On the 22nd May 2010, the impossible happened for Blackpool fans. After 90 minutes of sweltering heat, the team lifted the Championship play-off final trophy at Wembley to be promoted to the Premier League for the first time in the club’s history.
After coming from behind twice, 11 Tangerine players became heroes, but three were lucky enough to score the goals that counted.
At the Official Blackpool Supporters Trust Gala Dinner to commemorate five years since promotion, Charlie Adam, Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Brett Ormerod looked back on their time as Tangerines.
FFC: What was it like at Wembley?
Adam: Wembley is a special stadium and it was a surreal atmosphere and we shouldn’t have been anywhere near it but we did because we had a fantastic group of players. It was an incredible achievement and I am just so glad I was a part of it.
Taylor-Fletcher: As soon as we had Cardiff, we knew we were going up. We had a fire in our belly and it just all came together. Everything we had worked so hard for meant we knew that no one and nothing was going to stop us.
Ormerod: I think the whole day was just one of those one-off things that as a player you don’t really think about at the time, but just seeing what it meant to the fans is something that will live with me for a very long time.
FFC: What was your favourite goal you scored for Blackpool?
Ormerod: The most important one was obviously Wembley. I was so proud to get the goal that took us into the Premier League. I was pretty pleased with all of them though!
Taylor-Fletcher: Personally family-wise it was scoring at Anfield. It was in front of my little lad and my family. It was just stunning! But then the final was just incredible.
FFC: Who was the most important man at the club while you were there?
Taylor-Fletcher: Thommo was the heart of that club. We could ring him whenever we needed anything. I mean he was the assistant manager, taxi driver, kit man, groundsman- anything else I missed off? He wasn’t given the credit he deserved!
FFC: Brett, you played for Blackpool in two occasions- how was it coming back in the second spell?
Ormerod: They’ve both been very special for me. I did have reservations coming back because I didn’t want to spoil what I had the first time around but it turned out to be the best decision I made in my career. We had such a fantastic squad, I have never been in an atmosphere like it.
FFC: The Blackpool fans celebrated with a bus parade on the Prom, how was that for the players?
Adam: I didn’t know there was that many people that lived in Blackpool. It was an amazing day and just seeing what it meant to the fans was incredible. At the end of the season awards there was actually grown men crying and seeing that really put into perspective just what it meant to everyone involved in the club.
FFC: How do you feel looking back now?
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Taylor-Fletcher: We were like a family and we all still are. What we did is now a memory but you can’t take that memory away from the fans or us.
Things may have taken a turn for the worse at the club, but for one night at the BST Gala Dinner everything was forgotten and the good times were remembered.
Although the Champions League has become by far the most efficient structure in the world of football for producing high-quality, high-stakes, highly entertaining fixtures that even the heights of the World Cup often fail to match, there is a sense of monopolisation about the European tournament.
For many years, the Premier League had the traditional top four of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, that was once dubbed by Alan Hansen as being unbreakable, and despite the fact the Merseyside club have been substituted for Manchester City, barring Everton and Tottenham sneaking over the qualifying line on a rare occurance, it seems that once again there is a power bloc at the summit of the English top flight that appears almost impossible to break.
[cat_link cat=”Liverpool” type=”tower”]
Although the Premier League will always be the most consistently competitive top tier division in European football, there is still a gulf in monetary terms and reputation between those finishing fourth place or higher, limiting the calibre of players clubs in the mini-league of teams just below are able to attract, weakening their chances to competitively improve.
But with news announced today that UEFA have confirmed their decision to allocate a spot in the continent’s most prestigious cup tournament for the winners of the Europa League from the year previous, we now have a small form of resistance to the cartels at the head of Europe’s top flights. The new rules will have a duel effect; firstly, as previously mentioned, giving smaller clubs a chance at breaking the barrier of Champions League qualification and reaping the financial, commercial and prestigious advantages that come with it, and secondly, it will make Europe’s second tier tournament a far more worthwhile competition.
It begs the question as to whether or not clubs like Liverpool should now be looking to make the best out of the Europa League, with the carrot of the promised land of club football at the end of it. It could well be the route that projects them back towards past glories, but at the same time, is it just another complication to an already hectic fixture list?
Although the reward for the Europa League may now be greater, it still does not change the fact it is an incredibly difficult competition to win, and there is a reason that there is an overall dislike for the tournament in England. Fulham’s fairytale run in the continent’s second tier during the 2008/2009 season may have left them with some fantastic nights that will live long in the memory of the fans, but getting to the final added a further 19 games to their campaign, with the after-effect being them sliding down the Premier League table and finishing up in 12th, having claimed 7th spot the year previous.
Alas, they had no silverware to show for their efforts abroad, and as Tottenham have found out this season, the tournament quickly becomes viewed as a pointless escapade upon one’s elimination. The added fixtures could well have been a factor in the North Londoners’ dip in form towards the business end of the season, that in effect allowed local rivals Arsenal to surpass them into Champions League qualification.
The fact is that the Premier League has become a far too intense competition in its own right for teams of a limited calibre in comparison to the top four to take the risk of committing fully to the Europa League. Final standings are often decided by a single point, as they have this season, or on goal difference, as they have in the past, but whereas the differences may be slight on a League table, the gulf in rewards between finishing up in fifth or fourth, or sixth or seventh, can often be enormous in terms of funding, commercial revenues and transfer policy.
This season, Brendan Rodgers dipped his toe in the proverbial water in regards to the Europa League, but quite rightly resisted the urge to fully commit, considering the limited strength of key departments of Liverpool’s roster. A lack of depth was undoubtedly the reason Newcastle have come unstuck this year, with the Magpies unable to successfully perform on two fronts, at one point compromising the maintenance of their Premier League status.
But will the added prize of Champions League football change perspectives of the Europa League in regards to next season? You can imagine that clubs might begin taking a serious interest as we approach March and February, but I still cannot foresee a dramatic change to the current practice of using bit-part players and youngsters in the earlier stages of the tournament
Overall, the cast of Europa League minnows, the likes of Young Boys, Hearts, and Gomel, whom Liverpool faced this season, are far too weak opposition to draw the big-name players and talismanic personnel, such as Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez, to the starting Xi for second tier continental fixtures.
Then again, it will all depend on relative league position. For example, should the Reds find themselves in and around 7th place again next season, it would suggest that with Premier League safety assured – which may seem trivial for a club of Liverpool’s stature, but is in fact the first aim of every top flight club no matter their size or reputation – the Anfield club may as well take a hit in terms of domestic standing as the Europa League offers the best opportunity to qualify for the Champions League.
But should Brendan Rodgers find himself in fifth place, he will suddenly be presented with a selection headache. Should he decide to push for fourth, considering the size of Liverpool’s squad and its overall quality, it will have to come at the expense of the Europa League. And thus we have a new dynamic to European qualification that managers will have to evaluate correctly, else implode their own chances of Champions League football.
Being realistic however, I cannot see the Merseyside outfit caught up in the battle for fourth spot next season. They finish the current campaign 12 points being Arsenal, and although I expect they will be able to close the gap next year, there are still intrinsic problems in the squad that cannot be fully addressed in the summer, with Brendan Rodgers’ transfer budget limited to around the £30million mark.
Yet, they could easily find the Europa League equally as challenging. Overall, I would argue that Tottenham’s roster is blessed with more first team strength and depth than Liverpool’s, but despite specific impetus put on the competition by Andre Villas-Boas, Spurs still came up short, and in some ways it is a tad embarrassing to the second string tournament that Chelsea, last season’s Champions League winners, made it through the knock-out stages with incredible ease, only coming up against a team of similar calibre in the final, but still easily casting them aside to lift the Europa League trophy.
I am not suggesting winning the Europa League is out of Liverpool’s reach, but it will take all of their might and resources to claim the European title, and should there be a Champions League regular such as Chelsea or Benfica in the mix, it may well be too tall an order for them. Furthermore, it will undoubtedly compromise their league position, and it will become a delicate balancing act for Brendan Rodgers.
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Of course, if the risk pays off, the fans will not care where they end up in the Premier League on the final day of the season, but as previously stated, elimination from the tournament suddenly morphs it from the perspective of the fans as a complete waste of time, and losing in the latter stages or the final itself will hardly seem worth it if it comes at a cost of the Reds finishing up in the bottom half domestically – it could even lead to Rodgers’ position at the club coming under review.
Although I am a fan of the new rule, as it certainly adds some much needed incentive to the widely disliked Europa League, it does not in fact serve clubs of Liverpool’s stature particularly well. It becomes an either-or situation, and will cause hesitancy about whether to stick or twist, or what avenue to focus the Reds’ resources and talents on, with it almost certainly coming at the expense of the other.
Should Brendan Rodgers find his club in the latter stages of the Europa League, he will of course begin to pursue the title due to the rewards of Champions League qualification, but I would not expect to see any change in tactic of added importance from the perspective of the club any time soon, especially whilst the earlier rounds are rife with sub-quality teams from fringe European nations.
It does however present the opportunity for fairytale scenarios; clubs gaining a place in the Europa League through the FA Cup for example, and then going on to claim Champions League qualification in defiance of football’s natural hierarchy, or an even more extreme possibility – a club winning the Europa League only to be relegated, and thus find themselves playing Championship football and Champions League football in the same season.
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Everton moved into eighth position in the Premier League table courtesy of a 1-0 win over Newcastle United at Goodison Park on Monday night.
Theo Walcott scored the only goal of the match as the Toffees moved into the top eight, and the Merseyside outfit will now look to stay in that position in the final weeks of the season.
Despite the victory, the Everton fans remain an extremely frustrated bunch, with many calling for Sam Allardyce to leave at the end of the season.
Wayne Rooney has also taken a lot of criticism following the Newcastle match, with the 32-year-old struggling to make his mark in the middle of the park.
Rooney has actually scored 10 Premier League goals for Everton this season, but there remain question marks over his ability to influence matches from the middle of the park.
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The Everton fans were not pleased with the former England captain’s performance against Newcastle, and took to Twitter to vent their frustration:
After another disappointing year, Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is set to overhaul the squad yet again.
Tottenham struggled all season, pottering along like an old Skoda with a busted transmission until finally grinding to a screeching halt at fifth place. Star Harry Kane provided some horsepower with 31 goals, but no other player put up even half that.
It’s no wonder Pochettino wants to change out some parts. Reports have already said he plans to sell up to 10 players this summer. When the new campaign begins, however, watch out, Spurs will return a well-oiled machine.
Pochettino has already set about gathering attacking support for Kane. Timo Werner, Anthony Martial, Giannelli Imbula are all rumoured to be very likely signings. None of the three are older than 22. Add that to the 21-year-old Kane, and Tottenham will have a pool of young talent to draw from for years to come.
The Lilywhites have already won the signature of defender Kevin Wimmer on a five-year deal. The Austrian, who this year helped Bundesliga side Cologne avoid relegation, is key in rejuvenating Tottenham’s back line with the potential departures of Younes Kaboul and Vlad Chiriches. At 22 years old, Wimmer is another versatile youngster who can play either left back or centre back.
White Hart Lane will retain the services of Christian Eriksen, Ryan Mason, DeAndre Yedlin and Alex Pritchard, all young players with lots of energy and promise. Pochettino has regularly been hailed for developing youth, and it seems he’ll have a lot to work with following the summer.
So while all the attention may be lavished upon Chelsea and Arsenal, the shiny, sleek sports cars of the league, watch out for the new and improved model arriving soon on the market: Tottenham, revving their engine and waiting for the green light.
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With little left to play for this season you can almost forgive Fulham for already having their feet firmly planted on the beach. The Cottagers haven’t won in the six games since beating QPR on April 1st to safeguard their Premier League status and are playing like a team that already has its mind on sipping sangria and dipping their toes in the Mediterranean. Although a top-half finish is still within reach they must end a goal drought that has yielded one goal in their last four games.
Reading can also approach the run-in free of pressure after their fate was sealed last week as relegation was finally confirmed following a goalless draw at home to QPR. That leaves the Royals playing purely for pride in their final three top-flight fixtures before they drop back into the Championship less than a year after achieving promotion. What their remaining games will give manager Nigel Adkins is an opportunity to assess his squad ahead of next season with the target a immediate return to the Premier League.
Team News
Fulham are without Mladen Petric (hamstring) and the suspended Steve Sidwell, but can call upon top scorer Dimitar Berbatov after he shook off a calf problem. Sascha Riether (ankle) is also available.
Hope Apkan (ankle) is hoping to feature for Reading while goalkeeper Adam Federici has also recovered from an ankle knock. A groin injury prevents Jimmy Kebe from playing.
What the managers said…
We will always find players like Mladen Petric or Hugo Rodallega. But, of course, it’s not easy. I think we had five new players in, so it’s not easy to settle. I’m satisfied we’ve got the points to be safe, although I’m a bit disappointed we couldn’t get more points in the last few weeks and gone even higher.” Martin Jol is already looking towards potential summer transfer targets for Fulham (Express)
“Anyone who knows me will tell you I want to win every game of football that we play in. The players have worked hard on the training ground, we’ve got over last week and there’s a hunger and desire to keep improving. We’ve got three games left in this campaign and we’ve got to do everything we can to give ourselves an opportunity to get that winning feeling again.” Nigel Adkins believes Reading need to regain that ‘winning feeling’ (readingfc.co.uk)
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Pre-match Statistic: Reading have tasted defeat in 11 of their previous 12 away matches, including the last five in a row.
Prediction: Fulham 2-0 Reading
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Relegation from the Premier League is looking like a real possibility for Southampton as they head into the final five games of the season five points from safety.
Mark Hughes was brought in to help save the club from drifting into the Championship but he is yet to oversee a league win since taking over in March.
It is fair to say that the team have played better football under his stewardship following the sacking of Mauricio Pellegrino, but the results have been unwanted.
Against West Ham United, the Saints were beaten 3-0, and they were also on the losing end of 3-2 scorelines against both Arsenal and Chelsea.
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On Thursday, Southampton will try to give their survival chances a boost when they face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
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Three days later, Hughes will take his team to Wembley to go head to head with Chelsea in an FA Cup semi-final.
Some fans are already resigned to relegation, while others are holding on to some optimism.
Since joining Manchester City in 2011 Edin Dzeko has had many ups and downs. His goals helped City win their title last season but less than 12 months later he is finding it hard to even get into manager Manuel Pellegrini’s starting XI.
The Bosnian has scored just six goals this season and considering that his four and a half year contract ends this summer Dzeko hasn’t exactly performed well enough to deserve a renewal.
Manchester City enter the Easter break in second but if both Arsenal and Manchester United win their weekend fixtures then City could see themselves propping up fourth before their Monday evening game. For a club like City winning the league one year and then finishing fourth or even out of the Champions League places the following year is not considered acceptable.
Pellegrini has come under fire for much of the season and numerous reports suggest he may lose his job this summer with several top managers already named as possible replacements.
Likewise with key players like Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany and Dzeko all failing to perform to their typically high levels heads are soon expected to roll.
A big summer clear out has been suggested and Dzeko may well be on that list.
Dzeko has been linked with a move to Italian champions Juventus perhaps along with Steven Jovetic in a bid to lure midfielder Paul Pogba to the blue side of Manchester.
At 29 Dzeko is reaching the latter stages of a forwards career. After 30 many clubs will only commit to giving a player a year-long deal so Dzeko would be wise to pick a club where he believes he’ll get regular playing time rather than big money to sit on someone’s bench for 12 months.
Dzeko has always had to fight for the number one striker role. As soon as Sergio Aguero arrived seven months after Dzeko initially signed he had to take a back seat to a player who is arguably one of the world’s best. Since then most of the accolades have gone to the Argentine. Things have only gotten worse with the arrival of Wilfried Bony from Swansea City as Dzeko is now the Sky Blue’s third choice behind both Bony and Aguero.
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Dzeko is a very capable striker but his talent hasn’t always been obvious at the Etihad. For Bosnia at international level the forward has scored 41 times from 71 matches while for City he’s found the net 50 times from 125 appearances.
A move away from England to a less competitive but somewhat respected league like Serie A seems the best option for Dzeko rather than wasting more time trying to win over a club that would rather spend time and money hiring and firing players in their search for the perfect forward.
Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has again pledged his future to the club, amid speculation of a move to Barcelona.
The Spaniard has been heavily linked with a transfer away from Merseyside in recent months, with the likes of Barca and Arsenal believed to be keen.
Despite claiming on multiple occasions that he has no desire to leave Anfield, rumours regarding his future have failed to disappear.
La Liga leaders Barcelona are said to see him as the ideal replacement for Victor Valdes, who is set to leave the club sooner rather than later, but Reina distanced himself from the speculation:
“I believe that is conjecture. It’s not in my hands and the rumour mill is part of this,” he is quoted by talkSPORT via AS.
“It’s a great club (Barcelona) but I’m happy at Liverpool.”
Reina has been some way off of his best this term for Liverpool, turning in a number of shaky performances earlier in the campaign, as the Reds struggled to adapt to new manager Brendan Rodgers’ playing style.
But, in recent times the stopper has upped his game, becoming one of the club’s most consistent performers.
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He has also talked of his positive relationship with Rodgers, hinting that his stay at the club will extend beyond this summer.
Not many times this season have Manchester City been seen as the underdogs, but they will have that title when they take on Liverpool in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.
Pep Guardiola’s side have been flying high this season, and they are on the verge of wrapping up the Premier League title race as they hold a 13-point advantage.
In the last six days, though, it has been doom and gloom for the North-West outfit as the team were played off the park against Liverpool in the first leg of their tie.
Jurgen Klopp’s men earned a 3-0 victory at Anfield, leaving City with a mountain to climb in order to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.
On Saturday, the club threw away the chance to secure the league crown when they relinquished a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to Manchester United on home soil.
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After the first-leg loss, some City supporters prayed that Raheem Sterling would be the hero in the return fixtures, and now they are considering who will make the first XI.
Comment from discussion What should be the ideal Manchester City lineup to face Liverpool?.Comment from discussion What should be the ideal Manchester City lineup to face Liverpool?.Comment from discussion What should be the ideal Manchester City lineup to face Liverpool?.Comment from discussion What should be the ideal Manchester City lineup to face Liverpool?.Comment from discussion What should be the ideal Manchester City lineup to face Liverpool?.Comment from discussion What should be the ideal Manchester City lineup to face Liverpool?.Comment from discussion What should be the ideal Manchester City lineup to face Liverpool?.Comment from discussion What should be the ideal Manchester City lineup to face Liverpool?.Comment from discussion What should be the ideal Manchester City lineup to face Liverpool?.
When ex-Stoke and Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis arrived, West Bromwich Albion were sat in 16th and only one point above the relegation zone.
Nearly three months later, the Baggies are now comfortably in 13th in the Premier League and look almost certain to have avoided relegation. So how has Pulis turned the club around?
Pulis is a highly respected manager having coached for over 20 years, where he has honed his ability to rejuvenate failing clubs on only a very small budget. This, coupled with his focus on shoring up defensive lines, made him an ideal fit for West Brom. The Welshman can be described as an old school type manager who will endeavour to make each of his players feel valued, focussing on their individual strengths rather than weaknesses.
In a short amount of time the Pulis effect is already apparent at the Hawthorns. February was particularly good for both manager and players as Albion went through the entire month unbeaten, including three clean sheets and a Manager of the Month award.
Now with only a handful of games to go, including fixtures against Liverpool, Manchester United and a final day of the season trip to Arsenal, the 57-year-old will need to keep his squad focussed, particularly in defence.
Considering Albion only just avoided relegation last season by finishing 17th, anything higher after a season of uncertainty can be deemed a success. Pulis is already said to be looking to the future, with plans to reshape the squad come summer where he’ll look to strengthen key areas. After all, it hasn’t been plan sailing recently with the Baggies being knocked out of the FA Cup and suffering a 2-1 defeat, both at the hands of bitter local rivals Aston Villa.
One of Albion’s best signings under the guidance of Tony Pulis has been the acquisition of ex-Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher. Already given the captain’s armband, Fletcher has added some stability to the heart of Albion’s midfield and his arrival has unsurprisingly coincided with their resurgence.
Another positive has been the changes seen in Brown Ideye. The striker cost the club a record fee of £10million last year, but the Nigerian had little impact until Pulis started working with him. Ideye now looks a changed man who is slowly finding the net again, and crucially scored West Brom’s winner against Stoke.
Citing lack of support in the transfer market as his reason for quitting Palace hopefully Pulis will get the money to make the signings he needs in the summer and come the 2015/16 season he can focus less on staying up and more on pushing West Brom up the table.
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If any manager has the experience to guide a club like Albion to stability it is Tony Pulis so the powers that be would do well to keep him happy if they don’t want a new manager come August.