West Brom Preview

At the start of the season, flicking through the fixture list you may well have picked this game out as a chance to pick up some points at home to a fellow promoted side. However, West Brom have started the season superbly and had a couple of well documented performances against Man Utd and Arsenal. From Blackpool’s perspective, there is a doubt over Charlie Adam’s fitness, but should he be fit then any changes in the team may come in midfield with Keith Southern’s return to fitness potentially pushing him back in to the set up to re-form last seasons...

Blackpool Basics – The Formation

The Basics A weekend without football feels strange, but it also gives me a chance to catch up on a load of posts that I’ve been working on for some time. I’m going all John Major with this and going back to basics, however, I hope it’s more than his nonsensical rhetoric and I won’t mention ‘Victorian Values’ at all, apart from that mention just then. First and foremost I want to get the basics set down before moving on to anything else formation or tactical based. Since day one, Holloway has set us up to play in a 4-3-3 which ‘on...

Seasons Observations Part Two

Continuing on from part one, I shall pick out my key observations from the next four games. v Chelsea (away) Holloway admitted an error in picking Alex Baptiste in a defensive midfield role, a total diversion in tactics and a move that failed to pay off. The formation reverted to the usual 4-3-3 in the second half and gradually Blackpool played more coherent football. In playing Baptiste in the defensive midfield role, Holloway would have hoped to to see Baptiste breaking up Chelsea in our half. However, a quick look at his interceptions and tackles proves that the gamble...

Seasons Observations Part One

After my first match report from the Birmingham game, I want to run through the previous eight games picking out my key observations from each game to give an insight in to why I think we won, lost or drew the games. Blackpool have started the season admirably and have already scored some memorable victories, should this start be sustained then survival in the Premiership may become a reality. v Wigan (away) The season started with a match up against a Wigan team under the stewardship of Roberto Martinez whom Holloway learned a lot from during his sabbatical. However,...

Battle of the Ibrox Old Boys

v Birmingham (Away) 23rd October 2010 The match against Birmingham wasn’t billed as the meeting of two ex-Glasgow Rangers midfielders, however, at the end of the day Barry Ferguson showed Charlie Adam who was best on the day, which proved to be a critical factor in the outcome of this match. Midfield battle Games are so often won in midfield and with Ian Holloway setting up with an unfamiliar 4-2-4 formation Blackpool’s midfield struggled to get their passing together as they moved away from their usual midfield of three. McLeish set his side out in a 4-4-2...