First thing to say is it’s good to be back after my hospital stay. I had a prostate scare back in 2014 and learned things then which made me believe that what has happened in the last few weeks was waiting somewhere down the line. My situation it seems is that I do not have prostate cancer, but the gland is so large that it is affecting my urinary function and the plan now is to “shave”.some of the prostate away in the coming months.
A thank you to those of you who have offered your best wishes. It seems I’ve missed out on one excellent performance at Wrexham and another of those worrying ones where we never look like scoring at Peterborough. I know you should expect inconsistency from a team as young as ours, but it’s strange how a side can be so dominant at the ground of a Championship club and be so lacking in a goal threat in League One games against teams at both ends of the table.
A decade or two back, Bloomfield Road, Blackpool was one of those grounds, like Peterborough, where we always tended to lose, but, in recent years, our record there has been pretty good, so, with us being in a sequence of win, lose, win, lose, keeping the run going with a victory is not out of question.
To do that, we’ll have to overcome a team managed by Ian Evatt who was a candidate for our job in the summer. Veteran Steve Bruce put together a squad during the summer that was well fancied for a top six place back in August, but it’s just not happened for Blackpool this season with Bruce sacked weeks ago and supporters having to get used to life in the bottom four.
With Evatt making a decent start, the feeling remains that Blackpool are too good to go down, but, even so, a look at the table says that this is the sort of game City should not be losing – maybe ending the win lose sequence with a draw is the most likely outcome?
Here’s the usual quiz anyway regarding our next opponents with the answers to be posted on here on Sunday.
60s. A Yorkshireman who spent his whole career turning out for Lancashire clubs, he began at Blackpool after a spell as a defender with Barnsley in youth football. Apparently, he decided on a change of position and this led to his breakthrough into senior football. Such was the impact he made that he was soon transferred to a team that were genuine candidates for the title best team in the land. International caps and titles followed during the next eleven years and there was a short stay on the “other side of the river” in the lower leagues before retirement and later work as a security guard plus some after dinner speaking engagements. Who am I describing?
70s. Picked up from non league blues from Liverpool, this midfielder spent the latter half of this decade with Blackpool without ever really becoming a regular week in, week out selection. Still, he made it to one hundred league appearances for them before he moved to another sea side resort to the south. His final team were miles from the sea, but, apparently, they do have a pier. Can you name the player concerned?
80s Anger at open invitation initially. (3,4).
90s. Absent chef?
00s. Combine a carpet with a flutter and a klaxon and you could end up with this Blackpool forward!
10s. A target for City about fifteen years ago, this winger is still turning out in League O9e. A loan spell at Blackpool figures in his CV which has also seen him have spells with the likes of Wolves, Portsmouth and Derby, but can you name him?
20s. Which member of the current Blackpool squad has more than fifty caps for one of the four home nations?
Answers:
60s. Gordon West decided on a career as a goalkeeper after playing as a central defender in youth football. His spell at Blackpool was brief and he became best known for his time at Everton where he won the league title and FA Cup plus three England caps. There was also a spell at Tranmere before retirement.
70s. Jimmy Weston was I suppose the epitome of a lower league journeyman midfielder with spells at Blackpool, Torquay and Wigan after starting off with Skelmersdale..
80s. Ian Gore.
90s Mitch Cook.
99s. Matt Blinkhorn.
10s. 34 year old Michael Jacobs was a target for City as a youngster and a career which has seen him perform regularly at Championship level includes a spell on loan at Blackpool in 2015.
20s. Bailey Peacock-Farrell has fifty two caps for Northern Ireland.
