The footballing Gods have decided that the Blues had enough luck during their hot run, think back on how much woodwork was bruised by opponents during that spell, and have decided to take it all back in one go!
"Beware the Ides of March", Julius Caeser was warned. Beware the Matches of March the whole Southend team should be made aware of or a similar end could await them, well the bottom three of the league anyway. 5 matches, (3 at home), 15 points, (at least 10 needed), all against sides in the bottom half of the table, this will decide Southend's championship survival with the first being Leicester City at Roots Hall this Saturday.
New Leicester chairman Milan Mandaric has brought with him, as well as a few million, a new enthusiasm for the Leicester supporters used to better days under the present Villa manager Martin O'Neil. (Yes, another Championship club who many will feel should beat us on nostalgia alone!!!) Flirting with relegation they have won two in a three match unbeaten spell since Mandaric's arrival.
Though little has changed on the pitch and manager Rob Kelly remains in charge there is no doubting the belief amongst supporters that times have changed, as one fan site puts it after the 3-0 win over neighbours Coventry. "The dawn of yet another new era at Leicester City... but this one does seem a bit more fundamental than merely a change of manager or board.
Rob Kelly's team line up may have been same as last week, but with Milan Mandaric delivering a speech from the pitch you got the feeling things might never be the same again.
The team that started v West Brom was as follows; Henderson, Maybury, McAuley, Kisnorbo, Johansson, Hughes (Yeates 75), Jarrett, Johnson, Porter, Hume, Horsfield. Subs Not Used: Logan, Hammond, Stearman, Kenton. Certainly that on loan warhorse Geoff Horsfield needs no introduction and will give Sodje and Clarke a hard time. However it's forward partner Iain Hulme who top scores with 9 gooals this term. Another on loan player, Jason Jarrett from Preston, has also impressed from midfield and had had his loan period extended until the end of the season. With one of the best youth academies in the country and an ambitious chairman the future is certainly looking bright for Leicester, next season, for this one three points are desperatly needed for the home side.
Back in the more hopeful days of August a dull game saw another goal from a corner give Leicester a slightly fortunate three points, certainly Southend should have scored at least once, in front of 19,427 at the new, impressive but, as ever, slightly souless, Walkers Stadium. (Though I believe changes in where the home supporters sit has led to a rise in volume, as winning also does as well!)
I was suprised to see we have only played Leicester 10 times, it seems more, with only 3 wins, 6 defeats and 1 draw. The first match up was August 31 19991, a home 1-2 defeat, Dave Martin scoring. A slightly surreal win was the now legendary Julian Hails match on Sep 23 1995 when young Hails shocked the 15,276 attending by scoring a hat-trick, 3-1 the final score. A goaless draw on December 5 1993 was made important when after the game, in front of TV cameras, Fat Fry delivered his infamous "you only don't get any chances........sleeping giant" speech which led to the Judas buggering off to Birmingham the following week. Yes Barry you don't get many and as you've now admitted that chance was with Southend if you had stayed.
Sat 26-Aug-2006 Away Cham 0 1 19427
Wed 15-Jan-1997 Away FAC3 0 2 13982
Sat 9-Dec-1995 Home D1 2 1 Dublin Gridelet 5837
Sat 23-Sep-1995 Away D1 3 1 Hails(3) 15276
Sun 5-Dec-1993 Home D1 0 0 6114
Sat 6-Nov-1993 Away D1 0 3 15387
Tue 20-Apr-1993 Away D1 1 4 Angell 18003
Sat 5-Sep-1992 Home D1 3 1 Benjamin(2,1pen) Ansah 5119
Sat 28-Dec-1991 Away D2 0 2 15635
Sat 31-Aug-1991 Home D2 1 2 Martin 6944
HISTORY OF THE CLUB: Leicester City was founded in 1884 as Leicester Fosse as they played on a field by the Fosse Road, and joined the Football Association in 1890. The club played at five different grounds, including Victoria Park, before moving to Filbert Street in 1891. The same year, the club joined the Midland League, and was elected to Division Two of the Football League in 1894 after finishing second. Leicester's first ever Football League game was a 4-3 defeat at Grimsby, with a first League win following a week later, against Rotherham at Filbert Street. The same season also saw the club's largest win to date, a 13-0 victory over Notts Olympic in an FA Cup qualifying game.[1] In 1907-08 the club finished as Second Division runners-up, gaining promotion to the First Division, the highest level of English football. However, the club were relegated after a single season which included the club's record defeat, a 12-0 loss against Nottingham Forest.
In 1919, when League football resumed after World War I, Leicester Fosse ceased trading due to financial difficulties. The club was reformed as "Leicester City Football Club", particularly appropriate as the borough of Leicester had recently been given city status. Following the name change, the club enjoyed moderate success in the 1920s; under the management of Peter Hodge, and with record goalscorer Arthur Chandler in the side, they won the Division Two title in 1924-25 and recorded their highest ever league finish in 1928-29 as runners-up to Sheffield Wednesday. However the 1930s saw a downturn in fortunes, with the club relegated in 1934-35 and, after promotion in 1936-37, another relegation in 1938-39 would see them finish the decade in Division Two.
City reached the FA Cup final for the first time in their history in 1949, captained by Norman Plummer, losing 3-1 to Wolves. However, the club was celebrating a week later when a draw on the last day of the season ensured survival in Division Two. Leicester won the Division Two championship in 1954, with the help of Arthur Rowley, one of the club's most prolific strikers. Although they were relegated from Division One the next season, they returned in 1957, with Rowley scoring a club record 44 goals in one season. Leicester remained in Division One until 1969, their longest period ever in the top flight.
Under the management of Matt Gillies, one of the club's most successful managers, Leicester reached the FA Cup final another two times, but lost in both 1961 and 1963.[1] In 1961 they were on the losing side to double winners Tottenham, and as a result were England's representatives in the 1961-62 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In 1963, the club reached as high as first place in the First Division, eventually placed fourth, the club's best post-war finish. Gillies collected silverware in 1964, when Leicester beat Stoke 4-3 on aggregate to win the League Cup for the first time. Leicester also reached the League Cup final the following year, losing to Chelsea. After a bad start to the season, Matt Gillies resigned in November 1968. His successor, Frank O'Farrell was unable to prevent relegation, but the club reached the FA Cup final in 1969 for the last time to date, losing to Manchester City.
In 1971, Leicester were promoted to back Division One, and won the Charity Shield for the only time against Liverpool. Unusually, due to Division One champions Arsenal's commitments in European competition, Division Two winners Leicester were invited to play FA Cup winners Liverpool, beating them 1-0.[1] Jimmy Bloomfield was appointed for the new season, and his team remained in the First Division for his tenure. No period since Bloomfield has seen the club remain in the top division for so long. Leicester reached the FA Cup semi-final in 1974.
Frank McLintock, a noted player for seven years for Leicester successful period from the late Fifties to the mid Sixties, succeeded Jimmy Bloomfield in 1977. Due to City's relegation in at the end of the 1977-78 season and McClintock's subsequent resignation, he is regarded as one of Leicester's worst managers. Jock Wallace resumed the tradition of successful Scottish managers (after Peter Hodge and Matt Gillies) by steering Leicester to the Division Two championship in 1980. Unfortunately, Wallace was unable to keep Leicester in Division One, but they reached the FA Cup semi-final in 1982. Under Wallace, one of City's most famous home-grown player, Gary Lineker, emerged into the first team squad. Leicester's next manager was Gordon Milne, who achieved promotion in 1983. Lineker helped Leicester maintain their place in the First Division but was sold to Everton in 1985, and two years later Leicester went down, having failed to find a suitable replacement. Milne had left in 1986 and was replaced by in 1987 David Pleat, who oversaw one of the club's most unsuccessful periods in its history. He was sacked in January 1991 after a defeat that left City fourth from bottom. Gordon Lee was put in charge of the club until the end of the season. Leicester won their final game of the season, which guided them clear of relegation to the third tier of the football league.[1]
After the Premiership was founded in 1992 Leicester tried desperately to gain promotion to it. Brian Little took over in 1991 and by the end of the 1991-1992 season Leicester had reached the playoff final. Mike Newell, a former Leicester player, would break the clubs heart by converting the winning penalty, to send Blackburn Rovers up to the top flight. A year later Leicester would suffer more playoff heartbreak losing 4-3 to Swindon Town, having come back from 3-0 down. It was third time lucky in 1994 when Leicester, lead by captain Steve Walsh, beat local rivals Derby County 2-1.
Little quit as Leicester manager the following November to take charge at Aston Villa, and his successor Mark McGhee was unable to save Leicester from finishing second from bottom in the 1994-95. Leicester were flying high at the top of Division One when McGhee left the club unexpectedly in December 1995 to take charge at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Oddly this would be the spark of the clubs most successful era, as McGhee was replaced by Martin O'Neill.[1] Under O'Neill, Leicester qualified for the 1995-96 Division One promotion playoffs and beat Crystal Palace 2-1 with a last-gasp Steve Claridge goal securing an immediate return to the Premiership. Leicester established themselves in the Premiership with four successive top ten finishes. O'Neill was the first manager to win silverware for 26 years, winning the League Cup twice, in 1997 and 2000, and Leicester were runners-up in 1999. This meant qualification for the UEFA Cup in 1998 and 2001, the club's first European competition since 1961. O'Neill became a sought-after manager, turning down Leeds United in 1999, but in June 2000 he was lured to Celtic F.C.. He is regarded today as easily the best manager of recent years, and one of the most successful in the club's history.
O'Neill was replaced by the former England U-21 coach Peter Taylor. A lot of O'Neill squad also left around this time, this coupled with some poor dealings in the transfer market would eventually see Taylor lose his job after little more than a season in charge. Taylor was replaced by a management team of Dave Bassett and Micky Adams, but they could not prevent City's last season at Filbert Street ending in relegation.
Leicester moved into the new 32,000-seat Walkers Stadium at the start of the 2002-03 season. Walkers, the Leicestershire based crisp manufacturers, acquired the naming rights for a ten year period.[3] In October 2002, the club went into administration with debts of £30 million. Some of the reasons were the loss of TV money (ITV Digital, itself in administration, had promised money to First Division clubs for TV rights), the large wage bill, lower than expected fees for players transferred to other clubs and the £37 million cost of the new stadium. Adams was banned from the transfer market for most of the season, until the club was rescued by a takeover by a consortium led by Gary Lineker. Adams guided Leicester to runners-up spot in Division One and automatic promotion back to the Premiership with more than 90 points. Leicester only lasted one season in the top flight and were relegated back to the newly labelled Championship, previously known as Division One. In reaction to Leicester's restructuring of their debts, the Football League changed their rules and now penalises teams going into administration with a ten point penalty.
When Adams resigned as manager in October 2004 Craig Levein was appointed boss. This would prove to be an unsuccessful period and after 15 months in charge and flirting with relegation Levein was sacked. Assistant manager Rob Kelly, took over as caretaker manager, and after winning three out of four games was appointed to see out the rest of the season. Kelly steered Leicester to safety and in April 2006 was given the manager's job on a permanent basis.
In October 2006 ex Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandarić was quoted as saying he is interested in buying the club and that there was a 50/50 chance for a proposed takeover in January 2007 at the earliest. The reported price for the club would be around £6 million and the current playing squad is worth roughly £4.2 million. On October 30 Mandarić held talks with the club over investing (mostly via loans) a reported £25m. At an extraordinary general meeting on November 18 the board gave Mandarić permission to do due dilligence and make an official approach. On the 16th December, it was reported on Radio Leicester that the Mandarić deal was looking very precarious, although Mandarić's advisors have rejected these claims, saying that talks were still ongoing. On 2007-01-02, the Leicester Mercury reported that the deal was very much alive and expected to be completed in the next few weeks, after a revised bid was approved and recommended by the board. On 2007-01-15, the Leicester Mercury reported that the deal was almost complete, and that an official announcement of the takeover "will probably be [made] on Thursday."
After numerous delays due to findings of the due dilligence process, and unspecified health concerns over Mandarić's mother, the takeover was finally formally announced on 2007-02-13 at 12:05 uk time.
The club's home colours of royal blue shirt with white shorts were first used in the 1910s and have been used every season since the mid 1940s, bar one. In the 1972-73 season, the home shirt was changed to white, apparently inspired by Leeds United's success. This change was unpopular, and dropped at the end of the season. The first commercial logo to appear on a Leicester kit was that of Admiral Sportsware, the kit designers, in 1976. The first sponsorship logo to appear on a Leicester shirt was that of Ind Coope in 1983. Walkers Crisps held along association with the club, sponsoring them from 1987 to 2001. The current sponsor is Alliance & Leicester, and the kit is designed by JJB. The current kit also features white pinstripes, which have previously featured in kits from the 1980s.
An image of a fox was first incorporated into the club crest in 1948, as Leicestershire is known for foxes and fox hunting. This is the origin of the nickname "the Foxes". The club mascot is a character called "Filbert Fox". There are also secondary characters "Vickie Vixen" and "Cousin Dennis", though only Filbert is currently seen at games. The current shirt badge has been unchanged since 1992. In another reference Leicestershire's tradition of hunting, the club adopted the Post Horn Gallop in 1941, although the origin is a 19th century coachman's tune to signal mail was arriving. It is famously played over the PA system as the team comes out at all home games. Recently a new jazzed up version has been played.
Leicester have played at numerous grounds, but only two since they joined the Football League. When first starting out they played on a field by the Fosse Road, hence the original name Leicester Fosse. They moved from there to Victoria Park, which at the time was a racecourse. Due to this fact the team also played on Mill Lane and Belgrave Road. When Mill Lane was earmarked for redevelopment the club played at the County Cricket ground on Aylestone Road for the early part of the 1890 season. That year the club secured the use of an area ground by Filbert Street and thirteen months later they moved in to their new home.
Filbert Street remained virtually unchanged until 1927 when a new two tier stand was built, named the Double Decker, a name it would keep till the grounds closure in 2002. The ground wasn't developed any further, apart from cumpolsory seating being added, till 1993 when work began on the new Carling Stand. The stand was impressive while the rest of the ground were untouched since at least the 1920s, this led manager Martin O'Neill to say he used to "lead new signings out backwards" so they only saw the Carling Stand.
The club moved away from Filbert Street in 2002 to a new 32,500 all-seater stadium. Amidst a strong feeling that the naming rights had been underpriced, the stadium was named the Walkers Stadium, although many supporters refer to the ground as Filbert Way, the road on which it is situated. The first match the Walkers hosted was a friendly against Athletic Bilbao, and the first competitive match was a 2-0 victory against Watford. The stadium has since hosted an England international against Serbia and Montenegro, as well as internationals between Brazil and Jamaica, and Jamaica and Ghana.
Being based in the East Midlands, there are many teams that Leicester can play local derbies against. Most regularly, these are against Derby County and Nottingham Forest, teams who Leicester have shared Leagues with for many recent seasons. Other teams in the East Midlands are Notts County, Northampton Town, Mansfield Town, Lincoln City, Boston United and Chesterfield, although due to not being in the same League, matches against these clubs have been limited to Cup games in recent years.
The local rivalries can be known to stretch as far as the West Midlands as well, with a match against Coventry City called an M69 Derby, taking it's name from the motorway connecting the two cities. Also matches against Bimingham City, West Brom, Wolves and Aston Villa are simply known as Midland derbies.
