2012...The greatest sporting year this country has ever seen, with Olympic glory, a Brit winning a tennis Grand Slam and a Tour de France claimed. All that and yet as a Blackpool fan, this year hasn’t quite made it.
On the up side, the team again made it to Wembley, but a late goal denied us what we probably deserved on the day. In addition, issues with ticket allocation also spoiled the day for many.
That defeat ultimately laid the seeds for Ian Holloway’s departure. He gave us three fantastic seasons of success, but the protracted leaving led to a destabilising time that we are only now starting to come out of. As a consequence we are playing catch up as we go into 2013 under Michael Appleton; there is still a possibility of promotion at the end of the season, but when this season started we were on fire, with managers queuing up to praise our style. We still have the same players, yet the results haven’t been there and the confidence needed is proving elusive.
It would also help if we could keep the likes of Ince through the season. If we are to make a charge, we need all our best players. As it happens, I believe it would also be in his best interests to stay. This time last year he wasn’t a regular in the side. While he is talented, he still has much to learn and for me that would be best served by playing regularly. All to play for.
Here’s to 2013.
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