Linekar vs Ghandi?!

I was slightly amused/alarmed this week to hear there is a debate raging in my home city of Leicester. It's not over how many managers we can get through in the season for the briefly (I tell myself) beleaguered City or over the suggested naming of Humperdinck Way (after one of our many famous sons - crooner Engelbert), but about the latest statue to be built in the city centre.

While our Capital of Sport statue (something which amuses some of my clearly unknowledgeable non-Leicester friends - do they not appreciate we won the cricket and rugby leagues and football's League Cup in the same season?) was widely, within the city boundaries, applauded, the latest idea has caused a storm of argument. The Council announced they were going to create a statue of Ghandi, in light of his values and the city's multiculturalism - at the current rate Leicester will become the first UK city with a white minority, which I think is a very interesting prospect.

But no, some people have revolted and called for a statue of football legend, and another famous Leicester son, Gary Linekar instead. See report here. I chose this but has been across the news. Having given this thought, not too much admittedly, while it does seem a bit of a random decision, important figure that he is, to decide to build a statue of Ghandi in a city where he has no personal links, it seems somehow morally wrong to scrap him in favour of Linekar, even taking into account his goalscoring and club-saving heroics. So I say keep Ghandi and maybe rename something else, Linekar Clock Tower or Linekar Shopping Centre or something.

But let's add Legend Press into this raging hot potato of a debate - who do you choose: Linekar or Ghandi?

Tom

Comments

[Catherine]

Can't even argue the football case, think the Millers have just gone into administration...again! Conference, here we come!

[Catherine]

Being from Rotherham, only famous for the Chuckle borthers and fat mums posting chip butties through school gates, I think I'd better stay out of this one!

[Josie]

But Cardiff is the twelfth wh-hoo! Even Cov is bigger than Leicester according to that list. And wow I knew Bangor was small when I lived there but it’s right at the bottom. Where is St Davids? Sounds Welsh to me.

[Tom]

I'll have you know it's the 15th biggest city in the UK - http://www.ukcities.co.uk/populations/ - and also twinned with the following:

Chongqing, China
Krefeld, Germany
Masaya, Nicaragua
Rajkot, India
Strasbourg, France

I should be offered a job for the tourist board. Next week, I will reveal a list of famous Leicesterians...

Tom

[Josie]

Nick, Leicester is a town, (or is it a city?) about twenty-five miles from where I grew up. For all I know it has a terrific football team but I know absolutely nothing else about it. We didn’t get out much when I was a kid. For instance I had no idea that Ghandi was a famous Leicester resident.

[Josie]

When I was a kid I had two choices – either Wolves or Aston Villa. Not supporting a football team wasn’t an option. If someone asked me which team I supported I’d say neither, and would be met with a confused look as if I’d said I was neither male nor female.

[Nick]

What's Leicester?

[Tom]

Can't believe we're publishing the work of a Wolves fan?! If I'd known that...

Remember that day well - had friends visiting and on hearing score at half-time said, "Great, finally, a win." Damn.

Tom

[Josie]

How about an amalgam of the two – Gharyandi? That would show true diversity.

Erk, just seen Kevin's comment. How's that for great minds thinking alike?

[Kevin Chandler]

Hmm, it's a toughie. Jesus said, 'a prophet is not without honour, except in his own country' ~ but the opposite usually applies to footballers. Why not get the sculptor to combine the two, title: Lineker shoots & Gandhi saves?

What else would you expect from a dedicated Wolves supporter? (Yes Tom, I was there at Molineux a few seasons ago, when you were 3-0 up at half-time, and we won 4-3. Small pleasures, but we savour them.)