Premier League preview: Blackpool
If you’d told Blackpool manager Ian Holloway that his new side would be competing in the Premier League this time last year, he’d have given you a funny look and then cracked a comical one-liner.
But in May, the Seasiders’ dream became a reality when the club were promoted to the Premier League for the first time following a thrilling 3-2 play-off final victory against Cardiff City at Wembley.
Unfancied by most before last season’s Championship campaign kicked off, Holloway performed a minor miracle with limited resources to haul the Tangerines back into the top-flight for the first time since 1971.
An open-top bus parade in one of Britain’s most famous holiday resorts marked the end of the club’s most successful campaign for years; but now preparations are firmly underway for a tough campaign inside English football’s premier division.
It’s 57 long years since Blackpool’s most famous afternoon – the 1953 FA Cup Final – and now the north-west club aim to cement their status among football’s elite once again. The challenge to stay up is undoubtedly the biggest of Holloway’s career, and with his current squad of players, it’s going to take a monumental effort to avoid the drop back to the Championship.
The team ethic which served the club so well last season is going to be crucial for any ambitions they harbour of staying in the Premier League; and the modest 12,500-capacity Bloomfield Road must also remain a fortress for this to happen.
Meanwhile, keeping hold of star player Charlie Adam was vitally important for the club during this transfer window. The 24-year-old Scotland international midfielder was at the heart of Blackpool’s success last season, and the Seasiders’ supporters will be looking to him for inspiration.
But the vice-captain will have his work cut out. The Blackpool squad is the smallest in the league with few standout names and even fewer strikers.
Holloway will be fretting over the fact that Brett Ormerod is the only forward in his team capable of scoring goals – and even then we’re talking about a man in the autumn of his career at 33. And then there’s Republic of Ireland under-21 international Billy Clarke, who has been ruled out of the season before it’s even begun after suffering cruciate ligament damage.
A new striker must be brought in before the start of the new campaign, and the Blackpool boss is desperately looking for options. Derby County’s Rob Hulse and Sheffield Wednesday’s Marcus Tudgay have both been linked, but can either really make the difference at the top level?
Blackpool fans will still be delighted that their club are competing in the Premier League this year. However, after the weeks pass and the defeats start to tally up, the novelty will soon wear off.
Football romantics will still believe that the Tangerines have a genuine chance of surprising this season; but the football realists will look towards their threadbare squad, and automatically consider Blackpool as the team most likely to end the season bottom of the pile.
Premier League team previews
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Arsenal-a21521
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Aston-Villa-a21522
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Birmingham-City-a21523
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Blackburn-Rovers-a21524
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Blackpool-a21527
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Bolton-Wanderers-a21528
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Chelsea-a21529
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Everton-a21530
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Fulham-a21531
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Liverpool-a21532
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Manchester-City-a21535
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Manchester-United-a21536
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Newcastle-United-a21538
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Stoke-City-a21540
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Sunderland-a21542
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Tottenham-Hotspur-a21543
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-West-Brom-a21548
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-West-Ham-a21551
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Wigan-Athletic-a21555
*
http://www.senore.com/Premier-League-preview-Wolves-a21556
Tags: