Anyone know the Thai for 'Happy New Year'?

A poor year for Leicester City. 19 wins from 46 league games played in 2011, a win ratio of 41%. However, strip out January and February's statistics and it looks even worse. 12 wins from the last 36 league games - a win ratio of just 33%. Let's hope 2012 is a Happy New Year...

On the basis of today's performance, Nigel Pearson has a lot of work to do in the January transfer window. I suspect that, as usual, the players on the Leicester City Official Calendar for 2012 will struggle to see out the course of the year...

Beckford's body language is bad news

I am never one to encourage fans to boo their own players. However, as Jermaine Beckford was substituted, to be replaced by Steve Howard this afternoon, I confess to joining in the cheers at his withdrawal. Listless, passionless, not sticking his foot into the tackle, not chasing down lost causes, not getting involved in other areas of the pitch, not jumping for headers, not getting stuck into his team mates or showing the passion needed to turn around the team's fortunes. Instead, the enduring memory is of Beckford stood, hands on hips on the half-way touchline, a disinterested and withdrawn spectator. Not good enough in anyone's books, especially when you have shelled out millions of pounds to have him in your team. Pearson's "Get him off" comment to his assistant when Beckford failed to chase Abe's through ball towards the end of the game was very telling and may well signal 'decision made' from the manager's point of view. On today's evidence, let's hope so...

Howard's appearance sums up Sven's summer spending shambles!

Square this circle. We start the season with a former England manager in charge and £15 million to spend. Less than half way through the season, 35 year old journeyman, Steve Howard is in our starting line-up. Howard has a scoring rate of less than 1 goal in 4 appearances for our club. Fairly safe to conclude that Sven poured Thai cash into a bottomless pit. Beckford will disappear in January and Fryatt is bound to return. 1 step forward, 2 steps back...

Local Boy Tomlin shows the value of home grown talent

Leicester born Lee Tomlin rescued a point for Peterborough at the King Power stadium this afternoon. The youngster, released by Leicester a few years ago, worked tirelessly throughout the game for his team. By contrast, his opposite number Beckford, who cost Leicester £2m, failed to make a telling impact on the game. Perhaps there is a lesson here for City. Since Emile Heskey, a product of Leicester’s academy, left the club, City have tried unsuccessfully to buy adequate replacements. How about this for a list of disappointing strikers; Ade Akinbiyi, Trevor Benjamin, David Connolly, Elvis Hammond, Barry Hayles, Mark De Vries, Graham Fenton, DJ Campbell, Yann Kermorgant and Jermaine Beckford. I dread to think how much these players cost the club in total. Is it any wonder that the club has posted losses of around the £10m mark for the last couple of seasons? The long term stability of the club doesn't lie with the Thai investors, it lies with a successful academy.

If only there was another young, ambitious striker graduating from the academy with pace to burn and raw talent. Move over Beckford, time to give Schlupp a run in the team.

To Hull and back

Winning at Hull this weekend was always going to be a tough assignment. The Hull players would have been desperate to prove Nigel Pearson wrong for walking out on them just a few weeks ago. Hull's team was made up almost entirely of players that Pearson signed for the club. Many of these are young players, hungry for success and keen to make a name for themselves. Nigel's departure must have felt like a slap in the face for them. Spare a thought for Hobbs and Fryatt - taken from Leicester to Hull by Pearson. It wouldn't surprise anyone if they turned up at the King Power stadium again in January. Hobbs to replace the disappointing Mills, who cost Leicester the game yesterday. Fryatt to replace Beckford, who looks disinterested and demotivated. We will see...