FM11: Blackpool - A New Era

[JBlues08]

No more updates?

 

[hedger_14]

Sorry mate, been pretty busy recently, and been playing a fair bit of my FC Halifax save when I've been playing FM. I'll post an update within the next 2 hours though.

 

[hedger_14]

23rd March - Blackpool v Birmingham - Premier Division​

Blackpool went into the match as clear favourites against a 14th placed Birmingham side who were destroyed by Arsenal 5-0 mid-week, and only three points in their last 8 matches. Blackpool on the other hand were flying high, having only lost one of their past 6 games, which was a 3-2 loss against Arsenal in their last Premier League game, two weeks ago. The two sides have met 7 times in the past few years and Blackpool have been much more dominant, with 6 wins and a draw, with not a single loss against Birmingham. Their last match resulted in a 2-1 win for Blackpool away from home, earlier in the season. For Blackpool, Lee Hodson finally made a return from injury, while Dorsin would be starting on the bench. The only injury news for Birmingham was that Stuart Parnaby would be missing with a broken foot, but they would be able to field a full strength side apart from that. It was also both Lee Hodson and James McFadden's 100th appearance for the club, and both have been very important players since joining.


Blackpool:

GK: David Ospina

DL: Ivan Fatic
DC: Phil Jones
DC: Ian Evatt
DR: Lee Hodson

ML: James McFadden
MC: Charlie Adam (C)
MC: Ludovic Sylvestre
MR: Giovani dos Santos

ST: David Goodwillie
ST: Rodrigo

Subs: Wilfredo Caballero, Mikael Dorsin, Craig Cathcart, Mark Noble, Israel, Chris Wood, DJ Campbell


Birmingham:

GK: Ben Foster

DL: Liam Ridgewell
DC: Roger Johnson
DC: Scott Dann (C)
DR: Chris Gunter

ML: Simone Padoin
MC: Michel
MC: Jack Collison
MR: Sebastian Larsson

ST: Nikola Zigic
ST: Amara Diane

Subs: Jack Butland, Matt Mills, Ryan Bennett, Jean Beausejour, Lhadji Badiane, Holmar Eyjolfsson, Brian Easton


It didn't take long for Birmingham to turn the odds against Blackpool when Sebastian Larsson's free kick was pushed by Ospina straight onto the feet of Padoin who smashed it into the back of the net an Birmingham had the lead within 2 minutes. A stunning individual goal from David Goodwillie minutes later put Blackpool back on level terms though, when he ran down the left hand touchline, before cutting back in and then passing two defenders before making the finish from a very tight angle, using the inside of the post to give Blackpool the equalising goal. McFadden should have scored after 9 minutes when Goodwillie played a beautiful ball for him, but his shot was way over the bar. Blackpool had the better of the next 10 minutes but Birmingham started to take the game to Blackpool a bit and it was a very entertaining game, and still an hour to be played. Charlie Adam tested his luck with 5 minutes left in the first half, Foster getting his hand to it before James McFadden headed it in to take the lead, but it was offside and he couldn't believe it. The right call had been made though and the scores remained level going into the break.

It wasn't a great start to the second half with not as much entertainment shown, compared to the first half but Rodrigo nearly found his way onto the scoresheet in the 63rd minute, with a free kick which brushed the post but Birmingham held on. DJ Campbell was given his first run in about 15 games when he was brought on for Rodrigo in the 65th minute. Diane nearly broke the offside trap in the 73rd minute when he smashed it past the keeper, only to be called back by the linesman, and it was very close indeed, hard to tell whether he was offside or not. DJ Campbell wouldn't have believed his luck when he got a clear cut chance inside the box but somehow missed the target altogether. Blackpool wouldn't have believed it though when Zigic jumped over his defender to head Larsson's corner past the oustretched hands of David Ospina. David Goodwillie tried to find an equalising goal for Blackpool as there would be 3 extra minutes. Goodwillie was brought down outside the box and Ivan Fatic stepped up quickly, and picked out Cathcart unmarked on the far post, who hit a powerful header past Foster to score a dramatic equaliser for Blackpool in stoppage time. Blackpool weren't going to stop there though as they made two late chances and a corner in the final seconds but Foster jumped high to take the ball and deny Blackpool what would have been a miracle victory.

Sebastian Larsson was the MOTM in this match, as he set up both goals through his set plays. His crossing was very good, with 5 crosses completed, but also won 4 tackles, made one intercept and made one successful run. Nikola Zigic finally broke his goal draught in a fine game, as he scored the goal that put Birmingham into the lead in the second half, and was a force in the air, winning 7 headers over the course of the game, and managed to draw 6 fouls. Ludovic Sylvestre was the stand out for Blackpool as he made 48/50 passes, only second to Fatic's 49 passes. Those included 3 key passes, and an assist and he was also strong in defence, making 3 tackles and taking 2 intercepts. David Goodwillie had another good game as he continued his goalscoring run to take the goal tally to 15 in the league this season and 23 in all competitions. A great game of football though which had everything except a Blackpool win.

 

[hedger_14]

I finally got around to firing and hiring my new staff Brought in 3 new scouts and fired one of my old ones (The second was actually very good), hired a youth coach, a very good fitness coach (Now I have 2 ), fired my GK coach and hired a better one, hired one normal coach in Sol Campbell and fired one of my ████ ones. Now I have 3.5 stars training in strength, GK Shot Stopping/Handling, Tactics, Ball Control and Attacking, 4 star in Defending and Shooting and 4.5 star in Aerobic after signing my 20 fitness coach to work on that. And I have my scouts to scout Holland, Brazil, Italy and the UK+Ireland. Now I feel much better

 

[hedger_14]

29th March - Blackpool v West Ham - Premier Division​

It was a very important match for Blackpool in particular as a loss could put Chelsea right on their tail, currently only 4 points behind and a match against Everton tomorrow. A win though would put them right up there with Man City, who were currently level on points with a game in hand and Liverpool who are 3 points above Blackpool. Man Utd meanwhile only managed a draw at home against West Brom putting Arsenal back level on points with them and a game in hand, another chapter in the title race. West Ham were currently in 14th position, 5 points above the drop where Blackburn, Wigan and Coventry currently sit within. West Ham have only beaten Blackpool once though in their past 7 meetings, with Blackpool winning 4 and drawing one. West Ham did win their match earlier in the season though so they would fancy their chances again. West Ham were however missing New Zealand defender, Winston Reid and midfielders Valon Behrami and Pablo Barrera.


Blackpool:

GK: David Ospina

DL: Ivan Fatic
DC: Phil Jones
DC: Ian Evatt
DR: Lee Hodson

ML: Israel
MC: Charlie Adam (C)
MC: Ludovic Sylvestre
MR: Giovani dos Santos

ST: David Goodwillie
ST: Chris Wood

Subs: Wilfredo Caballero, Mikael Dorsin, Craig Cathcart, Mark Noble, James McFadden, Rodrigo, Jordi Alvarez


West Ham:

GK: Robert Green

DL: Herita Ilunga
DC: Matthew Upson (C)
DC: James Tomkins
DR: Jonathan Spector

ML: Javier Garrido
MC: Scott Parker
MC: Radoslav Kovac
MR: Mikkel Beckmann

ST: Rade Prica
ST: Carlton Cole

Subs: Michael Gspurning, Marcelo Mattos, Manuel da Costa, Frank Nouble, Marius Bilasco, Danny Potts, Adam Backhouse


The West Ham manager wouldn't have been pleased when their defence was sliced open in the first minute of the match as the defensive line was broken and dos Santos put the ball in front of Chris Wood who couldn't beat the keeper but the save came back and deflected off Upson and fell down for David Goodwillie who put it home for his 16th league goal of the season and Blackpool led 1-0 within 1 minute. David Goodwillie showed some stunning skills and vision to pick out a great run from Israel with a back heel through the gap between the defenders but Israel was on his wrong foot and the ball curled past the far post and out for a goal kick. It was all Blackpool for the next 15 minutes and they finally found the back of the net again through an absolute stunner from Ludovic Sylvestre, when he got the pass from Charlie Adam and Sylvestre hit it on the volley on the edge of the box and left Green no chance, his first goal of the season and Blackpool led 2-0. West Ham threw a few bodies forward at the end of the first half but Ospina made two great saves to deny West Ham their first goal and Blackpool led 2-0 going into the break.

Chris Wood then increased Blackpool's lead 3 minutes into the second half, dos Santos getting his second assist. Wood might have taken a bit too long to get the shot away but it was a perfectly placed finish and hit with some power, Green only managing to get a touch to it before it went into the net. David Goodwillie is always a joy to behold when he runs with the ball and nearly scored a second goal in the 63rd minute after a brilliant individual run before hammering it into the corner but Green managed to tip the ball wide. Blackpool made a double change then, bringing Israel and Evatt off, with Cathcart and McFadden replacing them. Cathcart nearly scored within 30 seconds of coming on the field when Charlie Adam's corner was met by his head but Green got down to make a great save. Chris Wood was given an early mark when he was substituted in the 72nd minute, with Jordi Alvarez coming on to make his league debut for Blackpool. It wasn't all good news for Blackpool though when Phil Jones earned an early bath when he received a second yellow card and Blackpool were down to 10 men. They held out for a clean sheet though, Blackpool taking a needed 3-0 victory over a West Ham side who really never looked like threatening Blackpool.

Chris Wood took the MOTM award with a great performance up front. He nearly scored in the first minute but ended up taking the assist, before finally getting on the scoresheet in the second half. He completed 22/26 passes in some very wet weather and also won 4/4 headers. Ludovic Sylvestre was also very impressive, and did a lot of work in midfield, completing 60 passes after making 48 against Birmingham, he won 3 tackles, made 2 interceptions and capped off the performance with a stunning goal. Hodson was great as well at right back, completing 38 passes, won 2 tackles and made 10 interceptions. James Tomkins was the stand out for West Ham, very busy in defence. He won all 7 tackles that he challenged for, including 2 key tackles, won 5/5 headers and took 9 intercepts, West Ham's best player by a long way.

 

[JBlues08]

Some good results there after the defeat against Ajax. Mind posting the league table?

 

[hedger_14]

6th April - Peterborough v Blackpool - Premier Division​

Chris Wood's double led Blackpool to a 3-0 win earlier in the season, but would the result be reversed at London Road this time. It wouldnt' be easy for Peterborough though, sitting in 18th place now facing the 5th placed Blackpool team, with a win which would put them above Man City into 4th place. Blackpool would be without the suspended Phil Jones while Peterborough would be missing Craig Mackail-Smith, Onismor Bhasera and Reunionese defender, Arid Wanga would also be missing from injury, the 20 year old on loan from Bordeaux. This is also Craig Cathcart's 150th career league appearance.


Peterborough:

GK: Joe Lewis

DL: Matt Hill
DC: Ashley Williams
DC: Gabriel Zakuani
DR: Mark Little

ML: George Boyd
MC: Grant McCann
MC: Korey Smith
MR: Adam Lallana

ST: Leigh Griffiths
ST: Theo Robinson

Subs: Keith Goldsmith, Marcin Wodecki, Keith Fahey, Jordan Rhodes, Ben Mee, Lee Tomlin, Simon Gillett


Blackpool:

GK: David Ospina

DL: Ivan Fatic
DC: Craig Cathcart
DC: Ian Evatt
DR: Lee Hodson

ML: James McFadden
MC: Charlie Adam (C)
MC: Ludovic Sylvestre
MR: Giovani dos Santos

ST: David Goodwillie
ST: Chris Wood

Subs: Wilfredo Caballero, Mikael Dorsin, Jonathan Woodgate, Mark Noble, Elliot Grandin, Rodrigo, Jordi Alvarez


It was a pretty even start to the first half but it wasn't surprising to see Goodwillie open the scoring in the 27th minute, when Smith's clearance from the corner was headed down by Ludovic Sylvestre straight to Goodwillie who smashed it home from 10 yards. It didn't take long for Peterborough to respond though, when Theo Robinson found the back of the net after a bit of messy work at the back. James McFadden then floated a cross in for Giovani dos Santos to make an easy header past Lewis for Blackpool's second goal after 38 minutes. Blackpool made a couple more chances but that's how the scores remained going into the break.

Peterborough looked to take the attack to Blackpool in the second half with a couple of early chances and it wasn't good news for Blackpool when Hill brought down dos Santos and he stayed down, having to come off the field with an injury, and it didn't look good. Sylvestre then teamed up with David Goodwillie again for the Scottish striker's second goal and Blackpool had an important 3-1 lead. Lallana hit back for Peterborough though about 5 minutes later with a simple goal and Peterborough were back in it, only a goal down. Peterborough just couldn't create the chances though and substitute, Elliot Grandin put the game beyond doubt in the 90th minute, Sylvestre picking up his third assist and Blackpool took a 4-2 win at London Road.

David Goodwillie took the MOTM award for his 2 goals, but he also made 2 key passes, completed one cross, won 3 tackles, made 3 attacking runs and drew 4 fouls. His two goals now puts him top of the goalscoring list in the Premier League this season with 18 goals, ahead of Tevez and Fernando Torres with 17 a piece. Ludovic Sylvestre had another great game with 3 assists, 33/37 passes, won 3 tackles and made 5 interceptions. James McFadden also had a fine game, setting up a goal while making 2 key passes, won 3 tackles, 2 headers including 1 key header, made 2 interceptions and made 4 succesful runs down the left hand side of the field. Peterborough on the other hand, were very disappointing and only a bit of luck got them two goals after some horrendous finishing.

 

[hedger_14]

12th April - Blackpool v Wigan - Premier Division​

It was a huge match for both sides, Wigan trying to keep their Premier League survival hopes alive currently 3 points below the drop with Middlesbrough and Peterborough on 29 points each. Blackpool on the other hand, would be wanting a win to keep up with the top 3 and challenge Liverpool for third spot and even Man Utd in the next few weeks, with Arsenal now starting to pull away slowly. With Man Utd going up against Liverpool tomorrow, Blackpool will be hoping Liverpool lose, with a very tough end to Blackpool's season coming up playing Chelsea and Man City away from home before coming back to Bloomfield Road to play their final match against Liverpool, West Brom the only easy match in their final 4 matches. Giovani dos Santos would be missing through injury, out for the next 2 weeks while Wigan would be missing Franco di Santo through suspension and Cho Won-Hee, Joao Silva, Hendry Thomas and Matthew Briggs through injury.


Blackpool:

GK: David Ospina

DL: Ivan Fatic
DC: Phil Jones
DC: Ian Evatt
DR: Lee Hodson

ML: James McFadden
MC: Charlie Adam (C)
MC: Ludovic Sylvestre
MR: Elliot Grandin

ST: David Goodwillie
ST: Rodrigo

Subs: Wilfredo Caballero, Mikael Dorsin, Craig Cathcart, Mark Noble, Jeffren, Chris Wood, DJ Campbell


Wigan:

GK: Chris Kirkland

DL: Andreas Ibertsberger
DC: Gary Caldwell
DC: Jordy Buijs
DR: Tony Hibbert

DMC: Mohamed Diame

ML: Bob Schepers
MC: Ben Watson
MC: James McArthur
MR: Mauricio Sperdutti

ST: Victos Moses

Subs: Craig Foreman, Antolin Alcarez, Aleksandar Tunchev, Elliott Pratt, David Pollet, Emmerson Boyce, Luke McCullough


David Goodwillie was looking for a penalty 10 minutes into the game when he spent a long time on the ball inside the box, and Ben Watson obliged bringing him down and Attwell had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Up stepped Charlie Adam and he made no mistake from the spot. Elliot Grandin increased Blackpool's lead after 19 minutes with a simple header on the back of a good cross from Ivan Fatic and Blackpool looked unstoppable, 2-0 up. Rodrigo then added to Wigan's woes when a free kick resulted in Blackpool's third goal and Wigan had a mountain to climb. A mistake from the kickoff nearly gave Blackpool another goal, but Goodwillie's shot was tapped onto the crossbar. That was the score at the break but Blackpool could have easily added another one or two goals.

A reckless challenge from Gary Caldwell 15 minutes into the second half didn't go down well with the ref, as he was given a straight red and deservedly so having gone into the challenge with two feet. The rest of the second half was pretty boring and Blackpool took a decisive 3-0 win over Wigan to go within striking distance of the top 3.

Elliot Grandin took the MOTM award with a solid performance, getting on the scoresheet for the second match in a row, but also won 3/3 headers, including 2 key headers and took 3 intercepts. Ivan Fatic also had a great game, completing 54/61 passes, won 4 tackles, 3 headers and set up Grandin's goal. It was a great game all-round for Blackpool though, and Sylvestre managed a total of 86/91 passes over the course of the game, as he continues to play a major part in Blackpool's success. Tony Hibbert was one of Wigan's only performers, at right back completing 23 passes, won 11 tackles, 2 headers and made 5 interceptions, a solid game despite his team conceding 3 goals.

 

[hedger_14]

20th April - Chelsea v Blackpool - Premier Division​

This was one of Blackpool's biggest match of the season, with the chance to overtake Liverpool after their loss to Man Utd followed by a draw at home to Everton. Chelsea would need a win to keep their top 6 hopes alive, now 5 points behind Tottenham, and only 4 points ahead of Everton. Chelsea would be missing Gervinho and likely Michael Essien through injury while dos Santos would be the only casualty for Blackpool. Blackpool had recorded their first victory against Chelsea earlier in the year, with a 3-1 win at home but Chelsea were still strong favourites at home, but Blackpool had every chance of upsetting the odds.


Chelsea:

GK: Petr Cech

DL: Ryan Bertrand
DC: Neven Subotic
DC: John Terry
DR: Branislav Ivanovic

MC: John Obi Mikel
MC: Giulio Migliaccio

AML: Yury Zhirkov
AMC: Frank Lampard
AMR: Erik Huseklepp

ST: Demba Ba

Subs: Matej Delac, Djibril Cisse Florent Malouda, Alex, Marco Borriello, Denys Garmash, Phil Jagielka


Blackpool:

GK: David Ospina

DL: Ivan Fatic
DC: Phil Jones
DC: Ian Evatt
DR: Lee Hodson

ML: James McFadden
MC: Charlie Adam (C)
MC: Ludovic Sylvestre
MR: Elliot Grandin

ST: David Goodwillie
ST: Rodrigo

Subs: Wilfredo Caballero, Mikael Dorsin, Craig Cathcart, Mark Noble, Jeffren, Chris Wood, DJ Campbell


Chelsea wouldn't have been very confident going into the match and Blackpool tried to make the most of that early on and Elliot Grandin should have scored in the 3rd minute with a beautiful chance inside the box but the shot didn't hit the target. Charlie Adam hit the post with a free kick minutes later and Ian Evatt hit a header from a corner over the bar but Chelsea were hanging on, although only just. It was a good match of football and Rodrigo finally found the back of the net with a powerful finish from 25 yards out on the back of an excellent pass from Ludovic Sylvestre. An entertaining half was brought to a close with Blackpool still leading 1-0, and Chelsea really needed to score in the second half.

The chances came for both sides in the second half and James McFadden had a clear cut chance to score in the 64th minute on the back of a good pass from Goodwillie but couldn't test the goalkeeper. Goodwillie couldn't believe his luck when he nearly had a superb goal but the ball went millimetres wide of the goal and Chelsea were still in it. Despite some late pressure from Chelsea, Blackpool held on for a famous win at Stamford Bridge, to go above Liverpool in the league standings.

Ludovic Sylvestre was no doubt one of Blackpool's best performers in recent weeks and he put in another blinding performance against Chelsea, picking up the MOTM award. He completed 34/37 passes including 4 key passes, won 2 tackles, made 3 interceptions, drew two fouls and set up Blackpool's only goal. Phil Jones was very solid at the back again, completing 17 passes, taking 12 intercepts and covering a distance of 10.3km over the course of the match. Chelsea left back, Ryan Bertrand had a great game at left back, completing 48/52 passes, completed 3 crosses, won 4 tackles, 2 headers and took 6 intercepts during the match. Apart from Bertrand, there were no real stand out performers for Chelsea.

 

[Bevab]

Are all matches huge for you?

Maybe.

 

[hedger_14]

They are at the end of the season

 

[hedger_14]

27th April - Blackpool v West Brom - Premier Division​

2nd place might have been a bit beyond Blackpool this late in the season but they would need to make sure they got a win against West Brom to pull 4 points ahead of Liverpool and 6 ahead of Tottenham. It would still likely come down to the final match where Blackpool play Liverpool. West Brom would be without James Morrison and Leon Barnett which would lower their chances of taking a top half finish, 3 points behind Fulham who were in 10th, as West Brom had this game plus their final 2 while Fulham only had two games remaining. This was also Lee Hodson's 150th career league appearance, and Phil Jones 50th for Blackpool.


Blackpool:

GK: David Ospina

DL: Ivan Fatic
DC: Phil Jones
DC: Ian Evatt
DR: Lee Hodson

ML: James McFadden
MC: Charlie Adam (C)
MC: Ludovic Sylvestre
MR: Jeffren

ST: David Goodwillie
ST: Chris Wood

Subs: Wilfredo Caballero, Mikael Dorsin, Craig Cathcart, Mark Noble, Elliot Grandin, Rodrigo, DJ Campbell


West Brom:

GK: Scott Carson

DL: Evaldo
DC: Paul Scharner
DC: Glenn Loovens
DR: Gianni Zuiverloon

DMC: Youssuf Mulumbu

ML: Hjaite Norregaard
MC: Graham Dorrans
MC: Kristopher Haestad
MR: Fredson

ST: Simon Cox

Subs: Boaz Myhill, Stephen Jordan, Antonio Amaya, Trond Olsen, Simon Church, David Gray, Elliott Grant


West Brom made a couple of good chances in the first 10 minutes but David Goodwillie should have opened the scoring for Blackpool, when his shot went over the crossbar and he should have done better. The game was very open as the ball went from end to end, an even half, but neither side could find the back of the net. Blackpool had a couple of good chances towards the end of the half in the opposition area but they really couldn't get any shots away, and it wasn't surprising to see the scores still level going into the break.

Phil Jones was pushed up into the midfield for the second half, a tactic Blackpool had used on a few occassions during the season and it had worked most of the time, Cathcart coming on for Sylvestre. Charlie Adam tested his luck from distance about 5 minutes into the second half, but the chip shot went well over the bar. Phil Jones then put a pass on for Goodwillie who showed good first touch to get the ball through for Elliot Grandin who had come off the bench, but Carson made a great save to keep West Brom level. Blackpool were much the better side in the second half and they finally found the scoresheet with a lot of tired legs. Evatt made the most of that, booting it up field for David Goodwillie to run onto, who had the keeper to beat, and fired it low into the bottom left corner and Blackpool had an important 1-0 lead. West Brom had a couple of chances from corners, but were hit on the break, and Rodrigo was in on goal, but Loovens made a vital intervention to keep West Brom in it, but they only had about 6 minutes remaining. They tried to find an equalising goal but it gave Blackpool a lot of space and McFadden went ever so close to putting the game beyond doubt, but Carson managed to get across and keep the ball out. Jones saved the day for Blackpool late in the game with an excellent sliding tackle to give Blackpool an important 1-0 win.

Ian Evatt took the MOTM award with a great performance for Blackpool. He won 2 tackles, 6 headers and made 8 interceptions, and capped off his great performance with an assist. Lee Hodson had another solid game for Blackpool as well, completing 34/36 passes, winning 5 tackles and took 1 intercept. Scott Carson had a great game for West Brom in goals, making a few really good saves to deny Blackpool on numerous occassions. Zuiverloon was also good, completing 45 passes, winning 6 tackles, 2 key headers and made 8 interceptions. This loss would mean Aston Villa would have a good chance of overtaking West Brom while Blackpool have pulled 4 points in front of Liverpool, and only sit 3 points behind Man Utd, however United's goal difference is much better.

 

[JBlues08]

Thanks for posting the table and looks like you're gonna finish in the Top 4!

 

[hedger_14]

3rd May - Man City v Blackpool - Premier Division​

Liverpool had kept their top 3 hopes alive earlier in the day with a 3-1 victory over Arsenal, also giving Man Utd a slim chance of snatching the title should they win their last 2 games, while Arsenal lost their final match against Newcastle but eyes were on this match, and it was vital that Blackpool should win, otherwise it would all come down to the final clash with Liverpool to see who finished in third. Blackpool had a clean bill of health while Man City would be missing a couple of players, Yaya Toure out after being suspended, and Nigel de Jong and Nedum Onuoha were doubtful to play. Man City on the other hand would have the chance to overtake Tottenham, should they win while Tottenham lose, but again other results would have to go their way. This was Phil Jones 125th career appearance, while it was Gareth Barry's 525th career match and David Silva's 325th career appearance.


Man City:

GK: Joe Hart

DL: Aly Cissokho
DC: Salvatore Bocchetti
DC: Mapou Yanga Mbiwa
DR: Cesar Azpilicueta

ML: David Silva
MC: Gareth Barry
MC: James Milner
MR: Matias Ezequiel Schelotto

ST: Emmanuel Adebayor
ST: Carlos Tevez

Subs: Wojlech Szczesny, Bony, Andres Guardado, Tony Huston, Marko Arnautovic, Adam Johnson, Joleon Lescott


Blackpool:

GK: David Ospina

DL: Ivan Fatic
DC: Phil Jones
DC: Ian Evatt
DR: Lee Hodson

ML: James McFadden
MC: Charlie Adam (C)
MC: Ludovic Sylvestre
MR: Giovani dos Santos

ST: David Goodwillie
ST: Rodrigo

Subs: Wilfredo Caballero, Tarik Brack, Craig Cathcart, Mark Noble, Elliot Grandin, Chris Wood, DJ Campbell


It was a pretty even first 20 minutes, although Man City did create a few good chances, but two great saves from Ospina kept the scores level. An incisive break away from Man City though, opened the scoring through Carlos Tevez and City led 1-0 after 27 minutes. Man City really dominated the game from then on as they created chance after chance. Rodrigo had one good chance for Blackpool before half-time but the finishing touch was lacking and Man City went into the half-time break 1-0 up.

The second half was much like the first as City dominated the match and only some good defence and some great goalkeeping skills from David Ospina was keeping Blackpool in it. The match went a but quiet for a while and time continued to run out for Blackpool, but they just could not create the chances. Blackpool tried to attack late in the game and put Man City under some pressure with two stoppage time set plays but Hart was more desperate and grabbed the ball from Noble's corner, not going to let Cathcart, the substitute, get a head to it and give Blackpool a late equaliser, and Man City had taken a 1-0 win.

David Ospina was the MOTM with an unbelievable performance in goals, making 10 saves and was the stand out player in the match as he was tested on numerous occassions. Ivan Fatic also had a strong game at the back for Blackpool, completing 31 passes, winning 6/6 tackles, 5 headers including 3 key headers, and made 9 interceptions. Carlos Tevez was one of Man City's best performers, scoring the only goal, completing 25 passes, 1 key pass, won 2 headers and made 2 attacking runs, a solid performance from Man City's captain. James Miler was superb in midfield, and was the mastermind behind most of Man City's attacks, completing 32 passes including 3 key passes, and drew 6 fouls, while also was very solid in defence, winning 4 tackles, 2 headers and taking 3 intercepts. It was a good performance from Man City though and they had taken a deserved victory, going into the final week. It all came down to the last week now, with Arsenal 3 points ahead of Man Utd and both teams would have it all to play for in the final round, Blackpool sit 1 point ahead of Liverpool as they play each other in the final round, meaning the winner will finish third and if it's a tie, Blackpool will take the final Champions League group spot. Tottenham were 2 points in front of Man City and their final game and against Sunderland would determine what position they would finish, depending on the result between Man City and West Ham. Middlesbrough, Wigan and Coventry were also confirmed that they would drop down to the Championship next season, with Peterborough surviving and they would spend at least another season in the Premier League. It would also be a race in the goal to be the top goalscorer in the league with Carlos Tevez, David Goodwillie and Fernando Torres having scored 19 goals this season with Rooney following with 17, so all 4 would be wanting a few goals in their final match to take that award.

 

[hedger_14]

11th May - Blackpool v Liverpool - Premier Division​

It was the final day of the season. There was no bigger match than this one between third placed Blackpool and fourth placed Liverpool, Liverpool needing a win to snatch third place other Blackpool would finish above Liverpool. The two sides have met 7 times since 2010 and Blackpool have only won once in Blackpool's last home match against Liverpool, last season so they would fancy their chances at home. They had no injury news while Liverpool's only missing personnel was central defender, Daniel Agger. Blackpool only made one change to the team that were defeated by Man City last week, with Chris Wood coming in for Rodrigo, while Steven Gerrard would be disappointed after being started on the bench for this final match, but it was Jonjo Shelvey who would have to step up, in only his 5th start of the season.


Blackpool:

GK: David Ospina

DL: Ivan Fatic
DC: Phil Jones
DC: Ian Evatt
DR: Lee Hodson

ML: James McFadden
MC: Charlie Adam (C)
MC: Ludovic Sylvestre
MR: Giovani dos Santos

ST: David Goodwillie
ST: Chris Wood

Subs: Wilfredo Caballero, Tarik Brack, Craig Cathcart, Mark Noble, Elliot Grandin, Rodrigo, DJ Campbell


Liverpool:

GK: Jose Reina

DL: Emiliano Insua
DC: Andre Bahia
DC: Martin Skrtel
DR: Glen Johnson

MC: Raul Meireles
MC: Andrea Poli

AML: Bryan Ruiz
AMC: Jonjo Shelvey
AMR: Charles N'Zogbia

ST: Fernando Torres

Subs: Lukasz Zaluska, Jan Vertonghen, Joe Cole, Lacina Traore, Danny Wilson, Steven Gerrard, Jorge Martinez


The match was in the balance early on in the game, Liverpool making a couple of good opportunities including a shocker from Fernando Torres which he should have scored and Blackpool made them pay as Adam put Wood in behind the defence, Reina rushed out and made the save but it only deflected back to none other than David Goodwillie who wasn't going to miss an open goal, even from 20 yards out, and Blackpool had a 1-0 lead. Ruiz went so close to equalising for Liverpool in the 32nd minute but his shot went narrowly wide of the mark. Ospina showed he was one of the best keepers in the Premier League with a few top quality saves just before half-time to give Blackpool a 1-0 lead going into the break and Liverpool would have to score twice to finish higher. Around the grounds, a double from Robin van Persie had nearly put the title beyond doubt as Arsenal led Newcastle 2-0 while James Milner's goal had put Man City up 1-0 while Tottenham and Sunderland were still level at the break and should it finish that way, Man City would climb above Tottenham on the ladder.

Liverpool could count their lucky stars when Blackpool somehow managed to not score as Charlie Adam hit the post before Chris Wood had a golden opportunity but hit it right at Reina, lying on the ground. Blackpool were even more unlucky when Fatic dispossessed Torres inside the box but it only ended up moving towards Ruiz who tapped the ball into the open goal and it was all level again. An impressive run from Goodwillie nearly resulted in another goal but his shot just didn't have enough curl on it to find the target. Liverpool knew they had to score again. Elliot Grandin thought he had put the game beyond doubt in the 81st minute when Adam's free kick was parried by Reina and he pounced on the rebound to score, but was pulled back for an offside, a lazy effort from the substitute. They say the best form of defence is attack and Blackpoool looked to do that by putting Liverpool under immense pressure despite having brought off Chris Wood for Craig Cathcart, and bringing Phil Jones into a defensive midfield role. They played it out to the whistle and third place was Blackpool's and they would be ecstatic over their performance this season.

Blackpool's David Ospina was the deserved MOTM after he made a number of quality saves, picking up from where he left off against Man City. David Goodwillie finished another superb season with a 20th goal and after Tevez and Torres had failed to score, he would be the top goalscorer in the league. He made 15 passes, won 2 tackles, took 2 intercepts and made 5 attacking runs as well as the goal to cap off his great performance. Insua had a decent game for Liverpool, completing 35 passes, 1 key pass, made 9 tackles and made 4 interceptions, a good game at the back for him. Raul Mereiles was also strong in midfield, completing 37/40 passes including 3 key passes, won 6/7 tackles and took 5 intercepts as he really looked to create something for Liverpool. Tottenham had only managed to draw Sunderland, after Jordan Henderson cancelled out Edin Dzeko's goal in stoppage time to put Tottenham below Man City on goal difference. Robin van Persie scored a hattrick to secure the title for Arsenal in a 4-0 win over Newcastle as Man Utd's 2-0 win over Coventry went to waste. Could Blackpool go a step further next season and win the league?

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Chris Wood Scoops Up Young Player of the Year Award for Second Time Running​

A day after the season had finished and the awards were given out. Chris Wood had won the Young Player of the Year Award last season after having scored 20 goals and setting up 10 and was third the year before and despite not being as great this season, he picked up the award for the second year in a row, scoring 10 goals with 5 assists in 29 matches, a match rating of 7.02. Blackburn's Vladimir Weiss came second with 4 goals and 13 assists in 37 matches with a match rating of 6.99 while Rafael took third with an average rating of 7.27 in 28 matches. David Goodwillie of course, had won the Top Goalscorer award for the second time running as he has managed 93 goals for the club since joining in 2010 for ?1.4M. Brendon Hedger would have been disappointed not to take the Manager of the Year Award, taking third place while Javier Aguirre from Liverpool came second and Arsenal's Roberto Mancini was the Manager of the Year for the second consecutive time. David Goodwillie was Blackpool's only player to be named in the Team of the Year.

So the end of the season and the transfer window coming up. Who would move though? DJ Campbell had recently requested a transfer at Blackpool and seemed that he would move to Ipswich for a fee of ?90,000, but he turned down the contract offer. David Ospina has been attracting interest from big clubs and he could make a move to Valencia but Blackpool are unlikely to sell him unless a huge offer comes in. Dutch 17 year old midfielder, Marc van Kallen is also attracting some interest from both Liverpool and Blackpool with both sides apparently putting in bids of ?800,000. Only time would tell what would happen though.

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van Kallen Set for Liverpool​

Marc van Kallen found himself at the centre of attention when offers came in from Blackpool for ?800k and Liverpool for ?1M and he had a tough decision to make as to whether he would leave for Liverpool or Blackpool. A few days later, he finally confirmed that he would be joining Liverpool on the 9th June when the transfer window officialy opens. Where Blackpool go next is not known but they are rumoured to be looking for a left midfielder to replace the ageing James McFadden, with Israel not quite Premier League standard yet despite having played in 14 games this season. With some new finances available from finishing 3rd in the Premier League, they wouldn't mind splashing the cash a little to improve their team.