Plymouth v Blackpool Preview
Posted on | March 27, 2010 | No Comments
Some may look at this game on paper and turn their noses up, with Plymouth and Blackpool seen as two of the more unfashionable sides of the division. However, the stakes are absolutely massive for both as Plymouth battle to stay in the division while Blackpool are just a few points away from the top six. Defeat for either could end those dreams.
We’ve just labeled Plymouth as unfashionable, but up until this season they have always performed well and been a fairly solid Championship side. This campaign has been rather turbulent though and while the board tried to boost the team’s fortunes by replacing Paul Sturrock, that hasn’t worked out and Paul Mariner has struggled to make an impact. The Pilgrims are currently sat in 23rd position and with five points separating them from safety with just eight games left; it could be time for the South West side to start sweating. In fairness though, their recent form isn’t too bad and they’ve managed to win two of their last three games. If they can grind out a few more points in the next couple of weeks, perhaps there’s a chance of Mariner’s men beating the drop.
Blackpool are arguably one of the biggest overachievers in the division and Ian Holloway surely must be up for one of the managerial awards. The Seasiders operate on a tiny budget, undoubtedly one of the smallest in the division, yet Holloway has shaped together a side that sits just one place outside the playoffs. Currently five points separate them from 6th place and if they were to make up that difference, it would be one of the biggest achievements in this division in years. The Seasiders showed exactly why they deserve to be up there in their last outing by thrashing Swansea 5-1. Considering the fact that the Swans are actually a couple of places higher, that was a huge result and the Bloomfield Road faithful will be hoping that similar results will follow in their hunt for the final playoff spot.
As for team news, Plymouth have a few problems coming into this one with Chris Barker, Richard Eckersley and David McNamee all ruled out. That gives Paul Mariner a host of selection problems although Chris Clark should be available to act as one replacement. Blackpool have problems of their own though and Ian Holloway may have to shuffle his side around a little. DJ Campbell, David Vaughan, Hameur Bouazza and Neil Eardley all look set to miss out through various injuries.
It’s been almost three decades since a draw occurred between these two sides and we don’t foresee one in this encounter either. Blackpool may have thrashed Swansea in their last game but their form away from home has been poor recently, whereas Plymouth have won three out of their last four games. With that, we’re going to predict a comfortable home win for Argyle – 3-1.
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