He got it spot on today. He played two pacy wide players and left them forward and just stifled our game. They closed us down in twos and threes whenever we got near their last third. He said in his pre-match interview that after a bad run he needed to make changes; he made 7 changes and appeared to get it right. Fair play to them. Focus on Saturday now.
I wouldn't say he got it right, more that we got it wrong. That's how they usually set-up and play but us not going 4-4-2 was an error.
Maybe, but our game is based on possession and then passing forward quickly when the gaps appear. I think he set them up to not let those gaps appear, and consequently we passed it slowly and didn't get in to the gaps in and around the box.
The moment I saw Ince and Matt Phillips both starting I was worried. Even more so when I saw Butterfield still in ahead of Richardson. Pace, and basically just direct, trickey wingers, is not something which you come up against on a regular basis in this divison (although that certainly can't be said of the PL, so should we go up then Adkins will need to look at that long and hard!), but when we have come up against it, we have generally struggled. Zaha didn't seem much cop at St Marys, but Matt Phillips certainly was. And Adomah seemed to be a handful in both games against Bristol City. Bouazza likewise in our games against Millwall. Fair play to Blackpool, they both had the players to hurt us, and the all-round ability to take advantage of a poor performance from our perspective.
It's what makes Blackpool such a dangerous -- and inconsistent -- team. They aren't afraid to get people forward and take risks, and when it pays off, it really pays off. And when it doesn't, well... It was always going to be a slugfest; unfortunately, we swung and missed on a couple great chances early, and they caught us on the chin. On we go.
If Richardson wasn't injured I would be amazed, did he really not even pick him for the squad even though he was fit?
Yep Phillips and Ince made our fullbacks look like very poor players which they arn't. I think perhaps playing Deano and only going one up front may have given our back line more protection and stopped Blackpool getting at our defence so easily. However hindsight is a wonderful thing and if that had happened people would have said why are we being so negative. In nige and regardless of today I am sosososo much happier to have him as a boss than Holloway.
Fully agree Fatletiss -well done Blackpool - we wre without lambert, they were without K phillips. they played as a team, we didnt
You have to give Holloway credit. I loved the pre-match interview. Interviewer; so you changed half the team today, what was the thinking behind that? Holloway; well the thinking was that I am the manager, and the team selection was my decision. Or words to that effect. Spot on. The manager takes most of the flak and gets dismissed these days after a short run of bad results. He should take full credit for beating today, much as I wish he had fallen on his arse.
They played on the counter attack,fair play to them. But all of their goals came from set pieces and poor defending from us.
I think its fair to say we have big problems with teams who get right in our faces and stay there for the duration of the game if we can be hurried and hassled we can look real shaky this happened against Liecester at home who pressed us all over the pitch. But at the end of the day when standards have been high players can be forgiven for lapses and its also worth noting that Swansea i think lost fourteen matches in this league last season and they also try to play a more cultured style of play.I also think that any poor defending is actually a result of the harrasment Blackpool applied people feel pressured normal calm disappears and decision making can become hasty in all fairness Leeds did the same and if that game was a boxing match the ref would have stopped it an hour in to save us further punishment. Ithink overall we have done well to play with as much quality as we generally do in this div
Appleton and the Skate players would have watched yesterday's match and they will now know how to beat us.
They will now know how, to beat the Saints, but I fear, that they won't know how, to apply what they have learnt.
It amazes me that more teams don't play like that against us. Bristol City worked it out and so have a few others, and they have generally beaten us. Leeds away was the same, except we were better defensively had a worldy from SKD and a Lambert special. It worries me that we haven't figured out how to play against these teams yet. They get into us and crowd us off the ball and counter with direct pace. Seeing the two pacey wingers line up yesterday my first thought was to play five in midfield, I'm no tactician but sometimes you need to soak up the pressure away from home, frustrate the home team and then try and get a cheeky goal. Anyway, thats my frustrations out the way. Hopefully Richardson and particularly Lambert are back for Pompey. I'm sure we will bounce back like we normally do.
