Blackpool 2 - West Bromwich Albion 2

Blackpool win 3-2 on penalties AET

Date:	Saturday 9th January 2021
Competition:	FA Cup
Blackpool: 6.3
WBA: 2.9	Button 4.6, Peltier 2.7 (O'Shea, 96 4.6), Bartley 3.5 (Sawyers, 61 2.6), Ivanovic 2.1 (Kipré, 72 3.8), Gibbs 2.9 (Furlong, 45 3.5), Ajayi 4.1, Krovinovic 3.8, Livermore 3.8, Gallagher 4.6 (Edwards, 61 3.7), Grosicki 5.7, Pereira 4.3 Unused subs: Lonergan, Richards, Harmon Manager: Sam Allardyce 2.5
Scorers:	Ajayi (52), Pereira (80 pen)
Referee:	John Brooks 6.3
Attendance:	0

Brendan Clegg:

This will probably be the shortest report ever. 120 minutes of absolute dross followed by a shootout a team of fragile players had no hope of winning.

I’ve given Allardyce the benefit of the doubt so far but what was he playing at? No striker in the squad - not even a kid. It felt like he doomed a set of players already low on confidence, being asked to play the polar opposite to the way they have been for the past 18 months, to an inevitable humiliation. A midget-killing more than a giant killing.

Not that these players deserve defending from criticism so much and anyone having a go at them has every right.

But lumping the the ball up to Pereira and trying to convert him into Kevin Davies? Absolute lunacy. Blackpool deserved to win in normal time.

It’s not even worth doing ratings. We learned that Ajayi can’t playing in midfield if we have loads of the ball, Ivanovic can’t run and needs to be retired, Pereira can create things from deep, Sawyers can’t track, Livermore can’t create and that Edwards has got something but needs to have played about 30 more pro games by now for someone and it’s probably too late now for his development- he’ll underachieve for his talent in his career as a result. I’d have put him up front just for his pace. As it was we had nothing there.

For once, I’d have liked Big Sam to protect his players post match a little bit and keep the majority onside for their morale if nothing else - say how they did their best without a striker, explain injuries and the understandable departure of Austin to help his desperate attempts to recruit. Maybe not all of the players deserve it but it would’ve been better than slagging them off for losing a shootout. I don’t think his ego allows him such tact. It’s all looking a bit Pardew-esque.

We need 3 players for the starting 11 in this week just to avoid humiliation against the dingles. Here’s hoping.

Mark Koppel:

League One Team 2 v Championship Squad 2 (League One Team win aet on penalties)

Just like Brendon, I don't see the point on this occasion of giving player ratings as it just ranged from poor to very poor.

In the Baggies.com match report for our Leeds thrashing, I went through 5 critical reasons why I believe we have declined so much, so quickly in just over 2 years.

After today may I add a 6th reason why I think we will decline even more?

That is the appointment of Fat Sam.

As said from even before this season started, this is an average Championship Squad that just about got promoted in a season when the Championship was relatively weak.

But the appointment of Fat Sam, his tactics, and his inability to motivate players, will just make this Championship Squad even worse.

He hasn't even made the Team more difficult to beat. The number of goals conceded shows, including today, that we are actually easier to beat if anything.

The final thing some people have said that Sam could do, that Slav wouldn't, is bring in more suitable players in January.

But this is also a major doubt for several reasons:

Lai cannot, and will not, make sufficient money available. Fat Sam will certainly will not get the £30 million in a January he got at Sunderland.
Because we are at such a low base, we will need about 6 players just to give us a chance of staying up.
The combination of Brexit and the Covid Pandemic, will make signing players in January even more difficult than normal.

So to avoid a situation even worse than the Pardew one, Fat Sam needs to go now.

The Cockney Cab Driver also needs to go as he was behind the totally incorrectly timed decision to sack Bilic and then appoint the Dinosaur.

The bigger picture yes is getting a more suitable Owner but that may take a very long time, and also is dependant on finding someone prepared to invest and develop the football Club for football reasons, not personally gain.

But I think this objective will be less difficult with Dinosaur Sam and Dowling out the way.

There is a Petition to sign from the fans to start this process at https://www.change.org/Allardyceout

Please sign.

Ancient Baggie:

A truly awful display. You couldn't really tell which side was the league one team. As I've said in previous posts I'm not sure what we're doing in training since Sam's been in charge but our fitness levels are appalling.

I see little point piling into the players they all look lost and devoid of any confidence or leadership. Can anyone fathom the system/ tactics Sam is trying to adopt? Pass it three times across the back four then lump it aimlessly forward to a 5ft 4inch centre forward? If that doesn't work change out the entire back four and start again? It's going to be a relief when relegation is confirmed and Sam has it on his toes with his bag of swag.

I have to agree that the way we've handled our young players over the last few years has been appalling. Brown, Roberts, Roofe, Wood, Field the list is endless but we're just going to buy another bunch of journeymen on inflated wages that we'll be stuck with in the championship next year. At least by then we'll hopefully be able to go and watch a game. Keep well.