Blackpool 2-2 Fulham: Premier League Match Of The Day

England and Blackpool legend Stanley Matthews (left) tussling with Ron Burgess of Tottenham Hotspur during an FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

Blackpool's Stanley Matthews (l) against Tottenham's Ron Burgess (r) in the 1948 FA Cup semi-final.

Watching Blackpool play their debut Premier League game at Bloomfield Road against Fulham today, the 90 minutes surprised me. It felt like going to the movies to see a film you didnt think would be that good, but you walked away with a better appreciation and a warm and fuzzy feeling. The game featured end-to-end action with two teams that both had a decent chance to win the game; a rarity in the Premier League these days.

Sadly, it was probably the game that most soccer supporters were least likely to watch. In America, it was only shown live on FoxSoccer.tv. But the game isnt scheduled for replay on television until 9am Sunday on Fox Soccer Channel (or you can watch a 45 minute version of the game on FoxSoccer.tv). If you get a chance to watch it, I highly recommend it. Surprisingly, it was one of the most enjoyable matches Ive seen since the season kicked off.

The match itself was a perfect specimen of Blackpools very attractive attacking style of soccer. The Seasiders are very creative moving the ball into open spaces up front and gave Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale plenty of work to do in front of Fabio Capello who was in the crowd to watch the promising keeper. But it was against the run of play when Fulham scored the first goal of the match. On his way to assisting on the goal Moussa Dembele, the Belgian striker signed by Fulham just ten days ago, tripped a Blackpool player before making a run and then proceeded to cross the ball into Bobby Zamoras path to make it 1-0. The decision seemed h! arsh aga inst Blackpool, but the Tangerines were fortunate later in the match to equalize after John Paintsil scored an own goal, so things evened out.

Not to take anything away from Fulham, who were equally attractive to watch and seem to be getting into their groove, but this Blackpool team is also a joy to watch. Players such asBrett Ormerod, Luke Varney, Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Charlie Adam, just to name a few, are a breath of fresh air. Varney deservedly scored to make it 2-1 to Blackpool. And it seemed as if it was going to be Ian Holloways day until Dembele assisted on one of the goals of the season with an absolutely exquisite pass that cut open the Blackpool defense and fell into the path of Dickson Etuhu who scored a beautiful goal to make it 2-2.

Worryingly for US soccer and Clint Dempsey, Dembele was an inspiration today for Fulham after assisting on both goals and being a key player in Fulhams team. Dembele played instead of Dempsey. And based on the Belgians performance today, Dempsey may have a difficult time finding a way to get back into this side.

Overall, this was a highly entertaining match with plenty of attempts on goal that kept both goalkeepers busy. These were two attacking sides bent on trying to get all three points. And the home side, especially, was buoyed by an enthusiastic crowd of working class people who were supporting a working class team. If Blackpool can keep on playing as inspired as they were today, the Seasiders may become a team that many neutral observers will respect and will enjoy watching.

Related posts:

  • Blackpool Away Jersey for 2010-11 Premier League Season
  • Blackpool Promoted to Premier League
  • Blackpool Dreams of Promotion to Premier League



    • World Soccer News | Video | Podcast | Gallery | Live Streaming

    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Mr. Hodgson Or: How We Learned To Stop Worrying And Blame The Manager

    Image
    The manager has risen from club secretary to official face of the club since the creation of football teams worldwide. He has moved from the man that kept the record books to man that is larger than the football team he manages. Commentators and pundits refer to Fergusons United or Wengers beautiful, passing football. He even has books written about him. The Manager by Barney Ronay, an excellent book that discusses the rise of the manager into the modern game, unearths some of the origins of the managers image and attempts todiscuss what kind of person the manager really is. While the book wasnt ever intended to be an academic study of the merits of various tactical thoughts of managers, it does address some of the often listed character traits ofsuccessfulmanagers. When all these traits are put together, to many the manager appears to be a father figure, a scary headmaster, a politician youd like to have a beer with, or somecombination. Yet despite all this popularity, he is little mo...
    Keep reading

    England World Cup camps need to lose doomsday siege mentality

    Image
    One day last week, near the junction of Maude Street and Rivonia Road, in the Johannesburg suburb of Sandton, a line of smiling young men in shirts and shorts strolled along the pavement towards their hotel. Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie, Dirk Kuyt, Mark Van Bommel and the rest of the Dutch squad waited at the lights until there was a break in the traffic and then ambled across the road. These were some of the best known players in the world, superstars of the game, walking along city streets on their way back from training and looking as though they did not have a care. There was no security with them. None to speak of, anyway. There were no photographers running in front of them and taking their picture. There were no girlfriends tottering along beside them. None of them wore headphones. They did not insulate themselves. They seemed at one with their surroundings. It was only a snapshot of the way the Dutch are living their lives at this World Cup but ...
    Keep reading

    How an American Influence Is Rubbing Off On Manchester City

    Image
    Manchester Citys match day experience is becoming more and more American with each new season. While Maine Road was what you could expect a typical British experience of what it was like to see an English football match in the 80s, the City of Manchester Stadium experience seems as American as apple pie. In previous seasons, City have tried to focus on improving the match-day experience. Theyve added buskers, i.e. public performers, around the ground to add to the atmosphere. And recently theyve adopted American entertainment methods such as turning down the house lights before kick-off and trying to get everyone excited for the big match. Theyve also been a pioneer in English football in their usage of American social media sites such as Facebook, Foursquare, Flickr and others to create a bond with supporters. And now for their first home match in the league for the 2010-11 season, against Liverpool tonight, theyre set to unveil two new features. Both of them have a uniquely American...
    Keep reading