Manchester United approach the final day of the season with the title in the bag and a European Cup final to prepare for.
Blackpool will struggle to avoid relegation and have the worst possible fixture to save their season: away at the Champions.
John, from the excellent statistical Blackpool FC blog, Tangerine Dreaming, has taken a few minutes to talk to us ahead of the game.
Scott the Red: How do you rate Blackpool’s season? What have been your best/worst memories?
John: Winning at Anfield was unreal, as was the match against Everton at Goodison. Even though we lost the latter, the game was a real spectacle. Luke Varney’s goal against Wolves was something special too.
Going to St Andrews and producing a stale performance. Losing the lead against Bolton to draw 2-2 at the Reebok. However, the worst feeling was letting the two goal lead against Blackburn at Ewood slip away. We were so dominant and ended up getting deeper and deeper till we couldn’t hold out anymore.
STR: Who have been your most important players?
J: David Vaughan has been outstanding and the best player this season. He is safe in possession of the ball, tackles with tenacity and is consistent. He also blends the team’s formation together defending well and initiating attacks. Ian Evatt stepped up to this level very well and whilst he isn’t quick, he competes well on the ground and in the air. Obviously, Charlie Adam who has sparkled at times, but also make some high profile errors, like that own goal at home to Blackburn.
STR: What do you make of Charlie Adam handing in a transfer request then kissing the badge?
J: I wish the whole affair had been conducted by both parties with a little more composure, thought and class. However, it happened, it didn’t really stir up any emotion for myself. However, I think Charlie is a professional and will always be passionate about any team he plays for and I think he likes to make statements like badge kissing especially when he thinks he is being unfairly singled out for criticism.
STR: United’s 2nd XI beat Schalke 4-1 in the European Cup semi-final. You nervous?
J: Yes. Very nervous. It is the biggest game in my life time. Over the last few years the scale of our matches have just increased in importance. To stay in the Premier League would be amazing and I’m not sure a lot of people understand the level that Blackpool operate on in this game of multi-millionaires. I think some players in the premier league earn more in one week than our whole team does.
STR: What do you think of Craig Cathcart?
J: He has been good, he is quick to recover, good positional sense, good on the ball, however, he has made some key mistakes and paid the price by being dropped for the last few matches. He is young and will possibly develop, but his mistakes against WBA (away), Blackburn (away), Sunderland (home) show that he lacks understanding of how to snuff out real danger when it appears and his mistake against Wigan (home) shows that he needed a break. If anything he is very similar to Ian Evatt and that Alex Baptiste offers a better cover option against the more rugged stopper type of defender.
STR: Predictions for Sunday?
J: Think we’ll lose 3-2 but hopefully results elsewhere will keep us up.
STR: I hope so too! Best of luck.
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Stats preview: United vs Blackpool
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Fuck Blackpool! Wouldn’t give a fuck if they go down…they not premier league class to be honest!..
Maybe not but at least they try to attack, Blackburn and Birmingham can fuck off.
I want them to go down so that kid will cry. I’m evil that way.
Adam will be a dipper next season (apparently Dalglish will only buy the best ha ha ha) and i’m sure olly holloway will get another premiership job so he can keep amusing us with his comments.
I dont go for the whole ‘support the underdog’ thing anyway. Like Ricky Bobby says, ‘if ya aint first, youre last’ and United are top of the perch. 19 anybody?
like the club hope they stay up
That’s a bit harsh mate I think they done themselves proud and play the game the right way the game they gave us was a cracker I would rather watch that than some of the other shite in the league
i want blackpool to be in the premier league….they play really good football and are good for the premier league…also it would be fantastic to see loserpool lose to them again
I think Blackpool have been a breath of fresh air this season. Love their manager’s outspoken ways and rants, and if they stay up, I think they would avoid the relegation battle next year. Still, I want a United win tomorrow, some Berbatov goals to clinch the goalden boot and NO INJURIES!!!!!!
Would be a shame if the religious fanatics are right, and today is the rapture. When would we get the trophy
?
Blackpool play good football at least, Shitty park the bus more often than Blackpool. Don’t really care either way if they stay up, I’d rather have our squad players have a good match.
If there was some way we could give them a right spanking, yet they could still stay up, I would be in favor of that.
They will stay up…
Come on berb get your goals….
United 19
i hope they stay up at least they have ago anyway congrats on title but are liverpool still most succesfull club in england
i hopw they stay up. they play good football but i also want berbatov to get the golden boot
Adam is a cunt
sinead_mufc, completly agree with you. I deeply want berba to take that boot from that’s traitor’s clutches and i really would love blackpool to stay up. Guys, just imagine when we were 2 – 0 down against them, just imagine we were playing city, birmingham or blackburn, there would be no way in hell we could have turned it around, they would have just parked the bus and wasted time, but blackpool no, blackpool are different. They kept attacking not giving it a second thought.! I do want them to stay, they deserve it!
Fuck off you teletubby (WTMC).
Kings – Ha ha. Whats he like in that picture? Cunt!
willierednut – Yeah what a cunt he is mate.
Let`s keep our home record intact. We are not bothered if Blackpool go down. Overall they are not a team of premiership standard. It is good for them if they are relegated , maybe they will have time to install a heated under soil system so the next time they are in the premiership , there will be no matches called off because of a freezing pitch.
3-0. Easy. Big Eddie bows out at Old Trafford with a clean sheet.
I really want them to stay up.They play good football and I really like Ian Holloway, just remember back to when Wazza put his transfer reqeust in and how Ollie had a rant about how Utd and Sir Alex Ferguson were being held to ransom by agents and players ,he said “If Sir Alex Ferguson is being bullied by a player and his agent , how wrong is the game?” To me that showed total respect for the Gaffer and he does tell it how it is..lol
Me too Singh, but they’re just not good enough. Sorry, gotta go.
I’d like Blackburn and Birmigham to go down too. It’s a shame that Blackburn have been shafted by referees all season and that their only hope is beating the Champions at our own ground. They’ll be fighting for their lives but personally I think they have no chance.
*Blackpool have been shafted, that should say.
the premier league needs Ian Holloway, he rocks.
Maybe he’ll get the Chelsea job
Some odd comments on Blackpool here but I’ll give my own view, they have made mistakes sure and has Adam but overall I’d prefer them to stay up rather than the park the bus type football of Blackburn, Birmingham and sometimes Wolves for all the media wankfest on what a great bloke Mick is.
I think Wolves and Blackburn will play out a draw and Wigan will get something at Stoke, Birmingham are up against a Spurs side who will have been boosted by thier Anfield win after a shocking run of form in the last month and a half and with Blackpool facing a united team still fighting for places in the CL squad mixed with thier own inevitable nervousness I fear they might get trounced.
My two to follow the ‘ammers, Brum and Pool.
With the way Blackpool defend, and their desire to attack, honestly I think they might be the softest opposition in the Premiership. When we beat them 3-2 they kept coming at us, even at 2-0 up, when most teams would have parked the bus. Blackpool don’t have a bus, they wouldn’t know how to park it if they did, they just attack, attack, attack. And they are not good enough to play that way in the premiership and it’s a shame. If they keep Holloway and many of their players they’ve got to have a shout at getting right back into it.
Part of me thinks it’s wrong to write any team off, but I can’t see anything out of this game but a cricket score.
Personally I want to see Wigan and go down with them, just because I think Wigan are a tiny, pointless club that nobody cares about and I would rather see any one of maybe four of five legitimately big clubs from the Championship replace them. Also I think Birmingham were immense in the League Cup final and don’t deserve to drop.
My predictions:
United 3-0 Blackpool
Stoke 1-1 Wigan
Tottenham 3-1 Birmingham
Wolves 3-1 Blackburn
Birmingham and Blackpool join West Ham in “The Championship”.
I don’t mind Blackpool they always have a go. I love Holloway and kudos to him for always siding with Fergie but they allegedly wash their own kit. They got forty million or so for coming up yet the Chairman won’t spend fuck all. Not a premier league side in my opinion and they ll go down. Just glad west ham are down. Horrible cunts. Want wigan to stay up as we always piss them home and away.
They won’t be fit enough to play at Old Trafford for ninety minutes. After fifty minutes at their place they were fucked after their high tempo first half. That was four months ago so their fitness levels will be even worse. We will stetch them to fuck and pick them off with ease.
Would love to see Blackpool stay up. People who want them to go down are just caught up in the multi millionaire, ego bullshit! Fuck Off