Leeds Utd v Leicester City Boxing Day preview.

Merry Xmas blog readers to one and all and I hope you all have a fantastic festive season.  If you have a weird sense of humour , like me, listen to the festive preview track for a Xmas Eve chuckle! Of course a win by the mighty whites on Boxing Day against high flying Leicester would go along way to ensure lots of Xmas joy and merriment.  

The appointment of Simon Grayson, from now on known as Larry (Overseas readers google Larry Grayson for more info!), was unfortunate on Gary Mac but much as I was a fan of Macca he failed in two key areas: firstly he didn't have a plan B when the fluid passing game he instilled in the team was nulified (Histon/Peterboro/Millwall/Oldham etc) and secondly he didn't seem able to get the organisation anywhere near right for defending set pieces and crosses.

So what about Larry....................well for a start he's a massive Leeds fan which should help and he comes with a glowing reputation as one of the country's up and coming young coaches having lead unfashionable Blackpool into the championship (yes through a play off win at wembley!) and kept them there on meagre resources.  Now it maybe the latter reference to meagre resources that attracted Capt Birdseye to this appointment but who cares as long as he delivers the goods?  Let's hope we see the "first match bounce" against Leicester, the club where he played the majority of his games, and that he makes some good buys in the January window: ie a Goalie and two centre halves, with at least one of them an old fashioned "leads from the front" organiser/enforcer type of player.

Over 31000 tickets have already been sold for Boxing day so a crackling atmosphere is guaranteed and as Xmas is a time for families both the Happy Chocker and I will be dragging our respective brothers along to try and educate them in the finer art of Football watching.

For once the present Mrs Marching on Together and I have the majority of the Xmas chores complete and so we should have a relatively relaxed Xmas Eve.  It always amazes me how much food and provisions people get in for the festive period, I mean it's only two days before the shops are open again ffs, but that doesn't stop most people stocking up with enough provisions to feed 30 starving paupers for a week.  I have a theory on this, surprise surprise, that it's all driven by the "just in case" hypothesis.  Extra joints of meat, bowls of fruit, Xmas crackers, Veg, Xmas pudding are bought in just in case someone unexpected turns up. Other things that are then bought on top of the initial "Just in Case" list are  to fill everyones bulging bellies in between the hourly festive meals.  These include Dates, Bombay mix, Melba Fruits, Turkish delight, Nuts, Pringles, Satsumas/Tangerines/Clementines, Walkers Shortbreads, Giant tin of Roses choccies, Tin of Foxes Luxury biscuits,  the list is endless.  It's the same with drinks...........every conceivable request for a combination of drink are covered ensuring that most drinks cupboards will still have last years "just in case" hoard of Harveys Bristol Cream, Ginger Ale, Advocaat (Granny likes a snowball), 3 different Gins, 14 different types of Whiskey, Port, Xmas Pudding wine, plus all the spirits you don't usually drink.  If you don't believe me when you visit Auntie Nellie this Xmas and she asks "what you do you want to eat or drink" ask for a couple of Dates, a Clementine some Brazil nuts washed down with a Johhnie Walker Whiskey and Ginger Ale.....................she'll definitely have them in..............just in case!

Merry Xmas.

MOT

Anyhow a final Xmas wish and that is