1. Lack of first half goals continues to frustrate

It has been a curious quirk of the season so far that Blackpool have regularly failed to find the back of the net in the first 45 minutes of games. That statistic has been particularly noticeable of late, with ‘Pool having gone behind in each of the last four games (including the FA Cup stalemate with Sheffield Wednesday). On the one hand, it’s a fact that displays an admirable never-say-die attitude of the team having come back to draw two and win two of those four matches, but there has almost been a sense that the Seasiders have needed to go behind to give them a kickstart.

Focusing solely on league matches for a moment, the figures show an alarming dearth of first half goals. Out of the 45 league goals scored this term, only a staggeringly low 12 have been scored in the opening half of matches – around 27%. Eight of those 12 first half goals have also come from the 30th minute onwards, which means that so far this season Blackpool have scored only four goals ( roughly 9%) in the first third of games. Why ‘Pool are such slow starters is unclear, and as a result the team have had very few comfortable victories this campaign.

On Tuesday night, Blackpool did have chances to take a first half lead as they enjoyed the majority of the ball in the opening 45 minutes. However, the inability to be ahead at half-time was mainly due to some poor decision-making from the front three. At different times Tom Ince, Matt Phillips and Lomana Lua Lua all found themselves in good positions, but took the wrong choice when it came to finding the right final pass or right time to shoot.

Manager and players have recently asked the fans to be more patient, but it might be a case of the forwards sometimes taking their own advice – if only they would put their head up in and around the box the path to goal may become clearer. There is a sense that an early goal for the Seasiders would allow them to brush teams aside, but that first goal continues to elude Blackpool for the time being.

It has been a regular bone of contention on this blog about using Gary Taylor-Fletcher in the advanced midfield role, so much so that people are as fed up as reading about it as I am writing about it. However, it was the tactic Ian Holloway chose to employ once more against Coventry. It does seem clear that this role does not bring the best out of Taylor-Fletcher, but a side-effect is that it also seems to be having an influence on the performances of Barry Ferguson and Ludo Syvlestre.

Both of the two midfielders came in for criticism from supporters post-match – Ferguson was accused of only ever passing backwards and sideways, while Sylvestre struggled to find his creative rhythm and gave the ball away more often than usual. One must wonder though whether these two players are better suited to a more traditional three man midfield, which opens up extra passing options and would allow Blackpool to try and pass through sides in neat triangles, as had been witnessed in games when ‘Pool had operated with a flatter midfield three.

The unlucky man in all of this would appear to be Chris Basham, who has done well since coming into the side as a midfielder. Viewed by some as a defensive option, he actually fills the role of a box-to-box midfielder when he plays, and in some instances can drive the side forward, as well as providing an aerial presence from both goal-kicks and at set-pieces, both attacking and defending. It may be that Basham is reinstated for away games when the pursuit of an ‘attacking’ 4-2-1-3 isn’t a crucial in Holloway’s eyes, but the home fans may see more of Ferguson and Sylvestre with an extra body alongside them, rather than way ahead of them.

“We don’t have a Plan B” has been a familiar cry when results haven’t gone well this season, but Blackpool may finally have found a way of winning matches that is in stark contrast to the usual style of play. Of course, winning matches late on has become something of a routine this season, but it has typically been through dogged persistence and pressure which has caused opposing sides to crumble, with the odd tactical curveball thrown by Ian Holloway. The assault that Coventry caved in against was something not seen at Bloomfield Road for quite some time.

Following on from the Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday games, ‘Pool once more found themselves chasing the game late on. The substitutions midway through the second half saw Blackpool initially go to a 3-1-4-2 formation, with Alex Baptiste the screen in front of a back three of Ian Evatt, Craig Cathcart and Stephen Crainey. Ince and Matt Phillips adopted traditional winger roles with John Fleck partnering Ferguson in central midfield, while Taylor-Fletcher was joined up front by Kevin Phillips.

However, after 10 minutes without success, Evatt joined the attack as the formation became rather more difficult to fathom. Evatt looked unsurprisingly cumbersome as a forward, but was having some success in winning flick-ons for Kevin Phillips and definitely helped unsettle the Sky Blues’ defence. Witnessing the panic caused, Holloway then added new signing Roman Bednar to the mix as ‘Pool threw the kitchen sink at the visiting side.

At last Blackpool began to grind Coventry down and a disallowed goal for Kevin Phillips was a sign of things to come as first Phillips equalised following good, calm work from Bednar, then in the dying moments of stoppage time Taylor-Fletcher came up with an unlikely winner. It may not be a traditionally attractive way of playing, but the acquisition of Bednar gives Blackpool the flexibility of switching things up when teams set up to frustrate them. Ian Holloway must surely now look at his squad and feel he has a wide range of options to win ‘Pool the necessary games to contend for promotion – using the right options, at the right time will be decisive.

A final thought is reserved for the visiting Coventry City side, and it must have seemed like a long journey home for their players and supporters on Tuesday night. The Sky Blues had a game plan and defended well, just as Palace and Wednesday had before them. Like those sides, they also managed to get a goal against the run of play, but once they had their lead continued to defend valiantly, even having the odd chance themselves to extend their advantage on the counter-attack.

However, as Holloway brought on his substitutes, there must have been some envious glances from Andy Thorn in the opposing dugout. Thorn, who can only dream of the resources at Holloway’s disposal, ultimately was helpless as his brave side could not hold out. It was a classic example of ‘bottom of the league syndrome’, with luck frequently eluding those teams involved in relegation battles.

There’s no doubt Thorn’s side will battle all the way in their bid to avoid the drop, and if they can keep up their recent home form then they may still have a chance of retaining Championship status. However, results like the one on Tuesday when they probably deserved more are a real kick in the teeth and they must pick themselves up quickly. As the winning goal went in, several Coventry players, understandably, looked thoroughly demoralised.

It was however a performance they should be able to take positives from and their defence is something they can build success around. Coventry are not leaking goals and in Alex Nimely they have a young player who looks a handful. The lack of finances at the club may prove their undoing in the end, but they do not look to be going down without a fight.

The two sides shared the spoils back in late September in a lively 2-2 draw under the floodlights at the Ricoh Arena. The first half was almost entirely dominated by the Seasiders, and had a Craig Sutherland goal dubiously ruled offside early on – the young Scot finished neatly after a great pass from Gary Taylor-Fletcher and the goal should have stood. ‘Pool did take the lead shortly thereafter when Taylor-Fletcher got on the end of an Ian Evatt long diagonal to lash past Joe Murphy in the Coventry goal. The rest of the half was host to exhibition football from the visitors, but for all their possession they failed to get a second goal with the home side on the back foot.

After the break, Coventry came out fighting as Blackpool took their foot off the gas. The equaliser for the Sky Blues came in highly controversial circumstances – Evatt, struggling with an injury, twice went down in need of treatment but as Blackpool sought to bring on a substitute when it emerged the Coventry-born defender could no longer continue, the referee Andy Woolmer allowed the home team to take a corner before the change could be made. Somewhat inevitably Blackpool conceded from the corner and from there the momentum was firmly in Coventry’s favour as they added a second goal minutes later – Gary Deegan and Lukas Jutkiewicz the Coventry scorers.

2. The Key Stats

Despite often being a frustrating player to watch, Lomana Lua Lua’s absence through injury has been a noticeable one, albeit not necessarily reflected in the results. Blackpool have picked up a draw and a win without Lua Lua, but had to come from behind on both occasions against Ipswich and Crystal Palace respectively. The acrobatic Congolese striker has an unpredictable element to his game which can be crucial when teams defend in a well-organised manner. It is expected Lua Lua will return from injury on Tuesday night and his invention could be important.

Coventry City – Hermann Hreidarsson

Despite being bottom of the table for the majority of the season, Coventry’s defence surprisingly hasn’t been the biggest problem, with the 16th best defensive record in the Championship and five clean sheets to their name. However, the signing of Icelandic veteran Hermann Hreidarsson is a boost to the Sky Blues, especially now that goals could be even harder to come by following the departure of Lukas Jutkiewicz to Middlesbrough. Coventry triumphed 3-1 over the Teeside club in their last outing, with Hreidarsson part of the back four that day having signed only two weeks ago until the end of the season.

Ian Holloway chose to rest his first choice left back on Saturday, with Bob Harris having another opportunity to impress in the FA Cup. Harris did well and was committed in the tackle, but lacked the attacking threat of his fellow Scot. Whereas Crainey will often be found trying to overlap on the left flank, Harris was often found much deeper, appearing a little reluctant to bomb forward and create the necessary width Blackpool’s game often requires. Against a Coventry team likely to be happy with a point, how ‘Pool’s full backs attack may be crucial to the final result.

Another recent acquisition, Alex Nimely joined Coventry on loan until the end of the season from Manchester City. Like Hreidarsson, Nimely also made his Sky Blues debut in the 3-1 victory over Middlesbrough and marked the day with a goal having turned out for Tony Mowbray’s side earlier in the season without netting in nine matches on loan. There is a lot of weight on the shoulders of the 20 year old Liberian, with Coventry in desperate need of goals – so far City have the third worst scoring record in the division. Andy Thorn will be hoping Nimely can continue to find the back of the net over the coming months to give his side any hope of avoiding the drop.

Anything less than three points for Blackpool would have to be seen as a below par result, and one need only look at Coventry’s wretched away record to suggest that this is the most likely outcome. Three wins out of their last six matches does show some signs of life for Andy Thorn’s side, but as Blackpool look to kick on and target the play-off positions (or higher), a home win is vital.

For a long time on Saturday it looked like Blackpool would be frustrated by a well-organised makeshift Crystal Palace team. Persistence was rewarded in the end however, and the Seasiders extended their unbeaten league run at home to six games with a 2-1 win. Here are my thoughts on the match:

Throughout much of the game on Saturday, I was heavily reminded of an article I’d read only that morning on The Seventy Two. The article, titled ‘Beaten by an average team’, argues that the headline phrase is an ungracious way to take defeat, just as referring to certain opponents as being ‘a poor side’ comes across as rather bitter. Shouts such as ‘Come on ‘Pool, these are rubbish’ from the Bloomfield Road crowd were almost omnipresent, but in truth did the visitors a massive disservice.

Dougie Freedman made nine changes to his team with more than one eye on their forthcoming League Cup semi-final second leg against Cardiff City, but what his youthful line-up lacked in experience, they made up for in organisation. Palace’s strategy was clear, setting up in a defensive 4-5-1 they would aim to pack the midfield and crowd Blackpool out, with the aim of nicking a goal when the chance arose. 

Had Palace held on, it would have been a triumph for diligence, doggedness and maybe a little bit of luck too. This isn’t to say they deserved the win, but merely acknowledging that Freedman sent his team out with specific instructions which, until the last 10 minutes, they executed very well. The penalty which gave Palace their lead was contentious; whether Barry Ferguson can be said to have deliberately handled the ball is open to interpretation, but the visiting side seized their chance.

Getting the first goal was always going to be crucial for Palace given how they had set up, and after taking the lead they were able to sit deeper still and frustrate the home side. As uncovered in the preview, it’s easy to see how Palace have won so many away games 1-0. Ian Holloway commented post-match how he felt Palace had ‘parked the bus’, but admitted that doing so is a difficult task. Blackpool did eventually break Palace down, but Freedman’s youngsters can be proud of their efforts.

After signing on loan in mid-week, John Fleck was thrown straight into the Blackpool team on Saturday as Ian Holloway tinkered with his formation in midfield once more. After a period of mainly deploying a flattish midfield three, the introduction of Fleck in behind the attacking trio of Matt Phillips, Tom Ince and Gary Taylor-Fletcher saw a return to a 4-2-1-3 formation that has been used on-and-off during the past 18 months.

It was by no means a bad debut from the Rangers player, but as the game wore on his influence waned as he struggled to see much of the ball. In the first half Fleck looked lively on the ball, happy to run towards goal and was unfortunate on one occasion to see his curled effort go narrowly wide. The problem, as it has been in many other games so far this season, is that the balance of the team appeared to suffer because of the formation. Fleck was often trying to operate in the same space as Taylor-Fletcher, just as Taylor-Fletcher has had a tendency to get tangled up with Lomana Lua Lua when playing that role.

Even Jonjo Shelvey failed to excel in the advanced midfield role and only flourished once employed further up the pitch as one of the three forwards. Since Holloway has used this formation, only one man has performed well in that position with any kind of regularity – Elliot Grandin. The unsettled Frenchman has had his critics since arriving at the club, and his display at home against Wigan will always be a black mark against his name for some and at times he could be more adventurous, but Grandin seems to understand that role better than anyone else who has tried to play there.

Fleck could learn from Grandin by seeing that it is sometimes fine to drop deeper, or sit in the middle of the pitch and connect the simple passes as ‘Pool work the ball from one side of the pitch to the other. With a transfer move away from the club for Grandin a distinct possibility, Fleck could find himself in the advanced midfield role on a regular basis. If he can add a more basic element to his game, then he could be an exciting player to watch and help justify the deviation away from a flat midfield three that has been successful since November.

If there has been one criticism of Ian Holloway during his time at Blackpool, it has sometimes been that substitutions have been questionable. However, in consecutive weeks the manager has made bold changes which have rescued four points from losing situations. Cynics may say this means Holloway got it wrong in the first place, but the ability to see where things aren’t working and put that right could be vital in ‘Pool’s promotion bid.

At 1-0 down on Saturday, Holloway opted to make a triple substitution just after the hour mark – Chris Basham, Elliot Grandin and Kevin Phillips replacing Craig Cathcart, Ludo Sylvestre and John Fleck. At first the changes saw Basham go to right back, with Alex Baptiste shifting to centre back, and Taylor-Fletcher dropping into midfield to accommodate Kevin Phillips up front. Yet only five minutes or so later, Holloway shuffled his pack again.

At this point Matt Phillips dropped back to right back, Basham being released into midfield and Taylor-Fletcher back in the forward line. The intention here was to overload Palace on their left by having both Matt Phillips and Tom Ince attacking down that side. As Holloway correctly noted in his post-game interview, Palace were crowding out the home team whenever ‘Pool attacked through the middle, and so some extra width was a good plan. This also had the effect of freeing up Basham and his energy in the middle of the pitch.

Although they came late, both Blackpool goals came from wide positions with the three substitutes heavily involved. As the season has gone on, the competition for places seems to be fiercer than ever and thus the ability to change the game from the bench is another key ingredient in what could be a successful season for ‘Pool.

4. Late goals help gather momentum

Whisper it quietly, but since the turn of the year there does seem to be a sense of gathering momentum. Blackpool have shot up the form table and look to be nicely poised just outside the play-off places as we approach the final months of the season. Scoring late goals has been integral to this progress and are currently separating a mediocre season from a potentially very good one.

Looking at the statistics for when Blackpool score reveals that second half goals are a specialty, with 31 out of 43 league goals scored in the second half, including 14 in the last 15 minutes of matches. That last figure is particularly telling with almost a third of all Blackpool’s goals coming in the last sixth of games – a statistic that should surely convince the regular early-leavers to re-think their decision to make a hasty move for the exits.

When looking at the number of points gained, Blackpool are second only to Leeds United, managing to gain 16 points from converting losing or drawing positions to drawing or winning results respectively. Saturday was the third time ‘Pool have won after being behind, demonstrating a resilience to the side despite time seemingly running away from them. Similar to the match against Doncaster back in October, ‘Pool may have been a little fortunate to collect all three points, but it is results such as these that can define a season.

All the way back in August, the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at a sun-drenched Selhurst Park. In the post-match discussion on this blog, it was believed that Blackpool ‘should have been out of sight by half-time’. A strong first half performance from Ian Holloway’s men lacked a cutting edge to lead by more than Alex Baptiste’s goal, when their display merited more. Guilty parties in the opening 45 minutes were Brett Ormerod and Billy Clarke – the former now on-loan at Rochdale and the latter struggling to claim a place on the bench.

August’s match also saw Ludo Sylvestre make his first appearance of the season, albeit from the bench, and despite a promising performance, Sylvestre failed to break into the side until November – it’s hard to imagine the Frenchman missing from the starting line-up for this weekend’s encounter. Another man who played away at Crystal Palace was Kevin Phillips, who could have sealed all three points that day had he not spurned a relatively easy chance in the second half. Phillips will be aiming for a recall to the team this weekend after his cameo appearance at Ipswich helped earned Blackpool a point after being 2-0 down.

Crystal Palace earned a point in the first meeting between the two sides thanks to a goal from top scorer Glenn Murray. The former Brighton man could have stolen all three points for Palace as he timed his run to perfection moments later, but shot narrowly wide when one-on-one with Matt Gilks. Palace may be low scorers, but back in August demonstrated enough to suggest they can cause Blackpool’s defence problems on the break.

• 62% of Crystal Palace’s away games this season have seen fewer than 2.5 goals
• 50% of Blackpool’s home games this season have seen fewer than 2.5 goals

The common belief is that any game involving the Seasiders is sure to yield a decent amount of goals, but the figures above suggest that anyone expecting a glut of goals this weekend may be disappointed.

• The most common home results for Blackpool this season are 2-1 and 1-0 wins, each occuring 17% of the time
• The most common away result for Crystal Palace this season is a 1-0 win, occuring 31% of the time

A close game could be on the cards based on the stats above, with the odd goal likely to separate the two sides. Getting the first goal could be crucial for both sides.

• John Fleck will become the 28th player to make a league appearance for Blackpool this season if he features on Saturday

Fleck arrives on loan from Rangers until the end of the season, but with a lot of competition for places, it’s hard to know where he will fit in to Ian Holloway’s team.

• Crystal Palace have not drawn a game away from home this season

This curious stat is most likely at the heart of Palace’s strong away record this season, as when they have picked up a result on the road it’s been the maximum three points.

3. The Key Men

Blackpool – Barry Ferguson

The ‘Pool captain has been suspended for the last three games, and despite the midfield doing well in his absence, one would expect the influential Scot to return. Angel Martinez, who has occupied Barry Ferguson’s role at the base of the midfield, is most likely to make way. Ferguson has been quietly effective all season and his experience and resolve in the middle of the park could be crucial against a well-organised Crystal Palace side.

Crystal Palace – Nathaniel Clyne

Palace may have a difficult job hanging onto Nathaniel Clyne during the January transfer window, with a move to Manchester United being rumoured for the young right-back. For the time being though, he remains at Selhurst Park and Dougie Freedman will be hoping Clyne has recovered from a virus to appear this weekend. At only 20 Clyne has already made over 100 appearances for Palace and has been a big part of the club’s focus on youth.

Blackpool – Kevin Phillips

Last weekend Ian Holloway’s introduction of Elliot Grandin and Kevin Phillips helped rescue a point with the two combining for both Blackpool goals, scoring one apiece. It was a timely reminder of Phillips’ abilities given the injury to Lomana Lua Lua, and is a shot across the bow of those who had begun to write him off. Phillips remains Blackpool’s top scorer this season and has been unfortunate to spend so much time on the bench. Even if Phillips does not replace Lua Lua in the starting XI, Holloway knows that the veteran can be called upon to pop up with a goal if needed.

Crystal Palace – Wilfried Zaha

Another graduate of the Crystal Palace treasured youth system, Wilfried Zaha has committed himself to the club by recently signing a five and a half year contract. A tricky forward, Zaha has been a revelation during the last 18 months racking up 75 professional appearances. The Seventy Two has identified Zaha as often being an ‘out ball’ for Palace, with excellent close control and the ability to hold up the ball. The inclusion of Zaha may force Holloway’s hand when picking his defence – pace at the back could be key for ‘Pool.

• Blackpool are 8th in the form table based on the last six matches, winning two, drawing three and losing one
• Crystal Palace are 5th in the form table based on the last six matches, winning three, drawing one and losing two

Both teams come into the weekend’s fixture in good, if not electrifying, form. Crystal Palace just have the edge on ‘Pool, taking 10 points from their last six matches as opposed to nine points for the Seasiders.

• Blackpool are unbeaten in their last five home games, last losing at Bloomfield Road against Nottingham Forest on 22nd October
• Crystal Palace have the 7th best away record in the Championship, winning 46% of their away games this season

Saturday is likely to be a stiff test for Blackpool, with Palace possessing an away record Ian Holloway could only dream of. However, Blackpool are the 4th best team on their own ground in the Championship and will start as favourites.

One key component not yet mentioned that may be a deciding factor in the outcome of Saturday’s game is the small matter of a League Cup semi-final 2nd leg that awaits Palace just days after this match. With a 1-0 lead to defend at the Cardiff City Stadium in mid-week, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility to suspect Palace may have their eye off the ball. The other way of looking at this is that Saturday provides players a chance to stake their claim for a place against Cardiff, but distraction may be a bigger factor.

A relatively low-scoring game is predicted by the stats, and as such I’ll go for a 2-0 win for the Seasiders.

Blackpool had slightly the better of the opening 45 minutes, but in some ways the first half display typified their season so far. At various times there were strong indications that ‘Pool had enough about them to force a result in the game, but promise and frustration were both there in equal measure, embodied best in the performance of Lomana Lua Lua. A lively forward line of Tom Ince, Matt Phillips and Lua Lua were causing problems for the visitors, but the final pass or shot were often lacking for the Seasiders to take the lead.

Fortunately for the hosts, the deadlock was broken soon after the restart and from that point on it was a fairly one-sided game, as Middlesbrough struggled to deal with a ‘Pool side with the momentum the goal had given them. As with a lot of Blackpool games this season, one could sense that the first goal, without wanting to sound too obvious, would be a hugely deciding factor. Once Blackpool go behind, they can find it difficult to break down teams who go into their shell, unless they hit back quickly as they did in the first clash with Boro this season.

Upon scoring the first goal however, Blackpool can, and did on Monday, look like a team that will take some stopping. The problem until now has been finding that form on a regular basis. If Ian Holloway can get his team playing in this way more consistently, the path to promotion will not seem quite as daunting.

Going back to the start of this campaign, few would have predicted a midfield to start the new calendar year consisting of Chris Basham, Ludo Sylvestre and Angel Martinez. However, Monday’s performance showed it is a viable option as the three blended well in a return to a flatter midfield unit at the heart of the Blackpool side. Angel acted as the pivot at the base of the midfield, with Basham usually to the right of him and Sylvestre to the left.

It has been a strange first six months in English football for Angel, appearing and then quickly disappearing again at seemingly random intervals during the season. On the evidence of Monday’s game though, Angel could be a reliable player who can be called upon in the absence of Barry Ferguson, and perhaps even push for his place given time. Angel does not look to be a particularly fancy player, but is happy with the ball at his feet and simply move the ball on its way with minimal fuss, even looking to receive the ball from the goalkeeper on occasion.

A couple of misplaced passes early on from Sylvestre aside, the midfield three worked the ball well, often in neat triangles. Often the aim was to work the ball out to the wide players, but they were just as happy to play between the lines when Lua Lua dropped a little deeper in search of the ball. Defensively, the three also gave Middlesbrough little time on the ball and hunted in packs to win the ball back, allowing ‘Pool to then counter-attack, which they did particularly well in the second half.

A strong man of the match contender, it was an especially good performance from Basham. Since starting the game at Southampton, he has had a strong case to get a run in the side and this latest outing only solidifies the argument. In the absence of Keith Southern, Basham is a not too dissimilar replacement and a highly able one at that. Tenacious in the middle of the pitch, Basham has many excellent attributes and the match against Middlesbrough showed that his inclusion in midfield does not necessarily mean ‘Pool are set up in a defensive manner as he covered significant ground. With Southern still to return, and Ferguson banned for a further two games, it would now be surprising to see any other midfield combination take the field in the next league match at Ipswich.

Back in November when the two sides met at the Riverside, Middlesbrough were a much more impressive team than the one we saw on Monday. That day it was a front two of Marvin Emnes and Scott McDonald that proved a real handful for ‘Pool, but with that partnership split up the visiting side did not pose nearly the same threat. A hamstring injury to Emnes in December has meant the Dutchman is still to regain full fitness and as such a place on the bench was the best Tony Mowbray could offer him – much to the relief of the Blackpool defence.

Exactly what formation Middlesbrough employed is up for debate – Ian Holloway and the Boro official site’s match report both agreed they had set up in a 3-5-2, but this was far from clear on the day. The tactical brains over at Tangerine Dreaming posted a photo of how they pictured the visitors’ line-up, but whatever system they did use, they were second best in most areas of the pitch. All three Blackpool forwards did well in picking the ball up in deep areas and running at the Boro defence. As the space opened up for ‘Pool in the second half, Middlesbrough virtually crumbled and could not handle the pace and directness of the home side.

Again though, it wasn’t necessarily all one-way traffic and Middlesbrough still did show glimpses of their ability in the first half with a few moments of concern for ‘Pool, but largely it is a game they will sooner forget. On the back of a congested festive period Blackpool cannot be the easiest of teams to play and the result merely served to highlight that it is still all to play for at the top of the Championship as we enter the second half of the season. Both sides will have upward ambitions, and you wouldn’t bet against one or even both being in the mix-up come May.

The Christmas period saw the surprise debut of Mark Howard at Barnsley following an injury to Matt Gilks, and it is an opportunity that the former Aberdeen and St Mirren keeper has grabbed with both hands. Coming in out of the blue, Howard has shown none of the nerves one might reasonably expect under the circumstances, turning in some calm and confident performances. Howard enjoyed a fine debut at Oakwell and was able to notch his first clean sheet against Middlesbrough which should serve to give him a further boost.

Not a great deal was asked of Howard on Monday, but what he had to do he did well, and in one crucial moment was able to force Scott McDonald wide when it seemed a goal was almost inevitable. It’s still only early days of course, but his initial performances have been far beyond the expectations anyone could have had of him. A deal until the summer at least is now surely a priority with his short-term contract at the club almost at an end. Howard is clearly a capable understudy for Gilks and could even be a factor in influencing the former Rochdale man’s high performance levels.

Another player who has enjoyed a superb Christmas is Matt Phillips. Having opened his account for the season with a hat-trick at Barnsley, it was encouraging to see him follow that up with his first home goal of the season against Middlesbrough. Phillips is an uncomplicated player and by keeping things simple and maximising the most out of his raw pace he is able to terrorise Championship defenders. The confidence is now clearly flowing and it is to be hoped that the goals continue to come, as they did in abundance during his loan spell at Sheffield United.

In his pre-match press conference, Ian Holloway hinted that in order to combat the way Watford play, he may play an extra striker. In light of these comments, it was no surprise then that it was Chris Basham who was left out in order to accommodate the return of Lomana Lua Lua. Holloway was apologetic about this decision when announcing his team to the sponsor’s lounge before the game, stating that Basham was extremely unlucky to miss out after an impressive performance at Southampton last week. It was a big call, and in hindsight one that the manager got wrong.

Gary Taylor-Fletcher once more dropped deeper, as he has done many times this season with questionable levels of success. The idea is obviously to employ a 4-2-1-3 formation, but Taylor-Fletcher all too often finds himself too high up the pitch, resulting in the side often resembling a 4-2-4. The number of short passes in midfield was vastly reduced from the previous weekend, despite the best efforts of Ludo Sylvestre who needed more help in trying to pass through the visitors.

One even wonders whether Taylor-Fletcher is happy to play in this role, with body language at times on Saturday suggesting he would rather be playing as part of the forward three. Not only did Taylor-Fletcher drift forward to form a front four, he could regularly be seen pointing at others to drop in for him when he advanced. Some weeks a rotation of this makeshift front four is clearly visible, but it was less evident against Watford, giving the impression the front line were not asked to regularly rotate with Taylor-Fletcher. As a consequence, Blackpool often seemed outnumbered in midfield which led to a slightly longer passing game compared to what has been on offer during the last month or so.

Quite simply, the balance of the team with Taylor-Fletcher in the hole does not look right, and it is a little concering that ‘Pool are having to use the former Huddersfield man in this way as regularly as they do. The nigh-on 4-2-4 is not bringing the best out of the player or the team, and perhaps it is something that should be Plan B or C, rather than the way Holloway sets up his side as default.

For all the disappointment at dropping two points on Saturday, Blackpool were unlucky not to go ahead on the back of their first half chances, hitting the post twice – firstly after a splendid run and shot from Matt Phillips, and again shortly afterwards through Lua Lua. Watford did have their moments too in the opening 45 minutes, but any neutral would likely have said that ‘Pool had done more of the two teams to forge a half-time advantage,

However, the massively disappointing aspect from a Blackpool perspective is that it seemed like there was too much complacency. It is almost as if it was expected that the goal would come, when the plan should have been to force it through changes in either tactics or personnel. As the largely dismal second half wore on, it wasn’t until the 67th minute that Holloway sought to alter his team. Even then, it was a fairly like-for-like substitution with Kevin Phillips replacing the frustrating Lua Lua.

With just over 10 minutes to go, the next change saw Billy Clarke replace a tiring Sylvestre, but this only served to weaken the midfield further. Clarke joined the action in the midfield, but at this point there were effectively ‘Pool five strikers on the pitch, regardless of where they were supposed to be playing. It would surely have made more sense for Basham or Angel Martinez to be deployed in midfield if Sylvestre needed to be withdrawn.

One wonders whether Holloway maybe backed himself into a corner with his team selection, and he was worried that bringing on an out-and-out midfielder may have seemed negative. Giving the team an extra dimension by reverting to a more orthodox 4-3-3 may have been the key to unlocking Watford, but the manager chose to stick with the same set-up, with which a resolute visiting side had got to grips with more easily in the second half.

Since joining on a free transfer in October, Lomana Lua Lua has quickly established himself as something of a fan favourite on the Fylde coast, mainly influenced perhaps by his breakthrough performance in the 5-0 victory at Elland Road. Personally though, I have yet to be convinced by his all-round game and Saturday was another example of how he can be such a frustrating player.

What lets Lua Lua down is this – while he can produce the odd moment of magic, he does not do the simple things well. Over the course of match, players are required to do many more simple things than complex ones, and it can be infuriating when a player repeatedly cedes possession by trying to be too clever when a more straightforward option is available.

Lua Lua did have his moment of excitement when he was denied by the post, but beyond that there was little he did to impress and should probably have been substituted earlier than he was. Currently there seems to be a mixture of players who aren’t in the team and possibly deserve to be, and others who are regulars in the team when they haven’t perhaps done enough to merit that right. I dare say Lua Lua belongs to that second category at the moment, and more concentration when asked to do the simple things would help him warrant his place.

4. Welcome back Matt Phillips

Perhaps one of the biggest disappointments from the weekend was that the performance of Matt Phillips did not earn his team three points. Awarded the man of the match by the sponsors, his display against Watford was arguably his best 90 minute performance since joining the club in August 2010.

Phillips looked full of confidence, running at defenders time and time again – his major strength which puts fear into other teams and memorably tore apart the Manchester City left-back Aleksandar Kolarov almost a year ago. Phillips was also desperately unlucky not to open the scoring when his first half shot came back off the upright after running with the ball from his own half.

With so many players eager to stake their claim for a starting place, one did wonder how long Holloway would perservere with Matt Phillips, but it now looks like the extended run in side is paying off. Tom Ince should still feel aggrieved that he has had to wait, but the former Liverpool youngster will probably now have to bide his time until Callum McManaman returns to Wigan before winning his place back.