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Town Look to Continue Positive Start at Blackpool
Friday, 24th Aug 2012 13:59

Blues boss Paul Jewell goes into Saturday’s game against Championship leaders Blackpool looking for his side to continue their positive start to the season. Although delighted with his team’s performance in Tuesday’s 1-0 victory at Watford, he wants them to give opposition keepers busier games.

The Town squad travel today and will train at Stoke City this afternoon at the start of five days away, with the Capital One Cup match at Carlisle on Tuesday. The Blues will train at Football League new boys Fleetwood on Monday.

Despite the good start to the campaign, Jewell says that this doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll go into the visit to Bloomfield Road with precisely the same approach as at Watford on Tuesday: “I think every game you have to respect the opposition and take every game on its own merits. Just because you win a game doesn’t always mean you’re going to play exactly the same way.

“What we’re trying to do is play with that freedom expressing ourselves, passing the ball in the right areas at the right time.

“The only thing where I thought we let ourselves down on the other night was that we didn’t work the goalkeeper hard enough for all the possession and quality situations we got in.

“Our shots ratio was high, but on target it wasn’t good enough. So, that’s an area where we need to improve.”

Blackpool lost last season’s Championship play-off final 2-1 to West Ham and Jewell sees parallels with his Wigan side’s experience at the end of the 2003/04 season: “I remember when we were at Wigan we got knocked out of the play-off places with the last kick of the game against West Ham.

“We used that disappointment and the emptiness that we felt after that last game of the season in a positive way to bounce back and got promoted the next year.


“It can work both ways and I’m sure Ian Holloway has worked exceptionally hard on the mental side with the players.”

He says stability and Holloway’s ability to replace the players who have moved on have been key factors in the Seasiders’ success in recent years: “You look at their team, they’ve got really good players and most of them have been together for a long time, three or four seasons — the goalkeeper, the right-back, the left-back, the centre-halves. Tom Ince has done terrifically well, Matt Phillips out wide as well. They’re a really good, expansive team.

“What he’s done well is he’s lost Charlie Adam and DJ Campbell and he’s replaced them without any problems. They’ve continued to improve. They’re a really good footballing side, they’ve a way of playing that’s really difficult to play against.”

Despite taking each game on its merits, it would be a surprise if Jewell doesn’t name the same team which started at Vicarage Road with Scott Loach in goal, skipper Carlos Edwards at right-back, Aaron Cresswell on the left and Tommy Smith and Luke Chambers in the centre.

In midfield, Massimo Luongo and Luke Hyam will be behind Lee Martin with Jay Emmanuel-Thomas on the right and Josh Carson on the left. Michael Chopra will be the lone striker.

Guirane N'Daw, whose season-long loan signing from St Etienne is expected to be confirmed this afternoon, has not made the trip and won't be involved.

Blackpool, who lead the table with a 100% record so far this season, will have centre-half Ian Evatt, who has had a foot injury, and midfielder Barry Ferguson, who has had a gluteal problem, available again after the pair missed the 2-1 midweek victory over Leeds. Right-back Neal Eardley might miss the game if his partner goes into labour.

Holloway says the return of Evatt and Ferguson means he has decisions to make: "I'm going to have a headache.

"All I will say, whatever I do and however I do it, I'll try and pick the right team to try and put a performance on against Ipswich."

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was on loan at Bloomfield Road between August and December of 2009, making seven starts and five sub appearances, scoring once.

The Seasiders tried to sign Jason Scotland last summer and Blackpool veterans Kevin Phillips and Barry Ferguson were both Blues targets early in their careers, as well as a year ago in the striker’s case.

Historically, Town have won eight games between the sides (seven in the league), eight have been drawn (eight) and Blackpool have won four (three).

In January, Blackpool came from two goals behind to peg the Blues back to a 2-2 draw at Portman Road.

Town looked to have had the game won via a first half own goal by Angel Martinez and a Tommy Smith header after the break, but subs Elliot Grandin and Kevin Phillips — who rarely fails to score against the Blues - claimed a point for the Seasiders.

At Bloomfield Road in September last year, second half goals from Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Barry Ferguson saw Blackpool to a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Blues.

Town never looked like getting back into the game after Taylor-Fletcher’s 49th minute opener, Ferguson adding the second 11 minutes later.

Fans travelling by road should give themselves extra time as there is likely to be congestion in Blackpool as it’s a Bank Holiday weekend, while Leeds fans report that the Seasiders had a strict policy regarding fans who they felt appeared drunk at their game at Bloomfield Road on Tuesday.

Saturday’s referee is Nigel Miller from County Durham, who showed 104 yellow and three red cards in 42 games last season. Miller’s most recent Town match was the 3-2 win at Coventry in February in which he booked only one player, a Sky Blue, and awarded a penalty to each side, Michael Chopra following up to score for the Blues after Lee Martin’s spotkick was saved.

Probable Town squad: Loach, Lee-Barrett, Edwards, Cresswell, Ainsley, Smith, Chambers, Delaney, Luongo, Hyam, Drury, Emmanuel-Thomas, Carson, Martin, Stevenson, Chopra, Scotland, Murray.


Photo: Action Images



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hollywoodginge added 14:10 - Aug 24
Rocky IV (4) - "No Easy Way Out" by Robert Tepper in High Definition (HD) **WOW** via @youtube

Play them this PJ!!
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brockleyblueboy added 14:12 - Aug 24
Stick with the same side.consistancy will be key.

Would be happy with a draw but reckon we have the strength to nick it late on.

COYB
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hollywoodginge added 14:25 - Aug 24
Any Given Sunday - Peace by Inches - HD 1080p via @youtube

And what about this for a team talk???

Contains strong language
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Tampa_Florida_Blue added 14:36 - Aug 24
I use to live in that area and for those of you who are traveling into blackpool by car, please take Phil's travel warning serious. I remember a few August bank holiday weekends when the traffic was backed up past Preston onto the M6 on a really hot day.
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BuckieBlue added 14:40 - Aug 24
This will be a difficult game, they're a good, settled side as PJ says. A point would be a bonus, I'd say. Mind you with a very winnable game coming up next Saturday even if we come undone this Saturday, we'll still be in a healthy position.
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ElephantBlue added 14:42 - Aug 24
I would snap someones hand off for a point from this game, as long as we play well I will be happy
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Grimsbyblue added 14:44 - Aug 24
Phil think you made a typo

Historically, Town have won eight games between the sides (seven in the league), eight have been drawn (eight) and Blackpool have won four (three).

Have Blackpool won four or three?
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Jimmys_Law added 14:47 - Aug 24
Grimsbyblue. It's four times that Blackpool have beaten us, and three of those were in the league.
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NoCanariesAllowed added 15:18 - Aug 24
Looks from the forecast as though it could be a wet day in Blackpool - worse than it was at Watford the other night, or indeed the last time we were up at Bloomfield Road!

Not necessarily expecting any points here given this is a tough trip against a team that has started better than anybody else in the Championship. Still, I didn't expect any points from Vicarage Road either, so you never know!

"Saturday's referee is Nigel Miller from County Durham... Miller's most recent Town match was the 3-2 win at Coventry in February..."

Wouldn't mind another game like that - one of the most entertaining away trips I can recall having with the Town!
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pennblue added 15:23 - Aug 24
Blackpool 0 - 2 Ipswich (Stevenson, Drury), you heard it here first.
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JewellintheTown added 15:26 - Aug 24
Training at Stoke? - Wonder if Jon Walters will drop in on them.
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Grimsbyblue added 15:52 - Aug 24
Jimmys Law

DOH Got it!
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TractorBoy666 added 16:06 - Aug 24
Difficult game but so was Watford. Just because Blackpool have won 2/2 games, everyone thinks their invincible. I fancy a 2-1 win to the Blues, Edwards and Chopra!

COYB!
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idrinkbeer added 16:10 - Aug 24
I fancy this game, 2-1 to the blues coming from behind, goals from martin and chopra
COYB
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bedsitfc added 16:21 - Aug 24
just seen james mcfadden has been let go by everton a striker that can also play out wide right or left.
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BlueBoots added 18:44 - Aug 24
Phil - you need to keep an eye on the typos...

Shouldn't the sentence read "midfielder Barry Ferguson, who is a gluteal problem"?
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BillBlue added 19:43 - Aug 24
Yes, I too think we can take this one. Blackpool are a good side and tough to beat but we have something special going at the moment and if we want it to continue then we need to beat sides like Blackpool. COYB
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Morgan added 21:35 - Aug 24
I Will be more than happy with a point tomorrow. Coyb
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runningout added 22:54 - Aug 24
great training plans : )
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dude added 00:15 - Aug 25
I just have to say, for all of the middling, or more exactly, 'manquer le bateau', le Gipeswic faithful seem rightfully assured in their discepoli, for zion, based on our recent exerience, surely lies mirrored from those whose placard states 'behold the way of death'; they must surely mean 'ecce quam bonum'!
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SitfcB added 00:51 - Aug 25
#COYB
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suffolkpunchdrunk added 01:20 - Aug 25
Blackpool, my favourite second team, largely due to the efervescent Ian Holloway and the way he has crafted a team that is far greater than the sum of its parts. ITFC is beginning to look to like a side crafted in the mould of Blackpool. This should be a great game and I really hope we can get a point, a win would be sensational. COYB!

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fourth added 07:20 - Aug 25
It makes such a difference to see PJ looking fitter, less flabby. He needs to personify his team.
Except for the height.
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Gazelle added 07:49 - Aug 25
Only two games gone but Blackpool are the current pacesetters so we have to face the possibility that despite our recent good results we may lose. So if this should happen can we PLEASE try and avoid the negative comments and relegation predictions from some of you. Anyone can see that we are slowly, too slowly for some unfortunately, building a decent team and we just have to have a little more patience. Three points today doesn't mean that we're budding champions either.
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bigolconnor added 09:25 - Aug 25
"Dude", What the crap?! Your name is a disgrace. Lebowski would never utter such nonsense.

Come on the towun.
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