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Pre Leeds United 26.3.00
The will to win?
Peter Gilbert 19.3.99
Another Sunday match, this one
not for Sky's benefit but to allow the Leeds players time to
recover from their exertions in Europe on the previous Thursday.
We mustn't quibble, perhaps we'll be in the same position next
season.
So we now have 10 games left; a possible 30 points which would
give us a final total of 68 which is more or less in line with
my Route 66 Plan at the beginning of the season which would ensure
European qualification which is now something we have achieved
via another route. Funny how things turn out.
Our League Cup victory signalled the end of the Heskey era and
now we must move on to pastures green.
It would be a crying shame if this season were to fizzle out
but with the transfer deadline day on Thursday 23rd March it's
beginning to look as if we will have to find a new hero for now
from within our ranks - frankly I don't see one. MON however
will not rush into any deal just to keep the fans happy, he's
his own man and he's respected for that in a big way.
It's just that at Leicester we aren't used to crossing the winning
line with ease and with two months to spare.......... so we now
can hope for one of two things to happen:
i) We get our act together and start winning a few games and
go for a top six place.
ii) We keep losing and get dragged into a relegation fight which
will give us a nerve jangling end to the season.
Sadly I can't see either of these things happening and we'll
just fritter away the remaining games in pointless pursuit, of
course this situation is no good to a real Leicester fan who
has spent the last ten years in jingle jangle land. We like to
flirt with death or glory and the security we now exist in is
totally foreign to us, we are 'crisis junkies'.
We now have a little clutch of matches that are significant to
the eventual league winners as we play Man Utd, Leeds and Liverpool
in quick succession.
We finish the season with the doomed as we play Soton , Bradford
and finally Sheff Wed a sad way to finish the season.
Leeds then - what can we expect? Well we'll have Darren Huckerby
trotting up and down in endless 'warm up mode' hoping to come
into the action once the game is over to all intents and purposes.
Leeds will be going for it like condemned men which some of them
possibly are and their will to win will be the biggest obstacle
to overcome. That is very often the case is it not? The team
that wants it more will get it.
However there may well be further movements on the transfer market
over the next few days which could be crucial. Everyone is talking
about who will we buy but I for one will be happy if we don't
sell any more of our big players who may have been appetised
by seeing what Heskey has done recently.
Are we hungry? Are we thirsty? Do we want it? Are we lazy?
We'll see when we play Leeds Utd.
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