Leicester To Madrid to Withdean in 3 days

Last updated : 22 April 2003 By Mark R
Saturday it was up at 5.30am, the 6.17 from Durrington, the 6.36 from Worthing then the 8.55 from St Pancras. The amount of building work going on for the new Eurostar station is amazing, it's a complete building site around Kings Cross and St Pancras.

We arrived into Leicester on time at 10.10 and wandered into town to find a cafi. We passed the Weatherspoons and at 10.30 was open serving beer and breakfast, so of course we headed in.

After a nice breakfast bap and a couple of pints it was time to move on to the Ale Waggon, then on to the Vaults. Before you knew it, it was time to head to the ground.

I thought the ground was a bit boring (still think Derby is the best of the new 30,000+ grounds) but am envious of any club that has a permanent ground!

The home fans appeared to find it hard to get in a party mood, but the 2,000+ Albion fans backed the team as ever.

As for the match we started brightly, gave away 2 goals from set pieces then in the second half gave up. The Leicester fans did start making more noise towards the end, Liz and I waited behind to see the Leicester lap of honour (Thanks to Micky for coming over at the final whistle), the 3rd we have seen in 3 seasons, strange not being us celebrating.

Ratings

Beasant - 5 too slow to react from the cross and was beaten to the ball
Watson - 2 no comment
Mayo - 5 never gave up
Ingimarsson - 6 battled
Cullip - 6 battled
Blackwell - 6 looked unfit
Carpenter - 5 looked over run
Rodgers - 6 as above
Brooker - 6 in and out as usual
Hart - 8 my MOTM by a long way
Zamora - 2 didn't appear to be bothered about playing, why leave it until 5
minutes from time to sub him?

After the game Liz and I headed straight back to London, had a cracking Japanese meal (Wagamammas chain - can recommend then highly - central London locations and cheap but good food!).

It was then into the Sam Smiths pub (Duke of Argyle) for a few drinks with some friends we met up with when we got in into London. Around 11pm we headed to our hotel near Heathrow

Sunday - up at 5am for a 7am flight to Madrid. Madrid is a fantastic place (didn't get a chance to go to Real v Barcelona as planned as they had moved the game to the Saturday night, but we didn't want to miss Leicester away!!!).

We became tourists for the day and saw many fantastic places (painting overdose in the Prado) and had a nice relaxing meal and a few glasses of wine and beer and good loads of good food.

Monday - up at 5am for a 7.30am flight back to Gatwick. By 1pm we had been home, caught the train back to Brighton and in the Evening Star by 1pm.

Zamora name cropped up in the pub, what was going on? I fear that there is more to this than we will ever find out. Was Perry right to critizise him in the paper on the day of a game?

The match, well what match. Why was Hart dropped? The first 45 minutes was pathetic, we looked like a team that would struggle in Division 2. Sheffield Wednesday were no better, yet we struggled to put more than 2 passes together.

Holt put Wednesday in front with a well taken goal, Beasant was struggling with an injury and could only kick left footed, yet time and time again nobody went short for him to roll the ball out and each time we had a goal kick Ingimarsson forgot he had to take them!!!

Second half and we played a bit better. Holt blocked the ball two handed and Zamora cooly tucked away the penalty. For some reason after that Sheffield Wednesday appeared to want to hold out for a draw, didn't they know Stoke had scored?

We pushed forward but other than a Kitson header, a Zamora header wide, we never looked like scoring.

My Ratings

Beasant - 6 did well as struggled with an injury
Watson - 2 no comment
Mayo - 7 battled and had nobody to pass to time and time again
Blackwell - 8 battled and harried and showed some players what commitment is
all about
Cullip - 8 as above
Ingimarsson - 8 as above
Carpenter - 6 out of sorts again, but got stuck in
Rodgers - 9 my MOTM and played with commitment like Balckwell/Cullip
Brooker - 4 never got going
Zamora - 4 dire first half, woke up second half! What is going on between
him and the club?
Kitson - 5 as above, but second half made some good runs and held the ball
up well

Subs
Hart - 7 battled for the half hour or so he was on the pitch

Mark R

Ps My worry for next season

Ingimarsson will be back at Wolves
Beasant will be out of contract
Rodgers will be out of contract
Blackwell will be out of contract
Brooker has yet to sign his new contract
Zamora - just what is going on?