All of a sudden it seems Blues ‘on the telly’ is not the complete torture that it used to be, and a well-earned point away at Leicester City was very much welcomed.
Mind you, at the moment, as a Blues fan I feel like the dad in the car going on holiday. The kids keep saying, ‘are we nearly there yet?’ but in this case it’s more a case of ‘are we safe yet?’. The truthful answer is probably quite, although another three points is likely to put us in a position as safe as the proverbial houses.
We deserved a share of the spoils through the good, unflustered football that we played. In particular, Paul Caddis brought an extra dimension in his usual right back role. Unfortunately, and in similarly predictable fashion of late, Blues couldn’t stop leaking goals. At one stage, it could have been more if it hadn’t been for Paul Robinson, who must have been a candidate for Blues’ Man of the Match. In fact, his display was particularly timely with Jack Butland flapping more than a pair of curtains in a Gale-force Nine.
A word of praise too for the often-criticised Morgaro Gomis; who went about his fetching and carrying duties in an efficient and unflustered manner, with Nathan Redmond also proving to be a constant menace to the Leicester City back line.
The own goal we conceded was unfortunate but, in my view, Curtis Davies was fouled as Wes Morgan clambered all over him. In contrast however, the Blues equaliser was beautifully worked with Ravel Morrison and Paul Caddis indulging in a piece of ‘give and go’ to perfectly set up Nikola Zigic for a simple tap in from six yards out. The latter’s performance was only one notch above his inept Millwall display, but let’s remember: the big man was still on the mark when needed.
For Leicester to take the lead again was a real kick in the teeth. Fair play to Lee Clark for bringing on Wes Thomas who, after a slow start, may well start a bout of hat eating amongst Bluenoses. His once mythical ‘pace and power’ looks as if it may be more than legend as he caused plenty of problems right across the Foxes’ defence.
The foul that earned Blues’ stoppage time penalty was debatably outside of the box, but I have little sympathy for the opposition, not least because Blues have frequently been on the wrong end of decisions in that area; the Curtis Davies incident earlier on in the game being one example.
Who would take the penalty against a Kasper Schmeichel who had a penalty saving pedigree? Up stepped Chris Burke, whose penalty wasn’t the best in the world, but proved that anything on target and hit firmly enough is likely to achieve the right result – and so it proved.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
– What’s the maximum amount that you would pay to keep Paul Caddis at Blues?
– Would you offer Paul Robinson a new contract for next season?
– Can Blues afford to play two up front with two wingers and Ravel Morrison in midfield?
Andy Munro
Vice Chairman, Blues Trust
