Archive for September, 2010
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Defender Tom Kennedy says it’s down to Leicester City players to stop the rot
Thursday, September 30th, 2010Leicester City defender Tom Kennedy believes it is the players, not manager Paulo Sousa, who have to turn around the club’s fortunes.
Sousa’s position is growing increasingly more fragile after his team’s sixth Championship defeat from nine games at Norwich on Tuesday night.
But Kennedy, who made his first league start in the Carrow Road clash, said it was down to the players to take the pressure off Sousa.
“The manager does not play himself, so it’s up to the players to go out there and perform against Scunthorpe on Saturday,” said Kennedy. “The 11 of us have to go out and change the situation, it’s down to us,
The 25-year-old left-back believes City need to take a “back to basics” approach against the Iron at the Walkers Stadium.
Kennedy, who was former boss Nigel Pearson’s final signing before he moved to Hull, said: “We have to go back to basics on Saturday, we have to tighten up, probably with two banks of four and win ugly.”
City were handed a flying start at Norwich when home keeper John Ruddy’s blunder allowed Martyn Waghorn to give them the lead after two minutes.
But the Canaries levelled just after the half-hour mark and went in front when Russell Martin’s right-wing cross struck Kennedy on the arm. “That was my fault,” admitted the former Rochdale man. “I tried to block it and my hands should have been by my side. I turned my back hoping the ball would hit it, but it struck my arm.
“You could also guarantee that, with the way things are going for us at the moment, that the ref would award a penalty.”
Norwich made it 3-1 through Adam Drury before substitute Matty Fryatt changed the face of the contest with two goals either side of Wes Hoolahan’s fourth for Norwich, only for Fryatt to be dismissed for lashing out as he tried to retrieve the ball from home defender Leon Barnett.
Kennedy said: “It was handbags, really. I wasn’t expecting the referee to send Matty off. When he scored his first goal the ball was kicked into the stands and, after the second, their guy was lying on the ball. The referee did what he did because of the reaction of their players.”
Despite the setback, Kennedy hopes he has done enough to retain his place in the starting line-up ahead of Bruno Berner.
“I was pleased to get a start but disappointed with the result,” he said. “I’m still learning and I’ve got to kick on now and get a few more starts, and as a team we’ve got to try to pick things up.”
‘Sousa’s future hinges on Saturday’s game against Scunthorpe’
Thursday, September 30th, 2010Fans’ chief Cliff Ginnetta says Paulo Sousa will be “drinking at the last chance saloon” on Saturday when Leicester City face Scunthorpe.
Ginnetta, chairman of the official supporters’ club, believes Sousa’s reign as manager will almost certainly come to an end after just three months if they fail to beat their Championship opponents at the Walkers Stadium.
“It is a last chance saloon for him, and if the match does not go well I think the fans will turn on him,” said Ginnetta.
“That could lead to Milan Mandaric taking some action. It is time to man-up on Saturday and there are a few players sulking, which is also something the manager needs to sort out.”
Sousa has been backed publicly by chairman Mandaric, who appealed for the fans to get behind the manager.
But the club’s position at the foot of the Championship will have been discussed at a meeting between the new Thai owners and Mandaric in London yesterday. A club spokesman said the meeting had been arranged sometime ago.
As speculation increases about Sousa’s future, Ginnetta has also responded to national newspaper reports linking Martin O’Neill with a possible return to Leicester.
Ginnetta said the old football adage of “never going back” directly applies to O’Neill.
He said: “I think the fans would love him to come back but sometimes things don’t work out the second time around and some would see it as a backward step for him.”
Nightmare day for the Iron can be erased at Leicester City on Saturday – This is Scunthorpe
Thursday, September 30th, 2010|
Nightmare day for the Iron can be erased at Leicester City on Saturday
This is Scunthorpe NO DEJA-VU: Iron defender David Mirfin is eager to avoid a repeat of the last trip to the Walkers Stadium, a 5-1 loss to Leicester City last season. … |
Leicester City boss Paulo Sousa remains defiant – BBC Sport
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010 SkySports |
Leicester City boss Paulo Sousa remains defiant
BBC Sport Leicester City boss Paulo Sousa remains confident he is the man to lead the club away from the foot of the table. Sousa, who was named Foxes boss in the … Match verdict: Battling Leicester City rue defensive errors against NorwichLeicester Mercury Norwich City 4-3 Leicester City: Championship Highlights (Video)CaughtOffside Sousa assured of Leicester City futureFansFC.com Breaking World Cup News -Goal.com -Vitalfootball all 87 news articles » |
Foxes boss Sousa remains defiant
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010Leicester City boss Paulo Sousa remains confident he is the man to lead the club away from the foot of the table.
Norwich City 4-3 Leicester City: Championship Highlights (Video) – CaughtOffside
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010SkySports |
Norwich City 4-3 Leicester City: Championship Highlights (Video)
CaughtOffside Wes Hoolahan was the star of the show as his brace helped Norwich City past the Foxes in a seven goal thriller at Carrow Road. anonymous wrote on Five Ideal … Norwich City 4-3 Leicester City: ReportFootball.co.uk all 28 news articles » |
Match verdict: Battling Leicester City rue defensive errors against Norwich – Leicester Mercury
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010SkySports |
Match verdict: Battling Leicester City rue defensive errors against Norwich
Leicester Mercury Leicester City succumbed to a third consecutive league defeat as the pressure builds on manager Paulo Sousa, but they showed clear signs they … Our spirit will see us turn this around, says Leicester City boss Paulo SousaLeicester Mercury Sousa assured of Leicester City futureFansFC.com Leicester City chairman Milan Mandaric rubbishes reports of Martin O'Neill …Goal.com Breaking World Cup News -Vitalfootball -Norfolk Eastern Daily Press all 75 news articles » |
Blue Army column: Canaries give fans plenty to tweet about
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010The “tweets” of the Lord Mayor were bad enough news for Leicester City, so how ironic that the Canaries last night added to their woes.
But if Councillor Hall’s Twitter blast after the 6-1 defeat at Portsmouth talked of Paulo Sousa and Milan Mandaric “shaming” the club, the City fans who made the trip to Carrow Road know this was a defeat at the opposite end of the spectrum as their side went down with all guns blazing.
City’s defensive weaknesses were again cruelly exposed but, even after the devastating dismissal of Matty Fryatt when he had just sparked a stunning revival, they still threw everything into trying to salvage a point. This was no Portsmouth capitulation.
In the end, they did not quite manage it, but the players were applauded off the pitch by the Blue Army at the final whistle.
This sixth league defeat puts more pressure on Sousa, although he certainly did not look a man under the microscope before kick-off. In the opposing dug-out was Norwich manager Paul Lambert, one of Sousa’s best friends in the game.
They were team-mates in 1997 when Borussia Dortmund won the Champions League, and Lambert has described the Leicester boss as world-class and a brilliant player.
While Sousa’s playing credentials remain in place, he is now being judged on his ability to once again turn City into a winning unit.
Just one league win before last night, the faltering start to the Championship campaign prompted Mandaric to insist Sousa’s job is safe, but that still did not stop the away fans jabbering on about rumours linking Martin O’Neill with a possible return to the club.
And just two minutes into the game, they got the break as Norwich keeper John Ruddy let a shot from Martyn Waghorn slip out of his grasp. He kicked the post in anger, and didn’t the Blue Army lap up his misery. To be fair, there hadn’t been much for them to cheer of late.
Waghorn hit another fizzer as an air of nervousness pervaded around Carrow Road, little surprise after City’s electric start.
It all made for a terrific atmosphere, as Norwich have a reputation for their very vocal fans and they did not disappoint. They were out of their seats when the home side levelled just after the half hour through Andrew Crofts.
It was an outstanding contest, with both sides trying to get the ball down to play it as it ended all-square at half time.
City fans were hoping for another Ruddy bit of hell to start the second half with a bang, instead they applauded a decent early save from Carl Ikeme.
And the game started to drift away from them as Tom Kennedy was penalised for handball and Wes Hoolahan struck home the spot-kick.
Another night of despair beckoned for the travelling faithful as Norwich piled on the pressure and added a third through Adam Drury.
Substitute Fryatt revived City’s hopes with a close-range poacher’s finish. Sousa had thrown on all three substitutes to try and salvage something but a fourth from Hoolahan did the damage.
Fryatt grabbed a second and was then dismissed in a goalmouth melee as he lashed out while trying to retrieve the ball.
All the frustration of the season was summed up in those moments of madness, but City’s push for an equaliser – and an eighth goal of the game – just fell short.
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