Often Partisan

Blues to Bounce Back against Blackpool? Match Preview

Blues take on Blackpool at home tonight looking to bounce back from a heavy defeat at the weekend. Blackpool, who enquired about the availability of Lee Clark are still yet to win under new manager Paul Ince and are also looking over their shoulders nervously at the relegation mix.

Blackpool

The tangerines aren’t in the best run of form at all at the moment, having only won one game in their last six and taken 5 points from their last eighteen possible. They haven’t scored in four games but have also kept two consecutive clean sheets, and find themselves one place above Blues with the same number of points but a vastly superior (thirteen goals) goal difference.

Nathan Delfouneso, who is on loan from Villa, could find himself restored to the Seasiders’ starting eleven tonight as they look to break their non-scoring sequence but Chris Basham, Bob Harris and Ian Evatt all miss out.

Blues

For Blues, it’s back to square one after a humiliating 5-2 defeat to Hull City at the weekend. Lee Clark will have to make decisions about dropping players after individual mistakes cost Blues dearly. There could be a chance for Shane Ferguson to make his starting debut on the left whilst Pablo Ibanez might push Steven Caldwell for his starting spot.

One player who definitely will not feature is Marlon King; the Jamaican international is ruled out for the season after an op on a troublesome knee injury and Blues will be looking to the trio of Nikola Zigic, Peter Lovenkrands and Wes Thomas to provide the goals to keep Birmingham City in this division.

It’s not a must-win game but this really is a game Blues should be targetting to win if they are serious about staying up. Blackpool’s form of late isn’t good at all and there is a feeling that the longer the goalscoring drought goes on, the less confident that the Tangerine players are going to feel. Blues have a good record against Blackpool at St Andrews over the last few years and there is no reason why that shouldn’t continue. If you would like to see what the opposition fans are thinking, AVFTT have their preview here.

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22 Responses to “Blues to Bounce Back against Blackpool? Match Preview”

  • Atahualpa is a BlueNose says:

    We should underline the terrible thingie from the weekend with a positive, solid, constructive and match-winning performance tonight.

    The reaction has to be seen from the players that they want to put things right, and merely using LC as a shield is simply not going to be enough. Individuals will have the attention of many and have to step-up to the challenge. It really is getting tiresome listening to ‘reasons’ why negative issues are taking place.

    Even with about a quarter of the season to go, the summer cannot come quick enough for me so that we can then try and hold some sort of review of where we are at and where we wish to go.

    I will never boo my team even if we end us losing again – sometimes silence is the best answer.
    But it is plainly obvious we are not in a good place.

  • Abbotsbromleyblue says:

    Changing the subject, I see a board meeting has been called for 15th March to release the first lot of the missing accounts. Lets hope this is the first rung on the ladder to easier times KRO

  • Evesham blue says:

    Fahey may be back soon as well hopefully. Think I would give Ferguson a go especially if Ince Jr is on that flank. King loss is a massive blow at a crucial time in the season. Scoring goals is not our problem tho it’s conceding them.

    We need to defend as a unit from the front.

    • NooBloo says:

      Ferguson is a good player

      However, who the hell is sanctioning loan signings from the premiership ? Thats the sort of thing a club does when they are chasing promotion to the premier league. Not when your are mid table and or fighting relegation.

      There is no one around managing the club. The football manager and the coaching staff are running around as though they own the club. Someone needs to really knuckle down and take over all control because the way I see it, there is no real plan to manage the club on or off the fileld and when that happens the Administrators get called in to do it for them

  • Bluenosesol says:

    Blackpool havent scored in last 6 hours on the pitch! If we can win tonight, set fair for Derby on Saturday. After Saturday we could be sitting very pretty! No room for complacency though, Barnsley had lost 4 away on the trot before they beat us. Nevertheless its time to avenge our play off disappointment and rub the tangerine’s noses in it! KRO.

  • Ali Duncan says:

    Blues – ‘have been erratic of late keeping two clean sheets in the last four games but conceding nine goals in the other two matches’ – that is an alarming statistic.

    Ring the changes I feel – Pablo and Nathan in. Ziggy and Lovenkrands up front.

  • DoctorD says:

    Last 10 home results: 0-0, 0-4, 2-1, 2-2, 1-2, 0-1, 2-2, 2-2, 3-2, 2-3
    That’s 1.4 goals for on average, 1.9 against — two wins, four draws, four defeats. So I ain’t expecting much — probably a 1-2 defeat. Sorry everyone for being miserable.

  • James says:

    Caldwell to be on the bench with Ibanez coming in.

    Ziggy up top with Shabba.

    A nervy sort of night but a 1 nil to the boys in blue

    KRO

  • marky mark says:

    What’s called for tonight is a dogged, determined battle for 3 points.
    We have shown all season how incapable we are at winning games comfortably.

    I’m not confident to be honest, the best player tonight will be wearing orange ( Ince junior )

    If we look after him we can win, but cannot remember ever feeling so worried about the teams ability to perform, we used to turn up for these games expecting to win and play well, where did those days go ?

  • andy says:

    Ince gave murphy a rough time last time in the play offs,i fear hancox will be skinned by him,cant knock his effort but seems to really struggle up against winger with any sort of pace

    • Northern Exile says:

      The thing about Hancox is if he gets beaten by a player he just tends to foul them (we were incredibly lucky not to have put our 1-0 lead at Peterborough in danger thanks to the ref missing Hancox’s spectacular foul in the box) which could go either way really – either he’ll give away some dangerous set pieces and get himself in the book, or it could put real fear into Ince if he’s worried about having lumps kicked out of him.

  • Blueboy 88 says:

    Now is the time to put things right..

    First priority is a solid defensive display & a clean sheet..
    Then Burke or Zigic with a late late winner

  • The Flying Pig says:

    I’m not sure if the stats bear this out, but my gut feeling is that we concede possession far too easily at home. On the odd occasions when we have dominated possession [e.g. first half against Shef Wed] we have looked like a competent team, but these moments have been too few and far between. I’m not advocating long-ball tactics at all, but we have to get the ball to the front players a bit quicker and then trust wide-men/midfielders to get up in support; we are too ponderous in our build-up play at times.
    Whilst I agree that Shabba has not set the world on fire, he does make some clever runs around the penalty area and he can finish, so it wouild be good to see someone putting him in early.
    Surely Redmond has done enough to earn a decent stint on the pitch tonight – I doubt LC will start him, but I hope he gets 45 mins.
    Caldwell has to be dropped – he was great last year but he’s been below average this year. If we play high up the pitch, or if he gets sucked into making challenges near the half-way line, we are very exposed. Hull worked out our weakness and played through his area both at home and last week

  • Luke755 says:

    Think if we dont win tonight we are right back in the relegation battle. We have some hard games coming up and i cant see where our goals are going to come from now we’ve lost king.

  • mark says:

    Blues win 2-0 Clark will probably play 442 and its another step in the right direction. Cheer on the blue boys inclarkwetrust.

  • sutton apex says:

    blues to edge it 1-0, big zig to score late on – just heading to bainsy’S bar now. COME ON BLUES

  • Stephen says:

    No Redmond again tonight, what’s the kid got to do to be given a break, we need some skill and pace on the left so why not, or even play him up front with Zig. God forbid we actually go or it.

  • skareggae72 says:

    Redmond might get a fair go when Clark finally slings his hook.


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