Blackpool football club has given birth to several great players and gave its supporters a lot to cheer for.
They won the FA cup for the first time in 1953. The early 60s saw mid-table results before relegation shook the club in 1966-67. Although they got promoted three years later but could not replicate the same form, which resulted in relegation to division
two again. This time poor performance wrapped the club tight and after 7 years in the 2nd division they trickled down to the 3rd division. The end of the millennium witnessed a new vigour in the club hierarchy. And Blackpool started climbing
the tiers in English football. Soon they were in the championship race.
Blackpool was moving forward at the rate of knots. However the same time last year a lot of what has happened would not have been foreseen or expected. Blackpool humiliated Liverpool and beat Newcastle home and away. No one saw this coming but Blackpool
comfortably resides on the 15th spot in the English Premier League. They stood very little chance of promotion after a couple of season relegation fights in previous campaigns.
Young talent was brought in, including current captain, Charlie Adams. A Scottish midfielder was signed from Glasgow Rangers who had prior champion’s league experience. The midfielder proved his worth all through the season as he romped up 19 goals from
47 appearances, including a blinding free kick at Wembley in the playoff finals. Adams and Ian Holloway became club favourites with Adams sweeping most club honours.
So a club engaged in relegation battle for most of one season got promoted. The realistic hope for Blackpool will be to play for survival in the English Premier League. The chances look bleak for two reasons. For one the premier league, touted as the best
league in the world was a different animal to the championship. Secondly while Blackpool showed a lot of heart, a tract which is not normal for a side managed by Ian Holloway, they lacked in defence. Blackpool in recent history has never been a side which
one could associate with clean sheets. So the main question is whether Blackpool can score more goals than they let in during the season.
The much anticipated game of the season was against Wigan Athletic. The winning policy was attack is the best form of defence. The match was played at the JJB Wigan’s home ground. The result was beyond the wildest dreams of Blackpool fans. Blackpool thrashed
a poor Wigan side 4-0. This seemed to infuse a new zest in people involved with the club, the manager, supporters and foremost the players were ecstatic. This was a short a lived euphoria as in the next match they suffered a 6-0 defeat at Emirates.
But results such as the 2-0 win at St. Jame’s Park and the 2-1 victory at Anfield forced Harry Redknapp, one of the most respected managers in the league, to remark that “Even Mourinho would not have been able to replicate the work that Ian Holloway
is doing at Blackpool.”
With a third of the season already gone the early season pessimism has faded with it. There is genuine hope that Blackpool can achieve the ‘unthinkable’ and avoid relegation. This remains to be seen. If the start is something to stick by, the supporters
of the Tangerine army can fasten the seat belts as the ride is going to be an adventurous one.
Tags: