Millwall v Blackpool (away) 30/08/14

[ So what are they saying about us? ]

MILLWALL v BLACKPOOL 

Saturday 30th August 3pm

v 

RESULT 2-1

0 pts   

LEAGUE POSITION  24/24

POST MATCH

A tough game against a big physical side which we just did enough to win.  Their intentions were clear with the long ball to three big donkies up front whilst we tried to play football around them. They came back strongly and some casual defending allowed them in twice with good balls into the box that should have given them a goal. They did score one earlier but it was ruled out for a foul on Edwards.

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We could have easily lost by a fair margin, thank fuck they couldn't finish or we may have had a pasting today.

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Our defence looks so shaky from set pieces but we got away with it today. Eventually we will get punished at the back & that could affect confidence. The man marking of ranger by Webster worked though.

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Amazing how one lack of concentration can change the entire complex of the game, we were hanging on for the last 20 minutes.

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We played very well for 70 minutes then tried to go for a third goal, and left ourselves exposed at the back and conversed. From there we panicked and a better team than Blackpool would have got at least a point maybe all 3.

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I just think that we were exposed quiet a lot at the back today too often against a poor Blackpool team. Thinking about it Blackpool's 2 best spells came at the end of both halves which may have made it seem worse than it was.

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PRE MATCH

Reading their message board, lose this and it could be the final nail in the coffin for their manager..."sacked in the morning..." etc 

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That's usually recipe for an away win then.

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It won't be easy I think people expect us to slaughter Blackpool.

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They face us this weekend on the back of the worst start to a season by a Blackpool side in 116 years. Not another banana skin please.

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No body has given them a hiding they seem to lose 1-0 so a 1-0 win will suit me.  
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Holloway seriously dislikes their chairman - I'm sure if there is one game this year he wants to win and win well is this one - let's hope he gets a couple of fresh faces in.
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As long as we beat Blackpool by any score it doesn't matter however if there was ever a time to capitalise on another teams misfortune and improve our goal difference its Blackpool  
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 Ian Holloway:

 "Will it be special? Not at all. I think (Nathan) Delfouneso is the only player I had there now. It's water under the bridge. 

I did the best job I could there but I work for Millwall now. It's just a Championship game, I'm delighted to still be in it and I want to get up to the other end of it.

 

Wigan v Blackpool (away) 23/08/14

[ So what are they saying about us? ]

WIGAN v BLACKPOOL 

Saturday 23rd August 3pm

v 

RESULT 1-0

0 pts   

LEAGUE POSITION  23/24

POST MATCH

A 1-0 scoreline might suggest a tight contest, but in reality it reflected a clash between two misfiring sides. They shared just three shots on target, two of which fell to the hosts – again, a fair reflection of the overall balance of play. Blackpool looked every inch a side in the early stages of a rebuilding process, while Latics’ performance was one of a team desperately scrabbling for form.

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Against better opponents we would have drawn that game but a win is a win. Bookies should start paying out on the Donkey Lashers relegation though, they were dire.

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We looked like a side short on confidence but we worked hard against a shite team. Created chances but missed them and then sat back in last 20 mins inviting them onto us and they missed a sitter and a shout for a pen. A better side would have punished us.

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Welcome 3 points, but Blackpool were dire, will have to raise our performance to get 3 points from better opposition.  A plus was we looked fitter but if Blackpool had taken that gilt edge chance they would have stolen a point.
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Much needed victory today, 3 points badly needed to get us up and running. However lets not get carried away, it is difficult to gauge the level of performance given the quality of the opposition and in all honesty we were hanging on the death despite dominating the majority of the game.
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Really chuffed that we've got a win but I won't be getting to carried away about us keeping a clean sheet against Blackpool at home though.

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PRE-MATCH

Apparently this morning on TalkSport:

" The great thing about the Championship is that its so competitive everyone can beat anyone else apart from Blackpool that is who look like they won't win a game this year"

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I think we owe Blackpool one. And at least there won't be 5,000+ tangerine clad balloons in the away end as they'll have to pay for their tickets this time.

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The world may well end if we lose to Blackpool. I don't think some of the tender hearts we have as fans will cope. I fear some may even spontaneously combust !

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We haven't beaten Blackpool in Wigan since 2000 - 14 years! that's got to end sometime and that sometime is now time 

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Anyone else looking forward to this relegation play off?

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How many are they bringing? I thought their fans were magnificent last season.
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Blackpool may legitimately finish with under 20 points this season. Hopefully this is a breakout performance for us.
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Blackpool v Brentford (home) 19/08/14

[ So what are they saying about us? ]

BLACKPOOL v  BRENTFORD 

Tuesday 19th August 7.45pm

     v 

RESULT 1-2

0 pts   

LEAGUE POSITION  24/24

POST-MATCH

An excellent result and played Blackpool just at the right time. We expected to take something from this game and to take all three points made it a great night.
Blackpool weren't great and the fact that they had barely played together was very evident.
We will play some much better teams shortly.

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We played some great football, we kept hold of the ball better, we also put a hell of a lot work pressing them down all over the pitch, we wanted it more and we got our rewards. When we put them under pressure and got in their faces they started to crumble, especially their left back! 

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Blackpool were the poorest of the sides we have faced so far but much more competitive than the pre season stories suggested might be the case. Once their side settles down and actually gets to know each other they will probably be a tougher proposition.

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Just reading their forum's. You've got to feel sorry for their fans and what they are going through. Once you hit the prem I suppose you must think your club would be financially sound for many years to come........... Just shows how badly wrong it can go and its the fans that suffer.

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Blackpool started with purpose; we didn't close down quickly enough and let them play balls for their front two. Craig had a real battle with Miller and, although he didn't win half the headers, did enough to upset him, to the point where Miller was berating the ref all the time.

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Thought it was a game of four quarters. Blackpool edge the first, we edged the second and third and then Blackpool came back into it in the fourth helped by a little edginess on our part and some loose passes that gave the ball back to Blackpool far too quickly. We just about deserved the win I thought as Blackpool did look a discombobulated side.

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PRE-MATCH

Memories of days long ago ..!

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Blackpool will see this as a big opportunity to get on the board as well but I believe that could make it an open game which would suit us.
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Reading the encouraging Bournemouth match reports and what Bournemouth fans have commented about us, feeling reasonably confident about this game. 2-0 win for the Bees.
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They will see this as a must win match and attack. Hopefully we get chances but I personally would take a point.
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We should be winning here. A nice 0-2 Judge, Gray
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I'll be happy with a draw. Blackpool will have higher expectations for this one too. A good result will certainly ease the pain of that 3+ hour drive home.
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Not a must win game but we should'nt be messing up against sides like Blackpool , there are much harder games ahead and we don't want to be looking up the league too much.
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Blackpool start brightly, score first, but then Brentford demoralise them and play them off the park
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Blackpool are dangerous opponents and totally unknown given the sudden influx of new players, some old and familiar names, others totally new to me, and I suspect Mark Warburton too.

Will they come out at us like a wounded animal, keen to prove all the doubters and mockers wrong or will they sit back, cowed and demoralised, just waiting for the first goal to go in before they sink to another defeat? What formation will they play, or indeed who will they play in tonight’s team? 

We are coming up against household names and international players pretty much every week now and we need to be better prepared, without losing sight of the fact that we have to remain positive and impose our style and skill on our opponents.Will Nile Ranger and Francois Zoko play together up front alongside Ishmael Miller? Will they play three at the back? Who knows?


Today is difficult as Blackpool are a totally unknown quantity. We need to show greater strength as some teams, and I suspect Blackpool will be one of them, will attempt to bully us off the ball and not allow us to play our normal game.
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Tonight is the real and important test for us to see whether we can beat a team, which will definitely be struggling. A win is critical today.
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Blackpool v Blackburn (home) 16/08/14

[ So what are they saying about us? ]

BLACKPOOL v  BLACKBURN 

Saturday 16th August 3pm

  v 

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RESULT 1-2

0 pts   

LEAGUE POSITION  23/24

POST-MATCH

Very pleasing and brave line-up (what I wanted), gave us that little bit of impetus to go at them. They gave us some slight worries early on but our goal put us well on top for the rest of the half.

Second half, I thought we'd batter them after our early second goal. However it only seemed to galvanise a ragtag bunch who actually seem to have clicked. Switching Delfouneso to the left vs Lowe put the willies up me but we rode the storm.

Robbo was my MOTM. Yes, he was somewhat at fault for their goal but pulled off a wonderful double save and a stunning belly-up save after a counter-attack (which was a counter to our own counter resulting in Evans hitting the post).

Very entertaining game and a very good 3 points against a Blackpool side that mustn't be underestimated.            

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Once the goal went in, they flooded the midfield and we got overrun, this wasn't anything to do with Cairney being in centre mid, we just needed to take off a centre forward and throw another midfielder on.
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First half very scrappy which we just shaded.
Early second half goal led to us being completely on top until the turning points of a good penalty shout being turned down, followed almost immediately by a very sloppy goal being conceded.
From then on we were hanging on a bit, but the closest call was Robinson's inexplicable juggling act from a tame effort.
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Not as easy as we thought it would be against a team that were far from being the rag bag outfit we were led to believe they were.

They caused a few early scares getting a few good crosses into our box but we gradually grew into the game.

We were on top and comfortable until they pulled a goal back just seconds after we had what looked like a blatant penalty turned down. Rudy was clattered from the side as he looked favourite to get on the end of another cross.


Blackpool were further spurred on minutes later as Robbo had a 'should I catch it or should I tip it over the bar' moment. He did neither, almost palming the ball into his own net and redeeming himself diving backwards and clawing the ball away (A tangerine after the game swore it was over the line, ha ha).
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PRE-MATCH

Why do I feel so much trepidation over this match? They should have got slaughtered against Forest, but a gutsy performance kept it relatively close.

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They were lucky to keep it at 2-0 if we are honest and we should win the game come Saturday but i get where you're coming from! I'm feeling extremely worried that we'll drop points to the laughing stock of the league this year
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Blackpool are a mess, but they've signed some half decent players - And you should know better than to buy into the media's need to ridicule a club for it's misfortunes.
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It has been laughable there though and they could easily face the same problem next season with EVERY player given a one year contract with the possibility for another year at the end of that. It means if anyone does perform for them this season then they can just leave on a free!

A good look at the players they have bought and i don't see anyone there that i would take at Blackburn. They've signed a bunch of lower card players from all different clubs really. Miller could be a good player for them however as his record at a poor Yeovil last season was quite  inspired whilst Jacob Mellis has the potential on his day to be a match winner.
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They've got a group of players with something to prove and a half decent manager. If he can install a backs to the wall mentality, they could pull off done shock results.

I still think we'll beat them though.
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Blackpool have a big point to prove to themselves and their fans. As previously stated, will be a very tough game.
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Sorry, but anything less than a win would be an abysmal result. Blackpool are in total disarray, have a team cobbled together from free transfers, have had essentially no pre-season and a new manager who is still trying to get to grips with players he mostly only signed a week or two ago.


Not saying this will be a walkover by any means, but if we don't win this it would put some serious question marks over GB's ability to get us out of this division. This cannot be another Yeovil.
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If you want to get out of the division then these are the types of games you have to win. Suggesting a draw to be OK against a club which is, quite frankly, a total shambles at the moment is already accepting we're not going to achieve anything.
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We will absolutely muller 'the lashers'. I could pick 11 at Pleasington on a Sunday morning who would give this rag tag bobtail Blackpool lot a run for their money.

We should win by 4, 5 or even 6 goals. Get big money on a Rovers win - it's like money for old rope.
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I heard the 2nd half of the Forest v Pool game on BBC Lancs on Saturday and they played well, good first time accurate passing and as a motivated team unit.

We SHOULD win but I reckon it will be a close game.
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Very early in the season, but even so a win should work wonders for confidence, a draw would be acceptable, but a defeat would raise more doubts in the camp. I'm a bit fed up of struggling at Bloomfield Road. Time to go out and beat them comfortably. 
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I love tacky tinsel town though, it's a shame how the oysters have treated the club recently. They had a lot of potential there but for some reason didn't exploit the fact when they reached the premier league. 
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Nottingham Forest v Blackpool (away) 09/08/14

[ So what are they saying about us? ]

NOTTINGHAM FOREST v BLACKPOOL 

Saturday 9th August 3pm

v 

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RESULT 2-0 

0 pts   

LEAGUE POSITION  21/24

POST-MATCH

Blackpool were dire. We won't see a poorer side this season. They were essentially cannon fodder.
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We were all over the shop in centre midfield, but let off the hook because Blackpool were woeful. In the end a comfortable win against a team on that showing who will finish bottom this year.

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Good to get the win, however that was a very weak side, need to keep our feet on the ground.

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Admit that was the worst Blackpool team we've played?, as I say glad of the 3 points but NOT getting carried away.
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Agree. Today could have been a banana skin. Job done. (And a hoodoo broken?)

Wasn't ace but new players, pressure, expectation etc weighed so I am happy. Would've been a scrappy 0-1 last season lol.
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Think any half decent team would have overun our midfield tbh. Gotta say I think we got away with it tiday. Blackpool are far worse than owt else we'll play for some time.
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I think we have to take stock on who we were playing as well, Blackpool with their makeshift team were never a threat really which made all the more disappointing we didn't score more

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Can't help feeling flat after a dire second half against easily the worst team we'll see all season. I left a little worried, as any kind of better team would have come back from 2-0 easily against our weak CM and sloppy play.

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Well I just hope what happened last time we beat Blackpool at home at this level happens again now that we've beat them again.

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Yes they weren't the strongest opposition but they competed strongly.
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Pace slackened in the second half and the donkey lashers got back into it a bit, but to be honest they were poor and we had it won by the half, and in the heat I'm not surprised the pace of the game slowed.

All in, a good performance. But we will face much harder tests than a Blackpool team who look set to struggle.
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Difficult to judge how poor Blackpool actually are without them playing against a few more teams as they did a lot better 2nd half. It did seem we let our foot right of the gas when should have played with a lot more tempo and finished them off.

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PRE-MATCH

If things are what they are with the Seasiders, I wouldn't even class this as the first game of the season....just three points in the bag.

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Given the shambolic nature of Blackpool's situation and their lack of integration I fully expect a comfortable Forest win . However , this is football we're talking about and we know from experience that it's totally unpredictable.

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We'd better bloody win against a team of journeymen and nobodies . I don't expect 5+ goals but anything less than 2 has to be viewed as abject failure!
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I don't usually expect us to spank anyone, having said hat we have not played a team in such disarray since West Ham last season
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Teams in Blackpool's state are dangerous as they are expected to loose, with it being the first game of the season I'm more than happy with getting a rough 1-0 in. We're hardly a fluid team yet, it's all new.
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I'd absolutely take a scrappy 1-0 win. We're not going to tear Blackpool a new one, they'll be up for it and the Championship has a knack of averaging sides.
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Our transfer dealings have put some serious question marks over the morale of the squad going into the game on Saturday.

Hopefully Mr Pearce can channel the negativity into the players to go out there and prove they're still a top Championship side, rolling over Blackpool in the process.
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Has anyone made a joke about Blackpool having more players than us come Saturday? If not, I'm claiming it.
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Miller will have a point to prove.  Can see this being a tough game now after this week.
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Blackpool have had the worst pre-season of any professional club. They can still barely scrape together a starting eleven and their marquee signing is probably Forest's greatest flop of the past five years, with an attitude problem to boot.
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Whatever side Pearce sends out should be capable of beating the worst team in this league at home.
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Tickets for Nottingham Forest’s opening-day match against Blackpool have now sold out.
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Stuart Pearce: 

“Blackpool have signed a lot of players. What does that tell you? They have a lot of players with a lot to prove.

“Some of them have been freed by clubs and it’s a great opportunity for them to put themselves in the shop window in a fantastically competitive league.

“Our fans are coming to sell the stadium out and that tells me there’s an excitement and expectation among the crowd.

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