FA Cup, Same league troubles

Blackpool welcomed Sheffield Wednesday to Bloomfield Road in the FA Cup 4th Round, looking to advance to the 5th Round for the first time since 1990. It was only a second late show in 7 days that kept Blackpool in the hat for the next round, and hopes of a trip to Goodison Park in the 5th round will hinge on a return game at Hillsborough next Tuesday. Kevin Phillips converted a debatable penalty in the 92nd minute after Gary Taylor-Fletcher was felled, cancelling out Clinton Morrison's deft chip after a mistake from Billy Clarke.

Line-ups:

Blackpool recalled Kevin Phillips to the side to try and combat the slightly deeper central midfield pair of Sheffield Wednesday. With Phillips likely to play off the back four, instead of dropping deeper to influence play like Gary Taylor-Fletcher, he was likely to find more space than Taylor-Fletcher. Danny Wilson returned to the back four in place of Ian Evatt, while Alex Baptiste and Stephen Crainey were also rested ahead of the visit of Coventry City on Tuesday night. Keith Southern also made his long awaited return after recovering from a cancerous tumour.

Player Ratings:

Gilks: 8-Made 2 top class saves in the first half, first to deny Lowe's volley before a Peter Schmeichel-esque stop to keep Clinton Morrison out after a mistake by Keith Southern. No chance with the goal, with the only possible complaint being that he failed to push the ball clear, instead only palming it straight to Morrison.

Eardley: 6-Eardley's main attribute is his added quality in delivery into the penalty from wide areas, but when he managed to get forward, his final ball was relatively poor. Sheffield Wednesday never really managed to maintain a spell of pressure, so his defensive frailties were not exposed too dramatically.

Cathcart: 7-At his best with a reliable partner so he can concentrate on his own game, with Wilson still adapting, Cathcart had to remain careful to cover him, something he has done regularly and well alongside Ian Evatt. Another good display, Ryan Lowe rarely found any space to maneuver. 

Wilson: 6-Clearly young and lacking in match practice, two clever strikers highlighted his shortage of experience. No doubt a talented player, he will have better days.

Harris: 7-The left back understudy proved once again that he is capable of stepping up to replace Stephen Crainey should disaster strike. If he were to add a bit more quality going forward, he could be a fantastic find by Ian Holloway.

Southern: 8-The way he was playing, had he lasted the ninety minutes he would have swept the Man of the Match awards, and not just sentimentally. As it is, he only scrapes it. His defensive knowledge is superb, with excellent positioning and anticipation. No surprise whatsoever that the struggles in midfield to generate any forward momentum started when Southern was forced to be withdrawn.

Basham: 7-Questions can be asked as to whether or not Basham and Southern can co-exist in the same 3 man midfield. Both similar players, Basham has done enough in recent weeks to hold Southern at bay for the time being. A classic Basham display. Tough tackling, comfortable in possession, not at his best, but still maintaining a high standard.

Ángel: 7-Looking more and more the part with every game he plays. Excellent passing ability, never afraid of a tackle, Ángel plays the David Vaughan role as well as anyone who could have been considered as a replacement. A similar player to Barry Ferguson, it is unlikely the midfield is big enough for both of them, but certainly capable of stepping in for the club captain.

Matt Phillips: 6-After a first half that promised plenty, in which he caused a fairly slow left back in Mark Beevers, Phillips failed to deliver in the second half, remaining fairly anonymous. His final delivery is cause for optimism, delivering dangerous crosses from the right, but due to Billy Clarke's unwillingness to leave the left wing, was unable to rotate across the front three to cause the threat he has in recent weeks.

Clarke: 5-In what is likely to be his last chance to impress, Clarke failed to perform. Hesitant, unwilling to experiment. A bright start faded swiftly, seemingly bereft of confidence after a magnificent save from Bywater denied him his first Blackpool goal in over 2 years. He definitely has the attributes to play at this level, but he shouldn't be getting anywhere near likes of Ince, Taylor-Fletcher and Matt Phillips for a place in the first eleven.

Kevin Phillips: 7-Games where teams put men behind the ball and try and grind out results, Kevin Phillips is going to struggle when he starts. In congested areas, he is unlikely to get the space he needs to create problems, though he showed his ability to generate room when in possession to get his shots away. An unstoppable penalty earned a replay.

Subs:

Taylor-Fletcher: 8-In a game where a substitute was needed to change the game, Taylor-Fletcher was the man on this occasion who brought Pool back into the game. Tireless running, invention in difficult situations, and dropping into interesting spaces, it was a classic GTF run that earned the penalty, around the back of the full back, getting into a dangerous area, Beevers couldn't help himself and brought him down. An excellent display from a man close to returning to his best.

Dicko: 6-Seems to be pure pace, he needs to learn the dirty side of the game. Throwing himself on the floor at one stage was not approved by the Blackpool fans that he was so keen to impress, but his pace will definitely cause problems for teams and gives Pool another option in the run-in.

Ince: N/A-Given 10 minutes at the end of the game, looked like the Ince we have come to expect. Tricky in possession, never giving up on lost causes, but didn't make the impact to take Pool over the line. Was almost lost in the ruck of bodies that populated the final third late in the game.

Opposition:

For a team that is supposedly on such a good run of form and beating all before them in League 1, one could be forgiven for expecting Sheffield Wednesday to play a slightly more expansive style. Gary Megson made his tactics known early on, keeping a solid two banks of four behind the ball, leaving Lowe and Morrison to fend for themselves up front. Stephen Bywater is most likely the best keeper at that level, giving them a solid base to build from, and with four physical defenders, the inclusion of Clarke, a smaller, touch player, was probably the wrong decision. David Prutton rolled back the years to marshal the midfield, winning every second ball and putting in tackle after tackle to stop Blackpool settling.

Next Up:

Coventry City's visit to Bloomfield Road on Tuesday night is an opportunity to gain ground on those above us in the playoff chase. The division's bottom side has lost their main goal threat in Lukas Jutkiewicz who has completed his move to Middlesborough, but the recent home thrashing of the Teesiders shows Coventry are a dangerous prospect if taken lightly. Alex Nimely has arrived on loan to replace the departing Polish striker, while Gary Deegan has caused Blackpool problems in the past, and in Joe Murphy they have a consistent performer between the sticks.

Weight In Numbers

Blackpool laboured to a late show against a spirited, yet under strength Crystal Palace side at Bloomfield Road. The visitors clearly had their Carling Cup Semi-Final second leg on their minds with regards to team selection, as their noted good performers Nathaniel Clyne, Darren Ambrose, Wilfried Zaha and Julian Speroni all stayed at home, with Dougie Freedman putting his faith in youth. Blackpool were without the injured Lomano LuaLua to a hamstring injury, and made a total of 6 changes, with Gary Taylor-Fletcher returning to the front three, John Fleck earning a debut in midfield alongside captain Barry Ferguson, back after suspension. Ian Evatt and Craig Cathcart returned to the heart of the defence, with Matt Gilks replacing Mark Howard in goal.

Defence:

In general, a more familiar back four from last season performed well, with a few scares in the second half. Throughout the game, the Palace threat was on the break, with a front three loaded with pace in the shape of Andrew, Cadogan and Sekajja. In Blackpool's desire to gain some forward momentum, Ian Evatt regularly carried the ball out of defence, leaving huge gaps in the back line, and better finishing would have put Palace out of sight, with Calvin Andrew guilty of poor control on a number of occasions when well placed, and wasteful finishing eventually costing the visitors.

Gilks was rarely troubled due to Palace looking to sit on their lead almost as soon as the Owen Garvan penalty was converted, rarely committing more than their front three beyond the half way line, which allowed Baptiste and Crainey to get involved going forward, but despite the increase in numbers going forward, Blackpool didn't take advantage until late in the day. Aerially Ian Evatt had Calvin Andrew in his back pocket as one might expect, but along the ground his lack of pace was seriously exposed, as the striker's tricky interplay with his wide men opened Blackpool up on more than one occasion in the second half.

Midfield:

Chris Basham must be the unluckiest man at the football club with regards to consistent selection. After his excellent performance at Southampton he was unceremoniously dropped for the next game against Watford, which coincided with a frustrating draw. A similar story looked to be unfolding, as Basham was demoted to the bench in favour of John Fleck, and Blackpool lacked the necessary energy and drive in midfield that Basham brings. Fleck starting was most likely the correct decision, but in my opinion, Ludovic Sylvestre should have been the man to make way. After an impressive start in the Blackpool midfield, Sylvestre has been some way short of his best in recent weeks, looking sluggish and unwilling to pick a creative pass.

Fleck was unfortunate to be withdrawn for Basham with half an hour remaining, his lack of football this season a likely reason. When in possession he looked composed, ready to drive forward, and was unlucky not to see his first half strike find the top corner. His final ball was superb, as he laid on two chances for Tom Ince early on that the winger couldn't convert, and he looks an excellent addition for the rest of the season.

Ferguson put in the kind of display expected from him. Gritty, playing the safest pass possible, looking to distribute. His passing ability is sadly wasted by his slightly more defensive outlook, and when he does try to move forward, he has the ability to unlock defences. Basham's introduction breathed new life into a stuttering midfield, as did Elliot Grandin, who may have played for the last time in Tangerine, and if so, gave a fantastic goodbye with a brilliantly taken goal.

Attack:

The return of Taylor-Fletcher added an air of physicality to the front line. LuaLua's pace and invention was missed in the centre, but there was a clear improvement from Taylor-Fletcher in comparison to his performances before being demoted to the bench. The work rate and desire returned, he linked up well with the wide men, but he is still well short of his best. The quality he showed to create the equaliser for Grandin showed that the player who terrorised Premiership defences last season is still there, and that he is well on the way back to form.

For their good form recently, Matt Phillips and Tom Ince were relatively quiet. Neither Palace full back was loaded with pace, so it was a surprise that the two wingers did not try to isolate them and run at them more often. It came as no shock when the goals both came from wide positions.

Opposition:

Crystal Palace have good cause to be optimistic. The likes of Parsons, Cadogan, O'Keefe and Sekajja all look like excellent prospects when given the change to flourish, and the fact that a team missing so many of their key players took Blackpool, albeit a misfiring one, all the way will no doubt please Dougie Freedman. They defended stoutly for most of the game, only making two mistakes. One was to allow Elliot Grandin time and space to finish from 6 yards to level the game, and the other giving Kevin Phillips room to head towards goal after doubling up on the full back with Taylor-Fletcher at the back post that led to Chris Basham's winner.

Man of the Match:

A tough decision considering what was, in all honesty, a very frustrating and overall poor performance until the last few minutes, but Craig Cathcart proved once again that he is becoming one of the best central defenders outside the Premiership. Composed in possession, with excellent distribution either through the middle or to the wide men, he is one who Blackpool will do well to hold on to should they fail to return to the top flight. Calvin Andrew certainly targetted Ian Evatt when he received no change from Cathcart, and the Northern Irishman covered impeccably when Evatt was out of position.

A Great Start To 2012

The point made on Radio Lancashire after they went through Burnley’s disastrous late show at Leeds was that they need to be capable of bouncing back from disappointments. If they need an example of how to do this, they need only look to the other side of Lancashire, where Blackpool have now twice come back from a big defeat and poor performance. After the humiliation at Turf Moor, Blackpool came back and put 5 past Leeds at Elland Road, and a similar response was needed against Middlesbrough, and they didn’t disappoint.

One look at the teams and it was plain to see that Middlesbrough had set up to stop Blackpool playing their natural game. A crucial part of Blackpool's success this season, particularly due to the departure of Charlie Adam, has been the intricate passing between the midfield three. The loss of Nicky Bailey with injury will have severely harmed Middlesbrough's hopes of stifling the threat from the trio of Angel, Sylvestre and Basham with the ball at their feet, and while Robson is undoubtedly a fantastic player going forward, one can certainly doubt his credentials as a ball winner.

The addition of Tom Ince to the front three was a very aggressive and bold move by Holloway. Ince is undoubtedly a special talent, but he and Matt Phillips are very similar players, and while Ince has done nothing wrong in a Blackpool shirt, at the moment, Phillips is the first name on the teamsheet. Callum McManaman, however, was the unlucky man, and paid for being one of many anonymous figures at Birmingham, as did Gary Taylor-Fletcher. By bringing in LuaLua and Ince, it guaranteed express pace across the front line, which was obviously not expected by Tony Mowbray, as the two wingbacks were caught out regularly in the first half hour, which forced Mowbray to return to a 4-4-2, with McMahon moved to an orthodox right back position, with Hoyte on the right of midfield, and Robson on the left.

The change in Middlesbrough formation then allowed for the part of Blackpool's play that they were trying to prevent to flourish. Against a physically inferior duo of Smallwood and Haroun, Chris Basham had a field day as the enforcer of the midfield trio. His strength in the tackle, excellent reading of the game, and eye for a pass make him the natural successor to Keith Southern in the middle for Blackpool, although do not write off the Blackpool legend just yet. Basham put in what was probably his best display in Blackpool colours so far, even finding the time and energy to play as a central striker when the ball was worked wide, coming close to converting a number of crosses throughout the 90 minutes.

Ángel Martinez certainly started to prove his worth, playing in the centre of the three, and dropping back between the central defenders when Mark Howard was in possession. This allowed him far more room to distribute the ball around the pitch, as he filled a role not too dissimilar to the one played by David Vaughan. Defensively his positioning was superb, whether in front of the back four when Middlesbrough attacked through the middle, and when they moved the ball wide, he placed himself on the edge of the penalty area, ready to receive possession and start a counter attack. The only member of the midfield three that relatively struggled was Sylvestre.

Sylvestre is a fantastic football player. His main problem, however, is that he remains very square to the ball when he receives possession. This stops Sylvestre from rotating or pivoting with his first touch, to allow him the momentum to move forward. His first touch always goes in the direction he is facing, whereas last season, the speed that Blackpool moved forward was down to the fact that when either Adam or Vaughan received possession, they were able to immediately face the goal, and start an attacking move. With so many teams operating a high pressing game to stop Blackpool moving the ball with comfort, Sylvestre's first touch needs to be inch perfect so that he has time to turn with his second touch and pick out a pass, and with the Bloomfield Road pitch not currently conducive to passing football, more often than not, Sylvestre lost possession.

In the back four, Ian Evatt returned to form in spectacular fashion, in part due to Middlesbrough not attempting to run in behind him, and also possibly down to the fact that his place is now under threat with the addition of Danny Wilson. Cathcart was once again brilliant, as he kept Scott McDonald in his back pocket, and dealt with the physical threat of Ogbeche and later Emnes comfortably and efficiently. Baptiste and Crainey were never threatened due to the lack of a natural wide man in the Middlesbrough side, and were able to cause problems going forward, and Mark Howard only had one save of note to make, making a fantastic reflex save to touch Robson's shot onto the post with the score still at 0-0.

Overall, a fantastic start to the new year, and with the likely additions to the squad to come over the next 4 weeks, Blackpool are very well placed to mount a serious charge on the playoffs.

A bad day at the office

Those with knowledge of Blackpool’s recent record at St Andrews will have rocked up in Birmingham without too much optimism. The Seasiders’ win under Simon Grayson thanks to Gary Taylor-Fletcher’s goal in September 2008 was their first win since 1969, when they won 3-2 on Boxing Day. Since then, Blackpool have been on the end of some serious beatings, none more so than the 7-1 drubbing received, ironically, on New Year’s Eve in 1994. On the last occasion we made the trip to the Blues, we were sent home having been taught a lesson about the Premier League, as Alex McLeish completely outsmarted Holloway, with a certain Barry Ferguson orchestrating a comfortable win for the hosts.

There was, however, genuine good feeling about the possibilities of getting a result. Blackpool had visited one of their other bogey grounds just days previously, with Matt Phillips earning a second win in 3 visits to Oakwell after so long without ever troubling the points tally. Elliot Grandin was back in the starting eleven, finally having the chance to play in midfield with his friend Ludo Sylvestre from the start, with LuaLua mysteriously missing from the whole 16. Such an omission suggests either injury or a fallout with the management, with both an equal possibility given LuaLua’s track record.

Unfortunately however, this visit to St. Andrews was much more of the same. From the early moments of the game, Blackpool were second to every ball, out muscled whenever they tried to go forward, and outthought when put on the back foot. The addition of Danny Wilson on loan from Liverpool is a vital and excellent move by Holloway. Wilson will add the pace and strength to the back four that is desperately needed, with Ian Evatt very much out of form. Once again, Craig Cathcart stood tall as the solitary beacon in a struggling back four, with both Crainey and Baptiste caused no end of problems by their respective wingers, and their full backs on the overlap.

The main point where the game was won and lost was through the middle of the pitch, however. Grandin and Sylvestre, for all of their pretty build-up play which will have led to a superb pass completion success rate, created very little of note, with only Grandin’s tricky feet and cross-cum-shot forcing Myhill into action in the first half as he needed to palm the ball away from the onrushing Taylor-Fletcher, and Birmingham’s powerful unit in the game to hold them up, Guirane N’Daw, putting in a performance that earned him the Man of the Match from the sponsors. For Grandin and Sylvestre to flourish in this formation, it is likely they need to have added steel in there with them, a Basham or Southern type player who will get his feet dirty to make sure they have enough possession and time on the ball to unlock a defence.

It was exactly the type of game that the aforementioned Southern has performed magnificently in for Blackpool in the last 10 years. Birmingham’s high pressing game caused problems for Blackpool, who continually tried to pass their way out of trouble, and on a pitch that wasn’t necessarily conducive to keeping the ball on the deck at all times, that then led to mistakes either with the receiving player’s first touch, or misplacement of the original pass. This is what Southern adds to Blackpool. His critics will say he runs aimlessly, offering very little, when in fact, he has a fantastic football brain, which, while it does not add a great deal to the technical side of his game, he has developed a great anticipation of ensuing play, which allows him to be in the right position to close down or intercept, before starting an attacking move. Despite Blackpool’s recent form, they have missed Southern greatly, with only Chris Basham coming close to offering what he does, and he is likely to be given a chance to impress in the coming games.

The reason for Basham’s likely involvement is that Barry Ferguson will no doubt be missing for the Middlesbrough home game, as well as the visits to Fleetwood and Ipswich. Ian Holloway has said he plans to appeal, but I’m afraid he doesn’t have a leg to stand on. As soon as the incident in question occurred, Ferguson’s 3 match ban was penned in. All through the game, both sides had a target in their ranks who the opposition were trying to wind up. For the Blues, Marlon King for his troubles with the law, and Ferguson was the man in Tangerine as he had swapped St Andrews for Bloomfield Road in the summer. Ferguson was the one who snapped. After an earlier confrontation with Zigic, he proceeded to swing his right arm into the face of N’Daw, leaving the referee with no choice but to dismiss the Blackpool captain.

King, however, was not exactly innocent throughout the game, and if the referee applied the letter of the law to the game, King should have been given his marching orders in the first half for a deliberate elbow on Ian Evatt. A long ball played forward, there was no earthly way that King would beat Evatt to the ball, and he will have known that, as he led with the elbow and connected squarely with Evatt, who still managed to clear. Only a booking was administered, and that is the gripe that the led the Blackpool arguments.

The main positive to come out of the game for Blackpool was another fantastic performance from Mark Howard in goal. He kept Blackpool in the game by himself in the first half, making one incredible double save from a set piece, before palming round a low effort just before half time. Sadly, it was from the following corner that he was beaten, as Blackpool switched off, allowing a free header for Curtis Davies. Howard was powerless with both that and King’s goal in the second half, as once again Evatt made the same mistake he made at Bloomfield Road, trying to step up to pressure the midfield, allowing King to walk through and place the killer second goal beyond Howard.

The only black spot on Howard’s excellent performance, which continued into the second half, was the third goal. The golden rule of goalkeeping is not to be beaten at your near post, and Nathan Redmond’s strike, while powerful, should have been stopped. Before that, however, Howard was superb, and Matt Gilks certainly won’t be an automatic pick when he recovers from injury.

Considering we started the year in 8^th place in the Premiership, to finish it in 9^th in the Championship is a bit disappointing, but anyone who expected another year like 2010 was very misguided. Here is to a great year supporting Blackpool FC, and hopefully a return to the big time.