The Leicester till I Die Interview - Alan Young

Yak Not Young Enough

Former Leicester City striker Alan Young has never been one to mince his words.

His punditry style on BBC Radio Leicester has been enjoyed by Leicester fans all over the World, from Beaumont Leys to Los Angeles and the Scotsman is relishing his new role.

The man signed by Jock Wallace in 1979 is reigniting his relationship with the fans that watched him then forging new ones with the next generation of fans that listen to him now.

“We’re live all over the World. Czech Republic, Australia, Los Angeles, Canada, it’s unbelievable. I have a Facebook site running now and the comments of support have been brilliant”

Young’s expert commentary is based on his experiences as a hard working centre forward, a fashion of striker that isn’t seen often enough these days, especially at Leicester City.

Nigerian striker Yakubu was the usual choice to lead City’s frontline last term and his work rate raised issues with many fans, one of them being the big feller in the press box. Young’s concerns over the Nigerian’s fitness stem from the player’s attitude toward it.

“I watch his warm up and it’s a disgrace. When you warm up your preparing yourself for combat. You need to get your muscles warm, your blood pumping and your heart beating so you’re ready for the game. He doesn’t do that. I look at him and he looks like he has hamstrings worse than Eddie Kellys!”

Young may have finished his rant on a light-hearted joke but the point he makes is one that was clearly evident in the strikers work rate, or lack of it, last season. The Scot wouldn’t mind a pre season session with Yakubu either to help amend his flaws.

“If I could get him into a pre season I’d tell Derek Fazackerley to run his bollocks off. When he’s on the floor and being sick, pick him up and make him run again” “Fitness was a big thing in my time at Filbert Street. Jock used to say if you can’t run you can’t play. Fitness is such a huge, huge thing in football”

It’s an area of the game that Young knows all too well is imperative to a professional footballer.

“In my first game at home to Watford, we won 2-0, I scored both goals. I felt so fit and strong. When you feel like that you want to impose it on others. I had Steve Sims marking me that day so when they won a corner I’d shout to him, Simmsy you lazy bastard, come on I’ll race you back”

The no nonsense, tough tackling striker is sadly a rare breed in English football these days but on 104.9fm on a Saturday afternoon you’ll find one screaming down your headphones.

Young himself claims he’s very optimistic about City’s chances of promotion next season and the fans will be hoping he has a lot more to shout about in his coming commentary sessions.

David Cockcroft, June 2011

That brought us down to Earth

Ok who out there are betting people?
Anyone have a few hundred quid on Craig Mackail-Smith joining Brighton & Hove Albion?
If anything it shows there's no betting scams in English Football Transfers as I don't think anyone would have taken the said bet bar a few die hard B&H Albion fans.

When you look at all the rumours & news stories it seemed that CMS was destined for big things.
The top goal scorer in the top 4 English Divisions, the world it seems was his Oyster.

Premiership new boys Norwich City & QPR were apparently chasing his signature armed as they were with their Sky Millions.
West Ham who were still to get their Sky 'Parachute' Millions, albeit less than the aforementioned two clubs entered the race closely followed by our own Leicester City & Sven armed as he is with his Thai millions.
Reports surfaced that Peterborough had accepted our offer and talks had taken place.

Even the Peterborough Chairman came out and said it looked odds on that CMS would be making the short journey down the A47 to The Walkers.

But then the delays started. Could personal terms not be agreed? Had another club made a last ditch bid ?
Well the second was the case, but I would never have believed that club would have been Brighton.
I was expecting a Premiership club at least.

Surly only a team of Premiership standing could blow us out the water when it comes to transfers.
After all, we had beaten The mighty Glasgow Rangers to the signing of Neil Danns, and we were competing to beat Premier League Clubs to the signatures of Routledge, Mills, Nugent & Pilkington.
We are in the hunt for World Cup Stars from the likes of South Africa. Our manager is the ex England manager Sven Goran Eriksson & we have money to burn.
We were being linked still with Yakubu & a host of Premiership loanees.

How could any player not not want be part of the Leicester City revolution ?

Well CMS did. Choosing Brighton over us was a shock to my LCFC system.
He had chosen a club that had just come up from League 1. The journey he had only just made himself with Peterborough.
A club that was, in fairness to them, a lot smaller than Leicester in fact a club that was probably not much bigger than the one he was leaving.

But seeing them move into a new stadium and an ambitious manager turned Craig's head so it seems.
I would put forward the fact that of all the teams mentioned Brighton would be the place he would be first choice on the team sheet week in week out was the main factor in his decision.

He would have looked over at The Walkers and seen what had happened to the likes of Matty Fryatt, one time LCFC top scorer but sold by Eriksson and to the likes of Martyn Waghorn, one time crowd favourite but far from being a regular starter for The Foxes.
And of course, we all know Svens reputation for tinkering with a wining team.

But this was also a wake up call that at the end of the day we are still Leicester City.
Still just a Championship side albeit hopefully only for one more season.

Lets get realistic and say we are a way off getting every player we want just because we are Leicester City with Sven & The Thai's millions.

Chelsea are still trying to buy the Champions League title & will probably go through every manager available, and not in some cases, before they do. Blackburn Rovers bought the title for one season but precious little else & look where they are now & Manchester United tried to buy the title for years & couldn't but found a certain Scottish manager, had a little luck & patience and the rest is History.

So thank you Craig for this wake up call.
You have done what you feel is best for you, and I kinda respect you for that

For Leicester fans, well keep the faith in Sven. CMS was untried at this level and you could say was overpriced for an unproven Championship Striker. A player who may have turned out to be no better than Matty Fryatt.

Fozza1
LTID editor