Blue and White. Pure Delight.

'Semper Eadem'. Always the Same. The city of Leicester's motto, and certainly one that could be branded of its football team. 

A provincial shareholder at the banquet of English football, a club that has always been well nourished, but has only rarely feasted from the top table. Until now.

And with such top table luxuries comes overwhelming publicity. From a shareholder to a stakeholder. From a nationally known entity to a global phenomenon. 

But a handful of years before Leicester's globetrotting exploits, a number of Foxes fans had embarked on their own international relations. 

The Swan and Rushes. "Traditional English beer-lover's corner pub". The kind of watering hole your old man would label as a 'proper boozer'.

Adjacent to the centre of Leicester, equidistance from the city's legal core and it's beating heart, Filbert Way. 

In the back room blue and white clad football fans pack the house. Empty glasses frequently swapped for another pint. 

The scene is one reflected nationwide. Supporters 'living for the weekend'. Leicester City's first traditional home kick off since late November. 

So what could a collection of the blue army possibly mean to the wider footballing world.

A number of years earlier a young and wide eyed City supporter embarked on an organised trip to watch German side St. Pauli. 

A venture that led on to the German city of Bochum. Sorry, where? Exactly, but that's an insignificance.

But here he was not to fall in love with Borussia this and Bierkeller that, but with Bochum this and the Bierkutcher pub. 

The latter was similarly adorned with blue and white scarfs, providing refreshment to its own resident football nuts.

The colour scheme was a sense of home, the welcome a feeling of one.

Many lagers later, but just a five minute walk further the list of similarities extended.

The Ruhrstadion is a bowl like arena. The classic 30,000 capacity modern stadia. Albeit a character nourished one. 

Coinciding with such a venue, a club's fortunes are typically mixed and thus the bond welded. 

Both Leicester and Bochum have seasonally yo-yo'd between their respective upper divisions, smattered  with occasional European forays.  

But even before such analysis had been made and comparisons drawn, a bond of friendship had been cemented. 

Then there was today. A familiar tale, as Bochum supporters travelled to Leicester, as vice versa Foxes fans had in January. In both cases far from infrequent jaunts. 

Hung on the pubs wall, a flag reads 'Standing with my allies". A case where the actions have spoken just as loud as the words. 

Got me singing the blues