Footballing Purgatory

My ego says apologises for the lack of keeping this blog up. Between now and the Summer, I have been to AFC Wimbledon (attempted a tactical breakdown blog of that game - failed) and had my wrist operated on. Anyway, onwards this week I am attempting a mega relaunch.

However, this entry makes me feel dirty. Sometimes I flirt within my brain the idea of following another club wondering whether their fans are different, the awaydays are different and the sport seemingly less sold to the greedy devil. Watching as many games as I do, there's clubs I have taken an interest in; Keith Hill's spell at Rochdale, Notts County resolute in crisis pre-Lee Hughes, the well-run ship recently of AFC Wimbledon for example (all three examples have little quirks which make them [ie. the chippy opposite the away end at Spotland, the Wheelbarrow song and the honesty of AFCW]). None of them will replace my team which is more to do with my pride in my birthplace and upbringing more than anything. The nearest I have got to a second side was/is Burton Albion and in particular their first Football League season.

Now on the list of clubs I flirt with, Coventry City would be in the bottom five. I am a student of Coventry University and face the city with it's ill-thought ring road at least once a week. It's not a pretty city to put it lightly. This was further confirmed by a recent visit to the estate of Hillfields as part of an assignment. Every city has one, the area where poverty is high, education levels low and the crime wide. However, what's more interesting was that this assignment is focused on the new flats/townhouses which have replaced Highfield Road.

It was unrecognisable from my two visits as (approx. guess) 12 and 15 year old. The Sky Blue Tavern..infamous, now gone. The new properties aren't even built in a square, so it's more difficult to imagine. The only remaining features were the bridge over Phoenix Way which separates the estates of Stoke & Hillfields and a little square section of land which has been kept free for recreational use, this is apparently where the pitch was.

When the tutor asked did anyone visit whilst it was the football ground, the hands raised totalled five (majority of students are part-time or locally based). I was ready to tell stories of Emile Heskey and Billy McKinlay but I didn't get chance. One lad spoke up to say he was a Cov fan and confessed the following: 'went here a few times, the new stadium's better but I haven't been in a while'. Over my five years studying here, that's a common pattern across the city.



Coventry City and their fans find themselves in footballing purgatory. At Highfield Road, they respectfully floated around the mid-table of the top tier with the occasional battle against relegation. Something which with retrospective we can now say is respectful given the financial implications from the early 90s. Occasional wins over the big teams and a sense of pride over Aston Villa/Leicester City in a fair few seasons too.

However, since a painful relegation sustained at Villa Park, there's been no excitement around the club at all. No promotion bids, no play-offs, no final day relegation six pointers. Only a FA Cup Quarter-Final against Chelsea has sold out the Ricoh. The stadium which has now become a burden.

Now from here is a catalogue of errors made by the club which has killed off enthusiasm in most Sky Blue supporters. It could be used as a guide how not to run a football club. Coventry gambled on the ITV digital windfall upon relegation, that hit the fan and added some debt (often forgotten that they spent £5 million on Lee Hughes). The fans expectations were high and the wage bill was too.

Then a move to the Ricoh Arena, a project which was originally earmarked as the new Wembley. Only for it become a multi-use 32,500 stadium where it's sold out more often for That That than the most regular of occupants the football club. The ownership of the Arena is which really hits Coventry hard. Shared ownership from the City Council and a charity, the Alan Biggs Trust means matchday sales are pretty much the only source of income from the stadium and the ticket prices are agreed between all three parties. This is a football club's constant money source but it's lessened here.

Add to this the poor managerial appointments of Peter Reid, Micky Adams, Ian Dowie, Chris Coleman, Aidy Boothroyd. It's all led to the situation now which couldn't be saved by now owners SISU. SISU, fronted by Ray Ranson promised sustainable football with young players playing with appetitie (required after Reid, Adams and Dowie's reign). Instead they continued the poor appointments to leave a squad now looking very short of quality and most important for the future of the club, sell able assets.

SISU could have avoided this by making a sensible managerial appointment who at least had the contacts to bring in loanees from Premiership reserves/youths or sign some released players from this area instead they gambled on the older hands in Coleman and Boothroyd. At least at that point if relegation does occur, you have a squad full of saleable assets as opposed to 'journeymen'. Thankfully with the introduction of Andy Thorn, a few academy products have came through with real promise but it remains to be seen if such an atmosphere hinders them.

Thorn hasn't done well since August but you have to look what's available to him. His only signing with money this year was Cody McDonald from Norwich whose very short of Championship experience which was directly funded by Ben Turner's departure to Cardiff. He's on a loser to me as an outsider, Thorn cannot win.

So this is why I sympathise. The majority of Coventry supporters who follow them week in, week out must feel helpless. A successful season is avoiding relegation which in turn sees them financially ticking over. Leicester had a spell like this post-administration, no prospects and every fan in the country pretty much lives off the hope of success. If you subtract the spending the season after their relegation at Highfield Road, Coventry's problems seemingly stem from ill decisions as opposed to over-spending. It's a lesson for every club in a similar position.

A club after my own heart

AFC Wimbledon 3:2 Port Vale
(Midson, Gwillim, Jolley : Dodds, Morsy)
Leccy Board League Two : 03/09/2011
Kingsmeadow, Kingston Upon Thames : Ground no.68

If there was ever a reinforcement for why I am attempting to attend every ground in the Football League, this was perfect material. A romantic last-minute winner at Kingsmeadow for AFC Wimbledon to secure their first ever Football League home victory. A sunny day in the captial where I occupy myself in the morning before heading to a fascinating game not only in action but tactics. All of this to a virtual sell-out, fully well knowing my money is highly appreciated and appropriately used when received.

It's hard not to get caught up in the hysteria of AFC Wimbledon. It's an organic club which reaches back to the days before the SKY Tv deal in many ways. Whether it's Terry Brown's faith in not overhauling the squad over the Summer or some actual support from the fans ie. encouragement rather than criticism or that the turnstile operator wondered why I developed a sweat on, it just felt right.

Football in this country is culturally a vehicle for socialising and community. Most folks go down the football with their family and friends. It's written within the way how us football fans operate. AFC Wimbledon actively encourage this feel of community without the cheesy schemes or the alienation like this article is performing. The chairmen's article in the programme was a refreshing read; most of the time at other clubs it's welcoming the opposition, talking about unity and various other buzz words to give the impression your club is heading in the right direction. Wimbledon's was more direct though, it communicated the problems the club was having in providing appropriate facilities at the ground and how a Coke bottle without a cap was considering less of a danger than a bottle with a cap. No cloak and dagger here, it just dealt simply with the problems the fans had raised.

Anyways, I could go but this game was humdinger. So I'll avoid the spiel about how was underwelmed by the art within the Tate Modern but please with the quality of female viewing the art, how my train down to St Pancras with full of Rugby fans making mis-informed opinions about Football and my annoyance how a large percentage of underground users seemingly always have a suitcase with them.

I actually missed kick-off by a minute, now if I was being a picky groundhopper that would be it. I have done it on previously visiting London ground, I get too occupied with what I visit in the morning that I normally catch the last possible tube/train out towards the ground. I had eight minutes to leg the 1000 metres from Norbition Station to Kingsmeadow, I was completely knackered by the time I got to the turnstile; it was my first exercise in five weeks and I was already aching from the walking around.

The first thirty minutes was quite possibly the most one-sided start to a game I have ever seen but it stayed goalless and amazingly, AFC Wimbledon had ended the first half 1-0 up. During this time, I had AFC W down as relegation certainties. Vale had them in bits due to a lack of pace in AFC W's back four. Four chances cleared off the line, a post struck from Ben Williamson and a couple of smart saves from Seb Brown in the Wimbledon goal. One of those goal-line clearances looked very much as if it had across the line and another of the clearances was stopped at point blank range by a player's face for which he didn't know a lot about.

Formations at the moment seem to be a buzz subject amongst fans. Mainly down to England's national teams restrictions and how a lot of clubs are beginning to move away from the traditional 4-4-2 into 4-3-3 or variations of this. Now some say formations aren't that important, if the players don't put in the effort you lose regardless. That is correct. However a formation can bring the best of a player ie. Messi at Barcelona or alteratively, a formation can ensure that if you are playing bad that the punishment for it is relatively little.

Now if you think 4-4-2 is traditional, 3-5-2 is a relic but that's what Port Vale were playing. Micky Adams loves a set-piece, 3 at the back means he can put nore six plus footers on. In Rob Taylor on the left, he has a handy skillful player...he can have him in the side in an attacking sense. He can put Louis Dodds in central midfield knowing he has two more typical central midfielders in Antony Griffith and Gary Roberts. It brings the best out of his players and it did for the first thirty minutes. Mainly because AFC Wimbledon's honest 4-3-3 couldn't handle it, the two wingers of Djilali and Luke Moore were far up the pitch and pretty much on the centre backs. AFC W's full-backs had a problem when that full-back faces a Vale wing-back. What's he do? He goes forward that leaves space behind, space exploited by Louis Dodds along the right on numerous occasions in the first thirty minutes.

Brown changed it slightly, it was clear the wingers were instructed for the rest of the half to be less gung-ho and the game began to settle. AFC W's goal was largely down to the reason why 3-5-2 can be a risky formation. On a couple of occasions a AFC W's player emerged from the midfield with a bit of space with just three defenders to run at, with AFC W's playing 3 upfront there was going to be a chance at some point where it was be a man for man situation. That's what occured for the goal, Vale sparse at the back from a set piece suddenly had a 2 on 2 situation. Djilali put through and he's taken out by the goalkeeper, penalty with just a yellow card correct decision. Luke Moore's penalty is saved but Jack Midson however pops in the rebound.

In the second half, Wimbledon changed to a 4-4-2 formation. Christian Jolley came on for Luke Moore. Now this formation could handle the 3-5-2 except it doesn't allow for moments of brilliance. The equaliser came courtesy of a beautifully curved strike from 20 yards out from Louis Dodds. Wimbledon's best part of the game came now. Fine, passing football utlising Jolley's pace and Midson's know-how as showcased in the goal which made it 2-1. Jolley played it into Midson's feet who spotted the overlapping left-back Gareth Gwillim (in behind the wing-back). Gwillim unleashed a rasping half-volley into the right bottom corner of the net.

Vale's plan B was stick as many strikers has possibly on. Andrew Little, a new loan signing from Rangers and the returning Mark Richards came on. The attacks were largely aerial which was suiting Wimbledon's back four. The banks couldn't hold though; a throw-in poorly cleared and Sam Morsy had time to pick his spot into the corner. The game was increasingly stretched and Vale's opportunity for a winner came in the final minute; Richards squaring for Tom Pope with just Seb Brown to beat skied it. Wimbledon were surviving by the skin of their teeth and made the most of the six injury time minutes. Taking advantage of Louis Dodds playing makeshift left-back, the ball switched across the pitch towards Christian Jolley dribbling towards the 18 year box before curving a left-foot shot into the goal.

Appears I have a incredible knack of visiting a ground and the home team getting a last-minute goal. Chesterfield, Yeovil, Dagenham and now AFC Wimbledon have benefitted from my midst touch over the past 18 months. This goal was most welcoming of them all in capping an all-around excellent game and day.

Money

Popped down the King Power last week. A totally frustrating experience, much like a mid-season visit. I was going to make a quick enquiry on a season ticket but it ended up a drawn-out affair. At first, I struggled to park my car. The ticket office/megastore is a building site, can't park there. Outside the main entrance were the plush Bentleys and Land Rover's of the players. So right around to behind the corner where those resolute band of ultras, the Fosse Boys sit.

After walking around, dodging and weaving past the supercars I reached the temporary ticket office located in one of the concourses of the main stand. There was a queue of seven with just two assistance serving at the desk and this was all being delayed as the current customers were having to give their full personal details as they had never visited the Walkers before. They were taking advantage of the exclusive priority for all council workers on Real Madrid tickets. It seems along way from my earlier memories as a kid where we'd pick up a ticket for a little hole carved out of the Double Decker and then sit at the top with that awkward angle looking down on the Filbo Pitch.

I gave up after five minutes and returned to my work office to be told a £5 million bid for Matt Mills, Reading captain had been accepted. It dawned on me then that this season at least is going to be a bit different and we are 'going for it.' When the Thai's arrived last season with Sven not far behind, I was still partly enraged with Mandaric's decision to let Pearson and by the time Sven was appointed, I was in full football season mode. I wanted to us away from that relegation zone and towards the top half. If it meant spending a bit of money on loanees to ensure this, fair enough. However, now we are the target of a lot of venom from elsewhere in the division with excessive fees being spent and to be fair, it does look a rather reckless strategy.



Unsustainable financial assistance does not sit easy with the footballing traditionalist in me. I detest Crawley Town at the moment and was eager to point out to anyone who thought their recent FA Cup trip to Old Trafford was within the magic of the competition, they were very wrong. They had a bigger budget than the rest of the Conference combined. It would be naive to say that Football has never been financially-led despite that regularly been quoted; even before professionalism, a player has always joined clubs where he makes the biggest financial gain. It's the artificial injection of money which is unproven to be credited to an owner's wealth and sourced via a loan made the club (albeit their wealth or a bank loan) which annoys. I cannot complain if the sums spent are sustainable by the club's size or at the end of every financial year, the owner is willing to write them off but it's gutting to see clubs with little heritage and history of lower attendances suddenly become flushed with money when you clearly know that the expenditure can not be matched by the profit the club makes.

When a club hits that road towards disaster is forgotten who the real victims are too. With football's community links disappearing with the globalisation of the game, supporters remain of the last competent of a football club which has local attachment. Playing staff, coaching staff and now the boardroom have gone from local to foreigner as time as gone on in the sport. The supporters only suffer a quiet pain really. It's a bit of their livelihood threaten, not their job. Local businesses make up the majority of the creditors list when a club goes in administration. The coach company, the catering supplier, the St John's Ambulance all ripped off. Add to that the club cutting substantial numbers of staff. It's the local economy what feels it more.

The fans are immune to that. The club continues on providing it's weekly staple of football every weekend and in most case, pulls through the other end to find themselves back on an even footing as every club in their division. The example of Portsmouth is even more perfect than what happened to our club previously. I have two dreams for Leicester City, to watch us in a FA Cup Final and to watch us play live aboard in European competition (I missed first time around). Pompey achieved both these in their excess spending days and had a right good party whilst at it. A generation of their fans saw something they have never even got near previously. After a poor season and half (which still included two visits to Wembley), they now find themselves mid-table in the Championship and being able to spend £750k on a player.



Hardly any punishment hey? In the process if we were achieve something similar, I will have watched us achieve something I wanted us to do as a boy and something which impacts on our club's history. As a fan I don't feel the real harsh realities when the money dries up. After relegation and hurtful losses to Cardiff and Forest in recent years, I am ready for a season where I get to act the big I am and embrace the forthcoming bitterness of our rivals.

Ultimately, I am a contradiction on the matter. I don't like it but I will enjoy it. I cannot quit my club - it's my club, I have supported them through thick and thin. I am even more hypocritical really as there's a little part of me which believes King Power have invested too much money into areas like the training ground, the ticket office, the big screens; the non-necessarities. You could cynically say these are fan-winners but they will soon learn, you only fill stadiums on the back of victories. If they have no back-up plan, they are playing a risky game.

At the centre of it all though is still the same game it's been for umpteen years and the same emotion will surround it. The reactions, the happiness, the disappointment all enjoyed and felt before. That will never change regardless of money thrown around.

Yeah, Ben Mee gone - Burnley but I was just pointing out the lack of originality when it comes to transfer unveiling pictures.

This Summer's Football

I was off my rocker on Saturday. In between university revision, I needed some relief. It had already hit, the withdrawal symptoms are even worse in a non-major tournament summer. Thankfully I managed to find a stream of the Conference Play-Off Final on Saturday afternoon. It gave me the drug but this can not continue from Saturday to Saturday.

After Saturday's Champions League Final and the weekend's play-off finals, there appears not much more on offer.

Think again, I have searched the footballing calendar to provide a guide to survive this Summer.

June

First of all, early June sees the Euro 2012 qualifiers re-commence. England play Switzerland at Wembley on 4th June. No second game for England but there are the home nations. It's normally around this time Scotland pick up their regular win against some half-decent before being seen off with relatively ease come September by the eventual group winners. England is live on ITV, 4.45pm.

Day after the England game, the Gold Cup in the United States kicks off. 5th June to 25th June. North America's best face off in numerous dazzling stadia from the Cowboys Stadium to the new Meadowlands Stadium to finishing at the Rose Bowl. The football will go from the better than average to the boring. Most games shown at 11 p.m., 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. Televised on Eurosport, game worth watching early on will be June 7th...United States v Canada.

A week into that tournament and something more closer to home, the Under 21 Euro's begin in Denmark. To be fair, this is normally worth watching as England young lads make the same mistakes as the senior crop. However, the previous two tournaments have been near-misses and provided they get through a group of death including Spain, Czech Republic and Ukraine (typically all three of these sides have won tournaments at age groups levels recently), there's an opportunity for success. Live on SKY. England play Spain on 12th June, Ukraine on the 15th and Czech Republic 19th. Normal televised times.

As that finishes, in comes another tournament for one of the English national teams. Women's World Cup staged in Germany with coverage on BBC throughout the tournament, they've been getting some good results of late and a favourable group draw gives them a good chance of progressing. It's sad to say; the football will go from the rather pathetic to the sublime (Brazil are shit hot). Games for England are 27th June Mexico (2pm), 1st July New Zealand (5.15 pm) & 5th July Japan (5.15 pm). Expect decent crowds too the Germans don't have the same *thing* about women's football like the UK.

July

Probably best of lot comes on the 1st July. Copa America, the World's third biggest tournament (could be argued otherwise). High scoring and entertaining, it normally ends in a Brazil v Argentina final (past two editions) but there's plenty worth watching elsewhere as proved by Chile and Uruguay's World Cup performances. The scouts across the world love it. Most games will be on at 11.15 pm and 1.45 am over here and it's also ESPN televised. I would pay attention to the group containing Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Mexico (that's right they are playing two international tournaments in one summer - so are Costa Rica). For stadium buffs, the final is held at River Plate's home, the Monumental and the opening game at the new stadium in La Plata.

24th July, that ends on. We've reached the safety of pre-season friendlies. However, there's more. Eurosport will have the Under 19 Euro Championships, held in Romania on. Now I watched this last year after the World Cup and it's more interesting than thrilling. It's noticeable the difference in footballing culture as last year England looked technically inept to the rest of their group but sheer persistence carried them onto the semi's where they were showed up by a Spain side containing Sergio Canales, Marc Bartra (goalscorer for Barca at the weekend) and Iker Muniain (Basque hero at Bilbao). England haven't qualified yet...well no-one has, the qualifiers start at the end of May and England typically have Spain in their group.

To fill in the final week before it begins again on 6th August, the Under-20 World Cup completes the Summer line-up. England have qualified and normally the Under-20's are used as a bit of a second string for the Under 21's. Difficult group containing Argentina and Mexico (under-20's is the final age group before seniors). Expect an early fall in Colombia but all of England's group games are positioned neatly before the Championship season kicks off (kick-off times of 2030, 0200 and 2300). Eurosport again covers it.

In addition, ESPN show the Russian League over the summer (2 live games a week). Premier Sports the Irish League and the four main competitions of South America are coming to conclusion in time for the Copa America.

No excuse for being bored really.

A Saturday at the Huish

Yeovil Town 2:2 Bournemouth
(Virgo (pen), MacDonald : Ings (2, 1pen)
Leccy Board League One : 23/04/2011
Huish Park, Yeovil : Ground no.69



Doing a second ground over Easter is something of a regular with the games splitting across Good Friday and Easter Saturday. Previous years, I've visited Bury and Wycombe on the day Leicester weren't playing. The original intention thistime was to do one of the Devon clubs, ideally Exeter on the Good Friday but with Sky moving Forest game to Good Friday, it left just Yeovil has the only ground I hadn't visited in the 92 who we're kicking off at Saturday, 3pm. I didn't mind, even more so with the good weather. A nice drive down to deepest Somerset in the sun, it's better than struggling through snow, frozen windscreen cleaner and a M6 traffic jam to visit Morecambe in November (yes, that's correct. Probably my favourite neutral day of the season).

Fun was to be had on the route set by the Sat Nav. I rolled down towards Cheltenham having to content with the various jam-packed cars and their swaying caravans. Down the A46 towards the M5. Nice and easy at this point except for a roundabout where it appeared everyone in Warwickshire wanted to go Stratford Racecourse. Sat Nav said go towards Bristol. Instead it ended up through it, pass the Cabot Circus and towards Wells. Traffic hellwas had. Once through that trauma, it was through pretty much every village in Somerset on roads of restricted speed limits and cameras. All very quaint, past pubs with no-one in and inns with no vacancies. So reinforced the attraction of this groundhop with Yeovil being Somerset's only Football League club.

Eventually I got there, the problem with Huish Park is that it's another of those out-of-town developments. My opportunities for a Somerset Cider and a steak reduced significantly as it developed I was pretty much in boring suburbia with a run of mill Holiday Inn pub and a massive Asda to choose from. One saving grace, a fish and chips restaurant next to a garden centre, I certainly see their target audience there. I'll have a sit down I thought, plenty of time to kill. Sat down at a table and could clearly tell the (19-21 year old) waitresses we slightly miffed at this 22 year old lad sitting a table for fish and chips alone. I was pretty much instructed when receiving a menu that the only thing left was fish and chips and that it was closing soon. They were possibly some of the worst ever fish and chips I've had, I had the odd ends basically. I had made an error and for the rest of the day, I was starving. Never judge a book by it's cover.

Walked towards the ground, up a hill and it was a good fifteen minute mosey to Huish Park with it's pebbledash car park and a tent for a pub. Huish Park is rather simple and pretty basic. Two simple sized seating stands along the side, a covered terrace behind one goal and an open terrace for the away fans. All with the steel painted a nice solid dark green. Nothing really interesting or stand-out and a low score on the location. In an increasing trend of ripping off the small man (this season I've watched football for free and a fiver), I paid £11 for the Cowlin Stand on an Under 21 rate.

Unlike the previous neutral tale of Bradford City and their plight, this is a happier tale. Both clubs, Yeovil Town and Bournemouth are in the midst of being modestly successful and whilst neither club is equalling their clubs' best, they are playing above themselves.

The beauty of these two is that the only expectation is a sign of a building optimism. Yeovil Town went to the dizzy heights of nearly reaching the Championship and rather than go chasing after it, they have respectfully stayed in League One keeping a sensible budget and developing the club. Terry Skiverton's a club legend, he was there alongside Gary Johnson as they accelerated through the divisions (Conference to League One) as captain and occasionally goal-scoreer. Now he's the gaffer.



Carrying out an understated job of keeping Yeovil Town out of trouble, relegation scares occur but there is never any final day of the season pressure cooker. Importantly for a young manager, it appears he possesses a good book of contacts with loanees from Tottenham and other Premiership clubs always strengthening their side. This is often criticised how clubs over-achieve because of their use of loanees but for me it's not a problem, the majority of loanees are young and British. It's developing English Football. Skiverton has also sensibly picked up bargains like Dean Bowditch and Paul Wotton who can provide a background for the young lads to flourish.

After two seasons of constantly battling point deductions and transfer embargoes,Bournemouth have performed even better. A near great escape saving themselves from relegation to League Two in 2007/08, followed by staying up in League Two despite being deducted 17 points the following season, then a promotion from League Two and now in the play-offs of League One. Incredible effort mostly done with the same players who followed them down the divisions. The vultures have already circled, Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall the management team for the majority of it are now at Burnley with Marvin Bartley alongside them. Despite some recent wobbles, they find themselves still in 6th with Rochdale on their back. So they came in confidence with a full away end terrace cheering them on.

When I sit at a game as a neutral, I pretty much keep quiet bar the odd round of applause and a stand-up when a home goal goes in. I know this is completely different to my body language at a Leicester game. I may no Tasmanian devil at the Walkers but I am certainly not polite in my language or gestures. It became apparently as the first half wore on, sitting next to me was a young Bournemouth fan probably in his late teens. Originally I thought he was with a father and his young lad at the end of the row but as Donal McDermott, Bournemouth winger ran his way through the Yeovil defence I could hear 'go on son' under his breath. It reminded me of the film version of Fever Pitch where the narrator goes to a cup tie at Reading wearing his Arsenal gear only to find out his Mum has bought him a ticket for the home end. He'd probably came with his mates and once he realised he couldn't unleash his support found it a bit crap.



He was growing nervous as Bournemouth dominated the play in the first half with a centre midfield of Danny Hollands and Harry Arter controlling play and ensure the ball was in Yeovil's half of the pitch. Despite the pressure, Yeovil had the better chance of a goal-less first half. Jonathan Obika, a loanee from Tottenham missed a sitter when his initial shot was saved and his rebound missed the goal completely with the keeper's back turned.

Obika was the victim of the young lad two seats towards the left, swear words I never expected off a Somerset schoolchild. 'You fucking prick Obika, just fucking ping it!'

Below me was an annoying woman in about her late-sixties who had the Somerset accent down to a fine art, the way she screeched 'Andy' in reference to the incredibly weak and bony, Andy Welsh got on my tits. What made it worst was these screeches were in approval of Welsh, he played for Leicester you know and I thought he was completely shite at the Walkers. He's well liked at Yeovil, his mug was on the front of the local paper being sold outside the ground as he'd had a baby in the week.

A constant trend these goalless first half on neutral visits, it gives you a whole first half to regret why you went in the first place. The Bournemouth fan must have thought the same of the swearing kid and the annoying woman, he never returned for the second half. The second half was what I'd visited for, a little needle was required and it soon developed. Paul Huntingdon's second yellow card which was well deserved but the tension up a couple of clicks accordingly.

Then I seen one of the most stupid actions I have done all season, Adam Smith for Bournemouth made a run into the box from his right-back position and made a feeble attempt at conning the ref for a penalty with a laughable. Except it was a penalty. It wasn't for the foul though but Adam Virgo's over the top reaction to the dive. Rather than telling Smith to get the fuck up, he tried to rip his head additionally to telling him he's a cheating bastard. And to top it off, in front of the linesmen. Just plain daft. Of course, the Yeovil fans didn't see this way. It was a penalty no doubt, Virgo should have gone off but the ref decided a yellow was enough.

Danny Ings from the penalty spot, 1-0. The crowd had got a bit barmy by now, the ref was a scummy twat and all that jazz. Bournemouth helped matters by extending their lead with a superb counter-attack move. Keeper collects a corner, slings the ball 40 yards into the path of Liam Feeney who was rapid and impressed throughout. His square cross after running 35 yards in super speed was met by a first-time finish on his chocolate foot by Danny Ings (could make a decent little career this fella).

So Yeovil were beaten. The ten men looked ragged and not really bothered. It took until the old boys around me were considering leaving on 86 minutes for a response, a cross blocked by Harry Arter's arm led to Adam Virgo slotted a penalty away. Game on, that roar had returned and so had that young kid's swearing.

His day was made when Yeovil struck a late equaliser. A corner knocked in, Yeovil goalie in there *cliche alert* creating havoc and Shaun MacDonald popped up with a header into the goal. Cue chaos and the young lad running to front of the stand to greet his hero as MacDonald showcased his delight. Shaun MacDonald is quite possibly the most ugliest footballer in the English game currently, I pretty much shat myself as he ran towards the stand with the look of a bull who'd got a hard-on. The young lad didn't mind, he came up the stairs to tell his Dad he'd high-fived Shaun MacDonald.



A swift exit after the final whistle, a familiar feeling as heading towards the car. I saw a Dad with his son marching off in front, both Bournemouth. His son was embarrassed because his Dad was whispering expletives as his side cocked up a two-goal lead. Jumped in the car, heard the results. Rochdale had lost, the Bournemouth play-off bid rolls on....I know the feeling swearing Bournemouth Dad.

Heroes and Villians

Nottingham Forest 3:2 Leicester City
(Tudgay, Earnshaw & McKenna : Oakley, Vassell)
Leccy Board Championship : 22/04/2011
City Ground, Nottingham (already visited)



Football Manager always asks on those annoying press conferences before a derby game. 'Do you believe the competition is richer for games like this?' It's a daft question, Football full stop prides itself on the occasion of a derby game whether it takes place in the second tier of English football, the top tier of Brazil or the fourth tier of Outer Mongolia. They do now hold some extra importance in England, they are one of the few games left in the calendar which have some atmospheric bite.

For us Leicester fans, this brings around the well done debate about which team have more appliance to us as a derby. Well this derby is mine, the comparisons between Nottingham and Leicester as a city I see as not too different. In addition, Nottingham Forest are the most successful team of the East Midlands thanks to two European Cup wins (which we always hear plenty about). Forest dismiss us, it's Derby for them and only Derby apparently. Well I disagree, there's more than enough passion showcased by the Reds when Leicester come to town.

It's further recognised by myself that the City Ground is probably the best stadium or awayday in the East Midlands. It's not the best looking, in fact it's rather tight for legroom and in the concourses but it's location is the most recognisable in the division with the ground overlooking the Trent river where the City of Nottingham meets it's suburb of West Bridgford. There's plenty nearby and the train station is just fifteen minutes walk away.

Finally, the most personal reason for Forest, they brought around a very low point for me as City fan. I was scarred by a last minute equaliser there during our administration season. We were declared into admin the week before, job cuts made the day before the game, City were cruising at 2-0 at Half-Time but then proceeded to throw it away in the most cruel of fashions when Jack Lester bagged a 96th minute equaliser. Their reaction that day suggested to me this game meant something.



We gained revenge later in the season, a hero was made of Tommy Wright as what can only happen to hometown players. A two-yard tap-in of a winner for which he successfully made the rest of Leicester career from. Kept on for far too long, he now plays for Darlington.

This is what derbies do though. They make heroes. For Leicester fans, a player bagging a winner at City Ground would make more than a hero. Having not won in the league here for over forty years and in process destroying Forest's play-off dreams.

It's been a while since the game. So no OTT match report, I am trying to keep it minimal. It was a scrappy game typical of a derby and given the position in the table of both teams, neither wanted to lose. This was mostly caused by Leicester City's tactics. I have previously mentioned the problem Sven tactically faces where City appear too open to a pacy attack. This even more of a problem facing a side of 4-4-2 as they cover the possession game City play easier and one poor pass leads to an opening.

So with in mind, it was no surprise to see Ben Mee back in for Van Aanholt. The largely clueless Bruma kept his spot much to my dismay (typically gone onto score two wonderstrikes since). City played a lot deeper than recent games in much the same fashion as QPR away. Forest's formation is similar to QPR's, a narrow 4-4-2. The players on the flanks tuck in to allow the full-backs the wings. Forest should have the same problem as City but they have the comfort of both McKenna and Moussi sitting in.

Given the energy sapping weather (I lost three pounds alone standing in the Bridgford End), neither side chased the ball which disgruntled the 'Up and at them!' crew. It was stalemate tactically, as mistakes were the difference. Mistakes largely from goalkeepers.

Forest's first was a showcase of City's downfall this season: Marking. A cross far too easily allowed into the box met by the always scoring against Leicester, Marcus Tudgay with the normally dependable Miguel Vitor disappearing from his man. The first equaliser probably one of my favourite celebrations of the season, could have been saved by the over applauded Camp but fair play for Oakley in producing a ping.

Forest's second, City other problem. Goalkeeping. Lewis McGugan's shot weakly palmed back towards goal where Earnshaw whose made a career of lurking in this area, taps in. Camp then let us back in the game, virtually a minute after going down dropping a Naughton cross at the feet of Vassell.



City were the better side at this point. Vassell coming on for an ineffective Yakubu led to more urgency upfront and by simply cutting down Morgan and Chambers, the ball was staying down towards the Trent End far more often. Yakubu to me looks completely fucked, there was one point where he was half put through but then caught up by the defender and his shot was about as weak as my piss. Typically like Oakley and Bruma, my criticism has a midst touch. Kamara's more of a disappointment, he looked hungry on arrival but now a disinterested individiual who could have quite easily been sent off in this game.

The winner did come. McKenna's powerpuff volley squeezing under Weale's body. A shattered away end watched on and the players mirrored the feeling. There's our villain, no hero today. Sadly, that's probably ten points the likeable Weale has cost us this season and he's proved the catalyst for Forest saving their season. However, for us it's now a rarity of a season in recent years, a dead end.

Yakubocrow

Reading 3:1 Leicester City
(Kebe, McAnuff, Hunt : King)
Leccy Board Championship : 16/04/2011
Madjeski Stadium, Reading (Ground no.68)



Yakubocrow

That was hard work but I have finally completed my masterpiece; the Yakubocrow is hanging off my washing line. The Yakubocrow is a life-sized model of Yakubu made from various household items and was produced over the past few nights after work. Forget revision, I wanted to create a piece of art which help with the stress of it.

It was produced for two reasons. Stop the local cats shitting in our back garden and to provide relief after seeing City pissing this play-off attempt up the wall. In the nearby shed in our back graden is a selection of weapons stretching from cricket bat to sledgehammer, these weapons are used to strike the Yakubocrow in order to relief the stress and frustation of it all. Cos that's all this attempt to get into the play-offs has done, frustrate me. So, having a nice Yakubocrow to destroy will help me through such agony.

NB. Yakubu is chosen due to the size of his arse, not his performances.

The past three games have been a bit like of a round of golf in which you lose the will to live and question youre ability. As you start off really well with the odd birdie and par (Burnley win), then get into a bit of a mess bogeying a few holes(Palace draw) and eventually you completely lose your head whilst stuck in a bunker (Reading loss). Basically, Rory McIlroy's recent failure at the US Masters.

That's pretty much the gist of the past three games. No nearer the playoffs yet it's still mathematically possible. The bastards, it's only Leicester who could do this! I am actually quite happy, I am on my holidays from Sunday onwards. The defence has been the problem and will remain the problem this season with such decisions as dropping the in-form Ben Mee for an available again, Jeffrey Bruma. Mee's twitter says he's as baffled as the rest of us.

First Reading goal, at least half of the defence keeps Shane Long onside despite an attempt to claim otherwise and Bamba's made to look a total mug by him as Long strugs him off running towards goal. The ball is squared to Jimmy Kebe who sees off the challenge of Van Aanholt easy to score. Second goal within a minute of that, marking slack from a throw-in...Oakley makes an interception but his first touch is so poor, Reading pick it up. McAnuff fakes his shot three times which Jeffrey Bruma falls for three times and eventually, the ball is struck into the net.

Despite all the dismay at the back, Bamba always struggling with Long whilst Bruma had a horror show displaying all the signs of 'it's not my fault' attitude. Bruma's selection even more the odd when you consider his last appearance was cut short thanks to a self-inflicted red card. We should have probably been level, Reading played like an away side. Plenty of men behind the ball and counter attacking when our move broke down. The ball was moved around slowly in front of reading but still half-chances appeared for Yakubu, King and Bamba. Just before the break, Wellens with the most clear-cut opportunity of the lot...his shot blocked by Matt Mills. To finish the half off, Kebe missed an absolute sitter with the defence in disarray.

This is somewhat a reoccuring theme after the break. Plenty of possession and eventually chances, Yakubu flashed a header away with no-one marking him, Vassell had a simple volley which he blazed over. However When the move broke down, it fell into Jimmy Kebe's feet who has this knack of just jogging past players without ever looking like tries. Shame his finishing is not the same quality, a further two sitters missed by him,he could have had four alone.

The killer came from one of these breakdown's Kebe legged it down the wing from pretty much one corner flag to another, Kamara was dismissed in the same fashion Usain Bolt would dismiss me in a sprint race. Personally, I'd just crop Kebe in the same fashion I'd do to quick lads at school and still do on Sunday mornings now. Keve squared it for Long but Vitor (who come on for a Bamba injured in the process of sprint back during one of these counter attacks) managed a brilliant tackle but it unluckily fell to Noel Hunt who simply struck it in the net.

The only cheer for Leicester, a crisp 25 yard drive from Andy King whose increasingly as the season wore on looked like he had cement in his boots. Hopefully, that's a confidence boost.

Reading had their game plan spot on, two banks of four, stuck up the pressure and take advantage when the full-backs get caught out of position. You'd have to say in Shane Long and Jimmy Kebe, they've have two of the best players in the division with Matt Mills and Jem Karacem not far behind. Playoffs? Maybe but it's a lottery, unless Hull or someone of similar ilk get some momentum between now and May 7th...I'd say they are favourites.

Any team which play 4-4-2 at the minute cause Leicester an issue, the four men in the opposition's midfield can quite easy cover the midfield three of City plus the full-backs. We pass it around too slow to take advantage of the extra man, when the ball's passed quick, a gap will open up but the ball's not zipped quicker enough. This is proven right if you look back at the fixture list with the only win over a 4-4-2 playing side, being against Scunthorpe (where unsurprisingly all the goals came from set pieces). Our most impressive performance against a team lined up in 4-4-2? QPR away when the formation was changed to a narrow 4-4-2.

Now if a team plays 4-3-3 against us (Donny, Burnley, Barnsley). They are dismissed with ease because the full-backs come into the game more as there's more space to exploit which is further proved right by goals for Naughton and Van Aanholt in these fixtures. So there's a problem, be interesting to see if ol'Sven spots it.



He's realised that he's just lost ten million (according to the News of the World)

I just went home and ensured I added more padding to Yakubocrow.

Onto Reading's Madejski,I don't like criticising new-build stadiums as ident-kit and all that jazz. The design of Madejski's is slightly different to the rest, extremely steep with the level of the seats broken up at the top. It's top-end of the market too, quite plush, plenty of leg-room and breezeblocks at a minimum. Problem is it's in the middle of nowhere, Reading three miles down an A road. Nearby is a Holiday Inn, loads of office blocks and a shitty retail park containing B&Q and Carpet-Right. There's the hint of housing estate if you further enough away. Which we did in the hunt of not being ripped off by one of the car parks, £5 to £8. We eventually plumping for the £7 one which donated 75% to Cancer Research. A compromise.



The stadium just doesn't facilite for a good football day. I'd hate going here week after week. It wouldn't be a 'day', it would be a chore. There didn't even seem to be a route of walking to and from the ground like Middlesbrough or like the Walkers. It was transport or nothing. Advice? Choose your visit here carefully basically if you have to travel a distance.

Bit of a lazy report, agreed? The reason I didn't go into massive detail about the game is it was the main FLS match on Saturday, so most folk seen it live or on the highlights. Cheerio, might do an article on Brighton in the week plus Florist on Friday and maybe Yeovil v Bournemouth on Saturday.

'Riverside Motherfucker!'

Middlesbrough 3:3 Leicester City
(Enmes, Williams & McManus : Yakubu (3))
Leccy Board Championship: 02/04/2011
Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough (Ground no.67)



I am really unsure how to start describing this game to be perfectly honest. Every time I've wrote something about City, I've tried to put some positive topspin on my opinion despite my knack for being very negative about our fortunes. So this possesses neither though, it's firmly 'meh!'

Because when Stephen McManus powered a fine header into the back of the net in the 94th minute to equalise, it was probably the knockout blow we all knew that was coming to kill of the season (or at least, I felt was coming). Twenty minutes after the final whistle, I felt it quite easy to accept that really we are not quite good enough for the top six despite just watching us drop two points with two minutes left on the clock and dropping from 8th to 12th on the live table with Burnley, Reading and Forest to play.

We're been brilliant to watch at times this season, as good as football I've ever seen us play but as a defensive unit, it's been as bad as I've seen us play. We didn't even leak goals like this under Holloway. It's been the problem since the very first 45 minutes of the season at Selhurst Park.

This game pretty much managed to sum a season within 96 minutes and showcase Leicester City's fine excellence since the year 2000 to piss a lead up the wall.

I had questioned myself going to this game after reading and hearing all the reports but to be perfectly honest, I found Middlesbrough and it's Riverside Stadium not to be too bad at all. The drive up was easy, after deciding to park towards towards the town centre I did so for free just ten minutes walk from the town and the stadium. After a forty-five minute walk around Boro, I declared it perfectly okay and certainly the not worst town in the country as tagged by Channel 4. There's plenty of pubs nearby too reaching from the chains to the left side. Then just a ten minute walk through an industrial estate and then there's the Riverside which at least gives that impression of matchday.

And the Riverside's pretty much your average bog-standard middle-sized recently built bowl stadium which is always between half to 65% full with fans. It's design is a bit like Pride Park as the majority of the stadium is two tiered as opposed to a single rake. It's not looking too tired which is probably still from the Premiership days (stadium maintenance a costly expense). However, it's problem is the lack of crowd. It just lacks the presence a jam-packed, close-in stadium has. When a stadium such as this is so uniform, it's a massive factor. If a stadium/ground has little quirks, you don't get the urge to feel so close in. You happily take in the quirks.

You can see at Boro though there are a young set of followers who interested in trying to get an atmosphere (Red Faction, I belived they are called) and even trying something unique within English football (ultra style support) but it's a losing battle quite simply. Atmosphere thrives on spontaneous actions and as we fans continue to be cut off, told to sit down and pulled out for any ''offensive action''. It's going to be difficult but that's an argument for another day.To sum it up, Riverside Stadium is just another one of those grounds which lacks something original or anything to remind you why you got hooked on football but it is enjoyable, hassle-free however because it's not isolated in location.




As for the crowd, last week was Bradford and their epic drop through the divisions. Boro had the heights of the UEFA Cup Final and now they've got a flirtation with relegation to League One. Fans' expectations rise and that means when the club returns back to it's probably correct positioning within the footballing league, they all moan that it's not like the successful days. Crowd figures plummet. To top it off, in the Championship you'll be lucky to get ten teams come to Boro with four figures.

However, if the average Boro fan just fancied a visit on Saturday, he'd have got his money worth though. It was a scrappy battle of a Championship game, this was the other flip-side to the Championship from that high quality game recently at Loftus Road. Goals from mistakes, appalling officiating, some self-inflicted drama and ultimately for the Boro fan, a little pay-off.

They're were villains, they're were heroes and they're were the idiots. City started brightly with a rather odd midfield trio: King and Abe rested after international duty, replaced with Oakley and Gallagher. Ricardo dropped to the delight of a City support touching 1500. Four minutes in, Gallagher's corner reached an unmarked Wellens at the back post whose shot-come-cross was diverted in by Yakubu, villain no.1.

City continued to knock the ball around with a lot of ease, Boro weren't quite at the races yet until a gift of a goal. In describing the build-up to the goal, I have to name three Leicester players which says a lot. Weale rolled it out to Van Aanholt which was easy to spot was a risky decision, Van Aanholt had to make a quick selection of pass giving it to an under pressure Oakley who continued to display his knack of a five yard first touch (the sign of a past-it player). Rhys Williams won the ball laid it onto Marvin Enmes who bagged his second goal against Leicester this season. Weale probably should have done with the shot. 1-1. If only one of those three named, just wellied the ball.

It went back to the pattern of us knocking it around nice and easy. Boro's attack getting far too much room on the counter to put us on the back foot at times. Bruma in particular looking very, very vulnerable to Enmes pace and McDonald's littleman disease.



Step in villain no.2, the ref from Tyne and Wear. Yeah fair enough you've felt the need to book Yakubu for repeated fouling but why does he need to be two yards away from you to be booked? Then the ref showed clearly bias in ignoring Davies rough claim of the ball on the edge of the box later on in the first half. All this did was crank up the venom towards Yakubu from the Boro support and the ref got some off the City fans. It's something you always have to be careful of saying on a Sunday morning playing, you know if you make a comment which the ref doesn't like, he is going to pick you out for the rest of the game. He's the puppet master, the fat controller as such, he likes this role.

Another set-piece for our second (that's five in the last six off set-pieces), Bamba probably fouled keeper and Boro defender whilst the ball was in the air but it fell to Yakubu for his second two-yard tap-in. Lucky to be 2-1 up at Half-Time.

City did however pull together for their best period of the entire game after the break. Within the first minute of the re-start, Kamara made a chance which was well saved by Forest loanee, Paul Smith and then a third goal came thanks to Yakubu, who was now the darling of the Riverside crowd. Andrew Davies' daft miscalculation of an aerial ball, gave Yakubu a free run-in towards the 18-yard box and he slotted past Paul Smith. I am happy at this point, looks a good three points here. Not a perfect performance but hopefully a bit of confidence for the coming weeks.

However, the game see-sawed again. A poor pass, a slip by Wellens later and Rhys Williams had time to flick the ball up, volley it against the post and into the goal. Now I wasn't so confident, memories of speaking to my Dad on the phone asking what the Leicester score was one afternoon when they were away at the Riverside.

'What's the score?'
'3-1 to City, injury time.'
'Ok, I'll be back in..'
'It's 3-2 now.'
'I'll be back in about half-hour.'
'Hold on, it's 3-3 that twat Curtis has just scored an own goal'.

Every Leicester fan remembers that game.

We had the chance to kill it off, a great passing move where Kamara had an initial shot blocked the rebond of which came to Wellens who sensibly squared it to Gallagher, his shot straight to the keeper. Boro began to put some pressure on usnpw, Sven content with the scoreline subbed Gally off, Abe on. That past it bastard Oakley still on the pitch, impersonalting a captain. Zemmana (probably not the correct spelling of the Morrocan midfielder signed from Hibernian) for Boro then pinged a free-kick off the post.

The ref then began to demonstrate his air of control on the game. Arca shot from thirty yards out, hits Bruma somewhere on the side of the body whose pretty still and not even attempted a block as such. Handball appartently, extremely harsh with no assistance from linesmen either, the ref made his decision. Penalty it was. I have never seen Chris Weale save one ever or even look close. However, Yakubu again getting the crowd going delays the peno and clearly tells Weale wait to until the final second before diving.

He saved Julio Arca's peno, maybe that equaliser wasn't going to come I was thinking. Bruma then did a rather idiotic thing; must have uttered some words of fact in an offensive manner about the referee. Red card, ten men. What an idiot (the yellow card was a poor decision) and this is my issue with using loanees. Bruma is learning his game, he's learning it at expense of Leicester City, he's made mistakes, looks shaky, doesn't talk to fellow defenders or the keeper. He may well pick this up over time but it's not doing us any favours. Just plain daft on both accounts.

City were pretty incensed by this officiating performance and bookings were like confetti paper at this point. Boro again hit the post this time through Emnes after a bit of scramble and then some calm before the storm, a few free-kicks down our end to take the pressure. Off comes the excellent Kamara, on Waghorn. Daft choice, Howard's on the bench and a handy weapon at times. He's even more handy when the ball's going to be in the air a lot.

The goal did eventually come after spending all four minutes (of an unjustified six) in our half of the pitch of injury time, a corner whipped in, McManus rose above Bamba to secure the point. And that was simply that, the ref allowed Boro one more set-piece which fell to a Leicester player with the opportunity to count but the whistle went. All eyes on whether Reading make the fourth play-off spot there's on Tuesday evening.

Oh well, maybe next you disappoint us City make sure it isn't after such a roller coaster but that's probably why I love you.



Andy King was in his black car chopping on Burger King, I can assure you.

Into The Valley

Bradford City 1:2 Shrewsbury Town
(Ademeyi : Bradshaw (2))
Leccy Board League Two: 26/03/2011
Valley Parade, Bradford (Ground no.66)

This is what makes me odd and slightly bonkers. I am attempting to complete the 92 grounds of the Football League as quick as I can before responsibility gets hold of me. So this means trips alone to games where I have no feeling for either team and on most occasions, I have to endure at least three hours alone going up and down the motorways of England. If you think that's odd, here's a couple of odder revelations.

1) I actually enjoy it. I have seen a lot of the country in the same someone does backpacking across the world. When I drive, I normally go through a months worth of CD purchases.

2) I am not alone. Groundhoppers are actually quite common, in fact I am just tip of the iceberg so to speak. Non-League, Europe, Reserve games, they'll all do (there's three or four non-league regional divisions which based themselves around their actual attendance on bank holidays. For example, the kick-off would be staged from 10.30 a.m. onwards to 8 p.m. The grounds all know they're on a winner. Gate receipts tripled and takings on the refreshments huts tenfold).

Upon visiting Valley Parade, that was 66 grounds done; leaving half of the Premiership, half of the League One, five of the Championship and Torquay to be done. Every ground within pretty much two hours drive has been done. When Leicester don't have a fixture on the Saturday, I strike hence the blog name. No Leicester this week, unattractive England's game on SKY and this was the only 3pm Saturday fixture ironically left (largely down to Bradford refusing to pay Shrewsbury's hotel fees)

That's introductions out of the way. Now time for some context. Yesterday's tale of Bradford City's European adventure was their highpoint of their history in the past eighty years. As eluded to in that post, it was when the evil began and Geoffrey Richmond, the chairmen of the time got a nosebleed. He chased the dream like Leeds were doing down the M62 and even Leicester were proving that a smaller club could consistently overachieve. He wanted in. How times have changed, it backfired for all three of those clubs mentioned. Now in West Yorkshire, Leeds (5th in the Championship) are beginning to recover alongside Huddersfield (2nd in League One) and Halifax (1st in Northern League [two tiers from the Football League]) who both suffered from financial disaster in a similar period but Bradford are still paying for it.

There are not many teams who can compete with Bradford's fall from grace. From beating Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League season to replacing a manager in an attempt to ensure staying in the Football League in March 2011. The big plus is that the fans have stayed with them which is normally the case when the going gets tough, fans seem to have some unreasoned quality which sees them stand by in times of need. Crowds of 10,000 plus for every League game season is some mean feat at the fourth tier regardless of how those figures are achieved (local rivals say the numbers are supplemented by freebies and season ticket holders who don't turn up being counted).

I parked virtually in the centre of the city centre because I basically need a pee and knew I'd find a fast food outlet more quicker than parking next to the ground and having to let go in some wasteland. Bradford as a city takes a lot of stick but I found it a fairly clean city which thankfully hasn't replaced every white stone building it ever had with concrete like some do. I didn't stay for long however to take in Bradford's delights and approached the ground which can pretty much be seen from anywhere in the city due to the two massive stands built in the Premiership excess days.

Walking along the Manningham Lane, it already possessed something a lot of League 2 grounds don't. You could actually tell there was a football game going on, the pavements were buzzing with people approaching towards the ground. I went down to get a ticket at the ticket office, waited in line and then a local tapped me on the shoulder. He offered me a £20 ticket for £10, you'll do I replied. I thought it was odd but then thought well, I can't turn that down really and complain.

That was until I seen my neighbour. Probably nearer 30 than 20, he was unshaven, looked like he'd been working in a garage all day, wore a tracksuit with a Bradford City replica shirt and ripped jeans. To finish it off, scruffy white trainers. Oh dear, that bastard has flogged me a seat next to Bradford's version of Bernie (he did not beat Doncaster's stinky and kid-beating bastard of one though). I just took a seat three away from I should have been, thankfully no-one wanted my new seat.

Plenty of empty seats anyway with the two mega stands to my right (this is the replacement for the wooden stand which led to the Bradford Fire Disaster in 1985) and The Kop, what I was sitting in. They really look as good as any modern extension to a stadium in the country of the past two decades, even the concourses and toilets were reasonably set out in design. To the left, the Midland Stand which can't be that old and then the TL Dallas Stand opposite the Kop which is dying breed of a design, two tiered but with hardly any angle for the Upper tier, no doubt restricted views throughout and your knees up against the seats for the lack of legroom.

I hate to keep using the comparison of how low Bradford have fallen but it's worth mentioning the personnel of both sides. Bradford City's starting eleven had five players with non-league backgrounds (they have actually been their better players recently), a long way, way from the days of Stan Collymore and Benito Carbone playing in the distinctive Claret and Amber combo shirt. It's easy to see why Bradford have begun to struggle.

Shrewsbury Town have however been consistently good at this level for a number of years and this summer decided to turn towards Graeme Turner, former legend of the club in order to achieve promotion. He's sensibly built a side containing the likes of Mark Wright, Ian Sharps, Matt Harrold, Lionel Ainsworth. All players who've achieved promotion from this division on one occasion and everything points at the moment to them achieving the playoffs at least.

Baldie aka Ticket Tout plays Spot the Ball

The difference was plain to see in the first half with two golden chances falling towards Shrewsbury who displayed a decent brand of sensible, passing football. Joe McLaughlin in the Bradford goal however excelled, his double save from James Collins and Wright had the Bantams off their feet. McLaughlin then did well to close down Nicky Wroe's whose one-two with Matt Harrold put him on goal only for him to bottle it when McLaughlin came rushing out. My friend to the left wasn't the most annoying thing, neither was the lad in front of me questioning whether Scott Dobie ever did all them goals for West Brom (I have to agree, the former Forest player was shite...maybe Megson needs him at Wednesday) but it was the idiot to the right who got up and down at least three times to check the England score. All this despite the scoreboard reading 2-0 at 14 minutes for anyone who wanted to know.

There was a certain resignation amongst the Bradford support that they were going to lose and to be fair, they are more right to possess that. For all their players' efforts, to me they just didn't look good enough. James Hanson who up until the past two seasons was working in the co-op part-time is their great hope, signed from Guiseley; he won player of last season despite his age of just 23 being top goalscorer the process. The reasoning he's managed 17 goals from 63 games and nearly a good a game in non-league? He's a shit brickhouse at 6ft 4, he's always going to be a targetman ideal for this division and to be fair, he was Bradford's best player bar the keeper McLaughlin having a header tipped over and then setting up Scott Dobie for a sitter which was kept out by a Shrewsbury player who didn't have a clue it hit him.

Bradford did however find some confidence, something which is so 'English' about 'English football' is the random build of excitement cause by the most basic skill in Football, a few passes. The few passes put together by Bradford which was all caused by someone winning a hefty tackle and the fans loved it. The flow had changed all of sudden and after centre-back Steve Williams wild 35 yard attempt (much to the amusement of my ticket tout friend who I spotted a row below me) Bradford got the opener. One punt of a free-kick, a keeper's flap and Tom Ademeyi calmed half-volleyed into the open goal on the edge of the box.

Turner made a change. Off came Wright, on came Ainsworth. Tom Bradshaw on for the English and Aston Villa contracted James Collins. Bradshaw was the game winner and probably the only Welshmen who got something to celebrate on Saturday. His first was a beauty, aiming for the top corner of the goalkeeper's nearest post from an acute range. It was one of those you were expecting to be an illusion and hit the side-netting.

The former Main Stand

Then after the interlude of Dobie's miss and with just three minutes left, pint-sized Jon Taylor ran down the left wing and squaring to Bradshaw who did well considering the ball was passed behind him to get enough purchase on the shot. That feeling returning to Bradford fans. After a few late shouts at the referee for not giving a free-kick, it was over. Back down the Manningham Lane to moan that City fucked up again, sound familiar?

No waiting around for me either, thought about a Ruby in the supposed capital of it but straight back down the M1 to conclude another Saturday.

Highlights are available on the BBC for six more days.

Schoolboy Memory #1: Bradford City's European Adventure

I am only 22 but I love looking back on Football with some romance. It's funny how the 90s or earlier 00s seem like some sort of age when Football was 'better' and innocent but it was the midst of the Premiership buzz with clubs adopting a spend big, worry about the consequences later attitude. It was the start of the evil as perfectly proved by Bradford City.

When returning from Valley Parade yesterday, I was asked when were Bradford last in the Premiership. Ten years to be exact, 2000/2001 season they were relegated from the top flight. The previous season led by Paul Jewell, they managed the so-called impossible. Final day at Valley Parade, Liverpool the visitors, a David Wetherall (whose still at the club today) goal ensured Premier League football at Valley Parade next season. A teams with the likes of the forementioned Wetherall, Stuart McCall, Dean Windass, Neil Redfearn were never going to give up. To complient these were Lee Sharpe, Peter Beagrie, Robbie Blake and of course, Jamie Lawrence. A bunch of decent footballers really who bar a few never really had the quality for the top level.

The summer of the 2000/2001 season initially went bad, Paul Jewell left Bradford to join the relegated Sheffield Wednesday (common theme with Jewell but at least it gives the whole summer for a club to find a replacement) and his assistant Chris Hutchings took charge. Then Geoffrey Richmond, the Bradford chairman got all a bit too giddy. Two new stand extensions announced to bring Valley Parade to a 26k all-seater, he spent galore in bringing the likes of Dan Petrescu and Benito Carbone to the club and made the naive move in accepting an invitation to the Intertoto Cup.

Intertoto was pretty much viewed as a joke competition by English football, playing games in July to ensure that there was still some fixtures for the Pools coupon across the continent. Originally, it was insisted that you play in but Spurs, Wimbledon and Wednesday all made mockery of that fielding their reserves, youth team or any trialist wanting a game in the first edition which included English teams. Eventually UEFA dropped that, no insistence; you can play if you want. It was the competition that you just seen mentioned in the minor results section of the paper, that kind of competition Channel 5 used to televise, the kind of competition no-one really wanted to take place.

Hence Bradford's inclusion in 2000, Aston Villa took the first spot. Bradford the other, in 17th. It's worth mentioning Villa were in 6th with only Leicester taking an Euro spot between the two teams. 9 other teams didn't want the hassle of playing FK Atlantas in Lituania during the first two weeks of July. But Bradford did. Bradford were off on a tour.

Now time for a video featuring some of the World's most ugliest Football fans and possibly one of the most 'straight to the point' interviews featuring Dean Windass. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOhVm-3dv9w&feature=related

FK Atlantas dismissed with ease, 3-1, 4-1 , 7-2 on aggy. They now lie 10th in the Lithuania top flight.

RKC Waalwijk from the Netherland next. Again 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 on aggy. Still in Eredivise.

The optimism amongst Bradford fans was beginning to build, Richmond was buying players with much aplomb and the new stands were looking the part. Maybe this was a good idea after all.

No, as seen in this second video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcjko4a-3og&feature=related

Zenit St Petersburg were the opposition, here are a club with some history and considerably more note than either Atlantas or Waalwijk. As mentioned in the video, just 12 fans made their way to Russia (well 1 was the quite deranged Dmitiri...I wonder whether he still follows Bradford now?) and to be fair they made a decent fist of it, losing by the single goal in a stadium environment which is known as one of the most fierce in Europe. The second leg though Zenit turned on the turbo, 3-0 winners and it's worth highlighting Peter Beagrie's comments.

That boy upfront who come on.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfkQXJXBP8k&feature=related Andrei Arshaving making his Zenit debut. Vitaliy Mutko also makes an appearance, a major player in the recent Russian World Cup big.

So that was it Bradford's European adventure. Remember it?

All credit to the chap who put the videos on youtube.

Hope, it's all we have.

As I expected I have severely delayed this second entry. I have been busy at work and with uni work but there was not the issue. It was the shock admission that my footballing idol, my Dad has decided that he's fell out of love with the sport and gave up his season ticket for the Burnley home game when a little effort means he could be in attendance.

I suppose it shouldn't be a shock. The signs were there back in September when refusing to pay an admission fee to watch one of his sons play under the lights at a local ground. Apparently it was the 'principle', paying for Sunday League football was just not on. It was a boycott to hit the league where it hurts. This is the man whose opinion on football is officially the best as it is to every child growing in the country, Dad knows the best players and Dad knows his stuff. Dad takes me football and Dad told me who to support.

He's had enough. Such was the spectacle of City v Portsmouth, last Saturday; it was the final straw. As soon as Nugent's volley hit the net, Steve Cotterill was informing his troops not to cross the halfway line and foul anything that went past them. This is the problem he reckons, too many teams with such a desperate desire for three points because the sport is so results based on performance and thereby there's a direct link to money. Higher up the table more money. Money's killed sport, people like Sven come in rob clubs blind of money, spent it like it grows on trees. Got to get those three points at all costs, no encouragement to ping the ball about.

He thinks this quietly though and then lets rip normally during the Sunday afternoon analysis in the pub or on the Monday afternoon dinner table (all this said Ben Mee was given some stick during Saturday's game). You feel like you can't disagree, this is man who knows best and was actually the best player in the world in his younger days. I am probably exaggerating all this because when he watches football subjectively as just a game, he's quite accurate.

The thing is for a Leicester fan is he's actually quite timid in this respect. As Yakubu snatched a shot towards the end of the Portsmouth game and it landed in outer space, a million expletives rained down onto the pitch from the locals, my Dad didn't even bother like always but the shouty moron is well in existence at the Walkers, whether it's Ricardo (maybe actually valid), King or Yakubu, there's a scapegoat. Soon it'll be Sven.

'50 fucking grand a week for that piece of lazy shite' was pretty much the sum of it from all angles. Welcome to Leicester City, the club where a bit of form leads to false hope of glory (probably like every club to be fair). Ever since that win at rather shitty Derby, promotion was on according to the masses but they seemed to forgot this is Leicester City FC. I have never known them to have any bottle or the ability to go on a winning run which breaks records.

The lack of bottle was more than evident as Norwich outclassed us at hum. At the time, I was rather annoyed by Norwich but maybe that's because off the back of the performance at QPR, I reckoned that we would be sorted, back to winning ways. Instead Norwich produced a performance lauded by Canary fans as their greatest away display in years and I'd probably say the best team down here all season. Too good, we're aiming for top six, them the top two.

Whilst enjoying the day at Scunthorpe and the warm glow of three points (something I have only managed twice this season), I look back on it as an annoying de-tour to failure of my hopes for the playoffs. We scored three times and kept a clean sheet which was great. Issue was that those three goals came from set pieces and Scunthorpe had a penalty and a goal disallowed. It prolonged the hope. I went home, got out the calculator and probably produced better maths skills than I ever did at school. It's still on said calculator in 'if club x beat club z and club y have a negative goal difference due to a 6-0 hammering by the hands of Leicester City' fashion.

But then came the realisation, 30 minutes in on Saturday. 1-0 down to Portsmouth, I just knew. I sat there lifeless for about a minute. I thought no it's not going to happen. I looked at Portsmouth's eleven and thought they should be a lot higher up the league. Then King missed a sitter of a header. No, definitely not and the second half was just some mish mash of a football game where I never thought we were going to win. It was akin to monging out watching shit BBC3 comedy. Draw maybe but never two goals, they had us sussed. Pressure the back four into long balls, leave Yak on his own and watch the late run of Welsh Cryuff. All this feeling was later confirmed by every result going for us, the sort of luck which only happens when you failed to make the most of it.

Personally I just reckon my Dad has just gone through the same thought process I have. It's not going to happen promotion, not even worth hoping (he has an incredible knack of hiding emotion related to football, I have only seen it showcased in last minute winners). All this thing about losing his faith with Football is just some disguise to hide the disappointment. He's just the same as all of us. Just like that nobhead three rows behind is too but he chooses to do it more vocally. Just the same as Flask Army and just the same as the twatty fifteen year old kids in yellow shirts at Glanford Park.

Whereas my Dad has cut the supply for hope off, I spent an evening this week playing around a spreadsheet working out required points etc. and then decided that a first visit to Middlesbrough in some twisted football logic is probably worth it (plus I have watched win twice along that coast of the country).

The same twisted logic which sees me visit Valley Parade over watching England play Wales.

Kicked in the R's

Queens Park Rangers 1:0 Leicester City (Miller)

Leccy Board Championship : 05/03/2011

Loftus Road, London (Ground No: Already achieved)

It's a cruel game this sport. As per the cliche, I suffered both flipsides of it's cruelty in the space of 24 hours. 12.30pm on Sunday afternoon, I walked off a pitch having captained my Sunday morning team to a 8-0 loss. No excuses, we lost to a better side. No point in finger pointing, everyone of us was poor and there was no point in arguing with each other. After a mini-unbeaten run of four games where we claimed a 7-0 win and upset some title chasers with a 4-4 draw, the grit of previous weeks fell apart as we just gave up effectively as the goals rolled past us.

Then there's the other flip side of that cruelty. 86 minutes into Saturday's game taking place at Loftus Road, everyone in the stadium was probably content with a draw. A competitive, entertaining spectacle had been played out where neither side deserved to lose but one team did, Leicester as always with that familiar feeling of pride before result as Ismael Miller slotted past Ricardo into the net with just a minute of normal time remaining. The ground erupted and that horrid feeling developed as an away fan surrounded by three stands exploding into delight, you want a little hole to emerge in the ground swallowing you up.

They'd taken a huge step towards promotion, every other team lost around them. Every team around us won including two old-boys bagging for their current clubs claiming impressive victories. I wanted to be more bitter, someone to blame. I was trying to find some reasoning to be so gutted. No dodgy referring decision, no player to scapegoat ala Yann. QPR took their best chance, we didn't. Simple.

So what's the best remedy to that feeling? Placing the result in context. Driving back from a 6-1 hammering to Portsmouth in October, I began to ask question my support and why do you enjoy following your team. Well I didn't see the whole occasion of Saturday falling as it did and just proving the very reason you do follow your team. A three-game stumble including this result sees us just five points away from 6th, we were bottom with five points from nine games. Neil Warnock marked us as their hardest opposition all season and it appeared all 3,200 in the away end agreed too. We were going to give them a game regardless of our performance against Coventry and so, we did.

Now, English football has it's critics whether it's pointed at the 100mph footballing style or the whole atmosphere created by it's support. If I was to raise a defence to such a critic, this whole day and game would fit perfectly. A sell-out crowd at a tight Loftus Road which is close to the pitch, surrounded by flats three sides of the way around and just a ten minute walk from Shepherd's Bush, a hive of activity which is sadly lacking from the outer city, new build's across the country. Take it in, this is why us English get so protective of it.

This game scored highly in terms of a competitive bout; it's often remarked how brilliant a nine-goal thriller. Exciting, it maybe but where's the appreciation of organisation and defensive work as showcased throughout by Shittu, Mee & Bruma in this encounter? It's the defender in me talking that I prefer a good quality ding-dong regardless of scoreline. Both teams were organised, calculated on the ball and played with suitable aggression without ever boiling over. Proper football, not ping-pong. I was cheering like we'd scored a goal when Ben Mee went thundering into Adel Taarabt, man and ball...into the stands. You don't see them often nowadays, it was met by a large roar across the Leicester end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZywHy3XQ1Hk KABOOM! Watch quick before Football League get their hands on it.

The man Taarabt fits the villain of a Championship game perfectly, he loves a flick or a trick, he's gifted, he's scored goals these past two seasons which completely leave you astounded but typically there's a sulky edge. Picked out now game after game for special treatment...it supposedly opens up the game for QPR to exploit, well I didn't really see that on Saturday as City perfectly dealt with him and his partner in crime, Routledge (until the 89th minute). Taarabt's performance was summed in a sign of a dissent kicking the ball into the crowd after being caught off side. He's supported to the tilt by the QPR fans, his cock-up's are even applauded but surely it's frustrating.

There's a similar defence from QPR fans of Paddy Kenny, whose an equally superb performer on his day making fine saves from Yakubu's clever volleyed lob and Andy King's header towards the end. Ever since an incident with a diet pill and his missus running off with a friend of his, he's been a target for abuse (god knows why) but this season, he's on his own personal mission to prove everyone whose written him off that they are wrong. It's easy to criticise his explosive delight during the goal and final whistle, he looked straight at the away end and gave it both barrels. You'd like to think he'd be educated enough to recognise that he's proven nothing yet thawing Leicester City, that's next season when Arsenal attempt 675 shots on his goal at Emirates.

Ricardo, another topic of constant debate from us Leicester folk, was in equally good nick saving well from Helguson's low drive in the first half and bar the odd misunderstanding had his best Leicester game to date. Similar line followed in the performance of Mee and Bruma. Mee looked comfortable at left-back, nullifying the QPR wingers and Bruma with his Kisnorbo-esque mannerisms grew as the game wore on.

The best two Leicester chances fell to crowd favourite, Waghorn who came on in the second half for a poor and to me, clearly unfit Vassell. He twice bullied Connolly into mistakes off long balls and twice gave the Leicester fans something to worry about with wayward efforts placed towards Row C, Upper tier of the School End. All this was building up though, City had the flow of the game as time ticked down the ball was towards the QPR goal. A goalmouth scramble later when a nice bounce would have seen Waghorn with a tap-in, Routledge produced a through ball of pure quality beating Naughton to the ball initially and splitting the two Leicester centre-backs. Miller did the rest despite Bambi's best efforts.

So the Loft lost it's roof, QPR's lead was expanded to seven points and a difficult obstacle passed whilst we are picking up the pieces of a play-off bid. We shuffled off back to the Bush, trying to ignore those top of the league chants. It wasn't until about a hour after the final whistle, when I visited a bar off Goldhawk Road with a couple of old schoolmates and overheard a QPR fan at the bar commented on the battle they'd just had, that I began placing it in context and started chinwagging away rather than adopting a gutted silence. Forgot it I thought, don't let five minutes spoil a good day...normally with Leicester, it's the entire ninety minutes which do that.