Leicester City FC can make it into the play off's - JUST

Now football is not a science, we all know that.

Few things in the game that is English Football can ever be predicted with any certainty. Wel maybe that England will never win anything, Chelsea will have a new manager every season and Neil Warnock will always be a **** but apart from that nothing can be predicted with any GREAT amount of certainty!!

Oh maybe one more thing can be added to that list - Leicester City will flatter to deceive and put their fans through the wringer every season.

And this season has been no different. The question about is Nigel Pearson the right man to take us up is a topic that could fill many hours of this writers time. Suffice to say LTID supported Pearson when he came back, supports him now, and believes he is the man to take us forward long term. But that decision will ultimately be made by a certain Far East family who have pumped millions into the club and have the right to hire and fire. LTID hopes like every other fan that they make the right decision to take the club forward - only time will tell of course. But we should remember that when given time to build a team this is the man who took us straight out of League 1, something so called bigger teams than us failed to achieve, and then took us straight into the Championship playoffs only losing on a penalty shoot out.

But back to this season and time is running out as games come and go and Leicester are dropping points quicker than a brides drops her knickers on her wedding night.

LTID has got out its crystal ball, dusted it down and tries to look at what might happen in the final games of the 2012/13 season. But how do we predict what will happen when as previously alluded to football is so unpredictable.

How can a team go 7 games unbeaten in the League post Christmas, win their first 5 league matches of the new year, have their manager win manager of the month then follow this all up with just 1 win in 7? Simple really, just call yourselves Leicester City.

But this form mas we well know isn't exclusive to Leicester, Middlesbrough have been on a disastrous run of late that has all but killed off their promotion hopes, Hulls form is up and down which has seen then swap 2nd and 3rd places on an almost weekly basis. Palace went from promotion certainties to no hoper's to contenders again all in a matter of months.

So how can we judge what is going to happen? Well we can, and we did, look at the top 13 teams in The Championship this season, the games they have left and the results from the same fixture in the opening half of the season. 

And this is how it could finish

1    Cardiff City          95pts

2    Crystal Palace    84

3    Hull City 83

4    Watford 80

5    Middlesborough    76

6     Leicester City    71

7     Nottingham F    70

8    Brighton & Hove     67

9    Bolton W 67    

10    Leeds United    66

11    Burnley 65

12    Blackpool 59

13    Charlton A 57

Now before you all say NO this is wrong Leicester beat Ipswich 6-0 at home earlier in the season only to lose 1-0 away a few weeks ago we know ok. But The Championship has no respect of form, look at The Teams Peterborough have beaten, most of the Top 6. So this is as good a predication tool as anything. For example Middlesbrough are on a dire run of form but when they played their remaining fixtures earlier in the season they were performing better, hence their loft position of 5th.

So to Leicester's run in.

Leicester have Cardiff next up in our game in hand. A fixture we just cant seem to win of recent seasons whatever our form. This is followed by Derby who we seem to have the reverse effect on and silence every game. Middlesbrough was a game won by the narrowest of margins followed by a tough game against Barnsley. I say tough because they are currently bottom of the League and we know how City perform against teams occupying that particular position don't we?

Brighton could offer us our last chance of 3 points on earlier season results while Birmingham, Bolton could well see two draws before loss's to Palace & Watford. So to the final game of the season, and this could be a defining moment in the history of Leicester City FC and where will we be playing. You all know of course, at The City Ground against a Nottingham Forest team rejuvenated by the return of Billy Davies, but on earlier season results the points should be shared.

So there you have it. After hours of slaving over a hot PC. Referencing and cross referencing stats and form. Sweat dripping off our furrowed brow onto the keyboard and maybe, just maybe the odd pin stuck in bits of paper we have our final table prediction.

Seriously form is erratic but this was just for fun and one way of seeing how the league may pan out it is as good a guide as any.

So Leicester will scrape into the play off's and finish 6th which on our reckoning will bring a two legged play off semi against Nigel's old Team Hull, if he is still here of course, oops here we go again with that other argument.

Lets hope come May we are looking forward to a season in the top flight. My faith may be stretched at times but I still have it.

Leicester Till I Die Editor

http://www.leicestertillidie.com/index.html