Seaside Strategy - Sunderland Away

Much like Steve Bruce commented on in his post-match interview, I too felt from quite an early stage of this match that it was going to be Blackpool's day. When Richard Kingson fumbled a shot around the post mid-way through the first half, it appeared than even when making defensive mistakes, the ball just was not going to hit the back of the Seasiders' net. Fortune certainly played its part in 'Pool's fifth win of the season, but once more a steely grit about the way the side put their bodies on the line resulted in consecutive clean sheets on the road, and Blackpool's first back-to-back victories this season.

Season Ticket Reward Refunds - Where Are They?

Original Offer

'Your Loyalty Rewarded' - this was the slogan in the 2010/11 season ticket brochure. The deal was that for every friend existing season ticket holders could persuade to sign up, they would receive 10% of the cost of their own season ticket back as a reward. This seemed like a great idea, and with the club sorely lacking in ideas in a commercial sense down the years, a breath of fresh air. In the end, promotion to the Premier League probably meant that no such incentives were necessary, with the full allocation of season tickets being snapped up in no time at all.

Man Utd Postponement - Avoidable?

So arguably the biggest home game of the season has fallen victim to the weather. Despite measures being taken to get the game on, referee Peter Walton was not convinced that the pitch would thaw out in time for the late evening kick off tomorrow. Is this merely a case of force majeure, or could the club have done more to ensure the fixture did go ahead?

The Defining Part of the Season?

Time for another periodic overview of the season so far. Towards the end of October, I wrote an article about how Blackpool's season was panning out after the first eight league games. The mood at that time was not quite as buoyant as it had after the first four games, but the consensus was that 'Pool were performing above expectations (admittedly not too hard).

Examining the next seven matches (Birmingham until Bolton) I had identified this as a crucial period in the season. Compared with the opening fixtures, many of these should have been seen winnable, and so it was vital that points were picked up in this period. I surmised that reaching 20 points or more would be a great return, and survival would look more than achievable. While not quite reaching that target, 'Pool fell only one point short and if they can replicate this points tally over the 38 games, a mid-table finish is on the cards.