This is more like it, this is much more like it.
There was a whole range of reaction to the Stoke win from outright joy to relief to disappointment even, but to see us sat in seventh in the table post game was a much welcome relief and further proof that were starting to tick, like what we expected all along really.
While the embers are still glowing from bommy night we'll be playing the first visit in a long time to Bloomfield Road. At the start of the season you would have highlighted this for a straight three points, or JOL IN, but Blackpool (as many have done before them) have started the season well earning glowing words of praise such as plucky and spirited from the various red tops around this fine land.
And this fine land bears fruits galore in the Las Vegas of Lancashire, where the locals will be thinking it's bank holiday with the hordes of scousers descending on them, and choosing from row upon row of shitty B&Bs where you're half convinced the weird landlord is profiting off you by the hour on the secret webcam. That smoke alarm looks well weird lid.
Holloway has done a remarkable job when you consider the resources of the club and the type of player it can attract/pay. One in the eye for money men and long may it continue. The team has an attacking theme throughout and notably pulled some pants down at Anfield not so long ago so they won't be taken lightly. Coleman will make a welcome return after spending an impressive second half of season there and was speaking highly of the impact of Holloway on his development only last week. With Holloway, lets hope his possible migration into the All New Phil Brown curtails some time soon.
One thing that has been noticeable about the last few games for us, is the consistency and confidence in the entire back four. Phil Neville is playing as well as he has during his time here, Baines is just Baines and Jagielka is now looking like he trusts Distin and rightfully so, he has been excellent for a couple of games now. Long may it continue. Hopefully Coleman can improve from a couple of average games and get back to doing what he does best, running like a cumbersome enthusiastic dog at the full back. Other than that, Heitinga is doing his bit to negate the loss of Fellaini and the midfield are looking well, so you can't see any changes for this game. Oh and well in Yakubu, you've been missed mate.
So, with the current run you'd be looking at three points but this is a bit of a banana skin so it should pose an interesting game.
Near enough everyone has a Blackpool story, lets hope this one turns out one of the better ones.
PaddyPower Preview;
There was a whole range of reaction to the Stoke win from outright joy to relief to disappointment even, but to see us sat in seventh in the table post game was a much welcome relief and further proof that were starting to tick, like what we expected all along really.
While the embers are still glowing from bommy night we'll be playing the first visit in a long time to Bloomfield Road. At the start of the season you would have highlighted this for a straight three points, or JOL IN, but Blackpool (as many have done before them) have started the season well earning glowing words of praise such as plucky and spirited from the various red tops around this fine land.
And this fine land bears fruits galore in the Las Vegas of Lancashire, where the locals will be thinking it's bank holiday with the hordes of scousers descending on them, and choosing from row upon row of shitty B&Bs where you're half convinced the weird landlord is profiting off you by the hour on the secret webcam. That smoke alarm looks well weird lid.
Holloway has done a remarkable job when you consider the resources of the club and the type of player it can attract/pay. One in the eye for money men and long may it continue. The team has an attacking theme throughout and notably pulled some pants down at Anfield not so long ago so they won't be taken lightly. Coleman will make a welcome return after spending an impressive second half of season there and was speaking highly of the impact of Holloway on his development only last week. With Holloway, lets hope his possible migration into the All New Phil Brown curtails some time soon.
One thing that has been noticeable about the last few games for us, is the consistency and confidence in the entire back four. Phil Neville is playing as well as he has during his time here, Baines is just Baines and Jagielka is now looking like he trusts Distin and rightfully so, he has been excellent for a couple of games now. Long may it continue. Hopefully Coleman can improve from a couple of average games and get back to doing what he does best, running like a cumbersome enthusiastic dog at the full back. Other than that, Heitinga is doing his bit to negate the loss of Fellaini and the midfield are looking well, so you can't see any changes for this game. Oh and well in Yakubu, you've been missed mate.
So, with the current run you'd be looking at three points but this is a bit of a banana skin so it should pose an interesting game.
Near enough everyone has a Blackpool story, lets hope this one turns out one of the better ones.
PaddyPower Preview;
Blackpool v Everton
It’s 40 years ago since Everton last beat Blackpool in the league. Back then, Freda Payne was top of the hit parade with Band Of Gold – a heartbreaking song about a married couple going through a difficult break-up. The writing was on the wall early on because they spent their wedding night in separate rooms. And to give you an idea of how old it is, they didn’t even have pay per view pornography at the time. Or maybe they did and maybe that explains why the groom didn’t spend the night with his wife and all the trouble started.
Thankfully the long period without an Everton victory has more to do with the fact the two teams have been in different divisions rather than some sort of disgruntled Tangerine-loving gypsy putting a curse on the Toffees. Even prior to that in 1970 there’s little evidence to suggest the Seasiders have any sort of a hoodoo over Everton, which is good because they’ve defied many gloomy predictions to become a real handful for some of the Premier League’s leading lights. And of course Liverpool.
At times his soundbites hint at a Britney Spears grasp of sanity, but Ian Holloway knows what he’s doing. The quotable manager has his team playing decent football and more importantly, collecting enough points to keep their heads firmly above water. Fans weren’t happy with the lack of activity from their club during the summer transfer window, but in a great advert for panic-buying, Holloway’s late deals have helped fire the team to a better than expected position with a quarter of the season played.
The wins have gone a long way to papering over the cracks because as good as they’ve been, they’ve struggled on occasion. High profile wins have been followed up with disappointing defeats in more winnable and - in the context of a likely relegation battle - more significant games against teams expected to be scrambling to avoid the drop. In short, Everton can and should fully expect to claim all three points at Bloomfield Road. For a while they were finding themselves on the wrong side of narrow margins, but now they’ve got into the habit of coming out on the right side of hard-fought results. And not so hard fought results like the Merseyside Derby.
Yakubu’s return to goalscoring ways is a real boost for the Toffees. Whilst it’s great to see Cahill, Arteta and Baines chip in with vital contributions, a sustained push for the European places will need to have its foundations built firmly upon the goals of the strike-force. No team have conceded more Premier League goals than Blackpool this season and what’s possibly most encouraging for Moyes’s men is the fact they’re vulnerable in a couple of ways. They struggle to contain the more fluid style of football and the more direct and powerful approach. Everton are well-equipped in both departments and can play their way around the defence yet still present a serious aerial threat. Whatever manner works remains to be seen, but Yakubu looks like the player most likely to benefit. He’s 11/2 to be the 1st goalscorer and should get his fair share of chances. Since arriving at Goodison Park, his goals have tended to come in patches and if you reckon last week’s goal was an indication the flood gates are about to open, you might think he’s good value to record his 3rd hat-trick in an Everton shirt @ 33/1.
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