Leicester have the best defensive record in the division and they will have kept clean sheets against far better strike forces than our one paced and immobile pairing, but, by the same token, they have a very poor goalscoring record and, apart from some tremendous quality dead ball deliveries from Sheehan, they had very little to threaten us last night.
Of course, you have to look at the last two games in the context of do they keep our manager in a job - I'll say here and now that I think he should have gone after the Charlton game (if not before!), but, I'll concede that by keeping a couple of all too rare clean sheets, albeit in matches of no great quality, the team have shown that they are prepared to try and fight their way out of the hole they find themselves in.
However, four points out of six doesn't suddenly make us a good team and, apart from better defending, all of the faults that have dogged us this season were still present on Saturday and at Leicester. Now, I think it needs to be said that it would not be fair to have expected us to be full of running when our previous game had finished just fifty one hours earlier, but, what having two games so close together did was to bring into sharper focus exactly what sort of team we are.
I agree with those who said that we generally shaded the first two thirds of the game, but it was all too deliberate and predictable - although having Thommo in there does give us an "out ball", generally speaking we do have to play deliberate and predictable football with the strikers we have and a good defence like Leicester's will cope with that pretty easily. However, around the sixty five minute mark, two things happened, firstly, most of our players ran out of steam and, secondly, Leicester brought on three lively and, on this evidence, pretty talented youngsters and for the rest of the match, they proceeded to run our plodding team ragged!
Who knows if it would it have been different if our manager had shown some faith in the two youngsters who did so well for Wales Under 21's last week and given himself the option of bringing them off the bench last night, but, to no one's great surprise he didn't and we ended up being run ragged with only a combination of great goalkeeping, poor finishing and good last ditch defending keeping us on terms - when a team is as short of youthful energy and vibrancy as our starting eleven last night was, surely it makes sense to have players who offers those qualities on the bench?
Anyway, an away point is never something to be sneezed at and I'll finish by giving marks out of ten for last night's team;-
Schmeichel 9 - I mentioned last week that he hadn't done much to show he was better than Oakes in his first three matches with us but he has now! A remarkable save in the first half from him and, if dealing with crosses really is a weakness in his game, he dealt well enough with some really good quality balls into the box last night. One other thing, I see Blueaway said Dave Jones deserved praise for bringing him here, well I'd say it should only be qualified praise - we only got him because he couldn't sign for Coventry, not for the first time, Dave Jones was reacting to events rather than instigating them.
Gunter 6 - Worst performance out of his last four, but, as they have all been played within the last nine days I think he can be excused that! Still solid enough though.
Purse 7- Benefitting from a run of games and now looking well worth his place in the starting line up.
Loovens 7 - Continued his improvement in form, but a couple of late errors may well have betrayed the tiredness so many of his team mates were showing.
Capaldi 5 - Better than some of his recent displays, but it says it all really when a so-so display like last night can be described as "better"!
Parry 5 - Hampered by a lack of service, showed what he is capable of when skinning his full back, but, as too often with him, his crossing was disappointing. That said, we'll miss him if he is out for a while, because, without him, we will have even less pace and vibrancy than ever!
Rae 5 - I thought he had one of his better matches for us on Saturday, but not at his best last night.
McPhail 5 - His performance epitomised the teams really - tidy enough, albeit with no cutting edge for sixty five minutes, then blown away in the last twenty five.
Ledley 6 - Not for the first time when returning from International football, Joe hasn't been at his best in the last two matches. However, it says it all really that, four games in nine days and a pair of tight hamstrings or not, he showed a level of energy and drive in the last ten minutes that put his midfield colleagues to shame!
Hasselbaink 4 - Maybe if he had been watching us all season, Gary Birtles would not have would not have spent so much time criticising our midfield for not providing Hasselbaink with the perfect service he demands. Yes, the midfield haven't been the best at bringing the best out of our veteran strikers this season, but, it's a two way thing and their lack on movement and pace make it so hard for McPhail and co to find them. If he was on his game and scoring goals, then you might forget about how much he was being paid and Hasselbaink's constant whingeing at his colleagues would be quite entertaining, last night he just came across as a petulant prima donna.
Thompson 5 - Has shown in the last three games that he is probably our best option up front and, injuries permitting, I would have him in the starting line up for the rest of the year. In saying that though, it strikes me that the limitations that became more apparent as last season wore on are still there. Was effective up to a point last night for an hour, but then looked out on his feet for the rest of the game - the biggest indictment of Hasselbaink's display last night was surely that Thommo stayed on the pitch for the full ninety minutes!
Whittingham 6- Only gets that mark because of his excellent shot against the bar when he first came on - apart from a couple of free kicks (one of which was absolutely woeful!), I barely noticed him after that. For me, Whittingham is the most frustrating player on our books. I want someone with ability like his to impose himself on matches by taking them by the scruff of the neck, but for eight months the opposite has been happening - will we ever see the player who had such a great first two months in a City shirt again?
MacLean no marking - Did he touch the ball?