When Blackpool were promoted on that fateful day at Wembley, it encapsulated the unpredictable beauty that is English football – but the Seasiders have since had endure the frustrating financial reality of the Premier League.
Their initial transfer struggle manufactured rumours that manager Ian Holloway was on collision course with Chairman Karl Oyston over the clubs rigid wage structure with Rob Hulse and Jon Stead turning them down and the five additions that have arrived at Bloomfield Road shows just how difficult it will be for Holloway’s men in the top-flight.
Whilst it is good for Blackpool fans to finally see some new blood, they will be frantically googling and scouring YouTube for clips of Ludovic Sylvestre, Elliot Grandin and Malaury Martin because quite frankly nobody has ever heard of them. Even the signings of Craig Cathcart and Marlon Harewood hardly inspire confidence that Blackpool’s magical Premier League excursions will continue for very long.
Oyston recently expressed his astonishment at the wages sought by players but the verity is, unless you go that extra mile for quality, the Premier League is unforgiving.
However, whilst it is easy to consign them to a Championship return before a ball has been kicked who would have expected that on day one of last season, in a 1-1 draw with QPR, they would now be amongst the elite?
Holloway has certainly instilled a magnificent togetherness that endeared ‘little’ Blackpool to a nation embroiled in their fairy-tale run and perhaps it would be wise not to underestimate them.
Holloway said of his targets: “To go that far down and it to break down, it is nobody’s fault that is just life, that’s just what happens and in this level were having to learn very quickly but were doing it together “and that kind of spirit will be essential to their survival aspirations this season.
It seems that the difficulties faced by a club of Blackpool’s stature in attracting the type of player to keep them up were inevitable, especially when you consider the strict budgets imposed on Holloway but if Blackpool are to remain in the Premier League they must play as a unit and the manager embodies the team essence which helped them en-route to promotion.
It is with no doubt that most football fans will hope Blackpool can rise to their colossal challenge, their against all odds label certainly mandates it – as anyone watching on Saturday 22nd May 2010 were surely full of adulation for those in Tangerine.
