Leicester City 1 Barnsley 2 - 14th January 2012

Foxes undone by travelling Tykes

Andy Gray's two first-half goals gave Barnsley a well-deserved win at the King Power Stadium yesterday afternoon as Leicester's disappointing home form continued.

The former Sunderland striker put the Tykes ahead after twelve minutes after some fine build-up play from Ricardo Vaz Te, before Lloyd Dyer responded with an equaliser three minutes later.

Gray restored Barnsley's lead ten minutes before half-time with a close-range header after the Foxes were caught on the counter-attack.

Leicester are now winless at home since November last year, a run of league form which has seen them slip to fifteenth in the Championship.

The home side almost took the lead early on when Lloyd Dyer was brought down on the edge of the area by Stephen Foster, but Paul Gallagher's low free-kick was turned away by Barnsley goalkeeper Luke Steele.

That save turned out to be a crucial point in the match as five minutes later, Danny Drinkwater and Ricardo Vaz Te worked a counter-attack to great effect before Vaz Te stepped past Matt Mills and found the unmarked Andy Gray in the penalty area, who had the simplest of tasks in slotting the ball past Kasper Schmeichel.

It was a well-worked counter attack and emphasised Leicester's failure to close the opposition down.

The Foxes were back in the match three minutes later, however, when Matt Mills' superb long pass picked out Lloyd Dyer, who controlled the ball well between two Barnsley defenders and fired across Luke Steele from twelve yards.

It was a well-executed finish by the winger, but the pinpoint long ball from Mills was outstanding and demonstrated the captain's ability to distribute play from deep.

The half began to fizzle out after the equaliser, but Barnsley restored their lead ten minutes before half-time when Vaz Te and Drinkwater again combined on the counter-attack on the left side, with the Manchester United loanee's cross picking out Gray again in the area, who headed past Schmeichel.

It was a simple yet devastating passage of play to undo Leicester once again, questioning their defensive capability.

After the break, Barnsley should have doubled their advantage when Matt Mills' calamitous back pass was tracked down by Ricardo Vaz Te but somehow cleared by Kasper Schmeichel with the forward breathing down his neck.

At the other end, Neil Danns fired over for the Foxes before Lloyd Dyer threatened the Yorkshire side with some neat footwork, but the attack was eventually thwarted by a resolute Barnsley backline.

With just over twenty minutes remaining, Andy King had a great chance to test Luke Steele when David Nugent rose to head the ball down to the Welsh midfielder inside the penalty area, but his wild shot was high and wide, much to the frustration of the fans behind the goal.

Barnsley continued to dominate the match as Jay McEveley's mazy run from defence tore through the Foxes' midfield before the full-back's clinical pass found substitute Matt Done one-on-one with Schmeichel, but his shot was beaten away by the Danish shot stopper.

Substitute Jermaine Beckford sparked some life into Leicester's attack, but his best chance was well-blocked by McEveley at point-blank range.

Vaz Te almost added insult to injury in the closing stages of the match when the Portuguese forward raced clear of two Leicester defenders, but his cheeky finish was saved by the feet of Schmeichel.

The final whistle lead out a chorus of boos from all areas of the ground, apart from the travelling Barnsley supporters who climb above Leicester in the Championship following their win.

Nigel Pearson's side have now won just three out of ten games since his return to the club, taking thirteen points from a possible 30.

Man of the Match – Ricardo Vaz Te

Nottingham Forest 0 Leicester City 0 - 7th January 2012

Derby day ends in deadlock

Leicester failed to capitalise on several clear-cut second-half chances

East Midlands rivals Leicester City and Nottingham Forest face an FA Cup third round replay after grinding out a 0-0 draw this afternoon at the City Ground.

Lewis McGugan and Andy Reid both had efforts on goal well-saved by Foxes keeper Kasper Schmeichel before David Nugent's header struck the crossbar.

Lee Camp prevented Matt Mills and David Nugent from breaking the deadlock in the second half, while Lloyd Dyer blazed over the crossbar from six yards.

It was a scrappy derby encounter, and one which failed to deliver in terms of action despite having the hallmarks of a pulsating match – although Leicester will certainly take encouragement from their second-half performance.

Leicester suffered an injury blow in the opening few minutes when Jeff Schlupp had to be carried off on a stretcher following a strong challenge from Jonathan Greening, which Foxes manager Nigel Pearson later confirmed could be a long-term injury.

The hosts looked to capitalise on Leicester's lapse in concentration and almost went ahead through Lewis McGugan, but his low strike was excellently saved by Kasper Schmeichel, with Matt Mills doing well to block Andy Reid's follow-up effort.

Schmeichel was then quick off his line to stop Andy Reid's close range shot after he had broken past Aleksandar Tunchev in the Leicester defence.

As the Foxes began to settle into the match, they began to offer more of a threat in attack, with David Nugent striking the woodwork from Paul Gallagher's free-kick.

Lee Camp was then called upon to make an excellent save when Kieron Freeman's disastrous header backwards had to be tipped wide by the Forest shot stopper.

David Nugent then caught Luke Chambers napping with his weak header back to Camp, but his lobbed effort over the goalkeeper landed just wide of the post.

After the break, Leicester were the stronger side and should have gone ahead when Yuki Abe's through ball to Paul Gallagher left the winger one-on-one with Lee Camp, but his shot was poorly struck and flew over the crossbar.

Gallagher then fired inches wide and into the Forest side netting from 25 yards out with Camp well beaten at his near post, before Matt Mills' powerful header was directed straight at the goalkeeper.

As the minutes passed, it looked as if a replay was inevitable, but Leicester wasted another great chance when some neat work from Jermaine Beckford down the left wing resulted in a great pass to Lloyd Dyer in the box, but as the ball fell back to Beckford, his shot again flew over the bar.

The best chance of the match fell to the visitors with less than ten minutes remaining when the excellent Neil Danns picked out David Nugent with a fantastic cross into the box, his header forcing a stunning diving save from Lee Camp, and Lloyd Dyer inexplicably fired the follow-up shot from six yards straight over the bar, much to the frustration of the 8,000-strong Leicester following behind the goal.

Beckford's snapshot wide with two minutes remaining was the final real chance to break the deadlock, and after three minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle indicated that the two sides would meet again at the King Power Stadium in just over a week's time.

Man of the Match – Neil Danns

NFL Playoffs – Wild-card Round: Preview

Home field advantage may not be crucial as history suggests

© - elviskennedy, Flickr-  Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers proved last season 
that home field advantage isn't everything in the playoffs

After seventeen weeks of football, the NFL playoff picture has finally been determined. Green Bay did not go undefeated.  Indianapolis did not go winless.  And Philadelphia will not win the Super Bowl, as many predicted before the start of the regular season.

The wild-card round is always very interesting.  Recent history suggested that home field advantage throughout the postseason is important, until the Packers won the Super Bowl last year with a 10-6 regular season record and a sixth seed in the NFC.  This year's wild-card teams are in the playoffs by merit, not by default, and could legitimately go against the trend, on the road, and cause upsets. 

Cincinnati (9-7) @ Houston (10-6)

Cincinnati have been a surprise team this season, courtesy of quarterback Andy Dalton developing a dynamic partnership with wide receiver A.J. Green, who was nominated to the Pro Bowl in his rookie season.  The Bengals struggled in a tough division against Baltimore and Pittsburgh, but losses by the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders in Week 17 allowed them to finish as sixth seed in the AFC and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

You have to feel somewhat bad for Houston. They capitalised on a weak AFC South division due to the injured Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning and clinched the division in Week 14 with a 20-19 win in Cincinnati.  However, they suffered injuries to first and second string quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Matt Leinhart along the way, and could be without T.J Yates this weekend after he was sidelined by a shoulder injury in the season finale against Tennessee.  Defensive end J.J. Watt has been outstanding for the Texans defence this season, which has been an important factor.

© AJ Guel, Flickr – Arian Foster will be key to Houston's advancement in the postseason.

  

The Texans are second in the league both in overall defence and running the football, but have lost their last three games.  They will look to run the football against the Bengals with Arian Foster and Ben Tate, especially if they have veteran QB Jake Delhomme under center. Cincinnati will need to establish their own running game with Cedric Benson to take the pressure of Andy Dalton. With neither team carrying any real momentum into the playoffs, the Bengals might just be able to sneak this one on the road.

Prediction: Cincinnati 19 Houston 17

Detroit (10-6) @ New Orleans (13-3)

When was the last time a 13-3 record didn't earn a first-round bye? New Orleans have won eight games in a row, lead the NFL in total offence and are in Super Bowl form.  Quarterback Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's longstanding single season passing yards in Week 16 of the regular season and is having an MVP-calibre year.  More importantly, the Saints are undefeated at home this season.

© ohocheese, Flickr – can any road team win beat New Orleans in the Superdome right now?

Detroit, however, present an interesting match-up.  Having secured their first playoff berth since 1999, Matt Stafford has been outstanding in his first full season since being selected by the Lions as the number one NFL draft pick in 2009, and has led his side to two consecutive comeback wins when down by 20 and 24 points against Minnesota and Dallas respectively.  Calvin Johnson has emerged as the league's best wide receiver with 1,681 yards and 16 touchdowns in the regular season.

What separates the 2011 New Orleans Saints from previous years (including their 2009 Super Bowl win) is their more balanced offence, including a three-pronged rushing attack of Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory and Darren Sproles, who have all been productive since the loss of the injured Mark Ingram.  This makes New Orleans very difficult to stop, especially in the Superdome where they have scored 45 points in consecutive home games.  Having said that, anything can happen in the playoffs (see New Orleans' 2010 playoff loss to the 7-9 Seahawks) and Detroit are a strong passing side themselves. The Saints should go marching on, but Matt Stafford will prevent it from becoming a blow out.

Prediction: Detroit 28 New Orleans 38

Atlanta (10-6) & New York (9-7)

Atlanta are back in the playoffs for the third time in four years under head coach Mike Smith, who has lead the Falcons to four back-to-back winning records.  Matt Ryan is having the finest season of his young career, and Julio Jones is showing why GM Thomas Dimitroff traded several picks to select him fourth overall in the 2011 draft.  The Falcons managed to avoid the Saints for the second time in three weeks with a big win over Tampa Bay, and with Detroit losing a shootout to Green Bay in Week 17.

The Giants are enjoying a good season themselves, with Eli Manning having a Pro Bowl year and undrafted wide receiver Victor Cruz putting up 1,500 yards in his first full season. While it has been tight in the NFC East, New York beat Dallas twice in four weeks to win the division despite a late surge from Philadelphia.  Momentum could be on their side, which is a good thing as they will more than likely need to go on the road to establish a deep postseason run.

© Jason Poulton, Flickr – can Eli Manning lead the Giants to another Super Bowl?

These two teams are evenly poised.  They can both put up points in a hurry, but can easily fall behind against tough opposition.  Interestingly, Atlanta have only defeated one team with a winning record this season (Detroit) and are just 4-4 on the road.  The Falcons will need to use Michael Turner and play action against the Giants' weak secondary to give themselves a chance. But Eli Manning knows how to win in the playoffs, and Big Blue are coming off the back of a vital win against the Cowboys. Ahmad Bradshaw is giving New York more options out of the backfield since his return from injury. On paper, Atlanta is the stronger side, but anything is possible in the postseason.

Prediction: Atlanta 24 New York 20

Pittsburgh (12-4) @ Denver (8-8)

Critics of the playoff system would argue that Denver should not be the hosts of this match-up as Pittsburgh have a much stronger record, but Broncos fans will just be amazed that they are in the postseason at all. After a 1-4 start, Tim Tebow was named as starting quarterback and led Denver to seven wins in eight games, including several miracle fourth-quarter comebacks - the most memorable being a 16-13 overtime win against Chicago.

© Jeffrey Beall, Flickr – The Broncos will hope to ride Tebowmania to the Super Bowl.

The Pittsburgh Steelers know their way around the playoffs under head coach Mike Tomlin, who holds an impressive 5-2 postseason record, two AFC Championships and a Super Bowl win. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has battled injuries this season to lead the Steelers to the playoffs for the sixth time in his nine year career, and is using young wideouts Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown to great effect.

The Broncos have fallen flat in the last three games, however, and with the Steelers coming to town, it could be the end of Tebow Time this season. However, Denver have a habit of bursting into life in the fourth quarter, and if the Steelers are not out of sight by then, it could be very interesting.  Pittsburgh's defence has underperformed this season, but it should find a way to stop John Fox's run-first option.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 20 Denver 9