Vardy given the Birch as a reminder
AT Leicester, they have a way of bringing Jamie Vardy down a peg or two.
He is made to watch a goal from the 1970s scored by Mr Leicester City. To Foxes fans, that is Alan Birchenall MBE.
The club ambassador is known for his battered optimism, good heart, charity work and a goal that, 47 years on, gets better with age.
“Every year or two, I say I push it back a few yards!” is his joke.
Birchenall was one of the first signings made by the late Jimmy Bloomfield, a manager, who, in the words of Jon Sammels “wanted us to play the right way”.
Keith Weller and Frank Worthington knew how to play and the Leeds team of 1973-74 had their stars as well, including Allan Clarke, who built his reputation as a ‘Sniffer’ out of chances at Leicester.
In October 1973, manager Don Revie’s team were on their way to a second First Division championship in six seasons.
At Leicester, they found themselves 2-0 down. Worthington, who would end the season with 20 top-flight goals, beat Leeds keeper David Harvey to Sammels’ lofted pass to poke Leicester into the lead.
‘The Claw’ then doubled it – that is the nickname Birchenall gave his left foot.
Mike Stringfellow’s backheel rolled into Birchenall’s path.
He took a touch with his right boot and, from 30 yards out, ‘The Claw’ did the rest.
The ball flew beyond Harvey’s fingertips, crashed on to the underside of the bar and into the net.
“It keeps some people quiet that we have here at the club,” grinned Birchenall, who missed out on playing for Chelsea in the 1970 FA Cup Final through injury.
“I won’t mention any names, but he plays centre-forward for us at the moment.
“He’s knocked in a few, but every time he has a pop at me, I say, ‘Go and have a look at that’ – because he only gets them in the six-yard box.”
The truth is, there are some belters among the 111 top-flight goals Vardy has scored for the Foxes.
The haul includes seven in 11 games against the champions – and this evening’s hosts – Liverpool.
One of the picks is Vardy’s wonderful dipping strike at the King Power Stadium in February 2016.
That 2-0 win kept the Foxes on course for the Premier League title.
Under Bloomfield, Leicester had a highest finish of seventh in 1976 and were FA Cup semifinalists in 1974. Their performance in the 4-0 win at Luton during that cup run even drew comparisons with Brazil!
By half-time against Leeds that season, Revie’s men were level. Mick Jones pulled one back and, from a quickly taken free-kick, Billy Bremner equalised.
“It’s a special era and it was, I suppose, a special goal,” said Birchenall, who is now 75 years old.
“It’s one of them – it either goes where it went or it ends up in the centre of town!”
not emotion that makes me say this, but simply a result of looking at the statistics.
“As for me, I work hard in training – and then on the field I do what Jurgen Klopp tells me. That is my working philosophy, always.”
Jota has scored six goals in the last five games for his new club and, when you take into account his goals for Portugal, he has already reached double figures for the season.
Firmino, 29, has scored just once for Liverpool since July.
But he is famous for knitting Anfield’s holy trinity together, and is one of the players who has been there from the very start under Klopp, having been signed by the German’s predecessor Brendan Rodgers.
Firmino is looking forward to today’s clash with Leicester and lining up against his old gaffer.
He said: “Brendan is a good coach. I didn’t have him as a boss for long, but he supported my arrival at Liverpool.
“It’s a very good Leicester team and no surprise they have been at the top of the table.
“I see them as being in the fight for the title – but we can say the same.”