Adam was 'distraught' after Liverpool's bid failed
Tonight’s fixture is the first of two games between Blackpool and Tottenham before the end of the season, and although the picture will be much clearer for both sides by the time of the the latter game in April, a win tonight would be a major fillip for either going into the final third of the season.
The home side are looking to reverse a worrying downward trend, having won just one game in the last ten in the league. The Tangerines have slipped to just two points above the relegation zone, and something has definitely spooked them. It’s open to debate what has been their downfall – I think it’s probably been a combination of factors, from the fading of their ‘surprise package’ factor, the strains on their small, overachieving squad, and the unsettling effect of the January transfer window. New players arrived to strengthen the side, yes, but Charlie Adam’s reported devastation at not being allowed to leave the club may have impacted the bond that seemed so strong in the squad during the first half of the season.
Just like all their games until they’re either safe or relegated, tonight’s game is massive for Ian Holloway’s side. You get the impression that Blackpool’s results are dictated by confidence in such a way that the first win they get may put them on a run to safety. This is the first of eight fixtures are at Bloomfield road before the end of the season, a legacy of an early run of rearranged fixtures, so clearly home form will have a big part to play. At the moment, though, the way they are leaking goals suggests that elusive win may be some time coming, and Spurs are hardly ideal opponents.
Tonight’s visitors are, of course, riding the crest of a wave at the moment. On the face of it, one-goal results on the trot looks like a winning run which will end sooner rather than later, but the last of those victories was at the San Siro. Naturally enough, the worry for Harry Redknapp is that even a week later, they may still be susceptible to a European hangover – just see Arsenal’s struggles against Leyton Orient for evidence of that phenomenon – but Spurs have been grinding out wins in recent weeks which suggest a hardiness which befits a team capable of achieving a top four spot. Hard-fought wins at Blackburn and Sunderland – opponents current incumbents of the hallowed Champions League places have dropped points against this season – should see Spurs into this game without fear.
It represents a game in hand for both sides over teams directly above them, so that psychological comfort will no longer apply after tonight. For the winners, the points in the bag will be ample consolation – for the losers, their respective goals might seem more distant than ever.
