season 2007/08	Points won in August	August League Position	Final League Position
Swansea	44%	10th	1st
Nottingham Forest	22%	18th	2nd
Doncaster Rovers	11%	20th	3rd (Pl)

There are many possible reasons for these figures but the undeniable fact is clear: Leicester depend more on their early season form than many other clubs. Marathon though the season may be, City need to start like sprinters.

This even goes down to the opening day. Since the 2-0 victory over Watford in the first league game at the Walkers Stadium in 2002 the club hasn’t managed an opening day success. Again, this was a component of each of Leicester’s last three promotions.

There’s no doubt Nigel Pearson more than many other League One managers will be praying for early victories. It will settle the fans and the squad immensely, particularly as the former group is still unsure of the manager’s credentials. Pearson doesn’t need four wins from four in August but he does need at least seven points.

In short, August is important, very important.

Nigel Pearson - The Right Man?

To call the appointment of Nigel Pearson at Leicester City a new dawn would be something of a misnomer, for most Foxes fans the outlook of the League One landscape remains unremittingly bleak. For City’s first away game the majority of the travelling support will be housed in a stand with no roof, at their second, fans will remark that even that failed British pole-vaulter from the Olympics would have been able to clear the shelter with room to spare. The future, at least the immediate future wholly lacking in quality or TV coverage let alone quality TV coverage, does not look bright. Perhaps this explains the muted nature of City fans’ greeting of Nigel Pearson. Some have counted their blessings, not so secretly pleased at having been spared the agony of John Gregory. Others lament that the club could not have pulled in a bigger name, still deluding themselves to City’s desperate fall from grace. The rest of us have seen it all before; Milan convinced that this time he has found “the right man”, the manager keen to take on the challenge at such a ‘big club’, the press secretly starting an office pool as to how long the new guy might last, the motions are all too familiar.

Much of the reaction to Pearson’s appointment has been directed to the concern that he is still very much an unknown quantity. He has a bare bones managerial record at best, coupled with experience working under two of the worst Newcastle mangers in recent times. What positives, if any, did he take from his time with Roeder and Allardyce? And in reality, was his achievement at Southampton really all that miraculous? A closer look at his time at St. Mary’s would suggest otherwise.

On 31st January 2008, Southampton found themselves 14th in the Coca-Cola Championship. Pearson officially took over on 18th February, and by the end of the month, the Saints had dropped to 19th. Just one win in March saw the club slip into 21st place and by the end of April a further solitary win saw the Saints going into the final day on the verge of relegation. It was only a 3-2 victory at home to Sheffield United that saved Southampton at the expense of Leicester. Pearson’s record of three wins, seven draws and four defeats suggests that such a performance was the exception and not the rule. Southampton under Pearson were a sinking ship, only some last minute buoyancy (and of course, the failure of others) kept them afloat.

Still, his time at Southampton at least appears to have given Pearson confidence in his managerial ability, something he'll need in spades to deal with his first duty as Leicester boss, sorting the wheat from the chaff in the playing squad. Once that mammoth task is complete he’ll need to add personnel of his own. We can do a breif history here. Restricted to loan transfers at Southampton, Pearson opted for the following loan signings;

Richard Wright – Played 7 games, kept 2 clean sheets
Ian Pearce - Played in a 1-1 draw at Scunthorpe, never seen again.
Vincent Pericard – Striker who started once and appeared as a sub on four occasions. No goals.
Chris Lucketti – Sheffield Utd defender who played four times and only missed the last game due to the terms of his loan deal.
Chris Perry – Six starts, Southampton conceded six goals during those games.

Perhaps understandably, it appears Pearson is a better judge of defenders than he is forwards but the loan market is a dubious place from which to determine a manager’s eye for talent – you only get to choose from rejects. In short, if Milan allows Pearson to flash some cash, there’s no telling how successful or otherwise his purchases will prove to be.

One facet Pearson will have install in his new squad will be something that has over the last five years been sorely lacking at Leicester, team spirit. In this area, fans can find some encouragement. Southampton finally managed to perform when it really mattered on the final day, coming from behind to do so. The Saints also managed to salvage points from losing positions at Scunthorpe, Wolves and Blackpool during Pearson’s short reign. Compare that with Leicester’s one win and five draws from losing positions in the entire season, and already we can see potential for improvement.

What might concern fans the most however, is that in picking a manager who spent his entire career playing as a defender and spent much of his coaching life under defensively minded managers, Pearson might fail to solve Leicester’s most fundamental problem, their inability to score. Southampton weren’t exactly prolific in front of goal under Pearson, netting just 14 times in 13 games. It was never Leicester’s back line that was the problem and Pearson will have to learn how to improve City’s potency in front of goal if he hopes to make the Foxes’ stay in League One as short as possible.

We will wait and see.