Match Preview: Reading

Two sides that have made less than impressive starts chase their first win on Sky TV. Leicester welcome the cameras to the Walkers Stadium for the first time this season. Already the Foxes are scheduled to appear four times on TV before the end of November. That’s well on the way to matching last season’s 10 appearances on the box, in which the Foxes won four, drew three and lost three.

The conventional wisdom is that TV games lead to lower attendances. That wasn’t the case in 2009/10. Last season’s average attendance across all 22 home league matches (including the playoffs) was 23,943, the City matches on TV had average gates of 25,216. That said, City’s sluggish start could lead to a diminished turnout.

Reading have taken seven points from their last three visits to the Walkers Stadium. Of the current Championship crop only Burnley and Preston (three consecutive league wins at the Walkers) can better the Royals recent record.

But the history between the two sides is short. The only side in the Championship the City have faced fewer times than Reading (15 matches in all competitions) is Scunthorpe (8 matches).

Despite this, the Foxes will want to get even after last season’s result. Reading snatched all three points at the Walkers thanks to a late penalty. The Berkshire side were the side awarded 11 spot kicks last season, more than any other Championship team.

Before the season SkyBet offered 11/2 that this match would bring Paulo Sousa’s first league win. I wonder how much the manager would give for his first victory now?

Match Preview: Leeds Utd

I was there.

I was there when Harry Kewell made it Leicester 0-6 Leeds the last time these two sides met in the League Cup.

If there was ever a match to leave early it was that one, but I stayed until the end to witness City’s biggest cup defeat at home. I'm like that.

Annoyingly I wasn’t there for the happier recent cup meetings with Leeds. Two goals in the last two minutes snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in Round 4 of the 98/99 season. I also missed the 4-2 win on penalties at the same stage of the competition in 1999. When things like that happen it makes every fan question whether they are an omen. For those of you interested in tracking such things the excellent Doing The 92 website helps in showing just how (un)fortunate you are.

For what it’s worth Leicester feature in another part of the Leeds United record book. City suffered an 8-0 defeat at Elland Road in April 1934. It remains Leeds United’s biggest ever home league win.

But Elland Road hasn’t been so intimidating in recent years. The Foxes have won on five of their last 10 visits and have scored at least once in each of those games. A goal for Leeds however, will be the clubs 200th against the Foxes in all competitions.

Is this the end for Matty Fryatt?

The absence of Matty Fryatt from today’s squad has surprised quite a few City fans. As City failed to find the back of the net in their first home game it came as no surprise that some chose to criticise Paulo Sousa's decision to leave Leicester's top scorer of the last decade on the bench.

After Fryatt's jaw found itself subject to the business end of Brian Stock’s shoulder the former Walsall man missed almost all of City's charge to the playoffs. In that time the Foxes have chosen to move away from the 4-4-2 which suited Fryatt and instead played a 4-3-3/4-5-1. Under Sousa this has been refined further to a 4-2-3-1, with Oakley and Wellens anchoring the midfield and Steve Howard operating as a lone front man.

With the return of DJ Campbell to the ranks and the signing of Frank Moussa, Leicester have the players to make this system work. Dyer and Campbell, Moussa and N’Guessean are able to cover sufficient ground to tend to defensive duties when City don't have the ball, but quickly become active forward players when the Foxes are in possession. With Steve Howard leading the line as the preferred striker and Leon Crncic his preferred replacement, this leaves Fryatt without a role. He lacks the mobility to shift the wide players or the aerial ability to replace Howard.

Fryatt operates best on the shoulder of the last defender. He has the uncanny knack of finding space in the penalty area. But for all his goals, Fryatt’s game is lacking in precisely the areas he needs to excel under Sousa. He makes, as Sousa might say, poor decisions. He dribbles when he should spread the play, makes runs down blind alleys and takes forever to look up and assess the options with the ball at his feet.

The opening 45 minutes at Crystal Palace really, ahem, crystallised these points. Fryatt’s control let him down, slowing the play to a standstill. Having allowed defenders to get behind the ball he was left with a series of unappetising options. More often than not, he gave the ball away.

If City are to stick with 4-2-3-1 Fryatt might not be long for the Walkers Stadium.

Match Preview: Burnley

One of the great things about football is its capacity for surprise. It’s also one of the perils of running a blog based largely on historical statistics: past form does not equal future performance. In the case of Burnley vs. Leicester, one can only hope that this is true. Those looking for reasons as to why this will be the must see fixture of the weekend, look away now.

The last eight matches between Burnley and Leicester have produced seven goals. There have been two goalless draws followed by five consecutive 1-0 scorelines. The last meeting between the two sides finished a comparative goalfest, a 1-1 draw. Ian Hume scored City’s equaliser in that match; he is the only Leicester player to have scored against Burnley in the last eight matches between the sides.

Incidentally, that draw was the first time both teams had scored in the same match since 2003. The last time both teams scored more than one goal in the same game was in December 1982. If you’re looking to place a bet, I strongly advise you to look at the over/under markets.

With goals at a premium we might not witness this on Saturday, but the next goal from either Burnley or Leicester will be the 300th in matches between the two sides.

As it stands fans are likely to see more cards than goals. The match official, Mr G Eltringham, has dished out eight yellow and two red cards in his first three games this season. This will be only his second match officiating at Championship level.

But here’s one fact to cling to, there hasn’t been a goalless draw at Turf Moor since 22nd November 2008. Mind you, if it is a stalemate at least the Foxes will avoid equalling their worst start to the season since 2001/02 and their worst start in the second tier since 1949/50.

Stalemate

Foxes fans present at Tuesday’s Carling Cup victory over Macclesfield, the highest scoring competitive match at the Walkers Stadium, will not have expected today’s encounter fail to produce goals. Nevertheless Leicester and Middlesbrough played out the Championship’s first goalless draw of the season and the 8th stalemate between the two sides.

This was Paulo Sousa’s 18th goalless draw as a manager in the English game and the 24th 0-0 to be played out at the Walkers Stadium. Leicester haven’t managed to go an entire season without a goalless draw since 1999/00.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough have yet to score at the Walkers in three attempts, two of these matches have finished scoreless.

In non goalless draw related news, Steve Howard made his 100th appearance for the Foxes today. Of the current squad only Matt Oakley, Andy King, Matty Fryatt and Jack Hobbs have featured in more games.

Next week City travel to Burnley. The last eight meetings between the two sides have produced just seven goals. Burnley haven’t scored more than one goal against City in the last 13 meetings between the two sides. The last meeting in which both sides more than one goal came in December 1982. So, 5-4 anyone?

Match Preview – Middlesbrough

It can’t have been much fun being a Middlesbrough fan over the last few years. Last season the club finished in 11th position. Hardly catastrophic perhaps, but put yourself in the position of a ‘Boro fan. The last time you saw your club finish lower was when a final day win at home to Newcastle was just enough to see your boys avoid relegation to the third tier in the 1989/90 season. You’ve just watched your club sack a manager who (at the time) had taken your club to 4th in the league, just one point off top spot and averaging 1.77 points per game. You see him replaced by a new boss who builds on these foundations by winning 9 of your remaining 32 league matches at a rate of 1.19 points per game. This is form which, if it had been replicated over the whole season, would have seen you finish 16th. You spend the summer investing in new players, you’re one of the few teams in the division able to spend money. You head to your first home game full of opening day optimism. Your side takes the lead, those title odds don’t look so silly any more, the misery and years of decline at the club could be coming to an end…and then you lose 3-1.

So where do things need to improve for Strachan’s side? Perhaps more than anything else they need to improve in the big games. 'Boro won just two of their 20 matches against Championship teams who finished above them last season. The side didn't win a single game against the top six, taking just two points from a possible 36.

Its been a while since ‘Boro beat the Foxes too, eight years in fact, and even then Leicester had to do the work for the home side courtesy of a 35-yard own goal from Frank Sinclair. The Foxes were one of four teams to do the double over the Teessiders last season.

But Strachan can point to some good signs. His team won 27 points on the road in 2009/10, a very decent return. In addition his side can have few complaints with referees. ‘Boro won 10 penalties last season and conceded just 3. Only Reading (11) won more spot kicks last term.

On The Day – 14th August 1998

Frank Sinclair completed his move from Chelsea to Leicester for what was then a club record fee of £2.55m. Exactly one year later he would score for his former club in the dying seconds to deny City their second win of the 1999/00 season. It finished Leicester 2-2 Chelsea.

Attack and Defense

City have scored six goals and conceded as many in just two matches. At the start of last season it took Nigel Pearson’s side five matches to net six goals and eight games to concede the same number. Meanwhile Paulo Sousa’s Swansea took six games to score six goals and five matches to let in as many. In short, this is not what we expected.

In light of this goal bonanza it’s worth marking the following points of reference for anyone thinking City might be on for a record breaking season up front or at the back. The record number of league goals scored by City in a single season came in 1956/57 when the Foxes scored 109 times. City thoroughly deserved their promotion that year, but the harsh realities of their first season back in the top division led to Leicester shipping more goals than in any season before or since, 112 in total.

In modern times, the 2008/09 promotion campaign (84 goals) is the closest City have come to the record, and even that is only the club's 13th highest scoring season. Meanwhile the 83 goals shipped in the 1990/91 campaign is the club’s worst record in recent history. Coincidentally in both the 1957/58 and the 1990/91 seasons the Foxes avoided relegation thanks to 1-0 victories in their final match.

But two records were broken last night. The match contained seven goals, a new high for a competitive game at the Walkers Stadium. Sadly the record was broken in front of a crowd on just 6,142, the lowest for a competitive match at City’s new home.

Leicester and the League Cup

It’s now more than ten years since Martin O’Neil’s Leicester side lifted the League Cup. Since then City’s record in the competition has seen few shocks, but a few memorable cup nights.

Macclesfield fans looking for evidence of a surprise this evening need to go back to 1st November 2000 to find the last time Leicester lost a League Cup match to a side from a lower division. That night Peter Taylor’s City were dumped out of the competition in the 3rd Round by Crystal Palace, a side who on the night sat 23rd in what was then Division One. Following that shock City have faced 10 clubs from a lower division in the League Cup and progressed in every single tie.

Perhaps surprisingly tonight’s League Cup home tie will only be Leicester’s 9th in 11 seasons. The Foxes have won four and lost four League Cup ties on home soil in that time. On the road City have played 16 games, winning 10.

Since winning the competition the furthest Leicester have progressed is the last 16. City fans hoping for a cup run will not be surprised at the Foxes one win in six against teams from a higher division. Matty Fryatt’s winner at Aston Villa in 2007 was the only occasion since 2000 that City have shocked Premier League opposition

This is not to say Leicester’s League Cup exploits have not been entertaining. Narrow defeats at Fulham and Chelsea and an extra-time exit at the hands of Aston Villa in particular have been standout moments from the last 10 years. These high-scoring encounters (3-2, 4-3 and 2-3 respectively) have in part contributed to an impressive average of 3.04 goals per City League Cup match.

What has been of more concern for the competition as a whole is the lacklustre attendances in the early rounds. Sadly City’s record here mirrors that of the nation. 7,386 watched City’s last 1st Round League Cup tie at home to Stockport in 2008. The last time Macclesfield visited the Walkers Stadium in the 1st Round of the 2006/07 season just 6,298 showed up. A 2nd Round home tie with Blackpool attracted 7,386 in 2005 and at the same stage in 2004 the 3-2 extra-time defeat to Preston was watched by 6,751.

It wasn’t always like this. The 2nd Round second leg game against Crystal Palace in 1999 attracted 12,762 and in the next round 13,701 saw the Foxes beat Grimsby 2-0. A year earlier 13,480 watched the 2nd Round first leg match with Chesterfield. It’s hard not to think that £12 ticket prices for games which used to be included in the season ticket is part of the reason for the declining crowds. Perhaps the club takes in more ticket revenue this way, but I wonder if City would have done better in League Cup ties at home if the players had been backed by a decent crowd.

Great City Fightbacks

It's now 15 years since Leicester won an opening day match on the road. At half time in yesterday's match I struggled to remember City overturning big deficits to win points away from home. The last time the Foxes recovered from 2-0 down on the road was a 2-2 draw at Watford in 2005. I think I'm right in saying the last time City took a point after being 3 goals behind was the 4-4 draw at Aston Villa in the 1994/95 season, Leicester having been 4-1 behind with around 12 minutes to go.

So great comebacks on the road have been few and far between. But hope is at hand. Losing on the opening day hasn't stopped City promotion campaigns in the past.

Between the wars the Foxes managed this twice. In the 1924/25 season City lost 1-0 at Manchester United and were beaten four times in their opening seven matches. Despite the dismal start, Leicester went on to take the Division Two title by two points from the Red Devils after losing just one game from the beginning of December to the end of the season.

The opening day of the 1936/37 season saw City go down to a 2-1 defeat at home to Blackpool. The Foxes started the season with six defeats in their first ten matches but still went on to take the title.

More recently Leicester lost 1-0 at home to Cardiff City to begin the 1970/71 campaign. However, it proved to be one of only two home defeats all season. The Foxes went unbeaten for the rest of the season following their only other home loss on the 16th January 1971 to secure promotion.

Perhaps City's best recovery came in the 1982/83 season. Charlton were the visitors to Filbert Street on the opening day and took all three points courtesy of a 2-1 win. Leicester lost four of their opening seven games that year and by the end of November found themselves in 15th position with just 20 points.

On the 19th February 1983 the Foxes suffered their 12th defeat if the season. It was a result that left them in 6th place, 12 points adrift of 3rd placed Fulham. But that defeat would prove to be City's last of the season and on the final day a goalless draw at home to relegated Burnley was enough to secure promotion after Fulham went down to a 1-0 defeat at Derby.

Of Leicester's 12 successful promotion campaigns, four came after opening day defeats. After yesterday's second half performance, there's still hope that this season can be a positive one too.

Match Preview – Crystal Palace

If you had to pick an away trip for the first game of the season, you could do a lot worse than Crystal Palace. Selhurst Park is no longer the fortress it once was, with successive managers failing to capture satisfactory home form.

In 2005/06 the Eagles won 13 matches and took 45 points at home. Since then their points return from home fixtures has read 39, 36, 35 and last season, 29.

In 2005/06 Palace scored 39 league goals at home. In the following seasons they have managed 33, 31, 26 and 24. Only Swansea and Plymouth scored fewer at home than the Eagles in 2009/10.

If the above has failed to convince you of how poor Crystal Palace were at home last season then the fact that 10 Championship sides, including Leicester, left Selhurst Park with all three points should do the trick. Only Plymouth and Peterborough lost more games at home last term.

Leicester have won seven league matches at Selhurst Park, but last season’s victory was the club’s first since 1998. The match was also notable from a statistical point of view as City retained 64% of the possession, the highest share they would control in the whole on the 2009/10 season.

It was the sort of ball retention that Paulo Sousa will be hoping his side can recreate on a regular basis this season. Sousa’s own record at Selhurst Park is encouraging too. In just his third game in charge of QPR his side claimed a goalless draw, then his Swansea team took a 1-0 win last season.

One point to note is that the game will be overseen by Mr K A Woolmer who awarded 4 penalties last season in the Championship, all of them for the home side.

As the season begins every supporter has high hopes. These are both clubs who have experience in reaching the playoffs. Crystal Palace (17) are the only team to have played in more Championship playoff matches than Leicester (14). But it seems like only one of these clubs has any realistic hope of reaching the playoffs this year. Leicester should have enough to get Paulo Sousa off to a perfect start.

On This Day – August 7th 1999

A last minute own-goal from Frank Sinclair saw City lose their opening day match at Arsenal 2-1. City had taken the lead through a 57th minute strike from Tony Cottee, only for Denis Bergkamp to equalize eight minutes later and Sinclair’s misdirected clearance to cost City the points. It would turn out to be Sinclair’s first of two last ditch own goals in a week, meaning City started the 99/00 campaign with four points from a possible nine instead of seven.

The race for the play-offs

After yesterdays excellent result against fellow play-off chasers, Leicester’s promotion push looks destined to extend the Foxes’ season for the first time since 1995/96.

But as any Foxes fan should know, there will be sides who hit form at just the right time to steal that play-off spot from any team that takes its foot off the gas. I say Foxes fans should know this because this is exactly what Leicester did in 1995/96. On 20th March 1996 Martin O’Neil’s men were 10th, four points behind 6th placed Ipswich. But following a run which brought seven wins and 22 points from their final 10 league matches, City finished 5th. We all know what followed.

This time however, it’s different. City hold a seven point cushion on 7th place and a game in hand over Ian Holloway’s Blackpool. In short, a play-off place is Leicester’s to lose.

How likely is it that Leicester will hold on to their play-off spot? The past five seasons seem to point in City’s favour, 15 of the last 20 teams to hold a play-off position at this stage of the season have managed to remain in the top six. But there are some horror stories too…

2008/09 – Cardiff City

Cardiff City have gained a very unwanted reputation as end of season bottlers. Last season provided perhaps the best example yet of Cardiff’s inability to close the deal.

The Bluebirds had been in the play-off positions since 30th November and on Easter Monday 2009 lay 4th, eight points clear of 7th place. Dave Jones’ side then proceeded to take just one point from their final 4 games, including a 6-0 defeat to Preston, the team who went on to replace Cardiff in the play-offs on goals scored.

2007/08 – Plymouth Argyle, Charlton Athletic

After 36 games both Plymouth and Charlton were occupying playoff positions, but the Pilgrims took just 9 points from their final 10 matches and Charlton managed a return of just 8 points from 30. Unsurprisingly such pitiful end of season form (relegated Leicester took 12 points from their final 10 games) was not enough to maintain their league position. Plymouth and Charlton finished the season in 10th and 11th respectively.

That said, the race for the play-offs has also proven to be quite sedate in other years. In the 2005/06 season the sides who occupied the play-off positions on 2nd January did so for the rest of the season with the exception of just one weekend. That year automatic promotion, play-off and relegation places were settled with 3 games of the season remaining. That would be nice, wouldn’t it?

Pedigree – Part 2

Foxblogger's look at what the past can teach us about the present continues as we take a gander at Derby County to Newcastle Utd.

Derby County
Premier League Experience: 7 Seasons
Current Spell in Championship: 1 Season
Last season: 18th

Derby County aren’t traditionally seen as a yo-yo side, but their six-year spell in the Premier League from 1996-2002 was the sides’ longest period in any division from the 1980’s onwards. Since 1980 Derby have been promoted or relegated a dozen times. Like Crystal Palace, the Rams seem to put together a reasonably good Championship season together after a rotten one. Under Nigel Clough there’s every chance this could continue.

Doncaster Rovers
Premier League Experience: 0 Seasons
Current Spell in Championship: 1 Season
Last Season: 14th

By one measure the Keepmoat Stadium was the most boring place to watch Championship football last season. Just 34 goals were scored in 23 league matches, a measly 1.5 per game. But to characterise Rovers in this way would be injustice equivalent to Graham Fenton’s £1.1m transfer fee, Doncaster were very entertaining and in the last seven seasons have provided their fans with nothing but joy.

In the same year as City last bulldozed their way back to the Premier League, Doncaster were lifting themselves back into the Football League through the Conference play-offs. Leicester haven’t played Doncaster since 1956, it’ll be the longest historical gap they bridge this season.

Ipswich Town
Premier League Experience: 5 Seasons
Current Spell in Championship: 7 Seasons
Last Season: 9th

Roy Keane may be the story for every other correspondent, but it’s the play-offs which have defined Ipswich Town’s recent history and left scars deeper than any the Irishman left on his opponents. The Tractor Boys have entered the play-offs on six occasions and won promotion only once.

The rot at Ipswich did seem to be ending under Jim Magilton, but the lack of killer instinct cost the side dear in the push for another play-off heartbreak. If Keane is going to perform his promotion miracles again one would think it will have to be as part of the top two.

Middlesbrough
Premier League Experience: 14 Seasons
Current Spell in Championship: 0 Seasons
Last Season: 19th (Relegated)

An average gate on 28,429 attended Middlesbrough’s home matches last season, over 80% of capacity. It’s a surprising statistic because the overriding impression of the Riverside Stadium last season was one of an empty stadium, apathetic fans and an anaemic strike force. The latter is at least true, Boro’ managed just 28 goals last term.

Comforting to Gareth Southgate’s men should be the knowledge that Middlesbrough’s last two stays in the second tier have been blissfully short, three seasons in total. 1997/98’s return straight back to the Premier League was made all the sweeter as Boro’ edged out Sunderland to automatic promotion by just one point. What would Middlesbrough fans give to see the same fate befall Newcastle?

Newcastle Utd
Premier League Experience: 16 Seasons
Current Spell in Championship: 0 Seasons
Last Season: 18th (Relegated)

Unlike their North-East rivals Middlesbrough, the Magpies were not founder members of the Premier League, but they do enter the Championship with more experience at that level than any other side. Only Manchester United and Arsenal finished higher than Newcastle in 2002/03.

The last time Newcastle found themselves in the second tier they spent four years here and almost relegated themselves again in 1991/92 (a season which included a 5-2 away defeat to Oxford Utd, a 6-2 demolition at the hands of Wolves and a 1-1 home draw with Cambridge Utd). The difference this time around is the Sky cameras will be on hand to delight in every such embarrassment. Newcastle visit Scunthorpe on 20th October…

Next time: Nottingham Forest to Reading

Match Preview – Hartlepool Utd (Johnstone’s Paint Trophy First Round)

Is it ever right to root against your team? That must be the question nagging many Foxes fan’s thoughts. Does the greater good apply? Should we hope for a post-match interview from Nigel Pearson featuring the time old cliché “concentrate on the League”?

Lacking any true credentials, the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy demands respect, literally. Each team must field at least 6 regular first team players in its starting line-up, no exceptions. It’s the kind of rule which conveys exactly the opposite of what the Football League hopes to project. Instead of creating a tournament of willing contenders, we have a competition of coerced clubs. It is a distraction few fans want and even fewer attend. Unsurprisingly, no broadcaster has seen fit to buy TV rights for anything but the final.

Below is a list of finals Football League Trophy Finals in the 21st Century with the final league positions of the finalists.

1999/00 - Stoke City (6th L1) vs Bristol City (9th L1)
2000/01 - Port Vale (11th L1) vs Brentford (14th L1)
2001/02 - Blackpool (15th L1) vs Cambridge Utd (24th L1)
2002/03 - Bristol City (3rd L1) vs Carlisle Utd (22nd L2)
2003/04 - Blackpool (14th L1) vs Southend Utd (17th L2)
2004/05 - Wrexham (22nd L1) vs Southend Utd (4th L2)
2005/06 - Swansea City (6th L1) vs Carlisle Utd (1st L1)
2006/07 - Doncaster Rovers (11th L1) vs Bristol Rovers (6th L2)
2007/08 - MK Dons (1st L2) vs Grimsby Town (16th L2)

No finalist in the Football League Trophy has been promoted to the Championship this century.

Defeat is an option, in fact it is the option. It might be the only time City fans can hedge their bets by backing Leicester.

Selected Odds
Hartlepool – 2/1 (Totesport)
Draw – 12/5 (Bet365)
Leicester – 13/10 (William Hill)

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: Fulham (League Cup Second Round)

As heartbreaking as last night’s game was, there are yet again positives to be taken from the performance of Nigel Pearson’s team. But for a couple of cruel deflections City might well have been heading for the 3rd Round of the Carling Cup, and who really thought that was possible at 19:15 yesterday when we learned City’s midfield pairing would be Andy King and James Wesolowski?

Here are some numbers…

90 – Five of City’s last six cup exits have come as a result of last minute strikes. Southampton started the rot in 2006 with a 1-0 win at the Walkers in the 3rd Round of the 2005/06 FA Cup. Since then Aston Villa, Fulham (twice) and Chelsea have dumped Leicester out of cup competitions thanks to efforts in the dying seconds.

-4 – The net number of points City lost as a result of late goals last season. City scored in the 88th minute or later only twice during the league campaign, yet conceded seven in the same timeframe. We all remember the stats from 2003/04 which showed Leicester halfway up the Premier League table had matches ended at 80 minutes, and it was late goals which cost the Foxes again last season. Nigel Pearson will have to ensure last night was a blip, he can scarcely afford the throwaway culture of 2007/08 to haunt City this season.

8 – The number of points City took from losing positions in 2007/08. It’s a statistic that has been highlighted on Foxblogger before but last night was the first time City had gone behind under Nigel Pearson and they showed great character to take the lead after the break. Ultimately Premier League quality won the day, but Leicester fans can take heart in knowing the Foxes will not collapse if they concede first this season.

Match Preview: Fulham (League Cup Second Round)

Wednesday’s trip to Craven Cottage is the first of three games in six days for the Foxes. Whilst City face entirely different prospects in each match, from Fulham they can expect the first quality opposition this season. Roy Hodgson worked miracles with the Cottagers last season and, having added to his squad with some very wise acquisitions, City will do well to progress to the 3rd Round.

Previous Meetings
Leicester’s last visit to Craven Cottage came in the FA Cup just two seasons ago. Early into the second half of a 3rd Round replay the Foxes found themselves in a 3-1 lead only to succumb to a brace from Vincenzo Montella and a 90th minute winner from Wayne Routledge.

In their last Premier League encounters Fulham did the double over City. A double strike from Luis Boa Morte gave Fulham a 2-0 win in 2003, whilst Collins John effectively relegated Micky Adams’ side at the Walkers Stadium with two goals of his own.

Reasons To Be Confident
City have recorded their best start for 11 years and having conceded just one goal share the best defensive record in League One with Stockport County.

The Foxes are scoring goals. Matty Fryatt in particular deserves a mention for already topping his scoring total from last season. In 2007/08 the Fryarstarter netted just three times in 35 appearances.

Fulham’s recent record in the League Cup is far from pretty. They’ve failed to make it past the 3rd Round in any of the last 3 seasons and were the subject of a particularly embarrassing 2-1 home defeat to Wycombe in 2006/07.

Reasons To Be Worried
Andrew Johnson could be fit enough to make his debut tomorrow for Fulham. If he starts City could face all sorts of defensive problems. The striker, recently signed from Everton, is in the process of shaking of a thigh injury.

In the last four seasons Leicester have won three and lost five cup ties against Premier League opposition.

Fulham 1-0 Arsenal.

Selected Odds
Fulham – 8/13 (Ladbrokes)
Draw – 14/5 (Bet365)
Leicester – 11/2 (Bet365)

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.