Bolger departs

Leicester City defender Cian Bolger has left the club having agreed a permanent deal with Bolton Wanderers.

Doggie Freedman has swooped for the 20-year-old Irishman, who has never broken into the Foxes' first team despite three successful loan spells at Bristol Rovers.

Foxes Keane on United defender

Leicester City have secured the signature of Manchester United defender Michael Keane to extend his loan spell at the King Power Stadium until the end of the season.

The 20-year-old, initially on loan until the end of this month, is the latest player to join the Foxes from the Premier League giants in a growing relationship that has seen the likes of Jesse Lingard, Richie de Laet, Matty James and Danny Drinkwater all arrive on loan on permanent deals since Nigel Pearson re-joined the Foxes in October 2011.

The City gaffer told the BBC he has taken-up the option to keep Keane following his progress so far this season.

"It's still a steep learning curve for he has done exceptionally well so far and I am very pleased," he said.

Conclusions from the Boro

Leicester City	1-0	Middlesbrough
	(HT 0-0)
Nugent 70

King Power Stadium, attendance: 8,585
BBC Match Report

Schlupp trains with United

Young Foxes first teamed Jeff Schlupp is spending a week in training with Manchester United, Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson has confirmed.

The forward - who is known to play left back following a number of sound displays as deputy in that position for Leicester - was rumoured to be on trial with the Premier League leaders. It is understood he will train with the Red Devils with a view to a loan move elsewhere later this season.

Game ON - Club

Contrary to Police reports, Leicester City Football Club have confirmed that tonight's fixture WILL go ahead after all, albeit with a delayed kick-off.

"Tonight's game GOES AHEAD," City tweeted, "Boro have yet to arrive, so both clubs and match officials considering a delayed kick-off. More info soon..."

Boro Game OFF - Police

Leicester's home fixture against Middlesbrough is OFF, Westcotes Police have confirmed on Twitter in the last few minutes.

The pitch is playable and both referee and ground staff are happy for the game to ahead but Police are concerned about congestion on the city's snowy streets and have decided to postpone the game.

Westcotes Police tweeted, saying: "#lcfc match cancelled. Please be safe out there. Remove snow from all your windows and lights on your car. Keep in low gears for traction."

However, there is no official word from the club yet despite players including Liam Moore and Anthony Knockaert being forced to walk up to two miles to get to the King Power Stadium. It is understood that Middlesbrough's team bus is stuck in traffic on Narborough Road.

Danns joins Beckford on Terriers' loan

Leicester City midfielder Neil Danns has joined his Foxes team mate, striker Jermaine Beckford on loan at Huddersfield Town.

Danns will be available to make his debut for former City favourite Simon Grayson when the Terriers host Birmingham City on Saturday but will not be allowed to play against the Foxes in the two sides' FA Cup fourth round tie. Danns spent time away from his parent club earlier in the season with a seven-week stint with Bristol City. .

Whilst I was away...

It's been a busy few weeks at the King Power Stadium and whilst your correspondent was away for the festive period Leicester City certainly entertained those who stayed at home. Here are some brief Conclusions from Christmas.

• It got better as it went. The loss to Cardiff City was seemingly due to a maddening inconsistency in front of goal exemplified by Leicester's narrow victory away at Burnley. A Boxing Day bore draw in Hull followed - earning the Foxes a valuable point against their play-off chasing rivals - but will be forgotten quickly after a hatful of goals against Huddersfield Town (see below). The icing on the Christmas cake was the professionalism of City's display against Burton Albion in the League Cup, a 2-0 victory proving more than enough to undo the League Two side.
• City won big. The most memorable headline from this winter will be the 6-1 thumping of Huddersfield,  making Nigel Pearson's side the first since Dave Halliday's top flight side of 1957 to score six twice in one season. It is a landmark that speaks volumes for the attacking progress made by the Foxes since the start of the season.
• Steve Walsh has unearthed another gem. Although less hidden than other talents discovered by Leicester's chief scout, in signing Chris Wood it seems Leicester have got themselves a real talent. Only four other City debutants have scored twice on their first appearance in history. With fourteen goals already this season - and three bagged for City in his two appearances - Chris Wood has the goalscoring capability to lead Leicester's front line and forge a deadly partnership with the seemingly unerring David Nugent. Where that leaves Jamie Vardy, the Great £1 million Hope, Martyn Waghorn, the returning hero or Marko Futacs, the young pretender, remains to be seen.

Foxes sign Wood

Leicester City have completed a deal worth a reported £1.25 million for West Bromwich Albion striker Chris Wood.

The 22-year-old, on loan at Millwall, has agreed a three-year deal to keep him with the Foxes until 2015.

Foxes hope to Bag Wood

Leicester City have positioned themselves for a swoop for a new striker in the January transfer window, with manager Nigel Pearson distancing himself from rumours surrounding interest from the Foxes in West Bromwich Albion forward Chris Wood.

The striker is doing well on loan at Millwall - to whom City pay a visit tomorrow afternoon -
and whilst Pearson insisted he was unaware of a bid for the 21-year-old he did not deny his interest.

"Not to my knowledge, no," he told the BBC, "Speculation is not something I court. It is unsettling and disrespectful."

New Zealander Wood has been capped 29 times for the Kiwis and has been on loan at Barnsley, Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol City during his English career. He has so far scored eight goals in 16 games for the Lions this season.

Conclusions from the Tykes

Leicester City	2-2	Barnsley
	(HT 1-2)
Knockaert 9 Vardy 90		Dawson 27 Lazarus 39

King Power Stadium, attendance: 23,579
BBC Match Report

A Housekeeping Note

Dear Reader,

From now on, Of Fosse and Foxes will focus on Conclusions from games only that the author has seen first hand. This decision has been taken for two reasons:

1. The necessity to provide relevant, accurate and timely opinions unbiased by radio reports and featuring photos and first-hand reports from the game
2. Time constraints placed by work and changing circumstances that mean less time can be dedicated to maintaining and writing the blog

Whilst this move will see an unavoidable reduction in Conclusions posts, Of Fosse and Foxes will continue to provide news, opinion and timely reports from the King Power Stadium, plus at least two Conclusions posts per month - one from a home match and one from a game on the road.

Thank you for your continued support in reading and contributing to Of Fosse and Foxes - and up the Foxes.

Tim

Knockaert arrested in city fracas

Leicester City midfielder Anthony Knockaert was arrested on Saturday night, the club has confirmed.

Leicestershire Police released a statement earlier today to confirm the Frenchman's detention, allegedly following a disturbance involving fellow summer signing Jamie Vardy and a supporter of a rival team.

Speculation surrounding Knockaert's arrest centres around verbal abuse aimed toward the Foxes' players to which they are alleged to have responded.

The Police confirmed that a 21-year-old man was arrested at 03:15 on Sunday morning and has since been released on bail, pending further inquiries.

A Leicester City spokesman said: "We are conducting a full inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident. As a result of the ongoing police process, we are unable to make any further comment at this time."

It is not yet known if this news will affect Knockaert's selection ahead of Saturday's home fixture against Barnsley.

Foxes off for a Burton

Leicester City have been handed a home draw against Burton Albion in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup.

City have already played the Brewers on home turf this season, going down to a dismal 2-4 defeat in the League Cup in August.

The FA Cup tie will be played on the weekend of 5th & 6th January at the King Power Stadium.

Conclusions from Hillsborough

Sheffield Wednesday	0-2	Leicester City
	(HT 0-1)
		Drinkwater 41 Marshall 76

Hillsborough Stadium, attendance: 24,664
BBC Match Report

Nugent ruled-out of Sheffield visit

Leicester City's leading goalscorer has been ruled-out of Saturday's visit to Hillsborough following an aggravation of his neck injury.

David Nugent was substituted after just half an hour of the Foxes' huge 6-0 home victory over Ipswich Town last weekend and assistant boss Craig Shakespeare insisted that he was removed as "a precaution".

But Nugent, scorer of nine league goals for City this season, has now been ruled-out of the Foxes trip to South Yorkshire on Saturday, where they will face Sheffield Wednesday.

The club tweeted this afternoon and said they expect over 3,500 Foxes supporters to make the trip up the M1 this weekend.

Conclusions from the Tractor Boys

Leicester City	6-0	Ipswich Town
	(HT 4-0)
Nugent pen 8, 18 Dyer 27 Knockaert 44 Waghorn 53 Futacs 82

King Power Stadium, attendance: 20,779
BBC Match Report

Pearson comments under FA scrutiny

Nigel Pearson's comments made to the media following Leicester City's 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest on Saturday have come under scrutiny from the Football Association.

The Foxes' Zak Whitbread was alleged by referee Anthony Taylor to have conceded a penalty, from which the Foxes' rivals scored their equalising goal. Meanwhile City were denied their own penalty following what TV replays showed to be a clear handball later in the game.

Pearson was visibly incensed during the game and made his feelings known to the press in the tunnel after the match, speaking to Sky Sports, the BBC and the printed media to express his anger at the referee's performance and conceding that he would like to see officials made "more accountable" for their decisions.

"He [Zak Whitbread] got the ball," said Pearson to Sky Sports immediately following the game, "The referee was in a good position. If the referee can't get that right or if your assistant hasn't got the guts to give it, it's about time these people became accountable. We've had this taken away from us by other people who can't do their jobs properly."

He expanded on his views in the press conference later-on: "I'm not going to waste my time even attempting to talk to people who are totally disinterested in what's right and what's wrong. They have a team of four people out there, they need to utilise the four of them. For me it's laughable."

Pearson is now under scrutiny from the game's governing body who are yet to make a decision on as to whether or not the City manager will face a punishment for his comments.

"If I get in trouble, I think I have missed a trick because I have been careful with what I have said and how I have constructed my sentences," he said, "If I get fined after what has happened, then there is something seriously wrong with the game."

Danns flies off for loan with Robins

Out of favour Leicester City midfielder Neil Danns has departed the club on an initial one-month loan stint at Bristol City.

The 29-year-old former Crystal Palace man joined the Foxes under Sven Goran Eriksson but is thought to have become frustrated with a lack of first-team games after the Swede's replacement by Nigel Pearson. A Twitterstorm erupted at the start of the season after he started the season with barely an appearance to his name, and he has not appeared since in royal blue.

Pearson is thought to have shipped-out Jermaine Beckford, on loan at Huddersfield Town, for similar reasons and with Beckford and Danns off the wage bill Pearson may be given the opportunity to look for loanees of his own in the coming weeks.

Foxes appoint mystery director

Leicester City Football Club have appointed Shilai Liu as a director of the company.

The Chinese polo player was appointed on 26th October and his role is yet to be determined. The Foxes have made no statement regarding the appointment.

It is thought that Shilai is known to the Foxes' owners Vichai and Aiyawatt Raksriaksorn through his polo playing, with the Raksriaksorn family sponsoring the King Power Expeditionary Polo Team who recently played Shilai's Tang Polo Club in a high-profile event in Beijing's Forbidden City.