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No jokes or stories this week just hard simple facts. Blackpool were absolutely rubbish. There I have said it. It has taken several years and many, many matches for this reporter to actually report the truth. The club requests that each week I write a report no matter what happens that gives a little bit of gloss or shine what ever the result. But this week I can not even write a sentence of any note about a game that should be instantly forgotten but also remembered at the same time for all the wrong reasons.
The result has been coming for several weeks and no amount of blame can be put on the weather, playing surface, umpiring decisions or quality of opposition. Lancaster are a good side with individually skilful players, but they are not and never have been a better team than Blackpool. Yet after 70 minutes of hockey Blackpool were 5 down and trying to use every excuse in the book to explain the score line. Well here’s one that was not used – you were all useless!!!
From the back, across the midfield to the attack. No one did anything right all game. Lancaster were two goals up after fifteen minutes after effectively walking the ball into the Blackpool net. Pass selection was appalling, the midfield was in pieces and the attack just did not know where the goal was. In any team sport if the players are not passing to each other then things are not going to work. Blackpool’s defence were made to look pedestrian as balls played in behind were simply not picked up. The midfield lacked pace and completely ran out of steam in the second half. There was no ingenuity, none of the usual flare, just telegraphed passes with no power straight to the opposition. Up front the Lancaster had two open play saves to make all game.
Lancaster had seven short corners and scored from three of them, Blackpool had eleven and converted once. This was not down to brilliant Lancaster defending just Blackpool players getting in each other’s way. And at the other end not picking players up on the posts.
Should things be changed next week? You could argue that we have an easy game against the second from bottom team in the division. But if the team plays like that again they will get beaten again, its that simple. There was not one area worthy of a mention, not one. It was the first time I have ever seen players looking old and tired on the pitch. The drive and fight all but washed away. No spring in the step and to a man beaten for pace the whole afternoon. This reporter does not know how much of the report will get printed or if it will be censured. I hope it won’t and I hope everyone involved on the day reads it because to a man you were simply not good enough.
Squad: Blackmore, Woodman, Gettings, Latimer, Abbott, Pasqualino, Morrow L, Boniface, Morrow K, Whitley, Morgan, Wright, Chadwick, Mortimer.
© Kieron Morrow 20/02/06