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Holloway dreaming of final flourish
Marc Fox
The nerves are jangling ahead of Survival Sunday, and none more so than on the Lancashire coast in England's North-West.
Ahead of the final round of the English Premier League season, the worst possible scenario has somehow played out for Blackpool coach Ian Holloway, and is threatening to leave the club's fairytale maiden season in the EPL with the unhappiest of endings.
Holloway and his courageous side head into the final weekend of the campaign in 18th position, level on 39 points with Wigan and Birmingham City and just a point behind Blackburn Rovers and Wolves. Oh, and they travel to face champions Manchester United at Old Trafford.
What's certain in one of the most uncertain of Premier League climaxes is that two of these five sides will be doomed, joining already relegated West Ham United in the Championship next season.
Holloway, considered by some a maverick, certainly the most quotable manager in the league, put it like this earlier this week: "I feel the fear. If this goes wrong it affects the whole town."
The second half of the season has gone wrong in truth for Blackpool, who started so brightly, so entertainingly.
The distractions of Charlie Adam's transfer saga throughout the January window hasn't helped the run-in, although against Bolton last weekend there were signs Blackpool's skipper was returning to his best form just at the right time.
But even that might not be enough for the side that was overwhelming favourites to be relegated at the first time of asking at the beginning of the year.
Blackpool could become the first team to win at Old Trafford this season and still be relegated, or they could lose to the newly crowned EPL champions and stay up as long as Wigan lose at Stoke and Birmingham lose at Tottenham by a sufficient margin to drop beneath them into the drop zone.
A quirk in the league's rules has also meant some Blackpool players, including goalkeeper Richard Kingson, whose contracts expire this season are already officially out-of-contract. Allied to that the fact Sir Alex Ferguson might be tempted to rest players with the Champions League final in mind, and the stage is set for as much drama as during Holloway's press conferences.
"This game is probably bigger than the one we had last year in the play-off final," said Holloway. "This time, instead of beating Cardiff, we have got to beat Manchester United — and even that may not be enough.
"It promises to be a crazy day, quite surreal."
Holloway maintained that he took the suggestion that Blackpool could not beat United as a "personal insult", pointing to the reverse fixture at Bloomfield Road in January when the Seasiders were 2-0 up and had a strong appeal for a penalty turned down before losing 3-2.
Indeed, the season-long tactics of aiming to score more than the opposition rather than, in his words, "shutting up shop" will continue on Sunday. Whether Holloway's entertainers, though, will ultimately have enough remains partly outside their control.
"The disappointment if we go down would be massive and we would feel even worse because we’ve tasted it," added Holloway.
"We don’t want to lose that. It’s too hard to put into words for any of us, too emotional.
"Just think what it might mean if we are celebrating at Manchester United. It would be more than just a dream come true."
© Marc Fox & Soccerphile.com
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