Blackpool 0 - 0 Leicester City
Nigel Pearson, often accused of not having a plan B, put new signing Harry Kane straight into the starting line-up for this afternoon's Championship clash at Bloomfield Road. What's more, it wasn't at the expense of his other two frontline strikers. Instead, Pearson adopted an attacking 4-3-3 formation with Kane, Wood and Nugent playing ahead of a midfield three of King, Drinkwater and Marshall. It very nearly worked too. Had Chris Wood converted Leicester's penalty in the 49th minute, the Foxes may well have been travelling home with all 3 points. It was the new man, Kane, who earned the spot kick after Eardley's foul. Wood's fiercely struck penalty hit the bar and went over. It was a scrappy game on a surface which resembled a beach, not a Championship standard pitch.
The match reminded me of the hard fought 0-0 draw at Hull on Boxing Day. That game also came on the back of two successive league defeats. That game also saw a change in formation and a back to basics approach. That game was a catalyst for a run of 6 successive Championship victories. Nigel Pearson will be hoping that this afternoon's game will do something similar for his side. A draw away from home in this league is always a good result and it is staggering to hear some of the negative comments directed towards the manager and the team by some fans.
All you can ask of the manager is that he improves things season by season. Leicester have a better squad now than they did a year ago. They are in a better position in the league than they were this time last season. They are playing well on a more consistent basis than they were last term. There is no magic wand but City are moving in the right direction and Pearson deserves the credit for this. Let's hope that the owners have a little more patience than some of the supporters.
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