With the English Premier League reaching its end as the month of March approaches, the jury is out on the bottom five teams of the Premier League table. Let’s take a look at how these teams have done thus far and whether they have enough in their locker
to retain their Premier League status.
16th. Blackpool
After gaining just 29 points from a total of 26 games, Ian Holloway’s men are right where they started. Following their impressive start to the season, Blackpool is starting to falter now. When the Seasiders secured their place in the English Premier League
after defeating Cardiff in the Championship play-offs last season, everyone built them up as the great flops.
Throughout the season, Blackpool has worked hard to defy their menial image, as they pulled a double over Liverpool and almost beat the great Manchester United at Bloomfield road. Ian Holloway’s team even managed to hang onto their best player Charlie Adam
in the January transfer window. Adam was the subject of a transfer bid from both Tottenham and Liverpool, but Blackpool held out for a greater transfer fee on the Scotsman.
In the 2010-2011 Premier League season, Blackpool have used an attacking mindset to unsettle their opponents. Unlike other relegation contenders, the Seasiders have gone at their opponents with all their might in order to claim all three points. Nonetheless,
this approach has let them down several times thus far. Out of their last eight Premier League fixtures, Blackpool has beat http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 while losing to the likes of Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City and West Ham United.
Ian Holloway has got a real job on his hands now, if he intends to keep the Tangerines in the English Premier League for another season. At the moment Blackpool have the worst home record in the English Premier League, as they have only won three, drawn
three and lost six out of a total of 12 matches at the Bloomfield stadium. As a result, the Seasiders have only gathered 12 points from matches on their home turf at the moment.
Surprisingly, Blackpool have a very good away record which is not normally the case associated with teams battling against relegation at the bottom of the Premier League table. Out of their 14 away fixtures, Holloway’s men have won five, drawn two and lost
seven. Taking a look at Blackpool’s upcoming fixtures in the English Premier League, one comes to realise that seven out of the remaining 12 fixtures that the Seasiders are scheduled to participate in are supposed to take place at the Bloomfield Road stadium.
This means that if Blackpool are to retain their Premier League status, they will absolutely have to step up their home form. Ian Holloway’s men have shown time and again that their offensive style can rattle opponents, but will they have the courage and
the character to pull themselves through in what is a tough run till the finish line. Let us not forget that Blackpool is yet to play http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 at their home turf and Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Conclusion: Blackpool will stay in the English Premier League for another season.
In the next part of this series, West Bromwich Albion will be under the spotlight as the Baggies are analyzed down to the core, to ascertain their fate in the relegation dogfight.
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