Author: measured.progress

Seaside Strategy – Liverpool Away

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In the immediate aftermath of the home defeat to Blackburn Rovers, Ian Holloway was quick to set out his plans for the following week’s game at Anfield – all-out attack. The Seasiders had been criticised in some quarters for the way they approached the away fixtures at Arsenal and Chelsea – Blackpool’s attacking policy was deemed naive rather than brave.
However, with Liverpool at an unprecedented low in recent years, it seemed like there would never be a better time to attack Roy Hodgson’s side. The chalkboard below shows how the opening 20 minutes panned out in terms of the number of passes.
The top chalkboard shows Blackpool’s data, with the lower displaying Liverpool’s passses in the opening 20 minutes.
Amazingly ‘Pool successfully completed more than double the amount of passes than their hosts. What is most evident is the amount of possession Blackpool were allowed in the middle of the pitch and at the back. This shows how Liverpool stood off the Seasiders, allowing Holloway’s men time on the ball and giving the Seasiders the chance to play their natural game.

By controlling the opening exchanges, ‘Pool were able to dictate the match and take the game to the under-pressure home side. Unlike at Chelsea where Kalou’s early goal destroyed Holloway’s gameplan, Liverpool allowed the Seasiders to settle down very quickly, which must have given the team the confidence to go on and put in the performance they managed on the day. In fact, the Blackpool manager may ultimately have been disappointed that the early domination didn’t result in a more convincing half-time lead.

I’ll let it slide this time though, I guess.

Away Day Memories – Brentford 2004/05

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Listening to the latest Seasiders Podcast (which I thoroughly recommend), I particularly enjoyed the segment of the show where they took a walk down memory lane to discuss their all-time best and worst games as a Blackpool fan. Having somewhat neglected this blog over the last week or so, it has spurred me on to write about one of my favourite away trips, which I hope will be a regular feature.
For this post, I’ve decided to reminisce about the Seasiders’ visit to Griffin Park a little under six years ago. The reason for recalling this game so fondly is down to a close friendship with a Brentford fan. In September of 2004 I had just begun my four year stint at university. On the first weekend in my new digs, I wore a retro 70s BFC shirt when I first encountered said Brentford fan, Will. He was quick to offend me by enquiring if it was a Barnet shirt, although being a Blackpool fan at this point was only a small step up from the side from Underhill.
Yes, it was the Colin Hendry ‘era’ and the big Scot had made an inauspicious start to his ‘Pool tenure. The opening day defeat at Doncaster set the tone for his time in charge and marks a period I’d sooner forget. When the Brentford game eventually rolled around on 23rd October, the two sides lay at opposite ends of the league table. Under Martin Allen, the Bees were flying high in 2nd place, while Blackpool were struggling down in 21st.  Despite this, in the build-up to the game there was a lot of bravado on my part. It was blind optimism, nothing more, but Will was easily wound up by my insistence that it would be an easy win for the Seasiders.
We travelled down together from Sheffield on the Megabus, although nearly missed out on the trip altogether. In our student house Will was renowned for being rather lazy and failed to get up at the agreed time, resulting in a manic dash across Sheffield to reach the departure point. Upon arrival at Griffin Park, we sought refuge from the terrible conditions in one of Brentford’s famous four pubs, one on each corner of the ground. Griffin Park is the sort of ground that it is easy to miss when attending the soulless new stadia we have visited since promotion out of League One. However, that day was not the sort of day to be stood on an open terrace. In the driving rain, the hardy ‘Pool support (which I think numbered around 300) were hoping the team could provide them with something to lift their spirits.
The side that took to the field that day was largely still the one put together by Steve McMahon, with only a few of those players signed by Hendry himself. Rob Clare was one of those players who had been signed with a great deal of fanfare, but failed to impress, even he was perhaps cast aside a little too quickly in my view. The spine of the side was relatively strong though, with Lee Jones, Peter Clarke, Richie Wellens, John Murphy and Scott Taylor all being players who the tangerine faithful will remember positively, at least for their on-the-field performances.
The match itself was one of the few occasions where a Hendry-led ‘Pool side clicked. Far from being a smash-and-grab, it was a game Blackpool fully deserved to win. The Seasiders took an early lead through Murphy and went in 1-0 up at the break. Some bizarre antics before the second half began saw the Brentford players warm-up in the ‘Pool half, which bemused just about everyone in the crowd. Martin Allen was well known for his, shall we say, unique way of doing things in his time at Brentford, but this tactic to unsettle Blackpool failed miserably as Hendry’s team secured all three points with further goals from Murphy and Taylor. The third goal was especially good with Wellens splitting the Bees’ defence wide open to provide the assist for Taylor.
It was a sweet victory, and ultimately the wind and rain only served to elevate the game an ‘I was there’ status. No doubt there’s probably thousands of ‘Pool fans who now claim they were at the match. The enjoyment for me only increased given the bragging rights I was able to enjoy over my housemate. ‘Pool went on to struggle around the lower reaches for the rest of the season, eventually finishing the season in 16th, 6 points above the relegation zone, while Brentford experienced another miserable play-off experience losing out to Sheffield Wednesday in the semis. 
Only one side have a worse play-off record than the Bees…I wonder who that could be!

Poles Apart

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On Sunday there was no better place to observe the gulf between Blackpool and Chelsea than in the matchday programme. Where ‘Pool fans would normally expect to see adverts for Pricebusters in the programme at Bloomfield Road, Chelsea’s offering featured adverts for multi-millon pound mansions and Dolce & Gabbana.
 
The financial difference between the two sides unfortunately showed on the pitch too, as Chelsea blitzed the Seasiders in the first half. After the 6-0 defeat at Arsenal last month, many Blackpool supporters were hoping to put up a bit more of a fight than on the last visit to the capital. Any such hopes were killed off within the first two minutes, as ‘Pool failed to deal with Didier Drogba’s testing corner, which was converted at the back post by an unmarked Salomon Kalou.
Ian Holloway had sent the team out with Baptiste fulfilling an unusual sweeper role, but this gamble was nullified when the early goal went in. Holloway clearly planned to frustrate the opposition and had Chelsea not scored with just over a minute on the clock, his strategy may have been a shrewd one. After Kalou’s goal however, the change in formation just seemed to cause more problems with players seemingly unsure of who they were supposed to be picking up. It’s hard to criticise Holloway for this though. It’s a game we couldn’t expect to get anything from, and as such his gamble was a low-risk one.
When reverting to the more familiar 4-3-3 formation in the second half, ‘Pool looked much improved and could well have had a couple of goals. Chelsea did certainly take their foot off the gas a little, but the performance after the break restored some pride and gave both the players and fans reasons to be optimistic going into a more important game next week at home to Blackburn Rovers.

Seaside Strategy – Newcastle United Away

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In many ways the victory at St James’ Park is the most satisfying result of the season so far. In the same fixture last season Blackpool were soundly beaten 4-1, overawed by the sheer size of the stadium. Barely five months on from that game, a more savvy team of Seasiders put in a sterling performance which thoroughly merited all three points. It was a disciplined effort, and whilst Holloway’s men retained their attacking philosophy, it wasn’t at the expense of their defensive duties.
The opening 45 minutes belonged largely to Blackpool. DJ Campbell should have opened his account early doors when put clean through by Charlie Adam, but Campbell took a poor touch allowing Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper to close him down, and Harper did well to block the follow-up shot from Ormerod. The Magpies did have their chances too, but they came against the run of play as Blackpool took the game to the home side. They were rewarded just before the break with Varney being brought down by a reckless challenge from Alan Smith. Adam went for his usual spot in the bottom left corner, sending Harper the wrong way.
1-0 down at the break, Newcastle were always going to come at Blackpool in the second half. However, what followed was a classic example of rearguard action. Gilks has since taken the majority of the plaudits, and rightly so, but his defence in front of him also held firm and put their bodies on the line time after time.
Blackpool blocked no fewer than eight shots during the match, with six of those taking place in the second period. Dekel Keinan made a solid contribution on his first start in a tangerine shirt, making three crucial blocks, including a clearance off the line.
Newcastle will perhaps count themselves unlucky that despite 22 shots, they couldn’t hit the back of the net. What they found was a goalkeeper in the form of his life and a team that is made of sterner stuff than is often perceived. It’s true that the 4-3-3 formation does somewhat throw caution to the wind, but it is a team crammed full of hard-working players who will defend from the front and give their all for their teammates. It is not a brittle side that will roll over in the Premier League. 
Well, the match away to Arsenal excepted…

Down Memory Lane – Grayson to Leeds

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Today’s news surrounding Nigel Adkins’ proposed move to Southampton brings to mind the departure of Simon Grayson to Leeds United, albeit with a couple of key differences. Like the Adkins situation, Grayson was targeted by a club in a lower division, but a club with an arguably far greater potential. The common belief in Blackpool was that Grayson had worked wonders with a squad on a minimal budget. Not only had he taken ‘Pool back into the second tier of English football for the first time in almost 30 years, he had been able to keep us there in our first season in the Championship.
When Leeds said goodbye to Gary McAllister, ‘Larry’ quickly emerged as the leading candidate. Grayson had ties to the club, both professionally by coming through their youth system and emotionally through his boyhood support for the club. The lure of Leeds was undeniable. Not only would Leeds pay him more than Blackpool ever could, he had the opportunity to manage the club he loves. When you also consider the fanbase at Elland Road, Grayson obviously saw more long-term potential in the Yorkshire club. 
It was hard to argue with this at the time. Blackpool were already punching above their weight by retaining Championship status, and with little visible sign of either investment in the squad or stadium improvements, it’s fair to say Grayson had taken the Seasiders as far as he could. What left a bitter taste in the mouth, though, was how the move finally came about. An official statement released by the club at the time outlines the situation:
“Leeds United first approached us on Sunday afternoon requesting permission to speak to Simon Grayson regarding their vacant manager’s position, this approach was immediately rejected by the club. Following a meeting with Simon Grayson on Monday morning, we reiterated our position to both Simon and Leeds United and permission was once again not granted for Simon to discuss the vacancy at Elland Road. Permission was refused for a third time following a telephone conversation whereby Leeds United made the club a derisory offer of compensation. Leeds United reaffirmed their position via fax once again requesting permission to speak to Simon and gave the club a deadline of 8pm to reply to the fax. The club, via e-mail reaffirmed their position and wished Leeds every success in their search for a new manager.
 
On Tuesday morning, Simon Grayson, via a hand delivered letter, offered his resignation to the club which was immediately rejected by the board of directors. Less than an hour after the club had received Simon’s offer of resignation, the Leeds Chief Executive once again contacted chairman Karl Oyston and reaffirmed their derisory offer. The chairman once again informed Leeds that permission was not granted to speak to the manager.

At 12.15pm, the club were notified that Leeds United “had been made aware” that Simon Grayson had resigned from the club’s employment and that he had accepted their offer of employment as manager and that he had signed a contract with Leeds United.

In light of the above, the board of directors have reluctantly reported Leeds United to the Football League for breaches of Football League regulations 20.1 and 20.2. In addition, the club are currently seeking advice from the Football League and the club’s lawyers as to the breach of contract by Simon Grayson whose contract was not due to expire for at least another 18 months.

The board feel Leeds United have acted completely unprofessionally and underhandedly and have shown a total disregard for the rules and regulations that govern football.”
Quite clearly, the way things panned out upset Blackpool. Eventually, under the threat of court action, a settlement was agreed. This figure was never released, but was rumoured at the time to be somewhere in the region of £400,000. Tony Parkes, ever the reliable caretaker, took the reins and guided Blackpool to safety once more, greatly assisted by the loan signings of Charlie Adam and DJ Campbell. Surprisingly, Parkes was not given the job despite this success, which drew criticism from a large sections of the fans, myself included, with Ian Holloway taking over the top job. Whether this was a masterstroke by Karl Oyston or a large slice of luck is immaterial – it was the positive move the club required.

Nearly two years on from Grayson’s resignation, Blackpool are still one division higher than the club he joined. How much longer this lasts is debatable, of course. When Larry finally does return to Bloomfield Road as an opposing manager, it will be interesting to see what reception he garners. All Blackpool fans will always remember the contribution Grayson made in taking the club out of obscurity. His acrimonious departure clouds the issue however and he did tarnish his reputation. Rightly or wrongly, some fans will boo him when Blackpool come up against Leeds, or another team should he move on from there.

By refusing to sell his club out, Adkins will only have strengthened his reputation at Glanford Park. Southampton are something of an enigma at the moment, and moving from the safety of Scunthorpe to St Mary’s would be a huge gamble. Even if Scunny were to go down, which is by no means the certainty some pundits would have you believe, Adkins could still boost an impressive record at a club with minimal resources. Chances to progress his career will continue to present themselves to Adkins. In fact, if Holloway were to leave Blackpool, Adkins would be a worthy candidate to replace him.

Incoming

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The transfer window slammed shut at 6pm last Tuesday..or so Sky Sports News would have you believe, anyway. The reality was that with deals still being finalised in the final frantic minutes, it wasn’t until two days later that the Seasiders announced their last transfer … Continue reading Incoming

Thud.

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Yes, that’s the sound of the Seasiders coming crashing back down to Earth. Unlike last week at the DW Stadium, yesterday was a more realistic welcome to what we can expect from life in the Premier League. We were soundly beaten, and in the end were lucky to keep the scoreline down to six. That’s how emphatically better Arsenal were than us. The sheer pace the Gunners break forward at is frightening and as a football purist, it was hard not to admire, however painful it is to see your team go down 6-0.