What people forget about 95/96

I went to a lot of the games that year and remember Allardyce going more and more defensive
I’m sure that at one point in an away game (possibly Bournemouth) he had 4 centre backs on the pitch
I was so disgusted i wrote to Oyston to demand he was sacked 😃- never done anything like that before or since!
 
Rumour was Bingham was interfering as SA was quite inexperienced
Recall being with Tigger at Swansea when we scabbed a late win
Couldn't see how we could be caught
We had three of the bottom four at home to come - and didn't win any 🤣
 
tigger said:
I went to a lot of the games that year and remember Allardyce going more and more defensive
I’m sure that at one point in an away game (possibly Bournemouth) he had 4 centre backs on the pitch
I was so disgusted i wrote to Oyston to demand he was sacked 😃- never done anything like that before or since!
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When he replied did he tell you he was a fan since 2 and enclosed a signed dick pic?
 
I lived in Australia back then and it was pre-Internet so I used to find out our results the next day via the Sydney Morning Herald. I kept questioning if they'd done typo errors with some of those fixtures and results given how brilliant we had been before the slump!
 
Big Sam on a Radio Lancs interview about 10 years ago said he did go defensive thinking we would get over the line with 2 or 3 draws, He said the main reason for going so cautious was that he'd asked Owen, who was in prison at the time, for an extension to his contract which was up at the end of the season. The reply was get promoted and we'll talk again.

Just to add we were 13 points clear of Oxford with 7 games to go.
 
I used to subscribe to a football magazine called 90 minutes.
There was an article with the first paragraph stating, "lf Swindon don't win this league we'll buy the latest Phil Collins album. If Blackpool don't go up as runners up we'll play it!!"

Those two teams were both nailed on for automatic promotion but going back to the Oxford game, Andy Morrison scored before Oxford got on the score sheet but it was disallowed 🤬
Had that goal been given the season could and should have been so different. It most definitely gave Oxford the momentum and started Blackpool's slide😔
 
Cleveleys boy said:
Allardyce wanted Shaun Goater (who was at Rotherham at the time) for the final push but OO knocked it back.. What a horrible run in it was..I remember Walsall beating us in our last home game
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I used to work for the old club doctor and he told me Oyston wanted Kevin Francis and Big Sam was dead against it therefore Doctor C had to report Francis having a dodgy knee when he came for a medical and the deal was not done.
 
I remember listening to BBC radio for a live commentary which was a rarity for us.
Sat in my Hotel room in Christchurch looking forward To Peterborough v Pool.
It was embarrassing as they defended a 0-0 draw with little intentions of winning.
Even the commentators were bored stiff.
We went on a losing streak after starting with a home defeat against a poor Rotherham team.
Alardyce wanted a midfielder from Carlisle on deadline day but Oyston was too busy preparing for his trial.
 
BigHandsOliverKahn said:
I lived in Australia back then and it was pre-Internet so I used to find out our results the next day via the Sydney Morning Herald. I kept questioning if they'd done typo errors with some of those fixtures and results given how brilliant we had been before the slump!
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I was living in South America. I bought a return ticket from Santiago to Heathrow at Easter so I could get back for the final away game at York and the inevitable promotion party.
It’s clearly my fault what happened next. Still did the game though 😀 Thursday to Monday 14500 miles and no party!
 
GrahamwantshisOates said:
I remember listening to BBC radio for a live commentary which was a rarity for us.
Sat in my Hotel room in Christchurch looking forward To Peterborough v Pool.
It was embarrassing as they defended a 0-0 draw with little intentions of winning.
Even the commentators were bored stiff.
We went on a losing streak after starting with a home defeat against a poor Rotherham team.
Alardyce wanted a midfielder from Carlisle on deadline day but Oyston was too busy preparing for his trial.
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As Cleveleys Boy posted , it was Shaun Goater who Oyston wouldn't cough up for.
 
FessParker said:
As Cleveleys Boy posted , it was Shaun Goater who Oyston wouldn't cough up for.
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Nope it was a guy from Carlisle On deadline day.
His name will come to me at 3 am in bed!
Goater was beforehand.

Edit. It was David Reeves. Thank god for google!
He signed for Nobbers for next season and bagged 33 goals!
 
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After Easter there was a clear switch in tactics which cost us dear. Hated Sam ever since.

He seemed to have reverted to normal as we won at Valley Parade, but then went defensive for the home leg. Andy Gouck at right back. What was he thinking?
 
tigger said:
I went to a lot of the games that year and remember Allardyce going more and more defensive
I’m sure that at one point in an away game (possibly Bournemouth) he had 4 centre backs on the pitch
I was so disgusted i wrote to Oyston to demand he was sacked 😃- never done anything like that before or since!
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Your fault that we got Nigel Worthington, Thanks
 
Nailed on

Exactly the words used by the late Paul Mariner, bless him, when R Lancs Friday night intro programme was still a good listen.
 
GrahamwantshisOates said:
Nope it was a guy from Carlisle On deadline day.
His name will come to me at 3 am in bed!
Goater was beforehand.

Edit. It was David Reeves. Thank god for google!
He signed for Nobbers for next season and bagged 33 goals!
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If you say so.....but he certainly wasn't a midfielder as you originally said.
 
Wizaard said:
After Easter there was a clear switch in tactics which cost us dear. Hated Sam ever since.

He seemed to have reverted to normal as we won at Valley Parade, but then went defensive for the home leg. Andy Gouck at right back. What was he thinking?
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Unfortunately the excellent Andy Barlow was injured in the last league game at York and we had no back up left back so Andy Gouck had to fill in . We got away with it at Bradford ........
 
FessParker said:
Unfortunately the excellent Andy Barlow was injured in the last league game at York and we had no back up left back so Andy Gouck had to fill in . We got away with it at Bradford ........
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We did have Scott Darton on the books.... 🤣
 
I’m not sure many of us will forget the collapse in form tbh… Bradford at home was just the Cherry on Top of the Cake tbh.

Travelling back from Bristol Rovers I remember listening to the radio and hearing the immortal words…

“All four wheels will have to come off the Blackpool bandwagon for them not to secure automatic promotion this season”
 
TwelveAngryMen said:
Rumour was Bingham was interfering as SA was quite inexperienced
Recall being with Tigger at Swansea when we scabbed a late win
Couldn't see how we could be caught
We had three of the bottom four at home to come - and didn't win any 🤣
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Not sure we scabbed that game to be fair. I seem to recall a fairly comfortable 2-0 win.

I mentioned this game in the thread about being in the wrong end as we had three tickets in the home stand and things got a little uncomfortable after the second goal!
 
Dark_Side_of_the_Lune said:
I was living in South America. I bought a return ticket from Santiago to Heathrow at Easter so I could get back for the final away game at York and the inevitable promotion party.
It’s clearly my fault what happened next. Still did the game though 😀 Thursday to Monday 14500 miles and no party!
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I think I remember talking to you in a pub before the game, I was on my stag night and all my mates were wearing tangerine wigs
 
I remember coming back from York and wearing a tangerine Afro wig, we stopped in a boozer in or
near Gisburn and some Clampets were in there moaning about us taking liberties on their manor, silly cunts.
 
I remember one night listening to a match on the radio and the commentator said words to the effect of, Blackpool will be going up this season, it's just whether they have the 'C' next to their name; that would be January or February night match.

Even though I was excited, I did think don't tempt fate.

Probably why I hate us goading the opposition - just support our team as it'll bite you in your arse.

Like the 'goalscorer' on Saturday 🤫 indeed!
 
AlternativeSeaside said:
I remember coming back from York and wearing a tangerine Afro wig, we stopped in a boozer in or
near Gisburn and some Clampets were in there moaning about us taking liberties on their manor, silly cunts.
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I'm pretty sure we stopped there on the way back from York... on a Coach... Bit of a hazy day for me that one, mind you. I had a terrible hangover
 
It's weird how this season sticks in so many people's minds.

I guess the age of posters on here (say now between 45 - 59?) it would have been the best we had seen football wise in our lives?

Big Sam and the home game v Bradford aside we were absolutely brilliant for the best part of that season and we gave some teams a footballing lesson.

Yeah it still hurts. we should have gone up easily.

We still never have to be fair. It's a long time since we went up automatically. That's just our club though. It's how it is.
 
Macseasider said:
It's weird how this season sticks in so many people's minds.

I guess the age of posters on here (say now between 45 - 59?) it would have been the best we had seen football wise in our lives?

Big Sam and the home game v Bradford aside we were absolutely brilliant for the best part of that season and we gave some teams a footballing lesson.

Yeah it still hurts. we should have gone up easily.

We still never have to be fair. It's a long time since we went up automatically. That's just our club though. It's how it is.
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Yeah 59 here 🙋🏻‍♂️ That season and the 78 debacle 🤦‍♂️
 
The season that broke my heart, remember I scratched "Blackpool FC 95-96 second division champions" on a desk at school with a compass and someone wrote HAHAHAHA all over it. At the time I was the only Blackpool fan in my year at Hodgson.

Think Oxford always has a few games in hand didn't they? And they went on an unreal run. We couldn't buy a point until the last game of the season away at York where we stuffed them 3 or 4-1.
 
A few memories:

Beating Burnley 3-1 to go top of the league.

A great performance away at 2nd division Huddersfield in the Cup, unluckily losing 2-1.

Bloody Elton Welsby announcing ‘Blackpool will have to finish like Devon Loch not to get promoted’.

The poor attendances (average under 6,000 if memory serves).

Micky Mellon’s swerving 40 yarder v Swansea.
 
ainscow73 said:
Ha ha yeah great weekend although the result didn't mean automatic and the police wouldn't let us drink in York after the match and we ended up in Great Eccleston
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They weren’t for any drinking… I stepped off our coach, cracked open a can of Stella only to have it ripped out of my hand and poured down a grid by the local RoboCop!!
 
L’étranger said:
A few memories:

Beating Burnley 3-1 to go top of the league.

A great performance away at 2nd division Huddersfield in the Cup, unluckily losing 2-1.

Bloody Elton Welsby announcing ‘Blackpool will have to finish like Devon Loch not to get promoted’.

The poor attendances (average under 6,000 if memory serves).

Micky Mellon’s swerving 40 yarder v Swansea.
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Ah yes, that was a corker from Mellon.

I remember just before Christmas, an away win at a good Crewe team.

Ellis and Watson scoring the goals in a 2-1 win.

Carlisle away on new years day, another 2-1 win, Bryan and Linighan scoring I think.

Bradford at home, 4-1 earlier in the season (if only we could have done that in the play-offs)

Was probably the worst feeling I've experienced losing in that second leg.

He can forget Big Sam with his white blazer 🤦‍♂️
 
PdxTangerine said:
The season that broke my heart, remember I scratched "Blackpool FC 95-96 second division champions" on a desk at school with a compass and someone wrote HAHAHAHA all over it. At the time I was the only Blackpool fan in my year at Hodgson.

Think Oxford always has a few games in hand didn't they? And they went on an unreal run. We couldn't buy a point until the last game of the season away at York where we stuffed them 3 or 4-1.
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think it was 2-0.
 
TwelveAngryMen said:
Rumour was Bingham was interfering as SA was quite inexperienced
Recall being with Tigger at Swansea when we scabbed a late win
Couldn't see how we could be caught
We had three of the bottom four at home to come - and didn't win any 🤣
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Spot on. He was insisting Allardyce pick Quinn despite his loss of form
 
20togo said:
think it was 2-0.
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Yeah, you're right. In my head it was much more emphatic, probably because I hadn't seen a win in so long.

02 Apr 1996Chesterfield v BlackpoolL1-0League Division 2
06 Apr 1996Oxford United v BlackpoolL1-0League Division 2
08 Apr 1996Blackpool v Rotherham UnitedL1-2League Division 2
13 Apr 1996Bristol Rovers v BlackpoolD1-1League Division 2
20 Apr 1996Blackpool v Swindon TownD1-1League Division 2
27 Apr 1996Blackpool v WalsallL1-2League Division 2
04 May 1996York City v BlackpoolW0-2
 
AlternativeSeaside said:
I remember coming back from York and wearing a tangerine Afro wig, we stopped in a boozer in or
near Gisburn and some Clampets were in there moaning about us taking liberties on their manor, silly cunts.
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Yes it was my coach for my stag day and the police moved us on from Gisburn. I thought they were hells angels who were looking for a ruck but like you say time plays trucks with your memory. We ended up in Great Eccleston
 
ainscow73 said:
Yes it was my coach for my stag day and the police moved us on from Gisburn. I thought they were hells angels who were looking for a ruck but like you say time plays trucks with your memory. We ended up in Great Eccleston
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It takes a thread like this to remind of the day, I’ve had so many brilliant days out following the Pool but I can hardly recall any of them until I get prompted.

Oh to be young again.

I read something the other day that made me smile

“I wish I was 15 again coz I’ve thought of loads of new ways to fuck up my life”
 
Pun_1 said:
Ah yes, that was a corker from Mellon.

I remember just before Christmas, an away win at a good Crewe team.

Ellis and Watson scoring the goals in a 2-1 win.

Carlisle away on new years day, another 2-1 win, Bryan and Linighan scoring I think.

Bradford at home, 4-1 earlier in the season (if only we could have done that in the play-offs)

Was probably the worst feeling I've experienced losing in that second leg.

He can forget Big Sam with his white blazer 🤦‍♂️
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Some great memories there and a special mention for Stockport away, 1-1 draw midweek… Tony Ellis last minute equaliser with outside of his right foot… it went mental.
 
The Swansea away game. We won 2-0? two late goals. Was it at some strange kick off time? I've always thought Sunday lunch for some reason, probably wasn't.

I just recall driving around listening to the commentary. I was going through Carleton when we scored, went mental, arms out the window, everything as usual. The care in front of me had 3-4 in it, all obviously listening as well, saw me celebrating and we all shared a moment.
 
What a dressing room that must of been:
Mighty Marine
Suntan
Linighan
Mellon
Bradshaw
Nixon
Ellis
Preece
Allardyce
Barlow
No room for shrinking violets in that lot!
 
PoolWarrior said:
Isn’t that the Bradford semi final as the biggest fook up that season but weren’t we about 15 points clear of Oxford when they beat us 1-0 at their place and then went on to pip us to second place?
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Totally agree Pool Warrior - a traumatic memory indeed - so deflated after that goal went in thinking Oxford are on a roll and could catch us …. they did and the rest is history as they say 😔😣
 
Heard a rumour Chris beech came on as sub and was told not to take the ball over the half way line. He subsequently got fined for doing so. What a fiasco the end of that season was.
 
Was the worst season in my lifetime for raised expectations v what eventually happened. Couldn't believe what was happening at the time, still hard work thinking about it now.
 
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