Where no seagulls fly...Home to Blackpool Sat 11th Nov, 1500 hrs.

[TANGODANCER]

No rock or candyfloss here folks; the only thing we really share with Blackpool is fish and chips (and maybe Strictly Come Dancing). Our coming togethers are rarely social events and this will probably be a typical less than "Hail fellow, well met" occasion. I'd like to be wrong, but am expecting a to be a little tasty. We're eight points ahead and with a game in hand, but facts and figures will mean little when we play the seasiders. Up and at em then, Stan Mathews (respectfully) is a distant memory.

[Mar]

Is this game considered close enough to be a derby? I guess a North West Derby perhaps.

[BWFC_Insane]

A while ago I identified this as the next game that would concern me. Localish Derby. Big crowd with probably a decent away contingent. Played a tough game midweek. Has the ingredients that usually trip us up.

Hopefully we find a way to push on.

[TANGODANCER]

Is this game considered close enough to be a derby? I guess a North West Derby perhaps.

If you're a true Lancastrian (and none of that Greater Manchester nonsense) then yes, it's a Lancashire Derby. Mileage-wise (about 39 to Blackpool) Bolton sits amidst Wigan, Burnley, Preston, even Liverpool and Manchester ( though neither of the last two are Lancastrian) that all be called Derbies. Passion-wise, this will be sort of a Shakespeare affair, but more a Montague and Capulet saga than Romeo and Juliet romance. Some "derbies" are less than neighbourly; this, historically, is usually one of them. Let's hope football prevails.

[Prufrock]

Is this game considered close enough to be a derby? I guess a North West Derby perhaps.

If you're a true Lancastrian (and none of that Greater Manchester nonsense) then yes, it's a Lancashire Derby. Mileage-wise (about 39 to Blackpool) Bolton sits amidst Wigan, Burnley, Preston, even Liverpool and Manchester ( though neither of the last two are Lancastrian) that all be called Derbies. Passion-wise, this will be sort of a Shakespeare affair, but more a Montague and Capulet saga than Romeo and Juliet romance. Some "derbies" are less than neighbourly; this, historically, is usually one of them. Let's hope football prevails.

Whoa whoa whoa!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Picture a scene in which Wanderers are sailing towards the international break coming off the back of a series of wins, including a big-scoring home cup win, a hard-fought triumph over some dogged long-ballers who wouldn’t lie down, and a clean-sheet win in a potentially tricky away game. What happens next?

Well in that case, we lost to Carlisle. The cup win was Rags Kids rather than Solihull, the long-ballers Stevenage rather than Wycombe, the clean-sheet away trip Vale rather than Charlton and Shrewsbury. And the gnashing and wailing lasted the entire international break.
This time around there's another cup game before the rest-and-reset, a dead rubber against lively neighbours Stockport, but much more importantly here come more visitors from the north-west fringes: this time, Blackpool.

There's no doubting the danger man. Jordan Rhodes, the throwback goalhanger who once refused to take a penalty in a play-off semi-final shootout (they lost), has 9 goals in 3 assists in 12 games. Rhodes is usually partnered with Kylian Kouassi, a 20-year-old who does the old fella's hold-up play for him but has only scored one league goal. The former Sutton forward has nevertheless pushed Shayne Lavery to the bench - the Ulsterman has scored 2 in his last three, but in games where Pool have laboured against drop-dodgers - winning 3-2 against rock-bottom Cheltenham but drawing 3-3 in the derby at 23rd-placed Fleetwood.

In between they lost 4-2 at home to Peterborough, suggesting all is not well in the Sea-sea-seasiders' defence. They play a back three but Neil Critchley seems to have picked a different trio there in each of the last half-dozen games; we know from our current experience that it's nice to have options, but the goals against column suggests this is more like casting around for ideas.

Kenny Dougall tends to anchor the midfield with young Sonny Carey given more licence to roam – licence that has brought him three goals in his last two league games. The midfield trip could be rounded out by Ollie Norburn, the former Posher in whom Wanderers were interested this summer; during his recent neck injury, he's been replaced by former Spurs kid Tashan Oakley-Boothe. Another option is Jensen Weir, the Brighton loanee (and son of David) who's always impressed me, but has drifted away from Critchley's XI.

At wingback they tend to play CJ Hamilton, who feels like he's been around since before the Tower went up, on one side and either Owen Dale or Dominic Thompson the other.

It's certainly fair to say this first season back down in the third hasn't gone as well as Blackpool might have hoped, given recent strong showings here from relegatees and the return of the manager who took them up in 2021. They didn't concede in their first four league games, but then they only scored in one of them, and were then humped 3-0 at Lincoln. Since the start of October they've gone LDWDWLD, pretty much the picture of inconsistency, but they're still only two points below the playoffs.

[TANGODANCER]

Is this game considered close enough to be a derby? I guess a North West Derby perhaps.

If you're a true Lancastrian (and none of that Greater Manchester nonsense) then yes, it's a Lancashire Derby. Mileage-wise (about 39 to Blackpool) Bolton sits amidst Wigan, Burnley, Preston, even Liverpool and Manchester ( though neither of the last two are Lancastrian) that all be called Derbies. Passion-wise, this will be sort of a Shakespeare affair, but more a Montague and Capulet saga than Romeo and Juliet romance. Some "derbies" are less than neighbourly; this, historically, is usually one of them. Let's hope football prevails.

Whoa whoa whoa!

Explain..? Merseyside and Greater Manchester?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Hang on, thought you said "none of that Greater Manchester nonsense"?

I know where you're coming from – Liverpool was technically removed from the county in 1889 and Manchester in 1974, although only administratively - that 1972 Local Government Act made clear such now self-serving cities would still be seen as part of their traditional counties.

I can't see how we can reasonably say Bolton is in Lancashire but Manchester isn't. Obviously they're weird, but they're nearer our weird than most others.

[TANGODANCER]

Hang on, thought you said "none of that Greater Manchester nonsense"?

I know where you're coming from – Liverpool was technically removed from the county in 1889 and Manchester in 1974, although only administratively - that 1972 Local Government Act made clear such now self-serving cities would still be seen as part of their traditional counties.

I can't see how we can reasonably say Bolton is in Lancashire but Manchester isn't. Obviously they're weird, but they're nearer our weird than most others.

Which is why the word "nonsense" is relevant..

[Prufrock]

Exactly! I don't mind ditching the scousers, but Manchester is Lancashire. That's why the cricket ground is there

[Worthy4England]

^^ They're all part of the Salford Hundred....Or Salfordshire if you prefer!

[TonyDomingos]

Oddly, I've seen Blackpool live more recently than us. And I last saw us less than two weeks ago!

[Harry Genshaw]

Big away following, we're in a great run of form, up against Jordan Rhodes and Evatts just won manager of the month.

Huge kick in the knackers incoming!

[Worthy4England]

Big away following, we're in a great run of form, up against Jordan Rhodes and Evatts just won manager of the month.

Huge kick in the knackers incoming!

Didn't need a MOTM, for Evatt...FFS.

[officer_dibble]

If you had told me on the 8th October he would be winning manager of the month I’m not sure I would have believed it! Wide open this year…

[TANGODANCER]

Talking pure opinionism here, but all things being equal, Blackpool will try to dominate us from the off. Maybe I'm being too kind to the current lot, but at least they usually play football and we mustn't issue too many "foot on the ball ,come and get us" challenges, but get at them instead. As ever, if we can get two goals ahead our defence is good enough to see us home. As for Evatt's M.O.T.M award, its all about results not popularity, so he's in the right place fact-wise just now. Let's hope he stays there.

No doubt the boys in blue will be keeping a careful eye on this one, as historically, it's likely to be more rock than candyfloss off the pitch as well as on it. "COME ON YOU WHITES".......

[jmjhb]

I'd be reasonably happy with a point here.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I want a win. To send us into the break on a real high, and quite possible actually in an automatic promotion slot.

Also to keep the pace. We're currently on course for 98pts and we're *still* not in the top two. Accordingly, there are some games - Pompey away - where I'd accept a draw (although that would be a missed chance to wound a rival). But right now, in this situation, almost every game is a... not a 'must-win' but 'should set reasonable expectations of winning'.

A reminder, in case anyone missed my post in all the excitement about whether Liverpool is in Lancashire, that in their last three games Blackpool have conceded two to Cheltenham (then 24th), four at home to Posh and three at Fleetwood (then 23rd). I would expect we can score, hopefully early, then pick them off as they try to respond.

On the flip side, I fear Rhodes will score Just Because. But really, we should be aiming to beat teams at home – after all, we've been doing it away.

[TANGODANCER]

I always want a win. You have to do if we're looking at promotion. A draw at worst is all we can afford to concede.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Rhodes scoring – I know it's silly paranoia and confirmation bias and all that. Just feels like he will because #narrative, like Jonson Clarke-Harris did.

(NARRATOR: Jonson Clarke-Harris has not scored a league goal since that 1-1 at the Toughsheet in September. Given his only other three league goals were in a 3-1 win, a 4-2 defeat and a 3-0 win, it is his only league goal this season to fundamentally affect the result.)