If any team had the chances to justify a win it was Blackpool.
Last updated : 26 September 2010 By JS DM
What's the talk in the stands?
A disappointing amount of criticism and barracking, directed at specific players and at Holloway. The difference between this and the enthusiasm of the travelling fans at places like Arsenal and Chelsea is worrying. I felt the Blackburn fans were a real lift to their team, even before the goal, while the home crowd were very quiet until the team began to press hard. The home crowd should be there to lift the team, not the other way around. JS
Before the game there were quite a few raised eyebrows at Ollie's selection, particularly up front. The concern was around the playing Ormerod and Harewood together. After the game I amongst others felt that at least one of Varney or Grandin should have made the starting XI at their expense. Rest assured though, we know that Ollie gets it right more often than not!! DM
Was it a fair result on Saturday?
No. A draw would have been fair, and if any team had the chances to justify a win it was Blackpool. JS
I honestly feel that this game has divided observers' opinions more than any other for a while. My personal view was that we had a good, no make that VERY good, first 15 and last 15 minutes but for the middle hour we were not our usual selves at all. During this period Rovers harried us and knocked us off our usual passing game making us look disjointed, putting passes astray and giving a sense that we were playing right at our limits. Therefore I thought we barely deserved a draw. Others, including Ollie, saw it differently thinking that we played very well and even deserved a win. With the late chances we certainly COULD have won it, on balance of overall play Blackburn shaded it but if we had finished at 1-1 I don't think anyone could have complained. DM
Best chant?
Maybe someone can work out what the Blackburn fans were singing, something about Tangerine and the Premiership. I couldn't make it out but it sounded complicated. JS
None really registered as notable for me. DM
Funniest moment?
Well for the neutral, Charlie Adam's own goal. As they said on Match of the Day, he better get used to seeing that on compilation DVDs of Bloopers of the Year. JS
Hopefully one day in the future (around June 2011) I will be able to have a quiet chuckle at Charlie's own goal, safe in the knowledge that it didn't mean the difference between survival and relegation. . . but at the moment it doesn't seem at all funny! DM
Who were Blackpool's star players?
GTF was my Man of the Match. DJ worked hard but got poor service, and Vaughn was also a big presence in our midfield. I thought both centre halves had good performances too, and Gilks was also impressive again - no blame for either goal, and a couple of excellent saves. JS
GTF was Man of the Match by a country mile. His vision, his running with the ball and his positional sense in a deep-lying role showed to me that he has what it takes to excel at this high level. Matt Phillips cameo appearance was exceptional showing pace, confidence and finishing ability - I'm really looking forward to seeing some more of the lad. Cathcart had a good game including one memorable tackle to recover an underhit pass by Vaughany. DM
Any regrets?
I regret that the referee was an incompetent fool. he made a lot of bad decisions but they weren't critical until the very end. JS
That we didn't play a little bit more conservatively in added time to win the draw we had battled towards…… and might (just) have deserved. But then next time we might play the same way and win it. One point lost this time 2 gained next? DM
Opposition any good?
They were Blackburn, doing what they do, and they made it hard for us to play the game we wanted to. But given that Blackpool did not have a particularly good day themselves, this wasn't an impressive display by the "established" premiership team. JS
Strong and well organised as you would expect. Not pretty to watch but 'professional' in their approach (and I mean that in a none too complimentary way). Let's just say I'm happy to support Pool rather than having to watch Blackburn every week! DM
What next?
Anfield away. Some may say that Liverpool are not the force they have been but they are still a very classy team and to get anything there will be a big ask. After that Man City, who just beat Chelsea. It's a big shame we lost yesterday because we could very easily be looking at four consecutive defeats now. JS
Liverpool is a game where we can get something if we do what we're good at, as well as we can! DM
Final thoughts?
We need to remember how far we have come, and what a huge ask this sort of game is. Against Chelsea or Arsenal everyone realises the challenge, but people forget how good and expensive teams like Blackburn are. The fact that Blackpool competed so well, came back from an own goal to equalise, and could easily have taken three points - that is a measure of the distance we have travelled. JS
I have a concern that's arisen over the last few games that Charlie Adam's form has dipped for the first time since he arrived at the seaside. He seems to be over-hitting too many passes and free kicks during the course of a game, whether it's too much adrenaline pumping or not I don't know. However I do know that he will work hard to come through it to shine for us again soon like he did last year and earlier this season. I always feel gutted after a defeat to a very late goal, but if we keep learning whilst sticking to our attacking principles we will keep enjoying the trip! DM
