HAS there been a greater story in the Premiership’s short history than Blackpool being promoted to the top tier? Despite being one of the football league’s oldest clubs, Blackpool were slowly turning into the club everybody had forgotten existed, with the club secondary to the fame of the town’s fairground attractions. “What? They have a football club too? Are you sure? Where’s the stadium? I can't see it. Is it on South Pier?”
Blackpool was the club that nobody ever imagined would reach the Premier League. Indeed last season, as they reached the Championship, they were favourites to go straight back down into Division One. They were the novel club by the seaside, who wore tangerine, who Stanley Matthews played for. They were never expected to win titles in the modern era, just survive, but just try telling that to their increasingly loveable manager Ian Holloway.
Holloway is now as famous for his words of wisdom as he is for his excellent management career. Blackpool have started life surprisingly well. Defeats at Arsenal and Chelsea were expected, but away wins at Wigan and Newcastle proved that any team promoted to the top tier should be given respect. In Spain recently, bookmakers reportedly gave newly promoted Hercules ridiculous odds of 100/1 when they visited Barcelona at the Nou Camp recently. Such odds are unheard of in England, and they are unlikely to, following Hercules’s shock 2-0 victory over the Spanish champions.
‘The Tangerines’ are riding their very own rollercoaster at the moment. For a club with a small stadium, small fan base, and a notably small salary-budget, Blackpool have massively over-achieved to have reached the dizzy heights of the Premier League. Every few years a team is labelled the ‘worst in Premier League history.
It happened early on in the Premier League’s history, with Swindon Town suffering badly in the 1993/1994 season, a season only really notable for a creditable home draw against reigning champions Manchester United, and the flailing helicopter arms of Jan Age Fjortoft. Years later, Derby County were absolutely awful in the 2007/08 season, finishing with a record low of just 11 points, with the Rams heavily dependent on a strike-force consisting of the peanut-headed Robert Earnshaw and also Steve Howard, a forward with the mobility of Jan Molby after a carvery.
Derby County however, play in the excellent Pride Park stadium, with large crowds every week. In stark contrast, Blackpool were forced to play their first fixture away this season, at Wigan, as one of Blackpool’s stands was not yet up to the building standards required by the Premier League. Wigan themselves have proved that a small club, with small attendances, can stand their ground in the Premier League. Blackpool fans must hope that Holloway can emulate what Paul Jewell and Steve Bruce did, although Holloway’s style of football is more akin to an attractive passing game than the dogged determined pressing system that Jewell and Bruce implemented.
On the pitch, Blackpool will look to talisman Charlie Adam for goals and craft from midfield. Adam has so far started brightly and doesn’t look out of his depth. Experienced forward Marlon Harewood had a dream debut at Wigan and will look to lead the line, particularly away from home where Holloway will most probably flood the midfield. DJ Campbell, who was brought back to Bloomfield Road after successfully helping the club win promotion last season, will add pace and enthusiasm also. However, with a lack of real quality in the squad, Blackpool know they face an uphill battle to stay in the Premiership.
Blackpool WILL go down this season, with the teams lower down the table looking stronger than the likes of Burnley and Hull City from last season. But even if they don’t last in the Premiership, the shrewd financial running of the club, by recently departed Chairman Karl Oyston, should see the club in good stead in years to come. The ex-Chairman has openly boasted about how the club is the only one he knows not to be in debt. A rare feat in today’s game. Oyston was reported to have stepped down as Chairman due to becoming disillusioned at a lack of success in the transfer market over the summer. He blamed the lack of integrity amongst agents, claiming the club were not going to be held ransom by a culture of greed, eating away at what is left of the soul of football.
For many, the battle has already been won by Blackpool. Beating a host of bigger clubs, with bigger budgets and bigger reputations, the Tangerines should relax and enjoy the ride. Living legends such as Dave Bamber and Jimmy Armfield should watch on with their feet up, and Stanley Matthews should be looking down on his former club with immense pride. Many clubs may well have gone bust in 20 years time, thus Blackpool could be the last men standing!
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