Filbert Street points help Strachan

When Leicester City won a point at Sunderland to go top of the Premiership in October, the Filbert Street crowd could have been forgiven for thinking: 'Martin who?'

Peter Taylor had taken over at Leicester City from Martin O'Neill, who had left to lead Celtic to the Scottish Premier title, and the future looked bright.

Taylor even seemed to be coping with his dual role as assistant England coach under Sven Goran Eriksson.

However, the sale of Neil Lennon and the gradual e rosion of the famous

Filbert Street fighting spirit showed that optimism to be particularly ill-founded.

Four successive Premiership defeats and an embarrassing FA Cup loss at home to Second Division strugglers Wycombe mean questions are beginning to be asked.

Taylor's reply yesterday, after

a 3-1 home defeat by Coventry, was: 'If I felt that my job with Leicester was being affected, then y e s , I w ould step down, bu t the three goals we gave away today were nothing to do with England.

'I don't really know what the reason for it is, but maybe the Wycombe result hurt us more than I thought.

'All three goals were just given away and that is not acceptable.'

Leicester's defeat was more to do with the fact that the quintet of Lennon, Robbie Savage, Muzzy Izzet, Emile Heskey and Matt Elliott has been reduced by two.

So much of Leicester's success was down to them. But the famous five are no longer.

Of the remaining trio, Savage is unlikely to play much part in the rest of the season while Izzet played his first game since injury against the Sky Blues and Elliott came off at half-time with a groin strain.

It doesn't make particularly happy reading for Leicester fans to know that Junior Lewis, Damien Delaney and Lee Marshall are in the wings.

The Sky Blues, however, belied their position in the Premiership relegation zone with a performance of verve and attacking intent.

John Hartson's arrival has been the catalyst and Craig Bellamy is finding his feet out on the left - it was from his sidefoot that the visitors took a shock first minute lead.

Leicester hit back when Coventry keeper Chris Kirkland could only parry Arnar Gunnlaugsson's shot to Ade Akinbiyi, the outstanding Carsley headed a 19th minute second and the equally impressive Hartson nodded a third five minutes after the break.