Or are they simply out of their depth?
Three months on, the bemusement on the faces of Blackpool fans, as they streamed, gob-smacked out of Wembley like the living dead with rictus grins, has turned to concern. With under two weeks to go until the big kick off their squad is the same, in fact it’s worse because their loan players have gone back to daddy.
As it stands, the Blackpool squad is deemed insufficient for top flight purposes. It’s a realistic assumption but it is not out of the question that players without such experience can step up – Ipswich managed it at the turn of the millenium, to a certain extent, as did Reading and maybe even Wigan.
Those clubs, however, were either already bigger than Blackpool or had rich benefactors. And they all added one or two players of quality. Blackpool have, as yet, added none. Not only have they added none but their targets have been, well, not obvious players of quality and those that have been targeted have rejected them. The assumption is that Blackpool are not willing to break their wage structure.
To some pundits this seems folly and they’re probably right. But, really, Blackpool are stuck between a rock and the Premier League. Like so many ‘smaller’ clubs before them (hello League 2 Bradford) they could pay some mercenaries large and long contracts and find themselves like, err, Bradford. Or they can cut their cloth accordingly and cross their fingers, arms, legs, livers, lungs and eyes and hope. Dear hope.
Should we shake our heads and accuse Blackpool of short-sightedeness at not playing the Premier League game of football club roulette? Or should we praise them for bucking the trend and not getting involved in the kamikaze world of Premier League survival?
There is a litany of smaller clubs with big ideas, across Europe, who have tried to swagger in to the saloon loaded with big ideas and a massive overdraft only to be thrown out, destitute, with their pants down and a small but loyal group of fans distraught.
Blackpool simply do not have the fan base or infrastructure to sustain a Premier League team and it will take them more than one year to rebuild what was there in the 50s and before. Similar sized Wigan’s debt continues to grow and, while they have a benefactor, it’s fine. But, after that, what happens? There is no logical reason why Blackpool must follow the debt or benefactor route and it should not preclude them from being in the Premier League. Nor should they be criticised for trying to survive on their own terms.
We say good luck to them, we know they’ll need it.
![DSC_0049[5]](http://therealfacup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/DSC_00495-200x100.jpg "DSC_0049[5]")
we know we need it!
not out of our depth but we are trying to buck a trend. while seemingly the majority of our fans are going apoplectic with rage, paranoia and too much summer holiday time on their hands to worry about the lack of signings – why should we pay for players who are on the gravy train? why should we be held to ransom by lower league clubs? why do we have to wait for all other premier league teams to sort out their squads before we hear back on availability? I think we’re bringing into focus the league’s obsession with money, salaries and, more to the point, the comfortableness of massive debts being racked up just to “keep up with the jones’s”
on quality – holloway knows what a good player is and he only requires well intentioned people willing to work hard and to do things the right way – i fancy that limits our talent pool massively.
i want us to show the world that journeymen just turning up so they can afford a new extension/swimming pool/new bentley for kicking a ball about while decreeing how much they “love living on the fylde coast” (because we’re keeping them in the style they’ve become accustomed to) will not wash with us, the fans.
it’s much much more than that with blackpool. whilst we’re all rightly nervous about our squad size and we’ll decry the lack of investment when we’re getting spanked at the emirates or white hart lane or eastlands on a cold winter’s day; it’ll be the thought that we’re here and we’re going about things the right way…and that is down to Ollie and his merry men
it’s a tightrope as you’ve mention above but I know which way i want us to be run and managed, and i think most football fans recognise this and are rooting for us…..we just need some bloody signings!!!!
Indeed, why should you pay for players already on the gravy train? There’s a mould to be broken here. It’s gonna take some big cojones to do it but even of you go down, which you still could having spent £20mill, you will be in great shape going forward. Play the long game seems sensible. We here are rooting for you and we’re hoping to have one of you on board doing a season diary for us. I know he frequents AVFTT so check back later and good luck.
Damon