Ipswich Town vs Blackpool FC preview & Matchday Thread
Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2019 8:46 pm
Ipswich Town v Blackpool FC
Saturday 23rd November 2019 – 15:00
Portman Road
Pre-Match Thoughts - Bluemike
We're Gonna Win The Cup!!!!!.........
At Last !!!!! It's finally happened, Ipswich Town have won an FA Cup tie, January 2010 was the last such time it happened but yet another torrid stat has been laid to rest under Paul Lambert although it took virtually every second of the Ninety Five minutes at Sincil Bank before Town could finally taste victory in the greatest cup competition in the world. From what I have read in reports and articles etc the first half showing certainly had me feeling vindicated in giving this one a miss with what seems to be as tepid a performance as you can imagine, it turned out to be another of those occasions where we seem to tinker with a system that wasn't working, step it up and get the job done, just !!!
As much as I have been very disappointed with Alan Judge this season I was really pleased that it was he who won the game right at the death, it can only give him a bit of a lift too and a happy player is far more useful to the team, I am also very aware of yet another impressive and productive cameo from Idris El MIzouni who has done this a few times now, I think this lad is very unlucky to be getting more of a look in, he has ability and makes things happen, who can forget the peach of a cross at Peterborough for Chambo to head the equaliser in the dying seconds, keep an eye for this bot because he's decent.
Many have bemoaned Lambert's insistance on rotating players and team line up's but he is unrelenting in this approach and to be fair on this occasion, as with the EFL Trophy success it is working, players are getting game time who would otherwise be sitting on their backsides or performing in meaningless U23 games, the likes of Will Keane, Toto and Huws are getting stronger, kids too are gaining invaluable experience should they be called upon, Lambert's comments that knowing and playing your strongest Eleven all the time is total sh*te had me in stitches, the last time a Town manager (McCarthy) dared to be so bold he was chastised for evermore, some how I don't think the current boss will be afforded the same criticism, but while I am disappointed when we have failed to take the FA Cup seriously I do completely understand why, and this season especially I agree with it wholeheartedly.
We already knew progression to Round Two would see us make the trip to Birmingham to take on Coventry City on Sunday 1stDecember at 2.00pm so that is us at St.Andrews twice in Six days, there is no doubt we will be going all out to win both games but for me and I suspect almost everybody else the League game is the most important of the Two, having the cup game first appeals to me as we can learn a lot from the cup tie and hopefully benefit from any info we can muster on the day, I must admit I do kinda get a buzz now when I think about being in the draw for Round Three so hopefully we can at the very least bring them back for a replay at Portman Road, that would do for me.
Let's Do This......
Right that's it, all this International garbage is out of the way for a few months and it is domestic League action all the way for a few months now and I cannot wait, starting with Blackpool this Saturday, the games are gonna be coming thick and fast and if there is any credence in Lambert's rotation policy it will hopefully bare fruit as it is put to the test in the hectic period coming up, that is nopt to say knocks will happen but long term we should be fine, for now though we only need to concentrate on these Two home games in Four days and Six points would be massive, especially as both opponents are "right up there" so to speak.
Blackpool have surprised me a bit if I am honest, I didn't, and in fact still don't, see them as serious promotion contenders, but they do sit in in Fifth place in the table having won their last Two and being unbeaten in the last Four so they are not falling away just yet, maybe they won't. In striker Armand Gnanduillet they have a dangerous player bang in form, ten goals to date see's the hitman joint second in the goalscoring charts and he will be the man Town have to focus on and keep quiet, however I think I heard he went off with a knock last time out so fingers crossed this game comes too soon for him. The Tangerines squad is littered with been there and done that experienced players, Feeney, Alnwick, Delfouneso, Husband, Spearing, Scannell etc etc all know the game and will be wise to this level of Football so their relative success this season is maybe no surprise.
I think with a loud crowd behind them Town can get a positive result here to take them into the even bigger game against Wycombe Tuesday evening, hopefully there is no signs of rustiness following the break in games for some of the regulars and we hit the ground running, these are the sort of games that if won puts daylight between us and the chasing pack, so it's a Town win for me as we embark on what could prove to be a very pivotal time in the season, hold on to your hats, it's about to get very interesting. COYB'S.......IPSWICH TIL I DIE.
The Opposition – Blackpool FC
Football had developed in Blackpool by 1877, when Victoria F.C. were founded as a church club with a ground in Caunce Street. This team disbanded a few years later but some of its members are understood to have merged with old boys from St John's School to form a new club called Blackpool St John's. The two factions remained disunited, however, and on 26 July 1887, at a meeting in the Stanley Arms public house, the members resolved to wind up St John's and form a new club to represent the whole town. It was named Blackpool Football Club.
At the conclusion of the following 1888–89 season, Blackpool became founder members of the Lancashire League. In their first season in the competition, the club finished fifth out of the 13 member clubs. They finished as runners-up over the following three seasons (to Bury twice and Liverpool once), before winning the championship themselves on their fourth attempt.
Blackpool's home at that point in time was Raikes Hall (also known as the Royal Palace Gardens), which was part of a large entertainment complex that included a theatre and a boating lake, amongst other attractions. This meant that the club's average attendances were around the 2000 mark, making the club's formative years a financial success.
After struggling to repeat the success of the 1893–94 season, the Blackpool board decided it was time to leave local football behind, so on 13 May 1896 the club became a limited company and applied for entry to the Football League. Their application was successful, and for the club's debut season, 1896–97, they joined the 16-team Second Division. Blackpool's first-ever Football League game took place on 5 September 1896, at Lincoln City, which they lost 3–1 in front of around 1,500 spectators.
For the 1897–98 campaign, the club played their home games at the Athletic Grounds (at the present-day Stanley Park). They remained there for the first seven home games of 1898–99, before returning to Raikes Hall for the remaining 10.
After finishing third-bottom, the club were not re-elected at the end of the 1898–99 season, and spent the 1899–1900 term back in the Lancashire League. They finished third, and after the Football League's annual meeting, on 25 May 1900, were permitted back into Division Two. It was during this season out of the League that Blackpool amalgamated with local rivals South Shore and moved to Bloomfield Road.
During the 10 seasons that followed, Blackpool could finish no higher than 12th place.
The outbreak of war forced the cancellation of League football for four years, during which time regional competitions were introduced. When normality resumed, in 1919–20, Blackpool had appointed their first full-time manager in the form of Bill Norman. Norman guided the club to fourth-placed finishes in his first two league seasons in charge.
The club's form nosedived in the 1921–22 season, with a finishing position of 19th, before bouncing back to a fifth-placed finish the following campaign. Harry Bedford, who had joined the club from Nottingham Forest, was the country's top league scorer, with 32 goals to his name.
Frank Buckley, who replaced Bill Norman after his four years of service. Blackpool finished fourth in Buckley's first season in charge. Buckley guided Blackpool to top-10 finishes in his final two seasons as manager before he left to take the helm at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Buckley's replacement was Sydney Beaumont, who took charge for the 1927–28 season, but he lasted only until the spring after the club finished in 19th position.
Harry Evans was installed as the new Blackpool manager, in an honorary capacity, for the 1928–29 campaign. In his second season, Evans guided Blackpool to the Division Two championship (their only championship to date).Blackpool lasted only three seasons in the First Division. Two third-bottom finishes were followed by a last-placed finish, and the club returned to the Second Division.
The club's relegation prompted the Blackpool board to install a recognised manager, and they opted for Sandy MacFarlane. MacFarlane occupied the Bloomfield Road hot seat for just two seasons, in which the club finished 11th and 4th.
Joe Smith was appointed Blackpool's sixth manager in August 1935, a role in which he remained for the next 23 years. The club finished tenth in Smith's first season. It was Smith's second season in charge, however, that marked the starting point of the success to come. Blackpool finished the 1936–37 season as runners-up in the Second Division and were promoted back to the First Division.
Two seasons of Division One football were played before the Second World War intervened. Blackpool sat atop the table at the time the abandonment occurred. Regional competitions were implemented again between 1939 and 1945. For the 1945–46 season, after the war's conclusion, Blackpool spent one season in the Football League North.
Post-war Blackpool reached the FA Cup Final on three occasions, losing to Manchester United in 1948 and Newcastle United three years later, and winning it in 1953.
For the first and only time in the club's history, four Blackpool players (Johnston, Matthews, Mortensen and debutant Ernie Taylor) represented England in the infamous 6–3 defeat by Hungary at Wembley on 25 November 1953. Of the four, only Matthews would ever represent his country again.
In 1955–56 Blackpool attained their highest-ever finish in the Football League: runners-up to Manchester United, despite losing their final four league games. It was a feat that could not be matched or bettered over the following two seasons, with fourth and seventh-placed finishes, and Smith left Blackpool as the club's most successful and longest-serving manager.
Smith was succeeded, in May 1958, by Ron Suart, the first former Tangerine to return to the club as manager. Mid-table finishes in 1961–62 and 1962–63 (and an appearance in the League Cup semi-finals during the former) were offset by another lowly finish of 18th in 1963–64. Much of the same ensued over the following two seasons, before relegation finally occurred in 1966–67. Blackpool finished bottom of the table, Stuart had resigned four months before the end of the season. His replacement was another former Blackpool player, Stan Mortensen.
Mortensen picked up the pieces for the club's first season back in the Second Division in 30 years, guiding them to a third-placed finish. At the end of the following 1968–69 campaign, the Blackpool board made the decision to sack Mortensen after just over two years in the job. Their decision was met by fans with shock and anger, as Mortensen was as popular a manager as he was a player.
Les Shannon, who spent the majority of his playing career with Blackpool's Lancashire rivals Burnley, was installed as manager for the 1969–70 season. In his first season, he succeeded where Mortensen had failed, by guiding the club back to the top flight as runners-up behind Huddersfield Town. As quickly as Shannon had taken Blackpool up, he saw them return whence they came. The club finished at the foot of the table and were relegated back to Division Two. Before the season's conclusion, Shannon was briefly replaced in a caretaker-manager capacity by Jimmy Meadows, who in turn was permanently replaced by Bob Stokoe. On 12 June 1971, well over a month after the conclusion of the League season, Blackpool won the Anglo-Italian Cup with a 2–1 victory over Bologna in the final.
Blackpool finished amongst the top 10 teams in the Second Division for six consecutive seasons, under three different managers: Stokoe, Harry Potts and Allan Brown. Twice Blackpool narrowly missed promotion to Division One, by two points in 1974 and one point in 1977.
In February 1978, midway through 1977–78, Brown's second season at the helm, Blackpool were seventh in the division. Having just beaten local rivals Blackburn Rovers 5–2, Brown was sacked by chairman Billy Cartmell for personal reasons. The team won only one more game that season, which ended with their relegation to the Division Three for the first time in their history.
Blackpool were relegated with 37 points (the seven teams above them all having 38), and were not to return to the second tier for 29 years.
Bob Stokoe returned for a second stint as manager for the 1978–79 campaign, at the end of which Blackpool finished mid-table. Stokoe resigned during the summer.
Stan Ternent became Blackpool's seventh manager in nine years, only to be replaced in February 1980 by Alan Ball, the popular former Blackpool midfielder who left the club for Everton 14 years earlier. Ball himself only lasted a year in the job, and departed when the club were relegated to the League's basement division. Allan Brown had taken over from Ball in February 1981, and he remained in charge for the following 1981–82 term. Blackpool finished twelfth in their first season in Division Four; however, unable to handle the pressure of the job, Brown resigned during the close season.
Sam Ellis took over from Brown in June 1982, three years after he finished his playing career with Watford. His first season saw Blackpool finish 21st. It was Ellis's third season, however, that brought the success the club had been looking for. Blackpool finished second behind Chesterfield and were back in Division Three. The club managed to finish in the top half of the table for their first three seasons in the Third Division, but slipped to 19th in Ellis's seventh and final season in charge.
On 17 April 1986, the board of directors put the club on the market after councillors rejected plans to sell Bloomfield Road for a supermarket site in a £35 million redevelopment scheme. The club was then sold to Owen Oyston for £1.
For the 1989–90 season, Blackpool appointed Jimmy Mullen as manager. Mullen's reign last only 11 months, however, and he left the club after their relegation back to Division Four. Graham Carr replaced Mullen, but his spell in the manager's seat was even shorter – just four months. He was sacked in November 1990 with Blackpool in 18th place.
Carr's replacement was his assistant, Billy Ayre. Ayre guided the team to a fifth-placed finish and qualification for the play-offs. Blackpool lost to Torquay United in the Wembley final, on penalties after the score was tied 2–2 after regular and extra time.
The following 1991–92 season finished with Blackpool in fourth place, missing out on automatic promotion by one point, which meant another play-offs experience They returned to Wembley, where they faced Scunthorpe United in the final, and were victorious in the penalty shootout and booked their place in the new Division Two.
Blackpool struggled in their first term back in the third tier of English football, Ayre was sacked in the summer of 1994 and was replaced by Sam Allardyce. Allardyce led Blackpool to a mid-table finish in his first season. The 1995–96 season saw Blackpool finish third and claim a place in the play-offs for the third time in six seasons. In the semi-finals, Blackpool travelled to Bradford City and won 2–0. Three days later, they hosted the Yorkshiremen at Bloomfield Road and lost 3–0. Blackpool remained in Division Two, and Allardyce was sacked not long afterwards.
In 1996, owner Oyston was convicted of the rape of a 16-year-old girl. Former Norwich City manager Gary Megson replaced Allardyce, and attained a seventh-placed finish in his only season in charge. Nigel Worthington succeeded Megson in the summer of 1997, and in the Northern Irishman's two full campaigns in the hot seat, Blackpool finished 12th and 14th. Worthington resigned towards the end of the 1999–2000 season, and his seat was filled by the former Liverpool and England midfielder Steve McMahon.
McMahon arrived too late to save the club from relegation to the Third Division (fourth tier) after a 22nd-placed finish in the table. In his first full season in charge, Blackpool were promoted to Division Two by winning the play-offs. The following season the club received its then record outgoing transfer fee; £1.75million from Southampton for Brett Ormerod, eclipsing the £600,000 QPR paid for Trevor Sinclair eight years earlier. They also gained the first of two Football League Trophy wins in 2002 as Blackpool beat Cambridge United 4–1 at the Millennium Stadium. Their second win was in 2004, this time beating Southend United 2–0 again in Cardiff. In the summer following the Trophy win, McMahon resigned, believing he could not take the club any further with the budget he was being offered. Colin Hendry became the new manager, but was replaced by Simon Grayson in November 2005 after an unsuccessful stint which left Blackpool languishing just above the relegation zone of League One (third tier).
In the 2006–07 season Blackpool qualified for the play-offs, and they met Yeovil Town in the final at the new Wembley Stadium, their first appearance at England's national stadium in 15 years. Blackpool won 2–0, a club-record tenth consecutive victory, and were promoted to the Championship in their 100th overall season in the Football League. The promotion marked their return to English football's second tier for the first time in 29 years.
Blackpool finished the 2007–08 season in 19th place, escaping relegation by two points and ensuring their safety in a 1–1 draw with Watford on the final day of the Championship season.
On 23 December 2008, Simon Grayson left the club to join League One club Leeds United after just over three years in charge at Bloomfield Road. Under the guidance of Grayson's assistant, Tony Parkes, in a caretaker manager capacity, Blackpool finished the 2008–09 campaign in 16th place. Parkes left the club on 18 May 2009 after a meeting with chairman Karl Oyston about finances.
On 21 May 2009, Ian Holloway was appointed as manager, signing a one-year contract with the club with an option of a further year. On 31 July it was announced that club president Valeri Belokon was setting up a new transfer fund, into which he was adding a "considerable amount" to invest in new players identified by Holloway.
Blackpool finished the 2009–10 regular season in sixth place in the Championship, their highest finish in the Football League since 1970–71, and claimed a spot in the play-offs. Blackpool defeated Cardiff City 3–2 on 22 May in the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium to earn promotion to the Premier League. It was Blackpool's debut appearance in the Premier League in its 18-year existence and their first appearance in English football's top flight in 39 years. Blackpool had now, uniquely, been promoted through all three tiers of the Football League via the play-off system. Furthermore, they won all nine play-off games they were involved in during the 10 seasons between 2001 and 2010. The fixture was dubbed "the richest game in football", because the victorious club would receive a £90 million windfall. It was more than double the £36 million that the winners of the Champions League received.
On 27 January 2011, the Premier League fined Blackpool £25,000 for fielding what they believed to be a weakened team against Aston Villa on 10 November. Ian Holloway, who initially threatened to resign if punishment was dealt, had made 10 changes to the team for the fixture. The club had 14 days to appeal against the decision but chose not to, with Karl Oyston saying that if the punishment was upheld there was a threat of a point deduction and an increase in the fine.
On 22 May 2011, exactly 365 days after their promotion, Blackpool were relegated back to the Championship
On 9 May 2012, Blackpool secured their place in the Championship play-off final in their second consecutive season in the division after beating Birmingham City 3 the semi-finals. They met West Ham United in the final at Wembley on 19 May, losing 2–1, their first play-off final reversal in 21 years.
On 3 November 2012, Ian Holloway decided to leave Blackpool after accepting an offer from fellow Championship club Crystal Palace to be their manager. He was replaced four days later by Michael Appleton, however, after being in charge for just two months, Appleton left for Lancashire neighbours Blackburn Rovers, becoming the shortest-serving manager in Blackpool's history.
On 18 February, after just over a month without an appointment, the club made former England captain Paul Ince their third manager of the campaign. It was under Ince that the club made their best-ever start to a league season. Their victory at Bournemouth on 14 September 2013 gave them 16 points out of a possible 18. The sequence of results was two wins, a draw, and three wins. This was countered by a run of nine defeats in ten games, which resulted in Ince being sacked on 21 January 2014, eleven months into his tenure.
Barry Ferguson was named caretaker manager upon Ince's dismissal. Of Ferguson's twenty league games in charge, Blackpool won just three and finished the 2013–14 season in 20th place. On 11 June 2014, almost five months after Paul Ince's dismissal, the club appointed Belgian José Riga as manager. He was Blackpool's first overseas manager.
Prior to the start of the 2014–15 season Blackpool suffered a major crisis with some 27 players leaving the club; just two weeks before the season started, the club had only eight outfield players and no goalkeeper. Riga was able to assemble a squad in time for Blackpool's first game against Nottingham Forest, but could still only name four substitutes instead of the permitted seven. Blackpool lost the match 2–0.
On 27 October 2014, after fifteen games in charge, Riga was sacked and replaced by Lee Clark.
On 6 April 2015, with six league fixtures remaining, Blackpool were relegated to League One. On 2 May 2015, the final match of the Championship season against Huddersfield Town was abandoned in the 48th minute following an on-pitch protest by hundreds of Blackpool supporters regarding the actions and management style of the directors and owners. The Football League subsequently declared the result the 0–0 scoreline it was at the time of abandonment, which meant Blackpool finished the season with 26 points.
Following the resignation of Lee Clark on 9 May 2015, Blackpool appointed Neil McDonald as manager on 2 June. In May 2016, a second-successive relegation occurred, which put Blackpool in the bottom tier of English professional football for the first time in fifteen years. Less than two weeks later, Neil McDonald was sacked as manager. He was replaced by Gary Bowyer, the club's eighth manager in three-and-a-half years.
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In May 2017, under Bowyer, Blackpool won promotion to League One after beating Exeter City 2–1 at Wembley in the play-off final. The victory meant that Blackpool became the most successful side in English play-off history, winning their fifth final.
On 10 November 2017, Blackpool was put up for sale by the Oyston family. The sale included the club itself and the properties division that owns Bloomfield Road stadium.
On 2 February 2018, Owen Oyston relieved Karl Oyston of his role as chairman and appointed his 32-year-old daughter, Natalie Christopher, in his place, just two weeks after appointing her to the club's board.
Gary Bowyer resigned in August 2018 after two years in charge, after the first game of the season for undisclosed reasons. He was replaced with his assistant Terry McPhillips as caretaker manager. McPhillips was made the permanent manager a month later.
On 13 February 2019, the football club was put into receivership by the High Court, which forced Owen Oyston to pay ex-director Valeri Belokon some of the £25m he was owed. Oyston was removed from the board of the club by the receiver on 25 February 2019. The receiver was tasked with discharging some of Oyston's assets, as well as Blackpool Football Club (Properties) Ltd, which owns the football club. The ruling could have resulted in the club being deducted twelve league points; however, this was eventually ruled against by the EFL on 11 April 2019.
On 13 June 2019, Simon Sadler was announced as the new owner of the club, officially ending the Oystons' 32-year tenure, purchasing a 96.2% stake. Sadler was born and raised in Blackpool and has worked in asset management in Hong Kong since 2007.
McPhillips resigned as Blackpool manager on 5 July 2019, having informed the club's board that he had no long-term desire to be a manager. He was replaced by Simon Grayson, who returned for a second spell in charge. He became the third manager to return to Bloomfield Road, the others being Bob Stokoe (1970–72 & 1978–79) and Allan Brown (1976–78 & 1981–82).
The Manager – Simon Grayson
Form Guide
Ipswich Last 5 Matches – currently in 2nd place with 33 points
Oct Fleetwood 0 - 1 Ipswich Town
20 Oct Accrington 2 - 0 Ipswich Town
23 Oct Ipswich Town 0 - 2 Rotherham
26 Oct Southend Utd 1 - 3 Ipswich Town
5 Nov Rochdale 0 - 1 Ipswich Town
Blackpool Last 5 Matches – currently in 5th place with 28 points
12 Oct Blackpool 1 - 2 Rotherham
22 Oct Blackpool 1 - 1 Wycombe
26 Oct Burton Albion 0 - 0 Blackpool
2 Nov Blackpool 4 - 3 Peterborough
16 Nov Blackpool 2 - 0 AFC Wimbledon
Marko’s Caption Contest – THE DON CUP
Lincoln scores:
Blue Wilf (cap 1) 5pts
Ando (cap 2) 4pts
AylesburyBlue (cap 2) & Bluewilf (cap 2) 3pts
Bluemike (cap 1) 2pts
LEAGUE TABLE
AylesburyBlue 52
Bluemike 41
DerickIpsw 40
Blue Wilf 36
Ando 28
Number 9 26
Blueblood 20
Tangfastic 19
Johnny B 16
Shed on Tour 15
Frosty 13
Kerry Blue 11
Watership Down 10
Quasar 10
Barmy Billy 7
Todd66 6
Nicscreamer 5
Charnwood 3
IpswichTownNO1 2
AshfordBlue 1
Lucy 1
MasseyFerguson 1
Try This:
Match Referee – Stephen Martin
IPSWICH TOWN 1 BLACKPOOL FC 0