Mick McCarthy admits that he doesn’t know quite what to expect from Blackpool under new manager Lee Clark at Bloomfield Road on Saturday. Clark was appointed the Seasiders’ new boss yesterday following Jose Riga’s departure earlier in the week.

“All I can do now is prepare my team to play against whoever turns up,” McCarthy said. “They’ve been playing 4-3-3 predominantly, 4-5-1 when they’ve been away.

“Lee Clark tends to play 4-4-2 and I think if you go in you’ve got to change something. Whether he changes the system or the players, all I know is that on your first day, the first team you pick, that gives those players a boost.

“They’ll run around and give that little bit extra. It’s maybe made it a little bit tougher for us.”

He says he wasn’t expecting an easy game in any case, despite the Tangerines being bottom of the table on six points from 14 games, seven points from safety.

“I remember going to Yeovil last year and how hard it was,” he recalled. “We beat them down there 1-0 and it was a tough game.

“I’ve been watching the Blackpool games and they’re no mugs by any stretch of the imagination so somebody could come in and spark them off, but you’ll get a tough game anyway.”

McCarthy believes Clark has another tough job on his hands, having had a similarly difficult role with Birmingham, who sacked him only last week.

“It strikes me that he’s got tough circumstances at Blackpool as well, but for him to get straight back in I think he’s done really well,” the Town boss added.

“I think they can see that he did well at Huddersfield. He was on the back of a 50-odd game unbeaten run at Huddersfield and lost his job.

“He had difficult circumstances at Birmingham but I thought they were excellent when we played them [in August and drew 2-2].

“I didn’t think they’d be struggling. I thought he’d got his own players in, he’d got shot of the remnants from the Premier League that were earning vast sums of money and probably causing unrest in the team.

“When you’re working with the budget that he had one thing you need is team spirit and a togetherness.

“And it looked like he’d got that and I thought they were excellent against us, and but for Christophe Berra getting a 94th-minute equaliser they’d have got the points.”

He believes the Blackpool squad is good enough to get out of trouble: “The individuals are not mugs by any stretch of the imagination. We’ve been watching them.

“As I said, Yeovil went down and they’re struggling now in League One but we had two tough games against them last season.

“Down there was really hard and I judge the league on some of the lower teams and how they eke out results. You’ve got to match them physically and then you’ve got to have that bit more quality.”

McCarthy doesn’t need to be reminded that it was Clark who was in charge of Birmingham during his first game as Town manager two years ago tomorrow when the Blues ran out 1-0 victors.

“He was. I hope there’s no irony going on there,” he said. “You’d have seen the response that I got from the team at Birmingham two years ago on Saturday.

“I guess Lee will be looking for the same response that I got. Let’s hope he doesn’t get it.”

McCarthy also recalls last season’s game at Millwall, which was Ian Holloway’s first home match in charge of the Lions.

“We had the Churchillian speech on the chair in the fans’ room and he went round and got everybody up for it,” he recollected.

“They were so wound up for that. Plus we’d travelled to Preston in the week and lost after extra-time and got back at 4am, so there were mitigating circumstances.

“But it was the first game and Ollie had them wound up to fever pitch and we never scratched the surface that day.”

He says last season’s game at Bloomfield Road, which the Blues won 3-2 in the final moments, also sticks in the mind: “We were 1-0 down, they were good value for it and Gerks made a fantastic save to stop it going to 2-0.

“It was an eventful game that, it ended up with a last-ditch winner, which happens, doesn’t it? Both for and against.”

He says both he and his players were bitterly disappointed to allow a two-goal lead to slip against Huddersfield last Saturday: “They were and I was as well, but it does happen.

“Players don’t do it on purpose, I don’t come in spitting fire and brimstone because of it.

“I seem to remember us equalising at Birmingham in the 94th minute. Chelsea conceded in the last minute against Man United and Germany against Ireland recently.

“This league is so tough and it just shows you how people keep going. And actually, Huddersfield deserved it, they played really well. We were in front 2-0 undeservedly but that doesn’t bother me.

“If we get there by hook or by crook we don’t want to then lose it but Huddersfield were good value for it.

“Sometimes you have to be magnanimous in defeat or when you draw as well, not just tell everybody how good they are when you’ve won.”

Despite having gone five games without a win and having conceded late equalisers against Nottingham Forest and Blackburn, McCarthy isn’t too despondent.

“We don’t want to keep doing that, but the performances have been good,” he added. “That’s what keeps me going. We’ve played well in the games.

“I don’t think Saturday’s game was a particularly good game and we didn’t play particularly well but that was the first time.”

He says he’s taking the traditional each game as it comes approach as the Blues go into a tough week with third-placed Wolves and Watford, who are second, at Portman Road after the Blackpool game.

“Two teams above us in the league at the moment and one that’s rock bottom,” he reflected.

“But don’t think for any minute it’s going to be anything other than a tough game at Blackpool. We’ll deal with that first and then we’ll look at Wolves and then we’ll look at Watford.”

McCarthy says he’s weighing-up whether to make changes to his side, as he does ahead of every match.

“I always think about my team,” he added. “If I can improve it, does it need tinkering with. I’m always considering that for every game.”

The Town boss is likely to stick with Dean Gerken in goal, while Tyrone Mings will return at left-back following his one-match suspension.

Jonny Parr is a doubt with a groin problem but will start at right-back if fit. Otherwise, skipper Luke Chambers will again move out to the right from his regular central defensive role with Tommy Smith continuing alongside Christophe Berra at the heart of the defence.

McCarthy could be considering switching to 4-4-2 to counteract Clark’s preferred system but will probably stick with the 4-3-3 formation he has utilised for the last couple of months.

Cole Skuse and Luke Hyam will take the deeper midfield roles with Jonny Williams - if fit - ahead of them but behind strike trio David McGoldrick, Daryl Murphy and Conor Sammon.

Teddy Bishop would be Williams’s replacement if the Wales international fails to make it having missed last week’s game having picked up a knock in the defeat at Cardiff.

Mauritian international Kevin Bru is out with a groin problem and Jack Collison could come into consideration for a place in the matchday 18 for the first time since joining the club on a short-term deal.

Following his appointment as Blackpool boss yesterday, Clark said: "I am absolutely delighted. The main objective is to try and keep the club in the Championship and build from there.

“It is a big challenge because of our position in the league but it's a challenge that can be overcome.”

Seasiders skipper Tony McMahon is back after a one-match ban but defenders Joan Oriol (ankle) and Gary MacKenzie (knee), midfielder Jose Miguel Cubero (ankle) and striker Steven Davies (groin) are all unavailable.

Historically, Town have won 10 games between the sides (nine in the league), nine have been drawn (nine) and Blackpool have won five (four).

The teams last met at Portman Road in February when the game ended 0-0. David McGoldrick - who suffered his season-ending knee injury late in the game - headed disappointing Town's best opportunity wide in the ninth minute while keeper Scott Loach thwarted Faris Haroun twice in the first half and once late on in the second.

In the previous November at Bloomfield Road, Daryl Murphy headed home an injury time goal as Town came from behind to win 3-2 and pick up their first away victory of the 2013/14 season at Blackpool, who at that stage were fourth.

The home side were very much on top before the break and were ahead via Stephen Dobbie. But in the second half, a much-changed Town got on terms and went ahead through subs Frank Nouble and Paul Taylor before late drama when the Seasiders equalised through one-time Blues target Steve Davies prior to Murphy’s winner.

Winger Stephen Hunt was close to signing for Blackpool prior to joining Town last season before the deal broke down, while Darren Ambrose spent time with the Tangerines during pre-season.

Saturday’s referee is Andy Haines from Tyne and Wear, who has shown 29 yellow cards and two red in eight games so far this season. Haines’s last Town game was the 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday in October last year when he booked Tommy Smith and one home player.

Squad from: Gerken, Bialkowski, Parr, Mings, Chambers (c), Berra, Smith, Clarke, Skuse, Hyam, Williams, Bishop, Hunt, Anderson, Stewart, Henshall, Collison, Ambrose, McGoldrick, Murphy, Sammon, Bajner.

Photo: Action Images

brittaniaman added 08:31 - Nov 1 Thank goodness it is November ?? October out of the way with a measly 3pts. after a massive 13pts in September !!!!! Now let us start Nov. with 3pts at Blackpool !!!!! With 2 home games next week COYBs We must not lose sight of Norwich who got there 3pts last night ???
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Fat_Boy_Tim added 09:11 - Nov 1 I've been thinking for a while now that we are going to absolutely tonk someone soon. Can't see Blackpool rolling over but if we get one up it could be the first of 5 or 6. COYB 5-0 for me!
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PremierBlue added 10:05 - Nov 1 MM has had a tendency to prioritize the neutralizing of the opponents strengths to the detriment of our ability to impose our own strengths and winning ways. This leads as a logical consequence to conceding late goals as well.
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