Foxes set for wintry treat

Leicester City fans will be treated to a winter wonderland event before the match against Peterborough United in two weeks' time.

Modelled on the successful fan village that saw over 20,000 visitors before the Real Madrid pre-season friendly, match ticket holders will be given the opportunity to meet Santa and his reindeer and take part in competitions and games.

There will be free admission to those with a ticket for the game against Posh - who see the Foxes as their closest rivals within the nPower Championship - and the winter wonderland will open at noon. The fixture has been chosen as it will be the last one before Christmas at the King Power Stadium.

"The Fan Village we hosted at King Power Stadium in the summer was a wonderful celebration of Leicester City's rich family atmosphere and this time of year offers us another chance to give something back to our supporters," said Foxes' Chief Executive Susan Whelan.

"We understand that the festive season can be a time where people's resources are stretched, which is one of the reasons we will be offering our supporters even more for the price of their match ticket through the Winter Wonderland. I'm sure it will be a magical occasion and a great day out for families in Leicester, Peterborough and beyond."

Belated Conclusions from Blackpool

Leicester City	2-0	Blackpool
	(HT 1-0)
King 35 Danns 82

King Power Stadium, attendance: 21,578
BBC Match Report

Conclusions from Fratton Park

Portsmouth	1-1	Leicester City
	(HT 0-0)
Norris 68		Nugent 74

Fratton Park, attendance: Not yet announced
BBC Match Report

Foxes set to miss loan deadline

Leicester City are set to miss this evening's deadline for loan transfer deals, with no moves planned from the Foxes before today's 5pm deadline.

Should the Foxes wish to bring-in a player on loan - a winger is believed to be the target of manager Nigel Pearson - they will have to finalise the deal before 5pm in order for the player's registration to be successfully updated with the Football League.

Pearson has already mentioned the need for width in his Leicester squad. Only Lloyd Dyer can be named as an out-and-out winger in his large and expensively-assembled squad, although both Paul Gallagher and Jeffrey Schlupp are used to playing on the wing.

Despite a Championship record spending spree believed to top £15 million, Sven Goran Eriksson failed in his attempts to lure Reading winger Jimmy Kebe to the King Power Stadium during the summer. Now new manager Pearson is looking for width and is unlikely to find a solution before the permanent transfer window opens in the New Year.

Conclusions from Crystal Palace: Pearson's first game

Leicester City	3-0	Crystal Palace
	(HT 0-0)
Beckford 55 Gallagher 71, 74

King Power Stadium, attendance: 22,449
BBC Match Report

Sir Nigel, Returneth

It was almost inevitable. As news broke of Martin O'Neill's rumoured meeting with Vichai and Aiyawatt Raksriaksorn at a golf club near Sutton Coldfield, it was clear that Leicester City were not going to see the return of their messiah. The rumours indeed proved false and Foxes' fans were left for two weeks, wondering who would replace Sven Goran Eriksson in the King Power Stadium hot seat.

The King Power group have pulled off that other massive coup, however, in luring Nigel Pearson back to Leicester City. That was the one that nobody saw coming.

Billy Davies, Dave Jones and Roy Keane - all of whom have tasted success in the Championship - were dismissed. Huddersfield's Lee Clark came closest to securing the job as Sven Goran Eriksson's successor as he was shown around the training ground by the Foxes' owners. But that, it seems, was another red herring as he was never offered the job and, consequently, denied any interest in the position he badly desired.

That Pearson is back is a huge surprise, but then at the same time it really isn't. A man of principle - an honest, quiet and blunt Nottinghamshire man who keeps his cards close to his chest - Pearson, it was assumed, would never go back to the club from which he was ousted to make way for the new Thai regime. But with Milan Mandaric and Lee Hoos - the architects of Pearson's exit from the then Walkers Stadium - now gone, Pearson has a platform to finish what he oh-so-successfully started three years ago.

It was in the summer of 2008 that Pearson - having kept Southampton afloat at the expense of Leicester City - was appointed as manager by Mandaric. Together with assistant Craig Shakespeare and scout Steve Walsh, they put pride back into the Foxes' badge with a stern, meticulous approach that gained results. Walsh's eye for talent saw loanees from Premier League clubs - Jack Hobbs, from Liverpool; Kerrea Gilbert, from Arsenal; Tom Cleverley, from Manchester United - tear apart the third tier. Pearson got the best out of his beleaguered bunch of players, making legends out of until-then mediocre names in the history of the club. From the ashes rose Matty Fryatt, scorer of a massive 32 goals, whilst Andy King surged from the youth squad to take command of the midfield. Under Pearson, Leicester City were a mighty force and the future was bright.

The following season, promoted as champions of League One, a confident and determined Leicester City finished fifth in the league and again it was not star names but hard workers - Richie Wellens, Martyn Waghorn and Matt Oakley - who stood apart. Only a poor penalty kick from a Frenchman called Yann Kermorgant quashed hopes of a return to the Premier League, on that fateful night in Cardiff.

That penalty - and the following one missed, by Waghorn, who lay weeping after a second season in the Championship was confirmed -  saw the end of Pearson's reign and instability return to the club as first Paulo Sousa's foreign stars and Eriksson's England Old Boys fail to display the same passion and dedication that had served Pearson so well.

With Pearson back - and those workhorse names replaced by stars in the face of Matt Mills, Sol Bamba, David Nugent and Jermaine Beckford - Leicester City could once again set the second tier alight. A firm hand from Pearson, a couple of game changing loans from the eyes of Walsh and a renewed patience from the Raksriaksorns, and the Foxes could be back in the big time yet. 

The win ratio isn't everything...

Back in Charge: Nigel Pearson has returned to Leicester

With Nigel Pearson now confirmed as Leicester City's new manager it is inevitable that his first thirteen matches in charge will be analysed and compared to the final thirteen games of Sven Goran Eriksson's reign. It will indeed be interesting to see how Pearson stacks up against Eriksson, who was sacked in October after an indifferent start to the Foxes' 2011/12 season.

Of course, the King Power Stadium is only new to Pearson in name: he was in charge at the then-Walkers Stadium between June 2008 and June 2010 and during that time he led Leicester to a comprehensive League One title and a Championship play-off semi-final. It seems, then, that we can already begin to compare the two managers.

Pearson has the best win ratio of any Leicester City manager, a staggering 51.4% compared to Eriksson's admittedly fair 43.64%. Indeed, the Swede's record betters that of club legend Martin O'Neill (38.29%) and here lies the problem: O'Neill was a far more successful manager at Leicester than Eriksson and his win ratio takes into account three seasons in the Premier League, to Eriksson's eighteen months in the second tier. Any comparisons of these oft-quoted win ratios are skewed by the fact that half of Pearson's first reign at Leicester was in a lower division against inferior sides to those found in the Championship.

One man, however, has already done the hard work and discounted those games which are not comparable. City fan Dan Browne has compiled the statistics for Pearson's second season as Leicester boss (in the Championship) and compared those data against Eriksson's Championship record with the Foxes.

Browne explains: "Half of Pearson's games were played in League One where we were routinely outclassing opposition on a whole and his overall win percentage is definitely a misleading statistic. I may be wrong, but I don't think anybody ever made a comment on Pearson against Sven in the Championship, factoring out the L1 games for Pearson to get a like-for-like comparison."

The graph Browne produced for the FoxesTalk fans' forum indicates a strangely similar record between the two men - Pearson edges ahead of Eriksson on points by just a single win whilst Eriksson slimly has the greater number of wins between the two.

Graph: Pearson and Eriksson have a surprisingly similar record in the
second tier.

"I am not one to believe in the stats above all else, at the expense of other factors," continued Browne, "But I did expect that the difference would still be more apparent despite factoring out Pearson's amazing 2008/09 season. What I actually found was very interesting and shows, in the Championship at least, it is very hard to tell them apart. The graph shows win, lose and draw percentages for Championship league games only, as well as an average season's points tally if both managers were to repeat their performance over a season."

Whilst the facts, then, may appear inconclusive between the two managers it must be understood that for all of Eriksson's record he had far greater resources than Pearson ever did during his first spell in charge. The multi-million pound squad assembled by the Swede is a far cry from that bought together by the quiet man from Nottingham.

"I am aware that this still isn't a fair comparison because of Sven's increased resources compared to Pearson," added Browne, "But I was basically getting at the fact that precisely this difference over the funding and quality of players shows that Pearson should - in theory - be able to do even better, since Sven could essentially only match his performance, despite the different class of players available.

"I know the stats aren't everything and I do believe Pearson is much more the type of manager we need as a team in the Championship. He can man-manage well, he made us a team with a bit of grit and the ability to grind out results when we were having a poor game. It is just interesting that there is much, much less between them than I thought there was in terms of their league performance!"

Pearson faces press

Training: Pearson started his new job today

Leicester City Football Club's Chief Executive Susan Whelan has unveiled Nigel Pearson as the club's new manager in a press conference at the King Power Stadium.

Introducing Pearson to the media she said: "When we started the process of looking for a manager we wanted someone with Championship experience and who could provide an immense strength of character to motivate and lead the players. The man we found was Nigel and we're delighted to welcome him back to Leicester City."

Whelan also thanked caretaker bosses Mike Stowell and Jon Rudkin for their efforts before Pearson faced questions from the media.

"[The last twelve days] have felt very long, but it's good to be back and I'm glad everything's been resolved," he said, "I'm leaving a club which we worked exceptionally hard to build up but I'm delighted to be back at Leicester. I love positive pressure and I get a positive feel for the place. Obviously I've been here before but the club is now in a different place and in a different position in terms of ownership."

City vice-chairman Aiyawatt 'Top' Raksriaksorn spoke of his desire to support the man he believes can take the Foxes back to the top flight, but was not drawn on any specific amount of money Pearson could be offered to spend come January.

"I think it's too early to discuss money and how much we want to spend," said Top, "It's important to see now how the squad are and in training this morning Nigel had an opportunity to see where they are. But my ambitions are for the team to be promoted and I will support him in any way he needs.

"He has the passion to motivate the players, the staff and the fans. In him we have chosen the right man to bring the team to the Premier League."

Facing the media: Aiyawatt Raksriaksorn, Nigel Pearson
and Susan Whelan

Asked about why he came back, Pearson was happy to state his affection for a club he led to the League One title, "It's a club which I have an affinity with, I had a very good time here before and I think there is a lot of potential to achieve the aims the owners have. I do believe we've got a very good squad here and it's an incredible opportunity for myself and my staff."

"I'm always confident in my own ability and that of the support staff," added Pearson, "We have the backing of the board who know what's needed for us to be successful. I have to ask myself the question, 'Do I want to be here?' and of course I do, it's such a big club and we belong in the Premier League.

"I didn't expect it - I didn't see it coming - but I'm glad to be here."

Pearson named as Foxes' manager

Leicester City Football Club have tonight announced Nigel Pearson as first-team manager.

Boss: Pearson has signed a two-and-a-half year deal

The former Hull City boss has been released from his contract after the Tigers agreed a compensation deal with the Foxes and will take charge at Leicester tomorrow morning before a press conference where he will be officially presented to the media.

In his previous spell as manager at the now-King Power Stadium, Pearson led the Foxes to the League One title at the first attempt before his side fell short of play-off success after a semi-final defeat to Cardiff City in their first season back in the Championship.

Pearson has been joined by his long-time assistants Craig Shakespeare as Assistant Manager and Steve Walsh as Head of Recruitment who also sign until the end of the 2013/14 season.

"Craig, Steve and I are all extremely excited to be re-joining Leicester City," said Pearson, "We're looking forward to working with the players and working closely with the Board of Directors to achieve the Club's aspirations."

Leicester agree compensation deal for Pearson

Returning: Nigel Pearson at Leicester in 2009

Nigel Pearson will be named as Leicester City manager within the next 24 hours after the Foxes agreed a compensation deal with Hull City to see his return to the East Midlands.

Pearson is believed to have had a compensation clause of £675,000 written into his contract, a sum equal to that agreed by Hull City when they secured the services of the 48-year-old from the Foxes seventeen months ago. Tigers' owner Assem Allam was holding out for a reported £1 million in compensation - for Pearson and his backroom team of Craig Shakespeare and Steve Walsh - but backed-down on Saturday to agree a compromise with the Asia Football Investments consortium, owners of Leicester City Football Club.

Allam's change in stance will pave the way for Pearson to return to Leicester, a club which has seen a complete transformation since he departed in June 2010. His efforts saw then-third tier Leicester promoted back to the Championship at the first attempt before a successful season in the second tier saw the Foxes within a penalty kick of a Wembley play-off final. Pearson's deteriorating relationship with Foxes then-Chief Executive Lee Hoos saw him depart amidst a desire from chairman Milan Mandaric to lure a big name to the club and attract new investors.

Whilst Pearson began his new project on Humberside, Mandaric sold Leicester City to Asia Football Investments, led by father and son duo Vichai and Aiyawatt Raksriakson who introduced their King Power brand as shirt and stadium sponsors before a renovation project at the now-King Power Stadium took place this summer. An indifferent start to the season saw Sven Goran Eriksson sacked as manager a month ago and King Power's search for a replacement has led them back to Pearson.

Pearson will sign a £1 million per year contract and be rewarded with a large bonus should he guide the Foxes back into the Premier League. Meanwhile, the Tigers are believed to have already approached Manchester United, to take reserve team coach Warren Joyce to the KC Stadium as Pearson's replacement.

Former Foxes' owner faces tax trial

Former Leicester City owner and chairman Milan Mandaric will face trial accused of tax evasion.

Charges: Milan Mandaric was owner at the Walkers Stadium for three years

Along with Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp - manager at Portsmouth under Mandaric's ownership of the South coast club - the Serbo-American business tycoon faces two charges of cheating the public revenue.

The case relates to two payments of £183,000 that were allegedly made by Mandaric to Redknapp's Monte Carlo bank account during their spell in charge at Pompey.

Mandaric, 73, took over at Leicester after buying-out a consortium including club legends Gary Lineker and Emile Heskey in January 2007 for £25 million. Under his tenure, the Foxes went through a total of seven managers and the club was relegated to the third tier for the first time in their 125-year history. A successful promotion campaign under Nigel Pearson - expected to be reappointed as manager next week - saw the club fighting in the Championship play-offs in 2010, only to be knocked-out by Cardiff City on penalties.

Mandaric sold the club to Thai investors Vichai and Aiyawatt Raksriaksorn last year for a reported sum of £40 million.

Foxes face-off Tigers in compensation deadlock

Leicester City's move for Nigel Pearson - who was expected to be named  as manager yesterday - has stalled as talks over compensation for the Hull City manager have reached a deadlock.

Locking horns: Hull's Allam and Leicester's Raksriaksorn are vying for the
signature of Nigel Pearson

The Tigers were reported on Tuesday to have agreed a fee of around £400,000 as repayment for the loss of Pearson to the Foxes but that figure is now believed to have doubled, with insiders at the KC Stadium claiming that Leicester will be expected to pay a hefty £1 million to capture back their man.

Pearson's eighteen-month reign on Humberside has almost certainly run its course. He has not taken training all week at Hull's Millhouse Woods Lane training complex after admitting his desire to speak to Leicester and is likely to be ousted even if no agreement can be reached between the two clubs.

The Foxes will have to agree to pay £1 million - to secure Pearson and assistants Craig Shakespeare Steve Walsh - unless a compromise can be reached. A third option is for Pearson and his backroom staff to resign but that would leave them open to legal action for breach of contract.

Both Leicester chairman Vichai Raksriaksorn and Hull owner Assem Allam have formidable business reputations, with neither likely to want to lose face by conceding defeat in the deal for Pearson. But Raksriaksorn has insisted before that he will not be held to ransom in transfer dealings.

Raksriaksorn had hoped to have a new manager in place by this weekend, leaving the new man a whole week to prepare his new squad for the visit of Crystal Palace a week on Sunday. That opportunity is slipping as the days pass and Pearson will be growing increasingly frustrated at his lack of input into whichever squad he will be managing after the international break.

Vassell out for season

Sidelined: Vassell is out for six months with
a knee injury 

Darius Vassell is set to miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery.

The Leicester City striker - a lynchpin of Sven Goran Eriksson's strike force - tore medial ligaments and ruptured his cruciate ligament in the Foxes' 3-2 away defeat to West Ham United and needed surgery to repair the damage to his knee. The 31-year-old has successfully undergone surgery but will be out of action for six months - meaning he is likely to miss the remainder of the Foxes' Championship campaign.

The former England man has appeared 44 times in royal blue having been signed by Eriksson from Turkish side Ankaragucu last year. He has scored five Foxes' goals.

Meanwhile, Aleksandar Tunchev has rejoined his Leicester City teammates after the expiry of his loan deal at Crystal Palace. The Bulgarian international joined the Eagles at the start of the season to gain first team experience following his lengthy injury lay-off. He made ten appearances for Dougie Freedman's side, helping them to sixth in the Championship table.

Pearson poised to sign as Leicester manager

Nigel Pearson will, Of Fosse and Foxes understands, be named as Leicester City manager by Wednesday.

The BBC have now reported that Pearson wants to speak to Leicester, as reported elsewhere this morning, and the Tigers are believed to have given-in after the Foxes determinedly approached the Humberside club to speak to Pearson for a second time today.

It is believed that Pearson will be unveiled as the Foxes new manager - again - on Wednesday, although his appointment could be confirmed tomorrow.

Pearson led the Foxes to promotion from League One at the first attempt and left the club after leading them to a Championship play-off semi-final at the first time of asking. He still has a year and a half on his contract at the KC Stadium but the Foxes' Thai owners will pay £400,000 compensation demanded by Hull - and a tidy wage for the ex-Middlesbrough defender - in order for them to snare their man.

Dietmar Hamann, former Foxes coach, has resigned as manager of Stockport County - paving the way for him to possibly rejoin the Foxes under Pearson. Hamann joined the club as first team coach under Sven Goran Eriksson before moving on to take the Edgeley Park hot seat.

Pearson wants to speak to Foxes

Decisions, decisions: Pearson could return to former club

Nigel Pearson is set to anger his current bosses at Hull City - by ignoring their rebuttals to Leicester City and going to speak with the Foxes' Thai owners.

The Tigers rejected an approach from Leicester for former manager Pearson over the weekend but the now-Hull manager wants to speak to Vichai and Aiyawatt Raksriaksorn to seal a shock move back to the East Midlands.

Pearson would certainly fit the bill at the King Power Stadium, with the Raksriaksorns seeking a man with Championship experience and a positive track record at this level. The likes of Dave Jones, Billy Davies and Roy Keane have all been overlooked as the Thai owners chased first Martin O'Neill - who is seeking a Premier League position - and now Pearson as the man to succeed Sven Goran Eriksson.

Hull defender Liam Rosenior has pleaded with his manager to remain on Humberside. Speaking to the Hull Daily Mail, he said that he would be "disappointed" in Pearson if he were to leave now.

"I am not surprised the manager is getting linked with the job at another club. But is it flattering? No, because Leicester are in the same league as us. Yes, they have got money but they are below us in the table so it is not flattering at all."

The Foxes indeed lie 12th after an inconsistent run of form, despite their big spending over the summer. Nonetheless the Tigers are only two points ahead of Leicester and Pearson - revered at the King Power Stadium after seeing Leicester promoted back to the Championship at the first attempt - has failed to quash rumours of a return to his former club.

"If it is a top Premier League club it might be different," added Rosenior, "I'd be very disappointed if the boss decided to go to Leicester because I think we have got better players here. We would all be devastated if he went. Hopefully, he will stay."

Conclusions from Leeds United

Leicester City	0-1	Leeds United
	(HT 0-0)
		Clayton 69

King Power Stadium, attendance: 26,720 (3,319)
BBC Match Report

Hull block Foxes' move for Pearson

Hull City have blocked a move from Leicester City and denied Tigers' boss Nigel Pearson the opportunity to speak to the Foxes' about the vacant managerial position at the King Power Stadium.

According to Sky Sports, Hull are keen to keep hold of their manager - who moved to the KC Stadium at the start of last season after being ousted by former Leicester director Lee Hoos.

But, with Hoos now gone and Pearson coy on speculation linking him to the Foxes' job, attention has turned to the ex-Middlesbrough defender who could make a dramatic return to the East Midlands club, which he led to promotion from League One at the first attempt.

Meanwhile, former Cardiff City boss Dave Jones has not been approached by the club.

O'Neill 'no comment' on City job

Martin O'Neill has refused to be drawn on ongoing speculation linking him to the vacant managerial position at the King Power Stadium.

When asked by BBC Leicester's Ian Stringer, he stated that he had no desire to speak about the Leicester City manager's job - on or off the record. In what Stringer says was a brief phone conversation, the Northern Irishman did not dispel rumours that he has been approached or distance himself from speculation linking him to the Foxes' hot seat.

With Lee Clark now out of contention, Nigel Pearson has been installed as surprise favourite - Bet365 offering 11/8 odds on the former Foxes' manager making a return to the East Midlands - alongside Roy Keane. Billy Davies and Mark Hughes, consistently contenders for the post since Sven Goran Eriksson lost his job last week, each remain at 5/1. Pearson, however, has denied claims he may be tempted back to Leicester.

"I'm not interested in it," he said, "People outside of the football club have been talking about it, but not me. My priority is getting [Hull City] ready for the game on Saturday."

Dave Jones, former Cardiff manager, has confirmed that whilst he is interested in the post, he has not been approached by the football club.

Clark turns-down Leicester opportunity

Linked: Huddersfield manager Lee Clark

News that Huddersfield Town manager Lee Clark this morning said goodbye to his players in a special meeting after training, have been proven false after he released a statement on the Terriers' website.

"We have woken up to another round of media speculation this morning regarding me and it is now escalating on a daily basis," he said.

"The speculation hasn't gone away and I apologise to anyone if not commenting on this earlier has caused any issues for the supporters. Regardless, now is the time that I want to put these rumours to an end.

"I am not interested in the Leicester vacancy. All I am interested in is moving forward with the job at hand at Huddersfield Town. My staff and I, and most importantly my family, are very happy here; we get looked after unbelievably well by the Club and we really appreciate it."

The Leicester Mercury have mentioned a rush on betting for Roy Keane and quote a report in the Bangkok Post that states Martin O'Neill and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer remain in the frame as they seek evidence to link people to the vacancy at the King Power Stadium - with little news breaking from LE2 since Sven Goran Eriksson lost his job last week.

Dramatic: Pearson could return to Leicester

Attention has also turned to former Foxes boss Nigel Pearson. The Hull City boss left the King Power Stadium under a dark cloud after being forced out by Milan Mandaric as the tycoon installed Paulo Sousa as a 'big name' manager to attract new investors to the football club.

After the takeover by Asia Football Investments - led by now-chairman Vichai Raksriaksorn - Sousa was given the boot and Sven Goran Eriksson named as Leicester boss. It seems that, with Mandaric gone and the path cleared for Pearson's return, it may not be beyond the realms of possibility that Pearson could make a dramatic return to the East Midlands.

Keane latest man linked to Foxes vacancy

Keane: Odds have been slashed on the
former Sunderland and Ipswich manager

Roy Keane has emerged as the latest man to assume the role of favourite to succeed Sven Goran Eriksson as the next permanent manager of Leicester City Football Club.

Paddy Power, Ladbrokes and William Hill are three big-name bookmakers who have slashed the Irishman's odds to 3/1 since this morning amid speculation that Keane was amongst the 13,286 fans at Turf Moor who watched the Foxes comfortably beat Burnley.

Keane's last stint in management saw him sacked from his role as Ipswich boss after nearly two years in charge, his side's inconsistent form leaving the Tractor Boys 21st in the Championship when he was relieved of his duties. Previously he won the Championship title en route to securing promotion with Sunderland but left after a humiliating 4-1 defeat by Bolton Wanderers citing conflicts with chairman Niall Quinn.

Many would cite Keane's problems with those in charge - his turbulent playing career is well-documented - and inability to find consistency at Portman Road as reasons for him to be overlooked. Lee Clark - rumoured to be joining the Foxes as manager with former colleague Kevin Keegan as director of football - is a much more popular candidate with fans, who still favour a return of Martin O'Neill - who is seemingly out of the managerial race - above any other candidate.

Conclusions from Turf Moor

Burnley	1-3	Leicester City
	(HT 1-1)
Wallace 23		Konchesky 20 Nugent  54 Gallagher pen 62

Turf Moor, attendance: 13,286
BBC Match Report