Leicester vs West Ham Oct 27th, 2018

awroit my luvverlies...

blimey, this place dies without yours truly...

was directing a little something last week so apologies for me absence...

but here we go...

No Arnautovic and no Yarmolenko.... coming off 2 losses...

and Leicester get the ball in the net 1:57 seconds gone... but he's maybe inches offside.

all Leicester at the moment...

well one of the benefits of the game being shown live of national telly over here is that everyone in the country can see how well we play... or not...

the worst part of the game being shown live on national telly is that when there's a mass shooting, the coverage cuts out and we get the president talking... ugh...

so you all have more idea what's going on than I do...

finally, we're back... 13 minutes gone and the score is still zero sero

So diangara gets his 2nd senior squad call up... hope he can take full advantage, although the Foxes will be a tougher call than the whatever cup

we're getting more into the game... but we're such a different team without Arnie...

fortunately Leicester are a different team without Vardy...

but we need the win... we're only 2 points from the relegation spots and a win won't even take us above Leicester who are only 2 spots above us... so losing this will be a right old 'mare.....

agonizing... ball around the area... but we can't get it out from under our feet and so a combination of Chicharito, Anderson and Snoddy all conspire to avoid scoring...

but it's a good sign... Leicester do not look comfortable at the back... so a bit of concerted pressure and we could get something from this...

half an hour gone... first ten minutes all Leicester... next 18 minutes ll West Ham...
free kick to us...
Riches header finds Balbuena unmarked.... he heads against the post but is quickest to the bound and the ball is in the back of the net.


what did I tell you about that Leicester defense?

If we keep this up the points will be ours...

and of course... this is what happens...

totally on top... bossing the game...

Noble gets sent off

horrifyingly dangerous tackle but even so a straight red was a little tough... but either way... you can try to snap someone's leg right in front of the Referee...

So... we at least got the lead... but we now got nearly an hour to hold on with inly ten men...

oh West Ham...

jesus... and almost immediately Leicester score... fortunately the stinging header goes straight at the keeper and Fabianski saves...

But Leicester now have their tails up, the crowd behind them and all the momentum in the world...

Corner to the Foxes...

Here's how the guardian saw it:

RED CARD! Mark Noble (West Ham United)

38 min: Noble slides in on Ndidi. His leads with his studs, high, and sticks them on Ndidi’s shin, bending his planted leg. Noble pleads his innocence, but that’s a no-brainer for the referee, who flourishes red immediately. A dreadful challenge - and also pointless, made in the midfield, Ndidi going nowhere.


and they're not wrong...

Got to at least hold on to half time... three minutes to go...

then get a rest... re-structure a bit... prepare for a 45 minute onslaught from Leicester...

but the game is ours already... all we have to do is to hold on.

we bossed them for most of the first half, Noble is usually useless or a passenger, so his loss isn't the worst thing that could happen...

winning this is not out of the question... whether it's out of our skill set is another question...

so... another press interruption because of the mass shooting at the synagogue... tragic news...

anyway... in the meanwhile... we held on until the half time whistle blew... which is nice... but the worrying statistic is that having bossed the game for so much of the first half, since Noble got himself sent off... Leicester had 80% of the possession...

if that holds for the 2nd half we'll be lucky to get out of this with a draw...

Leicester bring on Vardy to really have a go at us...










but we've survived 5 minutes...

nice to see us trying to attack... hopefully we don't fall into the trap of over extending or getting tired and making spaces... but it's still a better policy than just sitting back and inviting pressure...

60 minutes gone...

Antonio comes on to replace Chicharito...

Poor little Chich just can't get a break at our club... but it's a good tactical switch... our defense has been pretty solid.

Hopefully the fresh legs will allow us to press a little more and take the pressure off the defense...

Vardy almost scores...

Leicester are pressing with all their might...

65 minutes gone... still plenty f time for them to pull us back...

those next 25 minutes are going to be tough for us... might even be "season defining"

like I said, a win only moves us up one place and not even above the Foxes... but it helps separate us from the relegation strugglers... so it is vitally important for us...

There's some very good defensive tackles going in there... Diop is great, the midfield is helping out at the back too...


but it's another corner to Leicester.. the Maquire header just pings off the crossbar...

Zabaleta got tutted inside and out in the box, but he still gets in the block to get the ball out of play.

The Leicester corners are like sniper shots... so accurate so it's good to see us being first to the ball to get them away.


It's all Leicester pressure... but Zabaleta and the boys are fighting hard at the back - they deserve the points for this display.

Cresswell is looking to come on...


this is the danger... Anderson goes on a run... but instead of playing for time or helping out, his pass is easily intercepted and Leicester go immediately on the counter...

Fortunately the counter attack is almost too quick for them and they send the ball out of play.

Diangarra is the one to make way for Cresswell.

15 minutes to hang on.

This WILL be a great victory when it comes...

Antonio does it right.

the defense holds tight... Zabaleta lobs the ball out and it gets to Antonio who runs on his own until he gets taken down and we win a free kick.


Ogbonna is coming on to replace Anderson... so we're going all defense for the final ten minutes...

and it is Ogbonna who gets the free header but just puts the ball wide of the post... that would have really been somehting...


9 minutes and change.

squeaky squeaky bum time...

we defend like champions... Leicester get the ball in the net but it's offside...

there's 2 minutes to go...

and then suddenly a wild shot from thirty yards.... but the ball hits Balbuena's leg and deflects wildly into the back of the net...


such heartbreak...


and then there's suddenly a four on two attack but Ogbonna hooks it wide.


and to make it worse... there's a horror injury to a Leicester player... really takes the shine off the game...


fupp fupp fupp....


so close....

nothing we could have done about the goal...



GOAL! Leicester City 1-1 West Ham United (Ndidi 89)

It’s fair to say this had been coming! But when it does, it’s awful luck for West Ham. Ndidi cuts in from the left and has a shot from 25 yards. It balloons off the backside of Balbuena, curls wide left, then back into the top-left corner!

and there it is...

valiant performance

at least we didn't lose

but all credit to the defense... fantastic performance... and just sickening bad luck to rob them of the deserved points.

kudos to Antonio... he chased the lost cause of being the lone striker...

the crowd are applauding and singing to the players....

everyone should hold their heads up high after this...