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Blackpool away match day thread


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Blackpool v Bristol City is one of just three Championship games being played today.

Blackpool Football Club was founded in 1887 by former students of St John‘s School. Two years later, the other football club in town, South Shore FC, was merged into Blackpool. They were elected to the Second Division for the 1896-97 season. After finishing 16th in their third season they failed to be re-elected, and missed a season before being re-elected again. After being division champions in 1929-30 season, they were promoted to the top division for the first time.

Some of the prominent players in the history of the club are Jackie Mudie, Stan Mortensen,  Stanley Matthews and Charlie Adam.

Blackpool first played in their tangerine strip in the opening game of the 1923/24 season, they are referred to as Tangerines or Seasiders.

January activity: On 27 January, Charlie Kirk joined from Carlton on loan for the rest of the 2021–22 season with a view to a permanent transfer. Having arrived on loan from Crewe in September, Blackpool signed Owen Dale permanently in January, for an undisclosed fee, on a two-year contract. Also in the January window Jake Beesley joined them from Rochelle on a three-and-a-half-year deal, again for an undisclosed fee.

Neil Critchley has confirmed that defender Reece James has returned to training this week, with the Seasiders having been without an established left-back for their last two fixtures. Luke Garbutt and James Husband are still sidelined while midfielder Kevin Stewart has a chance of also making the game today as he flies back from international duty with Jamaica. If James isn't declared fit enough to play, with his last appearance on December 18, that would mean six of the starting XI that drew 1-1 at Ashton Gate in August are unavailable for Critchley.

As a newly-promoted team, being in the top half of the table after 28 games should surely satisfy the head coach. Not Blackpool's Neil Critchley however who believes his team's 37-point return should be more.

Our first game of the season against them ended 1-1 with Chris Martin scoring  for us, they equalized with practically the last kick of the game - does that sound horribly familiar? Highlights: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/highlights-bristol-city-1-1-blackpool/

In fact our last three meetings have all ended in a draw  07/08/21 – Bristol City 1 Blackpool 1, 02/03/13 – Blackpool 0 Bristol City 0 and 17/11/12 – Bristol City 1 Blackpool 1. Out 96 meetings between us, we come out on top, with 36 victories in comparison to Blackpool's 32. There have been 28 draws.

They have the chance to make it three straight home victories today. The Seasiders have improved their form lately, picking up seven points from a possible nine in their last three games, including an impressive point at top-of-the-table Fulham last Saturday and earlier in the season they beat Fulham; not many teams have got four points against the league leaders.

James Linington is the man in the middle today. He has refereed a mixture of League Two, One and Championship fixtures so far this season.

Here’s a guide to the ground: https://www.awaygames.co.uk/away-day-guides/blackpool-away/

My first visit to Bloomfield Road was way back in January 1972 when we were in the second division, we lost 1-0, it pissed down non-stop and it was a very long and miserable day! Apparently the weather there today is going to be awful. I applaud todays traveling fans and hope they are celebrating at the final whistle and during the 209 miles back to Ashton Gate! More than 900 tickets have been sold to City fans.

NP pre-match comments:

 

Pubs

  • The Bridge is a family-friendly, fun pub located in the heart of Blackpool. With Blackpool FC just around the corner, the Bridge is perfectly placed to welcome away football fans and prides itself on being the Official Away Fans pub. The pub is a ten-minute walk from Blackpool South Train Station and a three-minute walk to the stadium. The Bridge also encourages away fan coach drop offs directly outside the pub. It has a large selection of draught and bottled beer as well as spirits, cocktails and wines.
  • The Manchester (231-233 Promenade, Blackpool, FY1 6AH) welcomes away fans to visit and has a beautiful seafront spot as well as TV screens showing live sport. 
  • The Albert (215 Lytham Road, Blackpool, FY1 6ET) happily welcomes a mixture of home and away fans and screens a wide selection of live sport. 
  • The Waterloo (Waterloo Road, Blackpool, FY4 2AF) is a family friendly option that offers live music in the evenings.
  • The Bloomfield Brewhouse (47 Ansdell Road, Blackpool, FY1 6PW) offers a wide array of real ale and a selection from their own microbrewery. https://www.facebook.com/BloomfieldBrewhouse/
  • The nearest Wetherspoons is The Velvet Coaster (501-507 Promenade, Blackpool, FY4 1BA) on the pleasure beach.

A visit to the seaside without a fish and chip supper would be rude, Lilys is apparently one of the best chip shops in Blackpool http://www.lilysblackpool.com/#posts it’s a three minute drive or 20 minute walk from the ground, 10-12 Foxhall Road, Blackpool, FY1 5AB

Blackpool banter

  • Both men and women in Blackpool have the lowest life expectancy from birth of any local authority in England https://www.blackpooljsna.org.uk/Blackpool-Profile/Life-Expectancy.aspx
  • A report in 2019 concluded that eight of the 10 most deprived neighbourhoods in England are in Blackpool https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49812519
  • The Membranes were formed at Blackpool Sixth Form College in 1977.
  • The Blackpool illuminations are traditionally opened by a celebrity figure. In September 1977, the famous racehorse Red Rum did the honours and also opened the Steeplechase rollercoaster. The previous April Red Rum had won his third Grand National title.
  • Blackpool is the only British beach resort to boast three piers.
  • The nostalgic tramway in Blackpool is one of the oldest electric lines in the world, dating back to 1885.
  • Escapologist Karl Bartoni married Wendy Stokes in mid-air at the of the Blackpool Tower in 1985, two years after he had performed three daring escapes suspended from the Tower. With a vicar, choir and church organ on the top of the Blackpool Tower, the couple were lowered from its top in an open cage decorated with flowers, and married standing on a plank in mid-air 450 feet above a crowd of 20,000 people.
  • Blackpool has a museum of oddities, including a portrait of Princess Diana made of 2500 penny coins. At Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum and it’s ‘odditorium’ you’ll also find shrunken heads, a fertility statue which has had over 1,000 confirmed pregnancies, and a two-headed calf. https://www.ripleys.com/blackpool/
  • Built in 1894 and inspired by the Eiffel Tower, Blackpool Tower is 518 feet and 9 inches tall, and it takes seven years to paint it from top to bottom. Its lifts travel 3,500 miles every year – more than the distance between Blackpool and New York – and on a clear day The Blackpool Tower can be seen from as far away as Wales and the Lake District.
  • Blackpool Illuminations comprise an amazing one million lamps in various types and styles and cost £2.4 million to stage, using equipment worth £10 million. The dazzling display stretches almost six miles from Starr Gate to Bispham, and shines non-stop for 66 days. 45 staff, including artists, electricians, joiners, mechanics, painters and engineers, work all year round to ensure the displays are ready on time. Altogether 65,000 staff hours are used on maintenance, preparation, erection and operation, and then afterwards dismantling all the features, fixtures and fittings.
  • The Tower Ballroom forms the centrepiece to any series of Strictly Come Dancing, and is the week that celebrity dancers strive for when they appear on the show. But the Strictly celebrities aren't the only famous faces to have appeared over the years. Take That, Cleo Lane and Duke Ellington are among some of the acts to have performed at the Tower, while a huge model of King Kong was attached to the outside in 1984.
  • In 1997, Coronation Rock of Blackpool, broke its own world record for the largest stick of rock ever made, with a stick weighing 434.5kg and measuring 4.5m long.  For those going it is a long journey, so here’s a bit about the history of seaside rock to keep you occupied: https://candy-uk.com/the-history-of-british-seaside-rock-sticks/

 

 

 

 

 

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"A report in 2019 concluded that eight of the 10 most deprived neighbourhoods in England are in Blackpool https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49812519"

8 out of 10? I have never strayed away from the seafront in Blackpool and it sounds like that's just as well.

Having been to a few places in the Potteries, Immingham, Middlesbrough and other towns on the east coast, I hate to imagine how bad they have to be to be worse than those places.

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I went the May Day weekend when Nicky Maynard scored in 1-1 draw and Blackpool went into the playoffs.

Had a good weekend, we did spend most of the first day in a wine bar (that was in a square) away from the main drag. We got back to the B&B in a taxi, somehow ?

I remember a lot of fans had bought tat from the seaside shops, windmills and massive plastic glasses. It was a fun atmosphere on the temporary seating down the side, the structure was certainly bouncing! Had the best cup of tea at a football ground, from the little van down one end - £1 in a polystyrene cup, magic.??

 

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6 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

"A report in 2019 concluded that eight of the 10 most deprived neighbourhoods in England are in Blackpool https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49812519"

8 out of 10? I have never strayed away from the seafront in Blackpool and it sounds like that's just as well.

Having been to a few places in the Potteries, Immingham, Middlesbrough and other towns on the east coast, I hate to imagine how bad they have to be to be worse than those places.

I feel Blackpool should be better than it is. It suffers from being a seaside town. I liked it but it needs investment, not just for tourists. Parts of WSM were considered very deprived (not sure if that’s still the case). 

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I've only been to Blackpool once, in 1976 during our promotion run-in. We lost 2-1 and I remember that due to a colour clash we ended up wearing tangerine socks borrowed from the home team.

Looking at the weather forecast it's meant to be lashing down with rain there and winds gusting to 50mph so will be a bit of a lottery.

Edited by ashton_fan
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I arranged my stag do around City playing at Bloomfield Rd. The game was awful. The pubs that evening were worse. 

The open air gents toilet behind the away end was a smaller version of the one outside the Main Stand at Ashton Gate. Memories!

Edited by Norn Iron
Spellchecker!
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2 minutes ago, TomF said:

Must of been 3-4 time maybe. The 5-1 always sticks in the mind but another Jan fixture maybe in 2000s where the wind off the Irish Sea and being in a uncovered side of the ground was brutally cold.  I think only Oldham was a place that I felt colder the year we went up under GJ 

Ah, Oldham eh? If you can't see the Pennines it's raining. If you can see them it's about to rain.

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Good Morning all, looking for a win today to get revenge on that last minute goal at the Gate.  Went there to see the lights back in the seventies in my companies Escort van, parked it on the sea front and went off for a drink. In the pub got chatting to a local and he told me after a certain time it would be towed away, went back to move it, but couldn't find it. Mind you, the sandstorm that was raging didn't help. Went back to the B&B and the next morning went looking for it and found it where I left it, turned out I had walked left instead of right when leaving the pub, probably due to the storm, although,

it could have been the lager.  Happy Days!

 

 

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Robins have been letting lots of goals into their nest. More tomorrow⚽⚽⚽
 
Unfortunately with the weather it's a bit of a lottery tomorrow. We messed up the Luton game in strong winds, hope we've learned from that.
 
HiGh balls, strong winds, panicked defenders, penalties, them, not us please.
 
Quietly confident, Bowlers on fire, Lavery looking sharper (though I'd still like to see Jerry getting more time if possible) but they have players who can turn it on too, don't think they can handle Bowler if he's on form though, 2-1 pool.
 
5-1 biggest win of the season
 
Rain and 40 plus mile an hour winds forecast, should be interesting.
 
Going to be a grim old afternoon brightened by an easy 3-0 stroll by the mighty Sir Critch army.
 
I don’t often make predictions, usually because I’m wrong. However I have a good feeling about this one and fancy a comfortable 2/3 -0 win.?
 
 
Edited by Marcus Aurelius
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32 minutes ago, ashton_fan said:

I've only been to Blackpool once, in 1976 during our promotion run-in. We lost 2-1 and I remember that due to a colour clash we ended up wearing tangerine socks borrowed from the home team.

Looking at the weather forecast it's meant to be lashing down with rain there and winds gusting to 50mph so will be a bit of a lottery.

That was my only visit to Bloomfield Road. Cheesley was struggling with a knee problem and if I remember correctly, he was subbed. In the following August in the game with Stoke came the injury that finished his career and I've always wondered if the original cause was earlier than most realise.

Not a happy hunting ground for City.

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8 hours ago, Jerseybean said:

Blackpool banter

Jesus, going in pretty hard on the banter there...!

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1 hour ago, grifty said:

I been once, was the Brooker goal in the 1-0 win.

Nearly drowned on the sea front in the car with the water that was building up. More water on the roads that in the sea.

Hoping for a drier game today. That game was in August, first (away) game of the season I think. Yes we all nearly drowned!

I had also been there one time before, distant memories of this one. Think Scott mcgarvy missed a pen (or open goal) near the end making us only draw. It was a night game

 

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43 minutes ago, Marcus Aurelius said:
Robins have been letting lots of goals into their nest. More tomorrow⚽⚽⚽
 
Unfortunately with the weather it's a bit of a lottery tomorrow. We messed up the Luton game in strong winds, hope we've learned from that.
 
HiGh balls, strong winds, panicked defenders, penalties, them, not us please.
 
Quietly confident, Bowlers on fire, Lavery looking sharper (though I'd still like to see Jerry getting more time if possible) but they have players who can turn it on too, don't think they can handle Bowler if he's on form though, 2-1 pool.
 
5-1 biggest win of the season
 
Rain and 40 plus mile an hour winds forecast, should be interesting.
 
Going to be a grim old afternoon brightened by an easy 3-0 stroll by the mighty Sir Critch army.
 
I don’t often make predictions, usually because I’m wrong. However I have a good feeling about this one and fancy a comfortable 2/3 -0 win.?
 
 

How do you score two thirds of a goal? I’ve been on this planet 47 years and never seen it? 

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image.thumb.png.ab2ff282bfcb7e2d61d6a55c229670c6.png
Played 541 last time out (Fulham away), but they’ve tended to go 442, especially at home.

If Madine plays then we mustn’t let him peel onto Pring.  If that happens I would suggest a quick change to 442, move Pring to LB and assign Klose to him with him and Kalas as a CB2.

O’Dowda (or whoever plays LWB) will have a big test against Bowler, and I will be looking to see if we can impose on him, but as a minimum stopping him may go a long way to getting the points.

Youd hope Martin and Semenyo can get some change out of Heck-Potato and Keogh…but Keogh usually plays well against us.

Garbutt at LB has a lovely left foot, but also rash in the tackle.  Can be got at.

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2 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

image.thumb.png.ab2ff282bfcb7e2d61d6a55c229670c6.png
Played 541 last time out (Fulham away), but they’ve tended to go 442, especially at home.

If Madine plays then we mustn’t let him peel onto Pring.  If that happens I would suggest a quick change to 442, move Pring to LB and assign Klose to him with him and Kalas as a CB2.

O’Dowda (or whoever plays LWB) will have a big test against Bowler, and I will be looking to see if we can impose on him, but as a minimum stopping him may go a long way to getting the points.

Youd hope Martin and Semenyo can get some change out of Heck-Potato and Keogh…but Keogh usually plays well against us.

Garbutt at LB has a lovely left foot, but also rash in the tackle.  Can be got at.

Heck-Potato…???

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39 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

That was my only visit to Bloomfield Road. Cheesley was struggling with a knee problem and if I remember correctly, he was subbed. In the following August in the game with Stoke came the injury that finished his career and I've always wondered if the original cause was earlier than most realise.

Not a happy hunting ground for City.

I was there for that game as well,  I think it was about 5 or 6 games to go so losing was a blow. My only visit to Bloomfield Rd and we had a huge following as you would expect. 46 years ago and we still haven't been able repeat the achievement of that season!

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Absolute shit hole & has some of the most deprived parts of England. Voted Tory in the mistaken belief that they are remotely interested.

Been a few times but struggle to remember any of them, mainly in the Cooper era so a long time ago.

They have surprised me & so I’d take another draw, think we’ll go unchanged & with 3 games in a week make changes on Wednesday.

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