Blackpool will not be easy and, as is our wont, we meet them as they stand top of the current form table, fresh from a 1-0 win at Portsmouth. But perhaps we can find enough to put up a good show. As things stand now though, I am unsure that we currently have the drive and energy needed to go there and win. They have only conceded 26 goals, 8 fewer than Rovers and only 10 at home, so we will need fresh invention and skill from those who seem to have confused themselves in over-elaboration of late.
If there are no wholesale changes in the plan, and somehow I don’t expect any, strategy needs to be expanded or varied, or the movement speeded up, or all three.
As the players are good at moving the ball in close patterns, we should be capable of adapting some if not all of them.
Copps, who has surely earned a start, has his own brand of holding up a standard attack by drawing defenders away from the congestion, and that could be another thing that could mark a change for the better. And we all agree that we should be trying more pacy runs up the wings. At every level of the game, crosses from the by-line are never easy to deal with.
Oh, and I hope they have been practicing dealing with crosses too and having now convinced myself to be optimistic, I’ll say 1-2 to us and Bogle to score the first.
And I’d say one thing to moaning McCann; take a look at the light touch on the back which Honeyman used as an excuse to propel himself to the ground after 18 minutes - the foul from which the free kick came resulting in their opener and compare that with what he so bitterly disputed - the blatantly hefty charge in the back from Wilks which sent Sims flat on his face which resulted in our penalty and the body embrace followed by the scissoring of Bogle’s legs by the Hull defender which earned the Coppinger free kick. And all this indignation and “fury" over these two obvious fouls came at Doncaster Rovers and their mild-mannered manager, the club which provided him with the chance to revive his career.
DPL v Blackpool
posted on 22/2/21
Whilst Im still oppomistic of at least making the play offs, I can't see us winning this one. They're a bogey team for us in any event. Im not sure our defensive lapses will be fully sorted , even though we'll probably Field our best back 4. Its really how the orher players fit in to defending set pieces. We should however pose a more serious attacking threat. So I'll go for the draw. 2-2. Bogle or Richards.
posted on 23/2/21
I'd take a draw to be honest, especially after another weak performance defending crosses. Expect them to be in our faces from the off, pressing high up in our half, overlapping down the wings, crossing at every opportunity.
Cut n paste every game since West Ham.
3.1 head says to them, heart says to us.
Head has it, Feji to score, James if he doesn't start.
posted on 23/2/21
I can't see us winning this one either but I'm going heart over head. 2-1 to us. Bogle. If not playing, then Smith.
posted on 23/2/21
Postponed due to waterlogged pitch😕
posted on 23/2/21
It looks like a lake in the picture on the DFP website!
posted on 23/2/21
Blackpool have played only 26 and have one free Tuesday in the final week of the season. Rovers have one free at the end of March when Blackpool are playing already, so it will presumably have to be arranged in that final week.
This could be quite a good break figuratively and literally especially with Blackpool in good form. Allowing a few more days of training might be welcome at this stage, but it will be ever so hectic as the season draws to a close.
I can’t really think of a worse place to be on a cold Winter’s night reminding me of this time last year when I was up there for my brother’s funeral.
posted on 23/2/21
It's not that great on a lovely warm evening in Spring either. Might be a blessing in some ways but it's going to be hectic at just the wrong time if it's tight at the end of the season. Anyway I forgot to include all my Blackpool puns in my prediction. So I'll have the chance again.