LOOK FORWARD-LOOK BACK- ARSENAL

LOOK FORWARD -- LOOK BACK

 

LEICESTER CITY v ARSENAL 31 August 2014

　

We had a good start to our premiership campaign against Everton on the opening day of the season and although we never managed the win we would have liked, we had to be happy with a 2-2 draw. And taking all things into consideration I thought the day went really well and there were a lot of encouraging signs.

Our next visitors to the King Power Stadium in the premier league are Arsenal, it doesn’t get any easier! And we will have to be up for the task against probably the best footballing team in the premiership ( my thoughts anyway )

Following our difficult away game at Chelsea yesterday we now face a tough but exiting fixture at home to Arsenal next Sunday.

Arsenal have a star studded team that just oozes quality and no doubt they will be chasing honours again this season to add to the Community Shield that they won convincingly against Manchester City in August. They have also splashed the cash to add to there star studded team and in Alexis Sanchez they have acquired a deadly striker for the poultry sum of £30 million, also signed were Mathieu Debuchy ( Newcastle) Calum Chambers (Southampton ) and goalkeeper David Ospina (Nice )

Add to the mix names like Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshire, Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud and you have one hell of a football team!

Let us hope that our boys in blue are up to the task and contribute to a memorable entertaining game.

Looking back on past fixtures with our visitors I have chosen two matches the first was on November 24^th 1994 our first season back in the premiership following our promotion under the guidance of Brian Little. It was a difficult baptism for us back in the top flight and prior to this fixture we had only managed to win two games. Little had done a brilliant job getting us promoted but the tag of relegation favourites was looking a certainty, especially after Brian Little resigned before the Arsenal game and his assistant John Gregory also leaving, fuelling speculation that Little was about to take over at Aston Villa. Allan Evans another Villa old boy took charge of the team for the Arsenal game under difficult circumstances.

I remember standing in the Spion Kop as always, and against all odds the Foxes put up a spirited fight and managed a 2-1 win. David Lowe and a David Seaman own goal were our scorers, but I remember Nicky Mohan playing a big part in the goal Seaman was credited with ( my memory though isn’t what it used to be J ).

A spirited win against all the odds and indeed Evans also left City after this game and Little and his staff did take over at Aston Villa and yes City were relegated back to league one.

The second game took place on August 27^th 1997. 1997 was a good year, it was the year I married Theresa. The year I started a new job and the year that I saw possibly the best hat trick ever scored by anyone, the incredible Dennis Bergkamp.

No one could have predicted the events that would unfold that evening but sure enough it was to be a superb game of football full of twists and turns and an incredible performance from Bergkamp who for me was one of the greatest players ever to star in the premier league.

Incredibly after 83 minutes Leicester were losing 2-0 and all seemed lost but the fighting spirit of that team under the guidance of Martin O’Neil was unquestionable, and so it proved.

Denis Bergkamp gave Arsenal the lead with a sublime strike from outside the box that nestled into the top corner of the net, and he added a second when he ran through the middle, received the ball and his goal bound effort looped into the City net, and then came those crazy last few minutes.

Emile Heskey reduced the arrears before Matt Elliot produced a good finish from the edge of the penalty area to make it 2-2 and then came Dennis Bergkamp to produce a piece of pure magic that culminated into one of the greatest goals of our time.

David Platt had spotted Bergkamp’s run and sent over a raking pass towards Bergkamp, he then killed the ball with his right boot, flicked it passed Matt Elliot with his left and placed a sublime shot into the top corner, the whole movement seemed to happen in one pure moment of genius and it is a goal that I will always remember. It was a goal fit to win any football match but it was not to be. As the Arsenal players were getting ready to celebrate a memorable win, City won a corner deep into stoppage time. Gary Parker sent the ball over, Steve Walsh headed it back across goal, Spencer Prior headed it back again, and Steve Walsh headed a dramatic equaliser 3-3

A brilliant game of football.

Over the years Arsenal have fielded so many super stars and the currant crop of players seem destined to carry on playing the Arsene Wenger style of attractive flowing football. Lets hope that the match can produce the excitement of 1997

Shout loud for the Foxes

Alan’meashamfox’Bennett

Leicester Till I Die

LOOK FORWARD-LOOK BACK

LOOK FORWARD--LOOK BACK

LEICESTER CITY v EVERTON  16th August 2014

At last the football season is upon us again and following our record breaking season in the championship last term, we now look forward to Premier League football at The King Power Stadium for the first time in 10 years. Our last Premier league game at Leicester was on May 8^th 2004 and we recorded a 3-1 home win against Portsmouth with goals from Dickov, Scowcroft and an own goal in front of 31,536 spectators.

Next week we kick off against Everton with a sell out stadium guaranteed and a wave of optimism and excitement that has carried over from our record breaking season and the encouraging results that we have obtained in our pre-season games.

Everton will be no strangers to our players as we have recently played them in Thailand in a friendly game that had the added incentive of a trophy for the winners to celebrate 25 years of King Power. It was only fitting that Leicester won the game and the trophy, but it will have no bearing on our meeting next Saturday.

Everton have a team of talented players that has been strengthened by the permanent signings of Gareth Barry and Romelu Lukaku ( who incidentally I believe is one the best strikers in the premier league) and they have also signed Bosnian world cup midfielder Muhamed Besic. Add to the mix USA goalkeeper Tim Howard England internationals Baines, Jagielka and Barkley plus Mirallas and Pienaar, an impressive array of talent to feature in our first game back in the top flight.

 

Of course it is all about Leicester on the day and we have some new additions to our team, we welcome Marc Albrighton, Matthew Upson, Ben Hamer and Leonardo Ulloa to the ranks and we wish them well at our football club.

Looking back at past results against Everton I have chosen two games that stick in my memory, one was way back on September 10^th 1977 when Everton came to Filbert Street and tore us apart with some devastating football, and one man in particular that day ran riot. Duncan McKenzie. I remember McKenzie giving us a torrid time and although we were well and truly hammered you had to admire the sheer class of the opposition and in particular McKenzie.

It has to be said that, that particular season was for me the worst football I have ever seen Leicester play ( and I include our relegation to league 1 in that statement) It was the infamous Frank Mclintock season that saw us relegated with the lowest points tally (22) the record for least wins (5) most defeats (25) most home defeats(10) It was a season that tested our endurance as Leicester supporters and I hope our supporters who can’t recall those dark days will never witness football that bad at Leicester again.

Gary Lineker was and probably still is the best striker we have ever had at Leicester and so it was sad times when we sold him to Everton in June 1985 for £800,000. Alongside Alan Smith, Lineker was deadly and I still think they were the best striker partnership I have seen at Leicester.

Following his move to Everton it was ironic that the first game of the 1985/86 season saw Everton travel to Filbert Street for the opening day fixture, complete with our Gary!

The task of filling Gary Lineker’s boots fell on Mark Bright and it was strange standing in the kop seeing Gary lining up for the opposition in what was a star studded Everton team. Southall, Stevens, Van Den Hauwe, Ratcliffe, Mountfield, Reid , Steven, Lineker, Sharp, Bracewell, Sheedy

The Leicester line up was. Andrews, Ramsey, Smith, Kelly, Osman, O’Neill, Lynex, Bright, Smith, Wilson, Banks

Everton swept into the lead with a goal from Derek Mountfield before Bobby Smith pulled one back just before the break. In the second half it was the Mark Bright show as he scored two brilliant goals to give City a 3-1 win, and he stole the headlines from our Gary!

The attendance that day was 16,932. I think there will be a few more than that inside the King Power Stadium for next Saturdays opener against Everton.

The last time Everton visited Filbert Way in the Premier League was March 20^th 2004 and the game ended 1-1 with Bent scoring for Leicester and Rooney scoring for Everton but unfortunately the day will be remembered for the tragic freak accident that saw Everton supporter Bernard Murphy lose his life on the Upperton Road. Another sad occurrence where a football supporter never returned home, R.I.P. Bernard.

There is still a plaque dedicated to Bernard’s memory situated in our garden of remembrance at the King Power Stadium

All that remains now is to bring on Saturday and The Premier League. Shout loud for the boys and enjoy

Alan’meashamfox’Bennett.

LTID

Season Review 2013/14

LEICESTER CITY SEASON REVIEW 2013/14

The final day of the 2013/14 season and after finishing a twelve hour night shift I dash home to try and get at least two hours sleep before picking my grandson Jack up and driving to Leicester for our final home game of the season and our championship winning party.

It was a bitter, sweet day for me as my brother Roy who has been by my side for many years has to miss out because he’s not well, but it was fitting that Jack was with me, as he was with me at Stoke on that horrible final day of the season on May 4^th 2008 when we were relegated to league 1, How far we have come since that dark day!

It was a carnival atmosphere outside the stadium and even more so inside and what an awesome sight to see an almost capacity crowd waving blue flags and creating a crescendo of noise welcoming the team to our own theatre of dreams.

Unfortunately it wasn’t the best game of football, but it was all about the occasion and the day.

You could have been forgiven for not realising that it was also a massive day for Doncaster Rovers who had to win to guarantee staying in the championship, or hope that they could equal or better Birmingham’s result at Bolton.

All appeared to be going to plan as news of Birmingham losing at Bolton filtered through and Donny fans were having a party. But when Rihad Mahrez produced a piece of magic that resulted in Leicester getting a penalty that was despatched by David Nugent, the atmosphere changed a little!. Even Leicester supporters were singing let them score hoping to secure Doncaster’s championship place, but alas as the day unfolded Doncaster were relegated and Leicester had their party.

It all seems so log ago since almost twelve months to the day on May 4^th 2013 when we were winning at Nottingham Forest to secure our play off place and then a few days later experiencing the heart ache of losing in dramatic and bizarre fashion at Watford. And now twelve months later we hail our team as Champions of the Championship and premier league football now awaits.

The season started of well with a 2-1 away win at Middlesbrough and we could look forward to our first home game of the season against Leeds with optimism, but an uninspiring 0-0 draw brought us back to earth and I remember saying to my brother that the most I expect this season is to finish in the top half of the table. No one could really predict what was to follow and how we took the Championship by the scruff of the neck and gave it a damn good hiding, breaking numerous records along the way, scintillating stuff.

Looking back over this record breaking season I will just choose some of my highlights along the way.

For me every game is special, but for Liam Moore on September 14^th scoring his first goal for his club v Wigan was extra special. And just seeing the look on his face as he ran towards our supporters in L1 was priceless, and even more so getting tangled up with the advertising boards, Liam Moore he’s one of our own!

My first away game of the season was the away trip to Watford on November 2^nd and to see us exorcise the demons of last season by thrashing them 3-0 was awesome, and seeing Knockaert score a divine goal put the icing on the cake.

The away win at QPR was also a magic day and what an important win, winning 1-0 with a fine Jamie Vardy goal, we even had squirrel gate! Watching David Nugent chase the squirrel off the pitch was hilarious.

Following the 1-0 win at QPR we never really took our foot of the gas and continued to take the championship by storm, and did it in some style culminating in away wins at Burnley to end their title aspirations, and the win at Bolton that sealed our fate as champions. And who will forget the stunning strike from Lloyd Dyer that settled the game.

Loads of memories along the way especially away from home and meeting old and some new friends from social media sites, the power of the internet is awesome!

A superb and unbelievable record breaking season that culminated in that final game of the season against Doncaster Rovers who probably brought along the best away support of the season, loud, proud and sportsmanlike, even in the event of their relegation. A credit to football.

As we saluted our team and captain Wes Morgan holding aloft the Championship trophy we have to remember that without our illustrious owners Vichai and Aiyawatt none of this would have been possible and what an inspired move getting Nigel Pearson and his team back at Leicester, the future looks bright with them at the helm, 

As I looked across at the spion kop last Saturday I could picture the old kop at Filbert Street with the double decker stand sitting proudly above it and I am sure I could see my Dad, bless him, smiling down at me, it is times like this that I am so glad and proud that my Dad took me to my first game over 50 years ago. Leicester Till I Die

CHAMPIONS

I would just like to say a final word for two supporters who went to the King Power Stadium this season and never made it home R.I.P. City supporter Roger Evans and R.I.P. Doncaster supporter Ray Dunning.

Alan’meashamfox’Bennett

Leicester till I Die