With the final at Wembley almost upon us, let’s have a look at Blackpool’s strengths and weaknesses, to see where the Hammers need to be careful and where they need to exploit. First, let’s have a look at Blackpool’s strengths;
1) Attacking;
Blackpool’s attacking presence is always a worry for whatever team they face. Ian Holloway seems to have been educated at the “Score one more than you” high-school, as every game that they play in, the team’s philosophy is to go all out attack. At home, they scored 42 goals last season, with help from players such as Kevin Phillips and Gary Taylor-Fletcher. If the Hammers are going to secure promotion on Saturday, they have to be solid at the back. Also, Blackpool have some very exciting young talents in Tom Ince and Matt Phillips (who scored a vital goal in the second leg win over Birmingham) who both have the ability to change the game.
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2) Creating Chances;
Part of the reason that Blackpool has scored so many goals this season is the ability to create many chances. Some of this comes from their style of attacking football, but also due to the creative
players in their side. Stephen Crainey has 11 assists this season and Gary Taylor Fletcher has 10. Crainey has played 38 times this season for Blackpool and his assist tally is even more impressive
when you consider the fact that he is a left back. Taylor Fletcher’s presence is always felt in a game and the Hammers must be wary of this match-winner come Saturday.
3) Their fearless and brave style;
Ian Holloway this week told the media that he doesn’t fear failure and by looking at the team’s philosophy, that determination and bravery has rubbed off on his players. There is an attitude up
in Blackpool that, win or lose, as long as the team cohere to their philosophy, the fans are proud of their team, whereas in East London, with the style of football played by Big Sam, the fans expect victories. Blackpool’s fearless approach and the pressure felt by the Hammers players to live up to expectations could be a deciding factor in the £80m final.
4) Blackpool’s recent form;
In the form table for the last 6 games, Blackpool are above the Hammers and managed to knock-out Birmingham in the playoff semi final, who have been a very strong side this season, especially against the Hammers who struggled against them in both the away and home fixture. If Blackpool can take their recent form into the final, they could dominate proceedings at Wembley.
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Weaknesses;
1) Defending;
Unfortunately for Blackpool, all their gallivanting forward leaves them exposed at the back. The Hammers have scored 8 against Blackpool this season, 4 at home and 4 away, which shows the scale of their defensive problems. However it is not just going forward which leaves them insecure at the back, as when the Hammers beat the Tangerines 4-0 at home in October last year, the Hammers had 60% possession and dominated the shot count. It begs the question as to whether the likes of Alex Baptiste, Ian Evatt and Neil Eardley have the quality to deal with some of the West Ham players. A big question for Allardyce will be who to play upfront? In the 4-0 win over Blackpool the Hammers
played Baldock alongside Carew, who worked perfectly to dismantle a shaky Blackpool defence. Will we see another “Big and Little” partnership on Saturday?
2) Away form;
Away from home, Blackpool have been very poor this season, in comparison to their home form. They have lost 8, drawn 8 and won 7 this season, in which they have conceded 38 goals, one more than they scored. With Wembley being an “away” fixture for both sides, it rather suits the Hammers, who have enjoyed much more success away from home this season.
3) Adapting to different opposition;
Much of this season’s home woes for the Hammers has been due to the fact that many teams have come to Upton Park and have “parked the bus”. Due to this and our inability to play fluidly and
quickly enough to break them down, the Hammers have drawn 8 home games this season, whereas away from home, where teams are under more pressure from their fans to go out and attack, the
Hammers have been more successful. The reason that the Hammers have put 8 past the Tangerines in the past two games have been due to the fact that Blackpool go out and attack from the first minute, which suits us perfectly. If Blackpool were to take a more defensive approach then perhaps they would be more successful against the Hammers, however Holloway doesn’t do defensive, which I very much admire, but it did lead Blackpool to be relegated from the Premier League with a very high goals against record last season.
So these are some of my observations of the Blackpool side and where their strengths and weaknesses are. What do you think are Blackpool’s strengths and weaknesses? Tweet me @TollyCoburn
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