I agree, on the night we were beaten by a far better team that played very much the way I would like to see Blackpool perform. They were dominant in the air and coped very easily with the long balls we played all night. Their defence showed how to play out from the back and easily broke our pressing play. We were reduced to hitting long balls because we didn’t have the pace and drive to create the pace and drive to make the space to play a passing game. Randall was exceptional for Peterborough and he was well supported by quick forwards who retained the ball when it was played forward to them.
Our best players were Ekpetita and the keeper. The rest of the team looked a couple of yards slower then the Posh players and we lacked the leadership on the pitch to change the pattern of the game while it was in progress. To be honest, this is where the Blackpool squad is at the moment and against a good team, on a better playing surface that Peterborough’s, we are not quick enough. We haven’t got a midfield players who is quick enough to close down effectively and the couple of players we have with pace don’t read the game well enough to get constantly involved in the game like Randall, Mason-Clarke, Burrows and their centre halves.
I don’t think the tactical or set up is the man problem. Our lack of pace, lack of a creative and competitive mid-field and defenders who have always prone to a mistake in them is down to player recruitment. Some of the things we are lacking cannot be coached but come from within. At the moment we are a slightly above average League One team aspiring to be more. Good players find ways to win no matter who they are playing against.
Perhaps asking the question why don’t we find and sign players like Randall, Mason-Clarke et al is more important than the constant call to change managers or formation. This season only Rhodes has consistently influenced games positively for us.
All my own opinion, of course
Stan53
