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Nouble Set to Start at Leicester
Friday, 21st Feb 2014 12:22

Frank Nouble looks set to be the man to replace injured top scorer David McGoldrick when the Blues take on league leaders Leicester at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

Manager Mick McCarthy has ruled out Sylvan Ebanks-Blake playing from the off — “He’s not ready to start” — and has hinted that Paul Taylor will have to win a place in his side: “He’s got to get in the team and when he gets in the team he’s got play well enough to stay in it.”

McCarthy has also dismissed playing a five-man midfield against the high-flying Foxes and so Nouble seems set to line-up alongside Daryl Murphy — recalled to the Ireland squad yesterday — in place of McGoldrick, who is facing around 12 weeks on the sidelines having suffered a partial tear of the medial ligament in his right knee.

The Town boss has other decisions to make elsewhere in his side with Scott Loach having impressed in goal in place of Dean Gerken in last week’s 0-0 home draw with Blackpool.

Gerken is now over his neck problem and has been McCarthy’s favoured keeper this season, however, the Blues manager has tended to stick with players who have come into the side and done well, so Loach could well get only his second league start since August at the King Power Stadium.

Aaron Cresswell is a shoo-in at left-back, while Luke Chambers is likely to continue at right-back, despite Frazer Richardson having got an U21 match under his belt earlier in the week. Tommy Smith and Christophe Berra will continue at the heart of the defence.

McCarthy will be forced into one change from the midfield which started the Blackpool game with Luke Hyam ruled out with the hamstring problem which forced him off in the early stages until the Middlesbrough match in a fortnight’s time.

Paul Green could come in alongside Cole Skuse in the centre with Stephen Hunt likely to continue on the left, while Carlos Edwards may get the nod ahead of Paul Anderson on the right, the former Bristol City man having put in a disappointing display from the bench last week.

Alternatively, Green could start on the right with Jay Tabb or perhaps even Ryan Tunnicliffe in the centre if a loan deal to bring the Fulham midfielder back to Portman Road can be done with the same haste as the recent move for Green.

McCarthy has said all season that Leicester are the best team in the division and believes they have stepped up a level since losing in the play-off semi-finals to Watford last season.


“Jamie Vardy is probably more of a handful. He came in from Fleetwood and was an instant hit but he’s a proper player, along with David Nugent,” he said.

“Nigel Pearson’s got Danny Drinkwater and Matty James playing in the centre of the park, I think Drinkwater is probably the best midfield player in the Championship by a good stretch.

“Lloyd Dyer and Anthony Knockaert are two really top wingers. I think it’s probably the side, in the main, that lost [in the play-offs last year]: Paul Konchesky, Wes Morgan, Marcin Wasilewski, the big Polish centre-back, who I think has done really well, Ritchie De Laet and Kasper Schmeichel. Then they’ve got Liam Moore.

“Chris Wood doesn’t even get a game and he was the best centre forward in the league last year. I think they’ve just regrouped.

“I think they were as good as anybody last year, I just think they’ve taken it to a different level this year, whether that’s down to confidence or maybe being a year wiser. They’ve stuck together, they stuck with the manager, they’re just a top, top team.”

The Town boss says he relishes challenges like Saturday with few expecting the Blues to grab all three points from a fixture they lost 6-0 last season.

“I guess we’ve got everything to gain, we’ve got something to lose, but I don’t think anybody is thinking that we’re going to go up there and win,” he said. “That’s the little sprat that’s up there that we can catch.

“It would be nice and it would be nice to put on more of a show than we did last year because we got absolutely slapped. That was embarrassing.”

Town will be in their red and black away kit in which they are yet to record a victory.

The Foxes will be without left-back Paul Konchesky, who was red-carded in the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest in midweek, while one-time Town target Sean St Ledger (groin) and Tom Hopper (shin) are also sidelined.

Town have had the upper hand historically, winning 27 games between the sides (27 in the league), drawing 18 (17) and losing 25 (23).

Leicester are currently top of the table on 68 points, eight ahead of Burnley in second and 23 above the Blues in ninth. The Foxes are unbeaten in 12 in the Championship stretching back to early December, winning nine and drawing three, including their last two games.

They have lost only once in the Championship at the King Power Stadium this season, a 2-0 reverse against Nottingham Forest in November, winning 11 and drawing three.

In November, David Nugent continued his remarkable goalscoring record against the Blues as Leicester came from behind to beat Town 2-1 at Portman Road.

David McGoldrick put Town in front in the second minute but Nugent — who took his total to 13 goals in 12 matches against the Blues and nine in seven at Portman Road — scored twice in six minutes as the Foxes improved after the break.

Last time the teams met at the King Power Stadium, in November 2012, shortly after Mick McCarthy took over as manager, Town fell to their second successive hammering on the road as they were smashed 6-0.

Inevitably Nugent scored twice early on, the first a penalty, with Lloyd Dyer, Anthony Knockaert, Martyn Waghorn and Marko Futacs netting the rest.

Leicester manager Pearson was interviewed for the job as Town boss in 2006 but lost out to Jim Magilton, while no current player from either side has represented Saturday’s opposition.

Fans travelling by car should note that Leicester are warning that there may be disruption in the city due to the demolition of a flyover.

Saturday’s referee is James Linington from Newport, Isle of Wight, who has shown 73 yellow cards and six red in 24 games so far this season.

Linington’s most recent Town match was the 3-1 home victory over Middlesbrough in September when he booked Luke Chambers, Luke Hyam and one Boro player.

Squad from: Loach, Gerken, Chambers, Richardson, Cresswell, Mings, Smith, Berra, Skuse, Green, Tabb, Wordsworth, Anderson, Edwards, Hunt, Murphy, Nouble, Taylor, Ebanks-Blake, Lee.


Photo: Action Images



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bluemikey100 added 20:31 - Feb 21
2-0 ipswich win NOUBLE WITH A DOUBLE
1

blueboy1981 added 20:35 - Feb 21
bluemikey100 - hate to think what you could win with a decent stake on that !
0

wayway added 21:03 - Feb 21
I suppose Boring Billy will be playing a flat back ten.
0

karls_dad added 21:03 - Feb 21
Just pathetic! why why why is MM such a fan of Nouble? all anyone needs to do is look at the stats, or watch ten minutes of Nouble on the pitch, the man has not a clue! he has taken up the wrong sport, should have been a boxer or something cos he never will be a footballer! the only way Mr Nouble will be able to score is a deflection off the back off his head!
Now a personal message to Paul Taylor, mate if you can get any hint of a chance of another club i will personally take you there, you deserve much better treatment than this, you have a genune talent, a footy brain, and 100 times the vision, pace, and you should be at a club that will support you, i really feel that this is injustice, MM you have it all wrong, why you cannot see this i will never know nor will thousands of other town supporters!
Tomorrow i will as usual be listening in via the net, but i,m cringing already at the thought of the score, a heavy defeat is on the cards for sure,
-1

wayway added 21:06 - Feb 21
I've got a better idea, keep Taylor and get rid of Boring Billy.
-1

karls_dad added 21:09 - Feb 21
Just one other thought while i,m here, when MM signed SEB he stated that he was very close to match fitness level, so what has happened since?
Has he not trained? worked withe the clever fitness chaps? what has SEB been doing, its been ages since he signed for us! and should have already be playing in the first team!
If not why did we sign him...........................Old boy network?
1

TimmyH added 21:19 - Feb 21
Leicester at times have looked quite shaky defensively WHEN the opposition gets the opportunity against them (particularly Konchelski) so attack might be the best form of defense but this is simply not Micks way. Can't see us holding out for a 0-0 for 90 minutes so unless we get lucky from a set piece or corner I can see only 1 outcome.
3

alfromcol added 21:31 - Feb 21
Haven't lost with Nouble in the starting line up, good enough reason to have him starting?
3

thebeat added 21:33 - Feb 21
alfromcol we havent won either.
1

WickedBlue added 21:34 - Feb 21
For those saying it unfair to have a go at Frank. I think all of us would love nothing better than Frank to make us all eat humble pie. But the main job of a striker is to score goals something Frank hasn't been doing. And answer truthfully does anyone really feel confident he is the player to turn a game or to get us back in it? I really do hope Frank proves me wrong and we win tomorrow. But I won't be holding my breath.
1

Mach_foreignBlue added 21:39 - Feb 21
For those attacking Nouble: you'd do us a favour by supporting him and stop your hysterical obsession with booing Nugent !
6

chepstowblue added 22:23 - Feb 21
Ive every admiration for MM and its horses for courses in this game but when Taylor was at Pboro he was in my eyes the best player id seen in this division and im afraid whenever i see Frank the word awful keeps springing to mind. Taylors on a different planet ability wise. Im perplexed at how few chances hes getting when certain regulars are consistently average at best. I hope Frank does well 2mrw,i dont want us to be 3 down b4 Taylor gets his long overdue chance.
1

Miles added 22:50 - Feb 21
I hope Nouble has a belter so it will shut some of you up! Give the kid a break! COYB
3

EatonBlue added 22:59 - Feb 21
I feel an abscess coming on.
0

itfc1997 added 23:54 - Feb 21
Nouble is our best striker at the club so I'm not sure what your talking about.
-3

syntaxerror added 00:37 - Feb 22
I am ashamed at some of you so called fans.
Where were we last year?

And to the guy who wants us to get thrashed tomorrow (Bluey123) - you are not fit to be a fan. Despicable.
4

clint_eastwood added 01:39 - Feb 22
oh god...its that bloody Nugent again...
0

jeera added 03:34 - Feb 22
One thing Keane was right about.

Half of you haven't got a clue.

Wannabe managers spouting nonsense..
3

brittaniaman added 08:53 - Feb 22
If Taylor had been on loan to us MM would have sent him back to his Parent club by now ????
0

ITFCFan added 09:13 - Feb 22
WOW!! I can't believe the negativity coming from some of the people of here! I know it's a forum and everyone is entitled to there opinion but to the people who are bring very negative just think to yourself we have spent 50k on players which isn't the managers fault and we have a very small squad! So to even be in with a shout of the playoffs and not facing a relegation battle I think is a massive credit to the team and manager!! Yes at times the team doesn't always seem to live upto the march day expectations but I remember last season how bad we were and far we have come under MM, I think we are the of most improved teams this year and hopefully we can add more next season and make a real push, So have your opinion but just maybe think how well we are doing considering what all the other teams around us have and spent!! Come on people support your team!!! We're gonna need it!!!
2

planetblue_2011 added 09:23 - Feb 22
A point would be good getting all 3 would be awesome!
Gonna go for a 1.1 draw, NOUBLE the hero with the goal!
COYB
1

Langdon_Blue added 10:41 - Feb 22
Good luck today lads. COYB!!
0

Keaneish added 10:45 - Feb 22
With Brighton playing Wigan and Blackburn, Reading, today is a perfect opportunity to make a statement of intent on the play-offs. Our home form is relatively poor so we should be going to games like this without fear. Were not going down so we need to start going for broke against the sides above us.

Please release some of these players from their shackles and start allowing them to express themselves against teams above us. It's too safe at the moment to mount a play off challenge and we're beginning to drift.
1

warktheline added 11:21 - Feb 22
Wow,are we playing Barcelona today.Get behind your team and stop slating your own.
0

essexboy added 11:42 - Feb 22
Itfc fan,well said.with our small squad we need to get behind the team,not knock them like some posters on here.They must be the armchair brigade.COYB
-2


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