We step back (in time?) to Selhurst to host Leicester under the new regime this Saturday.
The initial shock over Vieira’s departure having subsided I sense a tiny chink of cautious optimism amongst the Palace faithful. To see how the other side are feeling about things I chatted with lifelong Leicester fan Matt Sheldon.
TEB: How worried are you about relegation?
MS: Pretty worried. The only thing consistent about Rogers’ Leicester these last two seasons is inconsistency and unpredictability. There is rarely any connection between what we say we want to do and what we actually do. Leicester fans are far from convinced that Brendan can get the team up for the fight and so we are simply hoping there will be three worse teams rather than a belief that we will get the wins to pull us up into mid-table.
TEB: If not you (or us!), who is going down then?
MS: Us! No, not us. Ok, maybe us, Forest (if we’re going down, they better go down too) and Bournemouth.
TEB: A lot of Palace fans are reassured / confident due to the fixture ‘turn,’ the same is true of Leicester – (6/9 games are against relegation threatened teams) but I also feel sometimes Leicester are better against stronger teams- is that still true?
MS: No, I don’t think it’s true anymore. I’m fairly sure all (or the vast majority) of our wins have been against teams in the bottom of the table. Which means that our next three games (Palace, Villa, Bournemouth) are crucial.
TEB: Of all the teams scrapping only you and Forest have stuck with their manager – masterstroke or disaster class?
MS: I don’t see how it is a master stroke. I think it’s a gamble possibly based in the knowledge that sacking Brendan might mean we can’t afford the manager we’d want to take over and so we don’t have anyone in mind to take over who might be effective. Personally, I would have gladly got Sean Dyche. It’s a big gamble that we’ll get over the line with Brendan.
TEB: Where is the match going to be won and lost?
MS: Our defence/goalkeeper and whether we can score first. We have a terrible record of getting points from games where we concede first. We have a terrible record generally.
TEB: Predictions?
MS: My hopeful prediction will be that Daka and Iheanacho start and combine well – leading to a clinical breakaway 1-3 score line (late Palace consolation). More likely will be a Roy-inspired resurgence, and you guys win 2-0. (TEB: Oh what I would give…)
TEB: Anything else?
MS: It will be nice to see Jeffrey Schlupp again if he plays – he was always a popular figure at Leicester. Scored a hat trick for us as a youngster when playing centre forward. Then played left back, then right back and now plays centre midfield for you!
Big thanks to Matt, and here’s to a big match at Selhurst.
