Oh, the frustration.

If, doubtful as it is, Chris Basham stumbles across this and gives it a read, then Chris, you have my sympathy. On his 2^nd start of the season at Southampton, he put in a fantastic, battling display, was arguably Blackpool’s Man of the Match, and the game started to slip away from Pool when he was withdrawn. None of that helped him, however, when it came to team selection for Watford, as he was dropped back to the bench in favour of LuaLua, as Ollie chose to go with the supposedly more attacking line-up.

As a long term supporter of Gary Taylor-Fletcher, defending him when out of form, smug when he plays to the peak of his undoubtedly massive ability, I was as surprised as any when I found myself leaving Bloomfield Road highlighting Taylor-Fletcher’s performance as a key in why Blackpool failed to break down what, in fairness, was a fantastic defensive display in the second half from the visitors.

The most disheartening thing about Taylor-Fletcher’s poor display was his, and in fairness, a number of other Blackpool player’s failure to put their body on the line to help the team’s cause. Far too often, when the ball dropped into an area between a Watford player and a Blackpool player, it was the man in white who was ready to put themselves into harm’s way to make sure they won the ball. Taylor-Fletcher was not the only one, and it would not be fair to point the finger solely at him, and those who did should apologise on Monday morning to those who did give everything they had at all times.

Two men on the pitch who both showed exactly what it means to put their bodies on the line were in either side’s back four. In Tangerine, Craig Cathcart showed that he is maturing into one of the best central defenders outside the Premier League. Strong, to hold off the physical presence of Troy Deeney, and pace to keep up with the rapid Marvin Sordell, Cathcart covered for the worryingly out of form Ian Evatt countless times, looked composed in possession, and displayed magnificent presence of mind to allow for superb distribution.

In the Watford back line, Nyron Nosworthy put in the type of display that Ian Evatt should watch back in his attempts to regain his form. He used his physical presence to bully Lomana LuaLua out of the game, showed deceptive speed across short distances to snuff out any worrying runs by Matt Phillips and Callum McManaman, and just when it looked as though Blackpool would overrun the visitors in the second half, Nosworthy covered his defensive teammates’ shortcomings to stand tall against the Blackpool steamroller.

Pool created all sorts of chances, ones that you would normally expect to be put away by those whom they fell to. Kevin Phillips was his usual anonymous self until the ball moved into the penalty area, where he came alive, only to head over from 6 yards, having been set up brilliantly by Matty Phillips, who put in his best performance of the season by far. Through the middle, he was lethal, as he played in the role that he occupied to great effect at Sheffield United, gathering the ball behind the main striker, and causing havoc in the Watford defence by running at pace, moving the ball between his feet, creating panic. It led to him hitting the post once, just as he had against Southampton, while his general link-up play between both himself and Eardley, and between him and the strikers, was massively improved.

A clean sheet at home, however, against a Watford side who, for all of their time wasting and delaying, which is understandable considering they are a side who are not far off the relegation places, visiting a side who are challenging for the playoffs, caused plenty of problems for Blackpool, is not something to be too disappointed about. Sordell’s pace caused problems when he moved the ball wide, giving Crainey a tough time, with Kightly on the overlap, who is a fantastic player at this level. Yeates on the other wing exposed Eardley’s slight naivety, who impressed going forward rather than backward as usual, and in the battle of two of the best goalkeepers in the division, it is perhaps unsurprising that neither side managed to find a way through.

It will no doubt go down as two points dropped for Blackpool, who missed two open goals, hit the post twice, and had one blocked from 6 yards, and Holloway will again have to face questions about his team selection and substitutions. Taking off midfielders and replacing them with strikers does not guarantee more chances. Loss of possession, which occurred when Sylvestre was withdrawn, who needs to cut out his back heels that put Blackpool into trouble more often than their opponents, means that the strikers that were brought on became ineffective. Tom Ince must wonder why on earth he has been dropped after two man of the match displays against Doncaster Rovers and Nottingham Forest, when the likes of Taylor-Fletcher and LuaLua continue to flatter to deceive, certainly the latter living off his fantastic display at Leeds. There are 9 days before the Seasiders make their Boxing Day trip to Barnsley, not a place famed as one where Blackpool gain three points, and while things look good, Blackpool’s need for a genuine central striker was shown once again.