Leicester City

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Earlier we asked what you make of the news that, from next season, the Championship play-offs will be expanded to include the teams finishing seventh and eighth?

It was announced on Thursday morning that EFL clubs voted in favour of expanding the play-offs from four to six teams.

Here's a selection of your comments...

Josh, Derby: I don't believe this is necessary. I do think that the play-off format should be aligned throughout the top five leagues, but expanding isn't needed. Better distribution of the monies involved and establishing a clear matchday structure to balance various men's and women's leagues would be a better use of everyone's time. This strikes me undue American influence.

Callum, Dartford: I think it's a good thing so teams can push for promotion that thought they wouldn't get near the play-offs.

Cato, Sheffield: If we adopted it to this season, it means that eighth-placed Derby (on 51 points) have about as much a chance of going up as third-placed Millwall (on 63 points). Plus, to accommodate the extra games, would they extend the season into June? I don't like the idea of it at all, and I hope it's short-lived.

Steve, London: Another example of football being ruined, week by week. Don't you dare think about implementing VAR too.

Mark, Stafford: As a Stoke fan, I think it's good news. The season has come to a grinding halt due to being decimated by injuries. Add to that, the quality of what is coming down from the Premier League, it would mean upsets can happen and still allow teams in that mid-table race to dream of greater heights!

Richard, Stansted: Absolutely ridiculous. What is the point of a league format if you are going to make it a bigger lottery to include even more teams at the end of the season? It also brings teams that are even less ready to actually be in the Premier League into scope. But mostly it's the undermining of the league format which makes no sense. I'm a Derby fan - and we look like we would have a chance of benefiting from this if it were in place this season.

Andy, Nuneaton: Anything that expands the opportunities for those outside of the parachute teams is a good thing. We need to get away from this elite view of the Premier League. If it was up to them, they'd stop automatic promotion and relegation and have a system like Rugby Union, where it's based on meeting certain criteria. The eighth-placed club in the Championship getting to the PL? Bring it on!

Ron, Hayling: Money, Money, Money. Players complain about the amount of games they play with the league games and cup competitions so the intention is to play even more at the end of the season. Owners will make some money but that's all that matters!

Barry, Dartford: Yes it's a fantastic for everyone, all the small teams as well as the big boys, to have something to play for. It will give the end of the season something to look forward to.

Benjamin, Poole: I'm a Charlton fan, so it's unlikely we'll come 8th in the Championship any time soon, however, this is ridiculous. More pandering to Americans to make it more likely they'll make money, which is the only thing they care about. Sporting integrity out of the window again. Shame as I felt the Championship was the last bastion of quality and integrity combined. Game has gone.

Broughton, Derby: Absolute ridiculous, put it back to the old days of three straight up, no play-offs. If you don't make top-three you don't deserve to go up.

Julian, London: The worst decision from a footballing point of view ever! The National League teams have been trying to change their system to be like the current EFL system so it seems a very strange decision for the EFL to take. You can finish 8th after 46 games and still get promoted - sporting integrity has been totally lost with this decision. Money over integrity every time!

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Leicester City defender Ricardo Pereira has acknowledged that time is running out for the Foxes to save themselves from a second successive relegation.

Saturday's 2-0 home defeat by Norwich City meant they went through February without a win in league or cup, and their only victory of 2026 was as far back as 5 January, against West Bromwich Albion.

"We need to get the most points we can in each game and not think we have time, that's the worst mistake we can make," Pereira told BBC Radio Leicester.

"We just [have to] think the next game will be better, get our points, and with the help of our fans, to get to our goal."

Pereira played six games last month, five of them starts, and although he has had injury issues in the past couple of seasons, he said he was feeling good and "trying to be in the best shape possible".

On the Norwich game, he added: "In the second half, they had more of the ball than we wanted [them] to have. You have to defend deep when you don't have the ball and it makes it harder and harder.

"It was a big game. To lose at home in front of our fans makes things harder for us."

Leicester are away to promotion-chasing Ipswich Town on Saturday, the first of 11 games they have left until the end of the season.

Leicester manager Gary Rowett suffered his first loss as Leicester manager and expressed his concern that his team conceded too easily in the home defeat against Norwich City.

Rowett told BBC Radio Leicester: "It was very disappointing [after two draws] after the way we attacked in those two games.

"There were some real positives from those games. Maybe away from home there is less pressure on the players but I expected a little bit more energy about the performance.

"We were waiting for something to happen in the game, everyone looking around and waiting for a team-mate to do something instead of doing something themselves.

"The two goals sum up this season. It's been too easy to score against us, and I have to do something about that. The first one we allowed them to come inside and create the chance quite easily and the second is a cross into the box that should get cleared."

Image source, Coventry City FC

You might not hear the old terrace refrain of 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' as often as you used to, but it still has a better ring than 'the shirt's not fit for you to wear'.

Championship leaders Coventry City launched a new collection on Friday, proudly taking inspiration from a kit widely dubbed the 'Worst of All Time'.

A take on the club's infamous brown change strip worn away from Highfield Road from 1978 to 1981, the modern reinvention features what the club calls "a deeper chocolate plum colour with sky blue elements".

Many would suggest it sounds tastier than it looks.

But it's got us thinking... what are actually the worst EFL kits of all time? Let us know which of your club's shirts is hiding in the back of the wardrobe, or even if they were too ugly for you to even part money for them.

We'll collate a list of the biggest eyesores and will give you the chance to vote on the ghastliest of all next week.

Click here to let us know your suggestion, and you can even attach a picture if you really want to convey the horror.

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester City midfielder Jordan James and defender Jamaal Lascelles may be available for Saturday's game against Norwich (12:30 GMT).

James has missed six matches with a hamstring injury while Lascelles has been absent for the past two, but both have returned to training.

"We are looking at Saturday, but we are also looking at the games after that," manager Gary Rowett told BBC Radio Leicester.

"But those two would be important players to get back in the squad so if we can do that safely we will do. I might have to put a few medical people's arms behind their back tomorrow and see if I can sway that decision."

Rowett has also confirmed that Abdul Fatawu will be available to start after coming off the bench during their 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough on Tuesday.

The Ghana winger had missed the previous game against Stoke with a knee issue.

"He'd not been available two or three days before and if I had started him, I think there would be every chance he wouldn't be available at all for this game," Rowett added.

"He's trained this morning so I think he'll be good to go for however we want to use him."

Image source, Opta

Leicester will try to end their eight-game winless Championship streak and climb out of the relegation zone when they host Norwich on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

The Foxes remain third-bottom, a point behind West Brom, despite picking-up back-to-back draws under Gary Rowett, at Stoke last Saturday and at Middlesbrough on Tuesday night, but have lost their past three games at the King Power and last won against Albion on 5 January.

Norwich climbed to 17th, eight points clear of the drop-zone after following last Saturday's home defeat to Birmingham with a 2-0 success against Sheffield Wednesday at Carrow Road on Wednesday night.

• Leicester have won each of their past five league games against Norwich, since a 1-0 loss in the Premier League in February 2020.

• Norwich have conceded at least twice in each of their past five league games against Leicester, as many times as they had in their previous 20 against the Foxes.

• Leicester have lost their past three Championship home games. They last lost more consecutively in the same season (outside the top-flight) in April 1914.

• Norwich have won four of their past five away league games (L1), as many as in their previous 31 on the road (D12 L15).

• Only three players have scored more away league goals for Norwich City this season than Mo Toure (3), despite the Australian playing just 60 minutes on the road so far.

Image source, Getty Images

Gary Rowett has already seen enough to believe his Leicester side can avoid relegation from the Championship.

The Foxes drew 1-1 with title-chasing Middlesbrough and have drawn both their matches since Rowett's recent arrival as boss.

Their performances this season have attracted criticism, but Rowett likes what he has seen so far.

"I can only judge them on what I see, and what I've seen is a group of players that are desperate to improve the situation they're in - desperate to do better in the league," he told BBC Radio Leicester.

"We've got some really talented players who have shown me in the two games that they can also play with great diligence, do the work-rate, and help each other to track runners and defend the box.

"They've shown a really good mentality so far, but we've got to keep it like that. It's just the start, but it's quite a pleasing start.

"It's a big point. You have to respect the fact that Middlesbrough are where we want to be, and perhaps were expected to be, but we're not - and there are reasons for that."

Caleb Okoli gave Leicester a shock lead but gave the ball away in the build-up to the hosts' equaliser just before the interval.

But they continued to cause Boro problems in the second half.

"I thought we were defensively very good for the most part. We worked a lot on stopping them from playing through us," said Rowett.

"We switched off probably two or three times. One was for their goal and that was a disappointment. Caleb made a mistake but reacted well to it.

"We maybe lost a bit of momentum, but then finished the stronger team. So there was lots to like about the performance."

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Leicester are poised to appoint James McCarron, director of player development at the City Group - the company overseeing Manchester City among other clubs - as their new sporting director.

The former Sunderland head of performance is due to start next month in a newly created position at the Championship strugglers.

McCarron had also worked at the Premier League, as elite performance manager, and was sporting director at Belgium club Lommel, another side under the umbrella of Manchester City's owners, between 2021 and 2025.

The Foxes are restructuring their hierarchy with McCarron set to work alongside director of football Jon Rudkin.

"The structure will change," owner Khun Top told BBC Radio Leicester last month.

"He [Rudkin] will go up above the sporting director, and the sporting director will take care of more of the day-to-day, work more on strategy and what we should play [like], what identity, what players should be brought in, and work with the young ones in the academy."

McCarron will arrive after Leicester were docked six points for breaching the English Football League's financial rules, although the club have appealed.

The deduction has put them in danger of relegation to League One - 10 years after winning the Premier League title.

The Foxes appointed Gary Rowett as their manager until the end of the season last week after the sacking of Marti Cifuentes.

Leicester drew 2-2 at Stoke in Rowett's first game in charge on Saturday, leaving them third bottom of the Championship, and they travel to promotion-chasing Middlesbrough on Tuesday.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked you for your thoughts on Gary Rowett as the new Leicester City boss before he took charge of his first match on Saturday.

The outcome? Well, much like the result against Stoke at the weekend, it's a mixed bag.

Here is some of what you had to say:

James: Gary will be more pragmatic and hopefully make us more solid defensively, a key priority given the amount we have conceded this season.

We need a bit of a drill master and Marti was not really able to get the full buy-in and commitment from certain players. Some players in the squad want to dictate when and where they play and are on Premier League salaries. First and foremost the 11 on the pitch need to show desire, hunger and commitment.

Hopefully, Gary will instil a bit of grit and deliver some home truths, but time will tell if it works out. We are just gifting too many goals at the minute and some players look totally lost and beat.

It's going to be a tough slog to the end of the season, make no mistake we are absolutely in a dogfight and League One is beckoning.

Gary: Despite some negativity, I think Rowett is a good appointment. We clearly need to shore things up at the back; so an ex-defender is perhaps a good start. But why didn't this happen three weeks ago?

Harrison: I think this appointment clearly shows what Leicester City has become. Another manager who again doesn't give you confidence that they will survive relegation.

The club is in a downward spiral with players on ridiculous salaries and not performing. No fight for the shirt and it shows.

Maybe we should get relegated to League One before the ownership take a reality check. Hope I'm proved wrong, but this could be a long dogfight towards the end of the season.

David: He's not Russell Martin. That's the best I can say about the appointment.

Rich: From what I've heard, the new manager is excellent at shoring up a defence and playing quick, counter-attacking football. He also demands high standards from players. If that's true, it's exactly what we need.

Gary: No disrespect to Rowett, but his appointment shows just how far the mighty has fallen. Leicester were linked with high-profile and successful managers in the past. This guy has been sacked by Stoke, Millwall and Oxford - very inspiring... NOT.

Ash: When you've got the likes of Dyche, Frank and Hasenhuttl on the market, it makes absolutely zero sense why they have gone for Rowett. I hope I am wrong and I eat my words, but sadly I feel like I will be eating them and having dessert.

Phil: I feel like it's a sensible decision, someone who knows the division well and has a track record of organising defensively.

A good thing that it's a short-term appointment too, after the problems we've had with giving managers long and massively lucrative deals and then finding it tricky to part company.

The appointment suggests that some lessons have been learned by the hierarchy, whether it's the appointment that'll get us out of our current predicament, only time will tell…

Image source, Opta

Middlesbrough will seek to get back to winning ways as they welcome beleaguered Leicester to the Riverside on Tuesday (19:45 GMT).

Boro followed-up their defeat at Championship leaders Coventry with a goalless draw at home to second-bottom Oxford United on Saturday to lie three points behind the Sky Blues at the summit, though with a six-point advantage over third-placed Millwall.

The Foxes remain in the bottom-three, a point adrift of West Brom, after being pegged back to draw 2-2 at Stoke on Saturday, though it ended a run of four straight league defeats.

City remain winless in seven Championship games on the road since early December, however.

• Having been winless in 14 league games against Leicester between 2003 and 2017 (D8 L6), Middlesbrough have now won two of their past three against the Foxes (D1).

• Leicester have only lost two of their 13 league games against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium (W6 D5), though one of these was their most recent visit in November 2023.

• Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their past five league games against Leicester (W2 D3), last having a longer run between 1930 and 1934 (9 games).

• Middlesbrough have alternated between defeat (2) and victory (2) in their past four midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games, beating Stoke City 2-1 last time out.

• Leicester are winless in their past 12 midweek (Tues, Weds, Thurs) league games (D4 L8), alternating between a draw and a defeat in their eight in the Championship this season.

Image source, Getty Images

Boss Gary Rowett said improving defensively will be key to steering Leicester City away from the Championship relegation zone.

The Foxes came from behind to lead Stoke City with two minutes left, but conceded to draw 2-2.

"The players are devastated because they want to win games of football," Rowett told BBC Radio Leicester.

"It's very easy to judge and label players, but sometimes you have to just see what they're about.

"At the moment, they've been really receptive to the ideas. They want to get out of the position they are in. They all recognise that it's not acceptable to be in a position we're in with the quality that we've got.

"But it's about doing it on the pitch. We can talk about it till we're blue in the face, but it's about showing it. And, in the second half, they did.

"We've got some really, really good players. But we need to do is find a really nice defensive base so that those players in the forward areas haven't got to score two, three, four goals every game to go and win it. We certainly have to be a little bit more solid."

Image source, Opta

Two sides struggling for form in the Championship will meet when Stoke City welcome Leicester City on Saturday (kick-off 12:30 GMT).

The Potters have seen their promotion hopes fade with just four wins in 18 games since the start of November (D4 L10) to slide from second to 14th - and are without a victory in their past six matches (D3 L3), in which they have scored just two goals.

The Foxes have lost four on the bounce, are without a win in six (D1) and have just two victories from their past 11 games (D1 L8).

Their six-point deduction for breaching PSR rules - which they are appealing against - has only compounded their woes with Leicester facing back-to-back relegations as they start the weekend in 22nd, two points from safety.

• Stoke have lost their past three league meetings with Leicester, conceding nine goals in the process and only scoring once themselves. They have never lost four in a row against the Foxes in their league history.

• Leicester are unbeaten in their previous six league away games against Stoke (W2 D4), with their last defeat there coming in March 2007 (2-4) under Rob Kelly.

• Stoke City are winless across their past five home league games (D2 L3), losing each of the past two – they last lost three home league games in a row in October 2023.

• Leicester have lost four successive Championship games and will be looking to avoid losing more in a row outside the Premier League for the first time since January 2006 (6 defeats).

• Stoke City have failed to score in each of their past three games in the Championship, last going on a longer league run without scoring in March 2019 (4 games).