In the latest edition of the Business Monthly magazine we meet the company which combines making upmarket kitchens, with producing underwear and chemical protection suits.

We also speak to the boss of the biggest procurement group of its kind in the UK on supplying thousands of schools with equipment, how it helps small firms in the county and potential expansion.

Also, will the extension of Fosse Park badly impact on the city? and, after a spate of strikes in the county, are we heading back to the dark days of industrial relations?

Plus, the coaches who can increase your company's profits.

All this and much more inside tomorrow's 48-page Business Monthly, free with the Leicester Mercury.

A family which hit the national headlines four years ago by owning the UK's eldest cat, 24-year-old Blackie, believe her successor could well be Britain's Best Looking Feline.

The charismatic cat is a four-year-old chocolate seal-point ragdoll whose formal name is Boris the Brave but is known by his owners Quentin Shaw, partner Kim Harris and her children Tom and Scarlet as Bozzie.

Quentin said that when Blackie died she left a massive hole in the family's life and he went to find a replacement at the RSPCA re-homing centre.

"There were three ragdolls, Bozzie, and his brothers Brucie and Mr Darcy, needing a new home.

"Mr Darcy needed an eye operation so we took Bozzie and Brucie together. We hoped to come back to get Mr Darcy after he had it but were told that as we already had two that was enough."

The cats are believed to have originally been owned by an elderly person who could no longer take care of them.

Now he is fully mature at four years old Bozzie's character and appearance are starting to charm everyone who comes into his company.

"He's the George Clooney, the Brad Pitt of the cat world. Everyone who meets him is taken by him as soon as they look in his deep blue eyes - he's got charisma with a capital C and knows it," said Quentin.

"He is so loving - he eats with the kids. In fact he'll eat anything and will do anything for you if there is food involved.

"We call him Come Dine With Me because he'll join you at the table whenever there's anything to eat.

"There's some sort of air about Bozzie - he's so placid, laid-back. He walks like a model, as though he's gorgeous and knows it."

Although as a breed ragdolls, famous for their agreeable nature and almost-soft-toylike floppiness, are regarded as indoor-only cats, Quentin and Kim allow their star the run of the grounds at their Thurnby home although keeping a close eye on him.

Quentin said: "We have never had ragdolls before. Bozzie is the biggest cat in the street, weighing in at seven kilos, a big old eunuch.

"He particularly enjoys sunbathing and doesn't go far."

Although brother Brucie - official pedigree name Brucie Littleman - who is technically a "mitted" ragdoll with four white socks on his paws - leaves centre stage to his litter-mate, both cats get on well and often sleep together.

However, the real bromance for Bozzie is with the third member of the family's animal group, Coco the Yorkie-Shih-tzu cross who is his best friend, playing together and curling up as a threesome.

Quentin said: "There is just something, an air, about Bozzie, placid, laid-back and completely gorgeous.

"When Blackie died we wanted a cat to replace her but were never ever expecting a real celebrity like him.

Think you have a better looking cat? Tweet us your pictures: @Leicester_Merc

A female cyclist has died in hospital, a week after she was involved in a collision in Leicester.

The 22-year-old, who is yet to be formally identified, died in Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, on Sunday.

The collision happened on November 9 and took place in Regent Road, at its junction with Upper King Street, at around 6pm.

The incident involved the cyclist and a black Honda Civic, that was travelling in the direction of Tigers Way.

The cyclist was taken to hospital immediately.

The driver of the Honda was not injured.

Police are appealing for witnesses.

Anyone who witnessed the collision, or who saw either the car or the cyclist prior to the incident, should call Leicestershire Police on 101.

1.38pm: Slash Lane, Sileby, closed in both directions, between Sileby Road and Mountsorrel Lane, due to flooding.

For more local and national travel information and weather updates see the links below:

MOTORWAY UPDATES: For traffic updates on UK motorways and other key roads - http://www.highways.gov.uk/traffic-information/" target="_blank">CLICK HERE.

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WEATHER: See the latest http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk.co.uk/weather" target="_blank">five-day weather report for Leicester and Leicestershire

CONTACT NEWSDESK: Send us your news and pictures. Tweet us http://twitter.com/Leicester_Merc" target="_blank">@Leicester_Merc or email newsdesk@leicestermercury.co.uk

Police closed the M1 in both directions in Leicestershire today at around midday.

They were concerned for the welfare of a person on a footbridge over the motorway at Junction 20 for Lutterworth.

The police resolved the incident after about 20 minutes and no one was injured. The motorway was re-opened shortly afterwards.

Have you ever wished there was a quick and easy way of seeing exactly how many calories you were consuming, without having to check the label? 

Well now you can, thanks to this newly developed phone application called 'Calorific'.

Creators of the app have taken photos of food portions, which all have 200 calories in.

From half a burger, to a spoonful of mayonnaise, this phone application covers hundreds of food types.

Nic Mulvaney, who has developed the health and fitness app, selected 200 calories because he believes it is a 'nice' portion size.

Here are a few examples:

What do you think of this new phone application? Tell us what you think by tweeting: @Leicester_Merc

A persistent offender, who was caught red-handed with a bag of loot, was jailed for three years and nine months.

Tristan Woolley, 36, was captured after a vigilant neighbour heard the sound of breaking glass in Beacon Road, Loughborough, and alerted the householder and the police.

The owner and police arrived at the same time.

Neil Bannister, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown Court: "The householder let the police in and they met the defendant coming downstairs carrying a plastic bag containing the owner's digital camera and mobile phone."

He had also taken a spare set of house keys.

Woolley, of Rutland Street, Loughborough, admitted committing the burglary on August 6.

He also admitted two counts of handling stolen goods from earlier house break-ins, in June and July, including jewellery, three laptops and a camera.

They were recovered during searches of his and an associate's home and from a second-hand shop.

Woolley also admitted twice burgling the Grill House, Pinfold Gate, Loughborough, on September 6 and 7, when £11 of staff tips money was taken and also a 50-inch television, a satellite box and a box of crisps.

He pleaded guilty to possessing 2.8 grams of cannabis.

Woolley asked for six other offences to be considered - three house burglaries, a non-dwelling burglary with intent to steal and two thefts from cars.

Mr Bannister said the police were impressed with Woolley's cooperation by voluntarily admitting the previously undetected matters, and an inspector had written to the court saying: "His actions go some way towards showing his remorse and it allows my officers to let the victims know the perpetrator has been caught and prosecuted."

The court heard Woolley had 36 previous convictions, including 10 house burglaries and a robbery.

Sentencing, Judge Robert Brown said: "These are serious matters.

"A sentence of custody of some length must follow."

James Rowbottom, mitigating, said: "He's utterly remorseful and has wiped the slate clean."

He said Woolley committed the offences to buy gifts for his teenage daughter, to impress her, after recently getting back in touch with her, but was subject to sanctions on his benefits at the time.

He also became involved in drug misuse, which he has since been receiving help for whilst on remand in custody.

The fox hunting community is calling for the repeal of the Hunting Act on its tenth anniversary.

Today in 2004 the legislation was granted Royal Assent in Parliament although it did not become law until February 2005.

Many hunt supporters felt it would wreck the rural economy.

But that has not happened and anti-hunting groups are calling for the law to be toughened.

Traditional Christmas and New Year fox hunting meets still draw thousands of spectators in Leicestershire and neighbouring counties.

Three years ago the Harborough Fernie Hunt was one of the few organisations nationwide to be prosecuted under the law.

Huntsman Derek Hopkins and terrierman Kevin Allen, were found guilty of hunting a live fox and digging into an active badger sett which was confirmed on appeal and they were fined and ordered to pay costs.

Chris Parker, joint master of the Fernie Hunt, said the Hunting Act should be repealed.

He said: "As for its impact on the equestrian scene, there have been some changes. But I would say the sector is stronger nowadays and we are having more people attending meets."

Mr Parker said that the hunting community and many rural people were still sore at the imposition of the act.

He said: "It is a political act which is open to interpretation which makes it very difficult for hunt employees to know if they are complying with it or not.

"Hounds cannot differentiate between different animals to see if they are complying with the law either."

He said chasing a rabbit was legal as they were classed as vermin whereas foxes are not.

He added he hoped a future Conservative government would repeal the act.

Tim Bonner, director of campaigns at the Countryside Alliance who supported the Fernie Hunt in court, said: "For hunting, and many others in the countryside, November 2004 was a very low moment, but despite all the fears and the dire predictions hunting still thrives.

"Many honestly thought that the hunts would disband, and hunting people would take up some 'acceptable' activity like golf.

"Ten years on, practically every hunt that was operating when the ban was passed is still going strong."

Mr Bonner added: "Hunts can, and do, continue to provide an opportunity for people to see hounds work, and in the case of mounted packs, ride across country. They are, however, now limited in how they can contribute towards fox control.

"Ironically the Hunting Act provides absolutely no protection for foxes. It still remains perfectly legal to shoot or trap a fox, and in some cases to use dogs in the process."

He said hunts continued to offer a legal fox control service to farmers whose land they are invited onto using terriers or two hounds to flush and shoot foxes, but they cannot use a full pack.

League Against Cruel Sports brought the prosecution against the Fernie and chief executive Joe Duckworth said: "The Hunting Act has proven to be an effective and popular piece of legislation, with a higher number of convictions than similar wildlife laws."

He added: "The problem is not with the law. It's with those that flout it. It is time to build on the successes of first 10 years and strengthen the Hunting Act to ensure the spirit of the Act is fulfilled."

The League wants three main improvements: prohibiting the use of dogs below ground, inserting a 'reckless' provision to ensure the killing of wild mammals during a trail hunt cannot be passed off as an 'unfortunate accident' and increasing the punishments available to the courts so that the Act is brought in line with other animal protection legislation.

Alan Kirby, of Protect our Wild Animals, said: "In 10 years, just 33 persons from organised hunts have been convicted of illegal hunting, their sanctions averaging less than £500 fines each.

"Clearly the Act provides no real deterrent, clearly it needs to be strengthened to give proper effect to the will of Parliament and people - 80 per cent of whom, urban and rural now support the ban on hunting wild mammals with dogs for 'sport' it was supposed to have brought about."

Leicestershire detectives are working with police in Lincolnshire over a possible link between a series of six stolen digger raids on Co-Op cash machines in the two counties.

Police believe a gang which has struck four times in three weeks in Leicestershire may have carried out two recent raids in Lincolnshire.

Leicestershire detectives are hunting the gang who they believe has used stolen diggers to tear cash machines from the walls of Co-op stores in Sapcote, Asfordby, Whetstone and Newbold Verdon.

The gang struck last Wednesday at about 1.15am using a stolen digger to rip the cash machine out of the wall of the shop in Church Street, Sapcote.

A Leicestershire police spokeswoman said: "We have not formally said there is link between these raids in Leicestershire and the ones in Lincolnshire.

"But there are many similarities between all the raids so it is looking likely that the same gang may be involved.

"Whenever we have incidents of this nature we will liaise with neighbouring forces to ascertain whether there have been any similar incidents in their area and to see whether they have any information that might assist in our investigations.

"This is something that we do as a matter of routine but it would appear there are similarities."

The gang struck when a stolen digger was rammed into the Co-Op in Bradgate Lane, Asfordby, on November 7.

The gang loaded the cash machine on to a white or silver pick-up truck and made their get-away.

The stolen JCB was left at the scene.

The shop-front was badly damaged in the raid, police said.

Detectives are linking the raid to two identical earlier attacks.

On November 5 the Co-op in Main Street Newbold Verdon was hit and the cash machine stolen.

The Co-Op in Dog and Gun Lane, Whetstone, was targeted on Tuesday, October 21.

On October 1 thieves used a digger to rip a cash machine out of a Co-op store in Market Deeping, Lincolnshire.

On November 12 it is believed the same gang struck using the same method to take a cash machine from a store in Kirton , Near Boston, Lincolnshire.

A police spokesman said:

"If anyone saw or heard anything on any these occasions we would like them to contact us as soon as possible.

"We would particularly like to hear from anyone who saw a digger being stolen or driven in unusual circumstances on or around in those areas.

Contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

A Castle Donington woman who was reported missing last week has been found "safe and well".

Laura Butler , 33, was reported missing on Wednesday by family members, having last been seen in the village earlier that morning.

An appeal was issued by police amid growing concern about her safety.

However, officers today confirmed she had been found.

A police spokesman said: "She was found safe and well in the West Yorkshire area this morning.

"We would like to thank everyone who has assisted with our inquiries."

Leicestershire Police thanked everyone who had assisted with their enquiries.

Hundreds of people given their views to council bosses on a potentially radical scheme to revamp Leicester's Golden Mile.

The city council has completed a consultation on ideas to improve the busy shopping street in Belgrave.

Under the suggested changes traffic lights could be removed from the road and drivers encouraged to give way to pedestrians instead.

The council could become a 'shared space' for cars, bikes and people.

That could also making lanes narrower for vehicles and redesigning the road to get motorists to slow down and give way to people trying to cross it.

Critics of the shared space idea say it simply will not work in an area with so many cars and pedestrians as Belgrave Road.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "I am aware there are lots of different views about what we should do with the Golden Mile.

"That was clear in the recent meetings we had with businesses and residents.

"They have agreed to set up a group of 10 people who will go away and come back with what they think is the best way forward.

"That could be anything from doing nothing all the way through to far more radical measures.

"I have asked them to come back to me by the end of March."

A city council spokesman said: "We had more than 200 responses to the consultation by questionnaire, email and letter.

"These cover a range of issues including making pavements wider for shoppers, improving parking and loading and thinking about the impact on traffic of reducing Belgrave Road from two lanes to one.

Dharmesh Lakhani, of the Belgrave Business Association, is among the ten people who will report back to the mayor.

He said: "We are going to go away and try to find a scheme that works for both the residents who live here and the businesses whose livelihoods depend on the area.

"Personally I am in favour of a shared space scheme. It would make it a better environment for pedestrians while maintaining access for traffic.

"It would slow the traffic down and it would mean drivers won't cut in on each other like the do at the moment.

"We do need to do something.

"At the moment we have nearly 100 per cent occupancy for retail premises but it is a difficult trading time.

"If we don't make improvements people may decide "This is not for us" and move on if we don't get the right scheme.

"There's no danger of that happening at the moment but we have to avoid that."

The biggest shopping day of the year is looming with retailers expecting to make huge amounts of money and shoppers expecting discounts galore.

Black Friday, although only in its second year in the UK, has already become a phenomenon.

Shops are opening early tomorrow and closing later, and extra staff are being drafted in to cope with massive influx of bargain-hungry shoppers.

But where can you get the best deals?

Here is a list of links to the places we've found in Leicester - and online - which should satisfy your thirst for cut-price goodies:

Amazon

Apple

Argos

Boots

Burton

Currys

Currys main warehouse gets ready...

Debenhams

Disney Store

Game

House of Fraser

John Lewis

Highcross will open its doors at 7am tomorrow and is expecting huge numbers of shoppers

River Island

Tesco

Topshop

Schuh

Very

Vodafone

In her latest column, Yasmin Duffin talks about getting operations free on the NHS:

My heart broke when I readJake Golding's story.

It absolutely baffled me.

He's a 23-year-old man, who - thanks to a change in diet and persistent training - has managed to lose six stone.

You might have seen him in today's Mercury.

He now wants to lose the saggy skin that's amounted due to his dramatic weight loss.

And he wants the NHS to pay for it.

But his doctor won't apply for NHS funding. Apparently he doesn't meet the 'criteria'.

I think this is utter rubbish.

This makes me so angry.

There are plenty of overweight, 23 year olds who sit on their bums, not losing weight and then getting a gastric band on the NHS, for free - and don't tell me people like this don't exist because you know they do, we've all read about them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one for sponging off the government but this is just ridiculous.

I just can't get my head around it. He's lost the weight himself, like the NHS say to do, he hasn't lost it through surgery.

Jake has done what the doctors tell us all to do and changed his lifestyle to beat the bulge.

Yet, they are almost punishing him for doing that and rewarding those who can't be bothered to do anything about their weight.

And it's almost gone in a full circle now.

He lost weight to feel better about himself but he's been left in exactly the same position - feeling depressed because of his sagging skin.

He said he's been told by his doctor he can't ask for funding because he doesn't have 'problems like infection and irritation from the sagging skin'.

But you only have to look at the photos of him to see how much of a problem it is causing him.

And what about the figures that were released earlier this week, which said that people who have a BMI of 30 and over will now qualify for gastric band surgery. Surely they're just handing them out to obese people, for free. It's sickening.

It's just not fair.

And it's certainly not fair when you see the likes of Josie Cunningham getting a near-to-£5,000 boob job on the NHS.

It gets me thinking, is it any wonder people stay overweight? If they get the surgery handed to them on a plate, why bother losing it?

It's hardly encouraging from the NHS is it?

They should be using the likes of Jake as an example.

Not stamping all over his hard-work, dedication and commitment.

I for one am giving Jake a well-deserved round of applause.

He 100 per cent deserves to have the financial support from the NHS.

Thousands of people across the county will not only be buying presents for their family and friends this year but also for their pets.

You can even buy cards now for you pet pooch or cuddly cat now.

So we thought, to get you in the Christmas spirit, you'd like to watch this hilarious video of pets opening presents:

What will you be buying your pet this Christmas? Send us the funniest festive snaps of your pets and the best will appear on our website. Tweet us: @Leicester_Merc

Detectives are investigating after a 28-year-old man was stabbed in broad daylight in a residential road following an argument.

Officers were called to Western Road at about 12.15pm today, after reports that a man had been assaulted.

They arrived to find the victim limping towards Bede Park and called for paramedics.

Eyewitnesses described seeing blood seeping from a wound in the man's leg, and officers trying to shepherd him into the back of an ambulance.

He was eventually taken to the Leicester Royal Infirmary for treatment, but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Police cordoned off a row of six terrace houses to allow forensic examinations to be carried out.

No one has been arrested.

Officers have kept watch at the scene, which remains cordoned off

A number of people who live and work in the area described seeing a fight break out in the street just moments before the man was seen bleeding.

Shahid Shabbir, who works in Schnaps off licence, opposite the scene, said he saw the victim limping off towards Bede Park.

"I saw a guy who looked like he had been properly stabbed," he said: "I saw the blood through his jeans.

"He was limping towards the park and looked a bit shocked, but he looked like a strong lad and didn't look like he was going to faint or anything."

Another witness Dan Wright, assistant manager at the Western pub, which overlooks the scene, said: "I saw a bit of a scuffle and then one of them jumped over a fence and ran off.

"There was a lot of blood in the alleyway between the houses.

"The other guy then started limping off to Bede Park, but the police arrived pretty quick and put him in the back of an ambulance.

"I don't think he wanted to go at first.

"There were also a few people on their phones standing on the corner, but they scattered as soon as the police turned up."

Student Beth Smith, 20, who lives in Western Road, said: "It's scary. I don't like the idea of someone being stabbed in my road.

"I feel like I want to move out of the area."

Although witnesses said they saw a number of people at the scene at the time of the incident, police said they were not sure how many were involved.

A police spokeswoman said no one had been arrested in connection with the incident and that officers were still carrying out their investigations.

She said: "We were called to Western Road at about 12.15pm today after an assault was reported and a 28-year-old man was taken to the Leicester Royal Infirmary with puncture wounds.

"Inquiries are ongoing and the scene is being preserved to allow forensic examinations to take place.

"As to the number of people involved, we're still keeping an open mind at this time."

Anyone who witnessed the attack is being asked to contact police on: 101

Barwell can carry the county flag into the FA Trophy first round proper on Saturday with victory over FC United of Manchester.

The Canaries are the last remaining Leicestershire side in the competition and go into their third-qualifying round clash in superb form following a run of five straight wins in all competitions.

Barwell moved up to fifth in the Evo-Stik Premier Division in midweek after their 2-0 victory at Stourbridge.

Barwell's passage into the first round on Saturday is not likely to be so straightforward, with Manchester sitting just a place below them in the Premier Division table.

United are also one of the best-supported teams in non-league so Saturday's game is likely to be played out in front of a packed crowd at Kirkby Road.

Meanwhile, Coalville Town will be looking to continue their run of encouraging form when they welcome Market Drayton Town in the Evo-Stik Division One South.

After a torrid start to the season, results are finally starting to turn for Tommy Brookbanks' side.

The Ravens are now unbeaten in four, with back-to-back victories under their belt including their first league victory since the start of October.

Coalville sit 17th in the table, while their opponents sit two places and four points below them.

A victory for Loughborough Dynamo on Saturday, at home to Newcastle Town, would also be their first since the start of October.

Dynamo have drawn two and lost four of their last six, which has seen them slip down to ninth in the table.

They will face a tough test, though, against a second-placed Newcastle side.

Bardon Hill have the top of the East Midlands Counties League firmly in their sights.

Six victories and a draw from their last seven league games has seen Bardon climb up to second in the Premier Division table.

Their most recent triumph came at leaders St Andrews, in midweek, where a Richard Hanslow brace took Bardon to just two points behind their opponents with three games in hand.

Bardon host struggling Borrowash Victoria on Saturday knowing that a victory could move them to the summit.

They should be confident, too, with Borrowash still reeling from their 5-0 defeat at home to Bromsgrove Sporting in the FA Vase on Wednesday night.

For Bardon to move top, though, they will need St Andrews to slip up at home to mid-table Stapenhill.

The leaders are not in the best of form either – their defeat to Bardon was the third in four matches in all competitions.

Ashby Ivanhoe could also go just a point behind the leaders if they can secure a victory at home to Kimberley.

Blaby & Whetstone Athletic have the chance to move themselves to within touching distance of the leading pack as they face high-flying Holbrook Sports.

Blaby sit fifth but a victory at home on Saturday would put themselves to just a point behind the top four.

Ellistown & Ibstock bounced back from their FA Vase disappointment last weekend by putting five past Graham Street Prims in midweek.

A brace for Adam Joynson and goals for Tendal Chitiza, Thomas Rowell and Daniel Quinn completed the rout.

Victory over struggling Aylestone Park on Saturday could see them move up to fifth.

An eyesore home that became a notorious city landmark after standing empty for three decades has been renovated.

The detached home at 3 Narborough Road South in Braunstone Town has been empty since 1983, with the exception of squatters, rats and foxes.

After a long legal process, Blaby District Council used a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to buy the property in June and in August they sold it on for £127,000 to Brown and Green, a local property developer.

Nathan Evans, the company director, was among the team who took on the challenge of bringing it up to modern standards and it is now being rented out.

Nathan said: "It was in quite a state and the plumbing had all been ripped out and stolen. There were a few dead pigeons to deal with, too.

"The toilet behind the house had a tree growing out of it and the whole garden was completely overgrown and it was impossible to see the bottom of it.

"I drove a digger through it and it just left a tunnel the shape of a digger."

About £30,000 and 25 full skips later, the garden was empty and the house was like any other modern home.

A few of the original fireplaces were left in and reconditioned and the work also included building a new extension onto the back of the property.

Nathan said the job could have been much worse.

"I was amazed there was no real damage like damp or wood infestation," he said.

"I was expecting to find it rotten but it wasn't at all.

"The squatters didn't leave much mess and they'd even installed a door.

"I think they thought they become the owners if they did enough work on it - that was their understanding of the law."

The house's previous owner was Keith Wallam, a long-time resident of Canada who had bought it for his parents after they retired.

He recently made several attempts to sell it and accepted a few offers but the sales fell through because mortgage lenders were concerned about the state of the property.

Last December Mr Wallam told the Mercury: "Since I bought the house for my parents, the council has taken 100ft of land for the sliproad outside and there's been nothing but problems. It's been broken into and the wiring, kitchen and bathroom have been taken.

He added: "I had a buyer in July but it couldn't go through because of the CPO. This certainly wasn't my choice for how things would turn out."

Blaby District Council drew up a new policy for dealing with empty houses because of 3 Narborough Road.

Amy Grech, of the empty houses team at the council, said: "It took a long time to serve the notices and with Mr Wallam being in Canada it wasn't that easy.

"There were delays on his part in making contact.

"But we were able to buy it using a compulsory purchase order."

Neighbour Roger Mayes, 69, was delighted with how the house now looked.

He said: "It's fantastic. We've lived here 33 years and don't remember anyone ever living there.

"It just got worse and worse over the years and by the end it was a complete and utter eyesore.

"The house was a mess and the garden was all overgrown - it was beautiful for blackberrying, though."

Contrary to popular belief, I am not a man who likes to be in charge of everything on the playing side at Leicester Tigers.

We have hired former Tigers and All Blacks centre Aaron Mauger this week to become our new head coach at the start of next season, and he will have a big say in how we play the game when he gets here.

I also want Aaron to control our attack. I don't want to come in on a Monday morning and be telling Manu Tuilagi and Ben Youngs how we are going to attack because that is not my strength.

Scrums, line-out, culture, setting standards, driving the environment – yes, that's my area.

Coaching the backline and beating teams with ball in hand? No.

You won't find Aaron coaching scrums either!

We need to slightly change what we do as a club, while making sure that all the good things that are special to Tigers stay in place.

It is my job to ensure that happens, and I will make sure it does.

I have had lots of conversations with Aaron during the past few weeks and we are happy where we are with the detail of working together.

I am more than happy to have someone here who knows more than me at parts of the game.

Matt O'Connor was the last head coach I worked with and he was a strong-minded man who had his principles, and knew how he wanted to go about things. 

We worked well together. We argued all the time and there were situations where we both left the room angry with each other.
But that is healthy and, by the time the team got on the field, we all knew where we were going and what we were trying to do.

Aaron will come with his ideas and principles, and will stick up for what he believes in.

For Aaron, it was exactly the right time and he will leave his role as assistant coach at the Crusaders. They didn't want him to leave.

There are lots of things to factor in when you make such a big appointment.

You don't want too much change because players don't like change.

It is not a necessity that people like him, but it helps.

And is the new person going to be aligned to the club and what the club wants?

You always have to have that connection with the history and the fabric of the club.

Aaron understands that, but he also has that outside influence of the Crusaders and the All Blacks.

He has been here before, he has worked with some of the guys before and has worked with some of the coaches here before, too.

That's all important for us and we know that if the transition is going to be minimal, it helps. He knows what he is coming into.

His wife and kids will settle quickly and there is a good infrastructure so he won't have to worry too much about them. A lot of it is already there for him.

I'm looking forward to having him here. But that's next year. We have a season to do well in first and, after moving up to fifth in the league table, things are looking a bit rosier ahead of tomorrow's visit of Wasps.

Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson has ruled out a fairytale return as a player for Emile Heskey.

Heskey was quoted as saying early in the week he would love to play for the club again after returning to City as an ambassador.

However, Pearson said he had no plans to offer the 35-year-old a playing role as well.

"He has joined the club as an ambassador and that is the top and bottom of it, to be honest," he said.

"I don't think so (being offered another role).

"I didn't hear the comments so I don't know in what context he has been quoted or not.

"It is positive for him to be back involved with the club but you are probably reading a bit too much into it to suggest he would improve what we have got here already.

"It is good for the club to have someone of Emile's standing and stature associated with the club. That is very positive for us."

City have no new injury concerns ahead of Saturday's trip to QPR.

Dean Hammond is still two weeks away from a return because of a calf injury, while Matt Upson is still not ready for a first-team return.

Upson continued his comeback on Monday night with 45 minutes in the under-21s' win over Benfica, but he still needs more training to be ready for a first-team return.