FM2005: Blackpool - Promotion to the Championship League

[MikeVick7]

Welcome to the 2005-2006 season of the Blackpool Seasiders. In our inaugural season we defied odds (33-1) and promoted from League One to the Championship League after finishing 2nd with a 29-11-6 record.

I've advanced through the "preseason" in my first dynasty thread which you can read right here:

Blackpool FC - Season I

So in this thread we will pick it up on August 1st, 2005 one week before our first league match of the season. I've spent the off-season picking up players to hopefully improve the roster but my only goal of my initial season in the Championship League is to avoid relegation back to League One.

Team Capsule
League Position:	Championship League
Record:	0-0-0
Active Tournament(s):	None
Wage Total:	$54,395
Wage Budget:	$61,000
Transfer Budget Available	$204,858
Transfer Budget:	$277,482
Balance:	$3,134,629

August 2005

Seasider News

1 August 2005
- A local paper is reporting that S Simon Lynch suffered a tear in his groin and will be out for up to four weeks to start the season.
- That same paper is reporting that DM Keith Southern will be out for about a week with a damaged neck.

2 August 2005
Here are the promotion odds for the English Championship from Oddschecker.com:

Sunderland and Nottingham Forrest have been made 7-4 favorites to gain promotion this season. The other main contenders are West Brom 2-1...Fulham 3-1...QPR 6-1 and Cyrstal Palace 14-1. We are listed at 50-1.

After the odds were released I was approached by the local beat writer and he asked me if I have to bolster my squad in order to avoid relegation...now deep down inside I have a feeling that we may have a problem...but I stay strong and tell him that I think we have what it takes.

3 August 2005
- We get an offer from Sunderland as they inquire about DM Keith Southern and thrown out a figure of $110,000. I respond and tell them that we aren't interested in approving their squad as they're already the favorites.

4 August 2005
- Wow...the work permit for Artim Sakiri was granted. Man...these things seem to never work out. Our ML has arrived!

5 August 2005
- The draw for the first round of the Carling Cup was held today and we don't catch any breaks as we have to play Preston at their place. The first game will be played on 8/24/05.

[MikeVick7]

Roster Rundown (starters in bold)

Keepers

Thomas Myhre - This Norwegian may have been our best pick-up of the off-season. He has 33 caps for Norway and is still at a great age for a keeper at 31. He was a stand out in the friendlies for us. Definitely an upgrade over Lee Jones.

David Yelldell - We picked up this youngster on loan from Blackburn and the kid will get some starts this year as well. The 23yr old is with us until late September.

Defensemen

DL - Rob Edwards - Started almost every game for us last year...partly because he was the only qualified left defensman on the team. Rob doesn't stand out in one category as he is solid across the board.

DC - Mark McGregor - Mark appeared in 43 total games last year and like Edwards was a solid presence for us. He even scored 2 goals as he doesn't have too bad of a finish and long shot...for a defenseman. He's the best tackler on the team.

DC - Rob Clare - One of our youngest defenders that has great physical attributes and is the team's best marker...and he's above average tackling and in the air as well.

DR - Leam Richardson - Leam was our best defender hands down as he was named to the League One Team of the Week 7 times. He's a good tackler and decent with the header.

DC - Peter Clarke - The 23yr old appeared in 26 games for us last season and was a starter on and off. Peter's good in the air and is a decent tackler.
DC - Danny O'Donnell - We picked up this kid from Liverpool on loan because he's got great skills in the air...best on the team actually. Great potential.
DL/R - Danny Coid - Danny will be moved back to the back line this year because of the additions to the midfield. He's a very versatile player and played above his ratings last season.

Midfielders

ML - Artim Sakiri - One of the veteran midfielders we picked up in the offseason. He has 68 caps for his country of FYR Macedonia. Great with crossing the ball. He's just solid across the board. Hope his 31yr old legs hold up.

MC - James Harper - This was one of the few players that we actually had to use some of our transfer budget on. Great passer and is a good finisher...something we didn't have from that position last season. He's is superb off the ball and plays with a certain flair.

MR - Graham Stuart - We had to do some coaxing for this veteran to come play for us. He's played the last seven seasons in the Premiership before they let him go on a free. He's a center midfielder by trade but is great at crossing the ball and will do well on the wing.

DM - Keith Southern - Keith will miss the first game due to an injury but this 24yr old has some decent talent. He's a good worker and a good teammate with great stamina. He starter for us at DM most of all last season.

MC - Eoin Jess - Jess was our MVP last year as we picked him up after Richie Wellens left the club. Jess is up there in age at 34 and we saw some of his skills drop off in the offseason. But he will be the perfect back up and spot starter.
MR - Martin Bullock - Starter for us pretty much all last season...but in this move up can be used best off the bench. Getting up there in age too at 30...but will provide nice depth off the bench.
ML - Jamie Burns - Same story with Burns...started for us most of last season...but at 21 is too inexperienced for this league. Again...nice backup who is decent at crossing.
DM - Andreas Lipa - Lipa is just a cagey veteran that we signed solely for backup purposes.

Strikers

Keigan Parker - He wasn't even a full-time starter at the beginning of the season last year...but ended up becoming a start. He tied for the league lead in goals last year with 29 and had 30 overall. Parker's strength is that he's fast and a solid finisher. It will be interesting to see how effective he is against better competition. His value is the highest on the team at 3 million.

John Murphy - Murph-dog starter out as our best striker last year but then took a back seat to Parker. He's a legend in Blackpool and is still holding up well at 28. Murphy's strength is in the air.

Gauthier Diafuta - Picked up on loan from Watford as the 19yr old has a lot of talent and is a great finisher. He will see some time on the first team for sure.
Simon Lynch - Lynch joined us on loan last season and asked to be transferred before this season started. So we picked up the 23yr old for a cheap price. He'll provide good depth for us up front.

[jbmagic]

awesome dynasty

what happens in the Championship League? if your top team? do keep advancing to another division?

thanks

[MikeVick7]

6 August 2005

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
It's really hard to say how good or bad we will do this year. Our assistant manager thinks we have the worst squad on the planet…but he thought we would be mid-table last year and we finished 2nd. Maybe that means we'll be mid-table this year. I'd certainly take it. Ipswich Town finished 3rd in the Championship last season but did not qualify through the playoffs. This will be a very tough opening match for us.
Final Score:	Blackpool	0	-	2	Ipswich Town
1st Half Notes
Well…we started off like a house of fire within the first couple minutes as we didn't seem scared at all. Keigan Parker used his speed to get a breakaway within the first minute but his shot was stopped by the Ipswich keeper. Then had another chance at about the 2 1/2 minute mark. Then reality set in as Darren Bent juked past a couple of defenders to score his first at the 9 minute mark. Then Shefki Kuqi headed in a free kick as Ipswich has a commanding 2-0 halftime lead.
2nd Half Notes
Well we held our own in the 2nd half but never really threatened. We started out slow last season…so hopefully we'll gain some steam in the next couple of weeks.
Goals -	Darren Bent 9, Shefki Kuqi 31
Man of the Match -	Ian Westlake
Conditions -	Dry 59F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road. Blackpool
Attendance -	8413

7 August 2005

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	Nottm Forest	1	1	0	0	4	1	3	3
2	Sheff Wed	1	1	0	0	4	1	3	3
3	Millwall	1	1	0	0	3	1	2	3
4	Ipswich	1	1	0	0	2	0	2	3
5	Brighton	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	3
6	Crewe	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	3
7	Preston	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	3
8	Wolves	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	3
9	Coventry	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	3
10	Crystal Palace	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	3
11	Sunderland	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	3
12	Leeds	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	West Brom	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	Burnley	0	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0
15	Gillingham	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0
16	Rotherham	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0
17	Wigan	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0
18	Derby	1	0	0	1	0	1	-1	0
19	Fulham	1	0	0	1	0	1	-1	0
20	Stoke	1	0	0	1	0	1	-1	0
21	Bristol C	1	0	0	1	1	3	-2	0
22	Blackpool	1	0	0	1	0	2	-2	0
23	QPR	1	0	0	1	1	4	-3	0
24	West Ham	1	0	0	1	1	4	-3	0

[MikeVick7]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

awesome dynasty

what happens in the Championship League? if your top team? do keep advancing to another division?

thanks

Yes the only league above the Championship League is the Premier League...which of course is the top league in England.

Thanks for reading!

[MikeVick7]

9 August 2005

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
No rest for the weary here in the early going. The match against Ipswich was on Saturday and now we turn around and have another go at it on Tuesday. A very interesting match today as we play Sheff Wed…the team that finished 1st in League One last year. They're at home so they will have a little advantage there...but it will be interesting to see how much they have improved their team in the offseason. We go with the same starting lineup today as we did on Saturday.
Final Score:	Sheff Wed	1	-	2	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
We spent the majority of the 1st half getting peppered by Sheff Wed shots. Nine to be exact with five of them on goal. But we only allowed one in as Lee Peacock…they're best striker…heading one in. But we countered with our first goal of the season as Artim Sakiri scored on a free kick from just outside the box right before half to even it up at 1-1.
2nd Half Notes
All it took was one play in the 2nd half and we got it. On a great passing exchange that went Jess to Stuart to Diafutua who led Keigan Parker into the box unmarked with a great pass and then Parker snuck it past the right post for the winner. We for now are one up on last year's league one champ.
Goals -	Lee Peacock 9, Artim Sakiri 43, Keigan Parker 82
Man of the Match -	Artim Sakiri
Conditions -	Dry 71F
Venue -	Hillsborough, Sheffield
Attendance -	19317

Seasider News

- Eoin Jess had to be taken off late in the game on Saturday as he suffered a thigh bruise...but he will only be out for three days.
- We also choose to upgrade our defense a bit since we didn't go after anyone in the offseason. And after the first couple of games I think it's obvious that we'll need a bit of an upgrade. We go after 29yr old DL Steve McMillan who is currently a free agent. We offer him a 2 year deal and the wage is very affordable at $1,900 a week.
- Oh and I forgot about this...but before bedtime last night we sent an offer to a very talented 18yr old American midfielder in Brian Mascarenhas. The only player that my asst said would be a worthwhile signing so far this year. Well anyway...he agreed to terms and we are now awaiting a work permit.

13 August 2005

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
This will be a real good test early on as we take on West Brom at Bloomfield Road. West Brom was relegated from the Premiership last season…so we know they're gonna have some decent talent. They're 1-1-0 so far this season and they have yet to give up a goal.
Final Score:	Blackpool	1	-	3	West Brom
1st Half Notes
Things started off well…as Keith Southern fed James Harper on a great forward pass that Harper lobbed over the advancing keeper to give us a 1-0 lead. But then…Kanu took over. Kanu scored two goals for West Brom just five minutes apart from one another to give them a 2-1 halftime lead.
2nd Half Notes
We definitely have a way to go as West Brom kept us pretty quiet in the 2nd half and while doing so…added another goal of their own. This time Kanu headed one over to Geoff Horsfield and he put one in from about 30 yards out to seal up the victory.
Goals -	James Harper 13, Kanu 30, Kanu 35, Geoff Horsfield 58
Man of the Match -	Kanu
Conditions -	Wet 46F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9074

14 August 2005
- And of course his permit is delayed and now we must wait for two weeks to get a final decision.

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	Nottm Forest	3	3	0	0	9	2	7	9
2	Millwall	3	3	0	0	7	1	6	9
3	Sunderland	3	3	0	0	7	2	5	9
4	Ipswich	3	2	1	0	4	1	3	7
5	West Brom	2	2	0	0	5	1	4	6
6	Crystal Palace	3	2	0	1	5	3	2	6
7	Wolves	3	2	0	1	7	6	1	6
8	Coventry	3	2	0	1	4	3	1	6
9	Crewe	3	2	0	1	3	2	1	6
10	Preston	3	2	0	1	5	5	0	6
11	QPR	3	2	0	1	4	5	-1	6
12	Brighton	3	1	2	0	5	4	1	5
13	Sheff Wed	3	1	1	1	6	4	2	4
14	Derby	3	1	1	1	3	3	0	4
15	Burnley	3	1	0	2	4	4	0	3
16	Wigan	3	1	0	2	5	6	-1	3
17	Blackpool	3	1	0	2	3	6	-3	3
18	West Ham	3	1	0	2	4	8	-4	3
19	Fulham	3	0	1	2	3	6	-3	1
20	Rotherham	3	0	0	3	3	6	-3	0
21	Leeds	2	0	0	2	0	3	-3	0
22	Stoke	3	0	0	3	1	5	-4	0
23	Gillingham	3	0	0	3	1	6	-5	0
24	Bristol C	3	0	0	3	3	9	-6	0

- After the game we found out that DL Steve McMillan was being courted by two other teams...Brighton and Watford. He chose Watford. Bastard.

[SirFozzie]

Nice job. I think you'll be just fine this year.

[MikeVick7]

20 August 2005
- Not a busy week for us news-wise as we continue to look for a veteran defender which is very scarce at the moment. Now we'll get ready for a game in Coventry City.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
Today we take on another solid Championship level team. We make one change to the starting 11 with the insertion of Gauthier Diafutua into a striker spot in place of John Murphy who has somewhat struggled in the first three games.
Final Score:	Coventry	2	-	4	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
We hang tough in the first half but we can't contain young striker Neil Wood. He headed in two goals in the first half and is having his way with our defenders. But the insertion of Gauthier Diafutua into the starting lineup paid off as he scored his first goal for us at the 21 minute mark.
2nd Half Notes
We played an incredible 2nd half as the striker combo of Diafutua and Parker came to life. Diafutua not only scored his first goal for us in the first half but ended up with his first hattrick as well. Then in a late game substitution we insert Martin Bullock for the first time and he stole the ball to start a breakaway which led to a Keigan Parker goal in the final minutes. Great win for us!
Goals -	Neil Wood 8, Gauthier Diafutua 21, Neil Wood 29, Gauthier Diafutua 51, Gauthier Diafutua 89, Keigan Parker 90
Man of the Match -	Gauthier Diafutua
Conditions -	Dry 51F
Venue -	Jaguar Arena, Coventry
Attendance -	15066

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	4	4	0	0	9	1	8	12
2	Sunderland	4	4	0	0	9	2	7	12
3	Nottm Forest	4	3	1	0	10	3	7	10
4	Millwall	4	3	1	0	9	3	6	10
5	Crystal Palace	4	3	0	1	7	3	4	9
6	Wolves	4	3	0	1	9	6	3	9
7	QPR	4	3	0	1	6	5	1	9
8	Ipswich	4	2	1	1	4	3	1	7
9	Preston	4	2	1	1	6	6	0	7
10	Blackpool	4	2	0	2	7	8	-1	6
11	Coventry	4	2	0	2	6	7	-1	6
12	Crewe	4	2	0	2	5	6	-1	6
13	Brighton	4	1	2	1	5	5	0	5
14	Derby	4	1	2	1	4	4	0	5
15	Sheff Wed	4	1	1	2	6	6	0	4
16	Burnley	4	1	1	2	4	4	0	4
17	Wigan	4	1	0	3	5	8	-3	3
18	Bristol C	4	1	0	3	7	11	-4	3
19	Leeds	4	1	0	3	1	5	-4	3
20	West Ham	4	1	0	3	4	10	-6	3
21	Fulham	4	0	2	2	3	6	-3	2
22	Rotherham	4	0	1	3	5	8	-3	1
23	Stoke	4	0	1	3	2	6	-4	1
24	Gillingham	4	0	0	4	1	8	-7	0

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

22 August 2005
- The first Championship Team of the Week came out and we were surprised to see two Seasiders on it. MR Graham Stuart and S Gauthier Diafutua made the cut. Good job guys.

23 August 2005
- The Wolves have made a $100,000 transfer offer for DM Keith Southern. Not something we can do right now. I think Southern's gonna do ok at this level.
- Before our Carling Cup game today we make a loan offer for DL Clive Clarke who plays for Stoke in our league. The guy is a monster and has only appeared in one league game so far this season for them. So even though he isn't listed for loan..we thought we would take a chance.

Carling Cup 1st Round
Preview
Well while we're pumped to play our first ever game on TV…we're not happy to have to play on the road against Preston. So much for easing into it. But Preston sits mid-table just like ourselves early in the season…and since both of our wins have been on the road...maybe we got a shot. We make a few changes in this one sticking young Danny O'Donnell at DM and John Murphy goes back to striker for a tired Diafutua.
Final Score:	Preston	3	-	0	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
I felt pretty good about the first half as we controlled the tempo and had a ton of shot but couldn't get anything past their keeper. Meanwhile they get about half of the chances but were able to go ahead on a David Healy goal at the 17 minute mark. But I think we still got a shot.
2nd Half Notes
We just fell apart in the 2nd half as we couldn't even muster a shot. Meanwhile Preston poured it on and scored two more to win 3-0. It could have been worse but they missed a penalty shot. I'm disappointed that we couldn't show better on TV…but we have another shot for the TV audience in a couple of weeks.
Goals -	David Healy 17, Glen Little 58, Mark Jackson 65
Man of the Match -	David Healy
Conditions -	Dry 48F
Venue -	Deepdale, Preston
Attendance -	18260

24 August 2005
- The transfer deadline for the English clubs is in one week.

26 August 2005
- Stoke has rejected the loan offer for Clive Clarke. Well play the dang guy already. Dorks.
- Simon Lynch has now recovered from his groin injury and can begin full training.

27 August 2005
- I like how that we've moved up a league...now all the injury reports are reported by the newspapers. Anyway...we learn that Keigan Parker will miss the next two weeks after straining his calf.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
Back at home for this league match but we have to go against Sunderland…a team that is 4-0-0 in the early going. We're w/o Keigan Parker today so we have to go with Gauthier Diafutua and John Murphy up front. We welcome Keith Southerland back to the starting DM spot. So far this season we are 0-0-2 at home.
Final Score:	Blackpool	0	-	0	Sunderland
1st Half Notes
We're not too disappointed in what went down in the first half. Neither team could find the back of the net and Sunderland even had a player receive two yellow cards and get sent off just 30 minutes into the match. And though we couldn't take advantage of the extra man in the first half...we really have to here in the 2nd.
2nd Half Notes
I feel somewhat good about a 0-0 tie here. We really couldn't muster much of an offensive attack in this one…but we played well defensively limiting Sunderland. The only negative in this one is that James Harper had to leave the match in the first half due to an injury.
Goals -	None
Man of the Match -	Thomas Myhre
Conditions -	Wet 42F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9082

+ Physio Report +

- James Harper strained some ligaments in his ankle and will be out for two weeks.

28 August 2005
- We finally hear back about Brian Mascarenhas' applications for a work permit and it was turned down. We of course appeal it.

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	5	5	0	0	11	1	10	15
2	Nottm Forest	5	4	1	0	11	3	8	13
3	Sunderland	5	4	1	0	9	2	7	13
4	Crystal Palace	5	4	0	1	10	4	6	12
5	QPR	5	4	0	1	8	6	2	12
6	Millwall	5	3	2	0	9	3	6	11
7	Wolves	5	3	1	1	9	6	3	10
8	Coventry	5	3	0	2	7	7	0	9
9	Brighton	5	2	2	1	6	5	1	8
10	Blackpool	5	2	1	2	7	8	-1	7
11	Crewe	5	2	1	2	7	8	-1	7
12	Ipswich	5	2	1	2	4	5	-1	7
13	Preston	5	2	1	2	7	9	-2	7
14	Wigan	5	2	0	3	8	8	0	6
15	Leeds	5	2	0	3	3	5	-2	6
16	Derby	5	1	2	2	5	6	-1	5
17	Sheff Wed	5	1	1	3	6	7	-1	4
18	Burnley	5	1	1	3	4	6	-2	4
19	Stoke	5	1	1	3	3	6	-3	4
20	Bristol C	5	1	0	4	7	14	-7	3
21	West Ham	5	1	0	4	4	11	-7	3
22	Fulham	5	0	2	3	3	7	-4	2
23	Rotherham	5	0	1	4	5	9	-4	1
24	Gillingham	5	0	1	4	3	10	-7	1

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

29 August 2005
- Brian Mascarenhas' proposed move to Blackpool has been cancelled after the appeal for a work permit was turned down.

30 August 2005

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
We really come into this match with a bit of a limp. We're down to 2 1/2 strikers up front. Then our MC James Harper is out so Eoin Jess gets the nod in the middle. And being that this game is just a few days after our last match we throw in a couple backup defenders as well. Brighton is right ahead of us in the table...so even though it's an even matchup...I'm not sure if they're playing as many backups as we are.
Final Score:	Brighton	0	-	1	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
We really controlled the first half surprisingly. I can't believe how well we play on the road. We got a free kick goal from ML Artim Sakiri just nine minutes into the game…but then he suffered an injury just 13 minutes late and had to be replaced by Jamie Burns.
2nd Half Notes
Wow…another great road victory for our team. We held off a peppering of shots in the final 10 minutes by Brighton to win 1-0. Simon Lynch saw his first action of the year in the 2nd half and had a couple of nice opportunities but you could tell he was lacking match play.
Goals -	Artim Sakiri 9
Man of the Match -	Ben Roberts
Conditions -	Dry 46F
Venue -	Withdean Stadium, Brighton
Attendance -	8054

+ Physio Report +

Artim Sakiri - twisted knee (a week)
Gauthier Diafutua - thigh strain (5 days)

Seasider News

31 August 2005
- The transfer deadline for all English clubs is tonight. We have no stokes in the fire...so count out any late night deals going down.

[MikeVick7]

September 2005

Team Capsule
League Position:	Championship League
Record:	3-1-2
Active Tournament(s):	None
Wage Total:	$59,742
Wage Budget:	$61,000
Transfer Budget Available	$204,858
Transfer Budget:	$277,482
Balance:	$4,128,113

Seasider News

1 September 2005
- The transfer deadline has come but we are still able to buy players domestically.
- The Wolves Seol Ki-Hyeon has won the English Championship Player of the Month.

3 September 2005
- Wolves have now made an offer of $110,000 for DM Keith Southern. All of a sudden Keith is the man for us and he has been playing well. But again...we're playing well and are gonna hang on to him for the moment.

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	6	6	0	0	13	1	12	18
2	Sunderland	6	5	1	0	12	2	10	16
3	Crystal Palace	6	4	1	1	12	6	6	13
4	Wolves	6	4	1	1	12	6	6	13
5	Nottm Forest	6	4	1	1	11	6	5	13
6	QPR	6	4	0	2	10	9	1	12
7	Millwall	6	3	2	1	9	7	2	11
8	Ipswich	6	3	1	2	8	5	3	10
9	Preston	6	3	1	2	11	9	2	10
10	Blackpool	6	3	1	2	8	8	0	10
11	Coventry	6	3	0	3	7	9	-2	9
12	Brighton	6	2	2	2	6	6	0	8
13	Burnley	6	2	1	3	5	6	-1	7
14	Stoke	6	2	1	3	5	6	-1	7
15	Crewe	6	2	1	3	7	12	-5	7
16	Derby	6	1	3	2	8	9	-1	6
17	Wigan	6	2	0	4	9	11	-2	6
18	Leeds	6	2	0	4	3	7	-4	6
19	Fulham	6	1	2	3	6	9	-3	5
20	Sheff Wed	6	1	1	4	6	10	-4	4
21	Gillingham	6	1	1	4	6	11	-5	4
22	Bristol C	6	1	1	4	10	17	-7	4
23	West Ham	6	1	0	5	4	12	-8	3
24	Rotherham	6	0	2	4	7	11	-4	2

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

4 September 2005
- DR Leam Richardson and DC Peter Clarke were named to the Championship League Team of the Week. Peter Clarke is a backup and may see more time after playing well in his first start of the year last week.

8 September 2005
- Now Sunderland has made an inquiry about how much we would take for DM Keith Southern. We once again tell them that this player is not for sale.

Have I mentioned how important it was for us to have 10 days off like we are right now? We have four starters down with injuries right now and this lull in the action has definitely benefited us. Plus our league match on Saturday is once again on TV.

10 August 2005

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
Hey we finally play a team that we're ahead of in the table at home. Burnley seems like they have pretty good talent but have really struggled so far this year. We still have Keigan Parker and James Harper on the DL…but they should be back by the next match. And again...this game is our 2nd appearance on TV.
Final Score:	Blackpool	1	-	2	Burnley
1st Half Notes
We just had an embarrassing first half. We allowed Burnley to basically live inside of our goal box as they pounded six shots on goal and two of them went in. I threw the youngster David Yelldell in at goal but I didn't expect for him to be line the firing line for 45 minutes. Ugh.
2nd Half Notes
Quite a 2nd half as we really made a run to tie it up. Graham Stuart made a brilliant score at the 77th minute a long shot that just curved inside the right post. But then Keith Southern received his 2nd yellow card and was sent off at the 85 minute mark. But we battled hard a man down and made a few more runs but we couldn't get one past the keeper and we lose in our 2nd appearance on TV this season.
Goals -	Robbie Blake 23, Peter Atherton 45, Graham Stuart 77
Man of the Match -	Danny Coyne
Conditions -	Wet 44F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9053

- With the red card given to Keith Southern...he has been suspended for one game.

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	7	6	1	0	13	1	12	19
2	Sunderland	7	5	2	0	12	2	10	17
3	Nottm Forest	7	5	1	1	14	6	8	16
4	Crystal Palace	7	5	1	1	13	6	7	16
5	QPR	7	5	0	2	12	10	2	15
6	Wolves	7	4	1	2	12	7	5	13
7	Preston	7	4	1	2	14	10	4	13
8	Ipswich	7	4	1	2	9	5	4	13
9	Millwall	7	3	2	2	9	10	-1	11
10	Stoke	7	3	1	3	8	7	1	10
11	Burnley	7	3	1	3	7	7	0	10
12	Blackpool	7	3	1	3	9	10	-1	10
13	Brighton	7	2	3	2	6	6	0	9
14	Coventry	7	3	0	4	7	10	-3	9
15	Fulham	7	2	2	3	7	9	-2	8
16	Crewe	7	2	2	3	10	15	-5	8
17	Derby	7	1	4	2	10	11	-1	7
18	Wigan	7	2	0	5	10	14	-4	6
19	Leeds	7	2	0	5	4	9	-5	6
20	Sheff Wed	7	1	2	4	6	10	-4	5
21	Gillingham	7	1	2	4	8	13	-5	5
22	Bristol C	7	1	1	5	10	18	-8	4
23	Rotherham	7	0	3	4	10	14	-4	3
24	West Ham	7	1	0	6	5	15	-10	3

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

12 September 2005
- S Gauthier Diafutua's loan deal with Watford is coming to an end in the next few days. This guy has turned into a starter for us...so they will hopefully extend his stay with us.
- We've got a little bit of a logjam at DC but while looking over the transfer list we spot 22yr old Joseph Enakarhire...who plays for Sporting Clube de Portugal. He's got more talent than anyone in our backfield...and they're selling him cheap. $40,000...while his value is listed at $600,000. We won't get him until Junuary 1st...but we take a flyer on him.

14 September 2005
- Well this certainly isn't the greatest news of all time as Watford has rejected our 3-month extension for Gauthier Diafutua. Time to look elsewhere.
- So to counter Diafutua leaving we make a loan offer to Chelsea for Filipe Oliveira. He's a 21yr old from Portugal who hasn't made it onto the first team yet.
- Also today we revisited the Brian Mascarenhas sweepstakes as he chose our offer over Villarreal. Again his move has been delayed because of work permit issues...so we'll keep our fingers crossed to see if this one goes through.

15 September 2005
- Good news to lead off our Thursday...Sporting has accepted our offer for DC Joseph Enakarhire. Now let's see if he'll accept our offer. We offer him a three year deal at a very affordable weekly wage of $1,300. This is the first player that our asst Billy Deardon believes would become a useful member of our first team. Hmm...maybe there's something to this younger player thing.
- We're also reminded today that Danny O'Donnell's contract end today. With the other players that we're going after we're gonna part ways with Danny. Unfortunately Danny's only appearance for us this season was in our Carling Cup loss.

17 September 2005
- GK David Yelldell's loan is also coming due and we'd like to keep David as a backup. Let's see if Blackburn is a little bit nice than Waford.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
Today's matchup against Stoke comes after a week off so we are pretty well rested. Both teams are 3-1-3 on the young season and we've played really well on the road…so I think this will be very competitive. We've lost Diafutua so we're gonna go with Simon Lynch to start up front. Also Mark McGregor will be back in the lineup replacing a slumping Rob Clare at DC. And James Harper is back at MC for us for the first time in a couple game.
Final Score:	Stoke	1	-	1	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
We're learning very quickly that there are just some teams in this league that are clearly better than we are and Stoke is proving to be one of those teams. The racked up 8 shots on goal in the first half but somehow…we're tied with them 1-1. They scored on a Ryan Hutchinson goal just four minutes into it...be we countered with a Keigan Parker goal just seven minutes later.
2nd Half Notes
I was very impressed with our 2nd half performance. We limited Stoke to just one shot on goal as our defense tightened up immensely. As a result…we didn't pose much of an offensive threat and will have to accept the tie. But considering how much of a mismatch that was...we'll take it.
Goals -	Ryan Hutchinson 4, Keigan Parker 11
Man of the Match -	Stephen Clemence
Conditions -	Dry 48F
Venue -	Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
Attendance -	21213

+ Physio Report +

- Keigan Parker will be out for about a week with a sprained wrist.
- On Sunday we learn that DC Rob Clare suffered a pulled hamstring during training that will keep him out for around 2 weeks.

- In other (good) news...Chelsea has accepted our loan offer for Filipe Oliveira. A very suitable replacement for the departed Guathier Diafutua.

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	8	7	1	0	14	1	13	22
2	Sunderland	8	6	2	0	14	2	12	20
3	Wolves	8	5	1	2	14	7	7	16
4	Ipswich	8	5	1	2	12	5	7	16
5	Crystal Palace	8	5	1	2	14	8	6	16
6	Nottm Forest	8	5	1	2	14	9	5	16
7	QPR	8	5	0	3	12	11	1	15
8	Millwall	8	4	2	2	11	11	0	14
9	Preston	8	4	1	3	15	12	3	13
10	Stoke	8	3	2	3	9	8	1	11
11	Burnley	8	3	2	3	7	7	0	11
12	Blackpool	8	3	2	3	10	11	-1	11
13	Fulham	8	3	2	3	8	9	-1	11
14	Derby	8	2	4	2	12	12	0	10
15	Brighton	8	2	3	3	6	7	-1	9
16	Coventry	8	3	0	5	7	12	-5	9
17	Crewe	8	2	2	4	10	17	-7	8
18	Leeds	8	2	1	5	5	10	-5	7
19	Rotherham	8	1	3	4	13	16	-3	6
20	Sheff Wed	8	1	3	4	6	10	-4	6
21	Wigan	8	2	0	6	12	17	-5	6
22	West Ham	8	2	0	6	6	15	-9	6
23	Gillingham	8	1	2	5	8	14	-6	5
24	Bristol C	8	1	2	5	11	19	-8	5

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

19 September 2005
- Good news...bad news on Monday. Nigerian CD Joseph Enakarhire has accepted our contract offer but must wait for a work permit. We'll find out the answer on October 3rd.
- In a surprise move...Blackburn has accepted our offer to extend GK David Yelldell's loan for another three months.

20 September 2005
- Well after Chelsea accepted our loan offer for Filipe Oliveira...Oliveira rejects the offer. Thanks dude.
- Our next target for loan at the striker position is 20yr old Lewis Guy who plays for the Newcastle Reserves. Here we go again.

22 September 2005
- Good news here is that Newcastle has accepted our loan offer for S Guy Lewis. Hopefully the fellow countryman will accept as well.

24 September 2005

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
We are still searching for our first win of the season at home and it may not come today as we take on QPR who is currently sitting 7th in the table. John Murphy starts up front in place of the dinged up Keigan Parker and DC Rob Clare is unvailable to us today so Danny Coid will be a substitute for one of the first times.
Final Score:	Blackpool	0	-	3	QPR
1st Half Notes
Just a sad sad 1st half. Our home woes continue as QPR slaps three goals on us in the first 45 minutes and our day is pretty much done. They got their first on a questionable penalty kick…but then their next two were legit goals to put this one out of reach. Umm...guys...this is OUR home stadium.
2nd Half Notes
The 2nd half was a mere formality. I subbed out our entired midfield to save them for Tuesday's match and QPR didn't even bother mounting up an attack instead concentrating on the defensive end. So the match ended up 3-0
Goals -	Marc Bircham pen7, Gino Padula 27, Sam Mullarky 37
Man of the Match -	Matthew Rose
Conditions -	Dry 50
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	8785

Seasider News

- After a bad loss it's good to hear that Newcastle's Lewis Guy has agreed to play for our club for 3 months.

25 September 2005

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	9	7	2	0	14	1	13	23
2	Sunderland	9	6	3	0	14	2	12	21
3	Wolves	9	6	1	2	17	7	10	19
4	QPR	9	6	0	3	15	11	4	18
5	Ipswich	9	5	2	2	12	5	7	17
6	Crystal Palace	9	5	2	2	15	9	6	17
7	Nottm Forest	9	5	2	2	15	10	5	17
8	Millwall	9	4	3	2	13	13	0	15
9	Stoke	9	4	2	3	12	9	3	14
10	Fulham	9	4	2	3	9	9	0	14
11	Preston	9	4	1	4	15	13	2	13
12	Brighton	9	3	3	3	8	8	0	12
13	Burnley	9	3	3	3	7	7	0	12
14	Derby	9	2	5	2	12	12	0	11
15	Blackpool	9	3	2	4	10	14	-4	11
16	Leeds	9	3	1	5	6	10	-4	10
17	Coventry	9	3	0	6	8	14	-6	9
18	Crewe	9	2	3	4	12	19	-7	9
19	Rotherham	9	1	4	4	13	16	-3	7
20	West Ham	9	2	1	6	6	15	-9	7
21	Sheff Wed	9	1	3	5	7	13	-6	6
22	Wigan	9	2	0	7	12	20	-8	6
23	Bristol C	9	1	3	5	11	19	-8	6
24	Gillingham	9	1	2	6	8	15	-7	5

[MikeVick7]

27 September 2005

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
I can't tell you how nice of a feeling it is that the two fellow League One'ers that promoted along with us…Bristol C and Sheff Wed are struggling worse than we are. Both teams sport 1-3-5 records so far this season. So with that said we're happy to see Bristol C today...even if it is at their place. Newly acquired Lewis Guy made it in for today's game...so he will get the start...along with young keeper David Yelldell. Those are the only changes for today's lineup.
Final Score:	Bristol C	1	-	2	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
It was a first half dominated by us but the score certainly does not represent that. We got the new guy involved early as Artim Sakiri led Lewis Guy with a 60 yard pass that he beat everyone to and kicked home for a 1-0 lead on his debut. But Bristol C answered 20 minutes later with a Steve Brooker goal. Lewis Guy...not one of the faster strikers you'll ever see...seems to give us a bit of a breakaway threat. Well at least against Bristol C.
2nd Half Notes
The 2nd half came down to some of the old guard coming through. Eoin Jess was subbed in for Harper with about 20 minutes left in the match and came through with a great goal as he worked a give and go with Martin Bullock…another starter on last year's team...to give us the go ahead goal and another road win.
Goals -	Lewis Guy 21, Steve Brooker 41, Eoin Jess 78
Man of the Match -	James Harper
Conditions -	Wet 46F
Venue -	Ashton Gate, Bristol
Attendance -	19275

Seasider News

- After the game it's learned that the Wolves make yet another offer for Keith Southern. Again the offer is listed at $100,000.

29 September 2005
- No big surprise here...United States MC Brian Mascarenhas' work permit was turned down. We again appeal and wait again until October 13th.

[MikeVick7]

Ocotober 2005

Team Capsule
League Position:	Championship League
Record:	4-2-4
Active Tournament(s):	None
Wage Total:	$60,019
Wage Budget:	$61,000
Transfer Budget Available	$204,858
Transfer Budget:	$277,482
Balance:	$4,097,223

Seasider News

1 October 2005
- Stoke City's midfielder Stephen Clemence has won the English Championship Player of the Month award.
- And our own MR Graham Stuart's goal against Burnley on 9/10 was voted the 3rd best in the Soccernet Goal of the Month race.

We go back and scour the transfer listed players for our defensive woes and we find 26yr old DC Claude Davis. Preston is willing to part with him for $28,000 and he is better than anything we have. So we agree to the fee. Now I guess we'll have to deal with his work permit.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
Well…back at home where we have yet to win a match this season. Today we have our best chance as we take on Gillingham who sits 20th in the league table this year. We welcome back Keigan Parker back in the lineup and we'll start him up front alongside newbie Lewis Guy who had a goal in his debut. Mhyre will be back in goal for us today as well.
Final Score:	Blackpool	0	-	2	Gillingham
1st Half Notes
A very even 1st half. Gillingham may have had a slight advantage towards the latter half of the first 45 minutes. But it's still 0-0. There were only three total shots on goal.
2nd Half Notes
Well this half was just a complete embarassment. Darren Byfield scoots past our defense for a breakaway goal at the 53rd minute mark to make it 1-0…then the next highlight we see…10 minutes later…Byfield somehow gets the ball away from Mhyre and scores again. And then the final 27 minutes runs off uninterrupted. So ugly. Another crappy home loss.
Goals -	Darren Byfield 53, Darren Byfield 63
Man of the Match -	Darren Byfield
Conditions -	Dry 57F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	8152

+ Physio Report +

- ML Artim Sakiri will miss up to a week's action due to a twisted knee suffered in our last match.

2 October 2005

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	Sunderland	11	8	3	0	19	2	17	27
2	West Brom	10	8	2	0	16	1	15	26
3	Nottm Forest	11	7	2	2	21	12	9	23
4	Ipswich	11	6	3	2	16	7	9	21
5	Crystal Palace	11	6	3	2	17	10	7	21
6	QPR	11	7	0	4	17	14	3	21
7	Wolves	11	6	2	3	20	11	9	20
8	Stoke	10	5	2	3	16	10	6	17
9	Derby	11	4	5	2	17	14	3	17
10	Preston	11	5	1	5	20	15	5	16
11	Fulham	11	4	4	3	12	12	0	16
12	Millwall	11	4	4	3	16	18	-2	16
13	Blackpool	11	4	2	5	12	17	-5	14
14	Burnley	11	3	4	4	8	9	-1	13
15	Brighton	11	3	3	5	9	15	-6	12
16	Gillingham	11	3	2	6	13	16	-3	11
17	Leeds	11	3	2	6	7	15	-8	11
18	Coventry	11	3	1	7	10	19	-9	10
19	West Ham	11	3	1	7	9	19	-10	10
20	Rotherham	11	1	6	4	15	18	-3	9
21	Sheff Wed	11	2	3	6	9	15	-6	9
22	Crewe	11	2	3	6	13	23	-10	9
23	Wigan	11	2	1	8	15	25	-10	7
24	Bristol C	11	1	3	7	12	22	-10	6

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

3 October 2005
- Well this was a nice little boost as our young keeper David Yelldell was elected to be on the English Championship Team of the Week.
- And this is HUGE news for us...DC Joseph Enakarhire has been granted a conditional British work permit so he is on his way to Blackpool. But as expected the transfer...since it is not with a domestic club...will go through on January 1, 2006. Patience...patience...

4 October 2005
- Great news on the 4th as Preston has accepted our offer to DC Claude Davis. We sit down with him and offer him a three year deal at $2,000 a week.

6 October 2005
- Forgot to mention this one. We sent one of our scouts to scour England in September and he came back with about 14 players for us to look at. One of them was 18yr old midfielder Adam Dickinson who was sitting out there unprotected. He only wanted $140 a week so we thought it wouldn't hurt to take a flyer on him and have him play with our youth squad.

8 October 2005
- It looks like Danny Coid has suffered a bit of a setback during training this week. He got a twisted knee and will be out for about a week. We're in the middle of a two week break...so that won't affect him too much.
- And guess what? Claude Davis has accepted our offer so now we have to wait two weeks to see if that will go through.

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

12 October 2005
- Two of our players were called up for International duty for the 2006 World Cup Qualification matches...ML Artim Sakari and GK Thomas Myhre. Sakari was the only one to see action but reports are that he did not play very well.

13 October 2005
- Once again the work permit for USA's Brian Mascarenhas was turned down. We just need to forget about this pipedream.

16 October 2005
- A few weeks ago we basically put the word out that most of our "better" reserve team players were available for loan. We finally have an interested team as Stockport in League One wants the services of DC Matthew Lawlor for 3 months. We oblige.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
Well this must be some kind of cruel joke. We get our third TV match of the year and we have to face Preston again…and at their place…again. They handled us easily 3-0 in the 1st round of the Carling Cup about a month ago. We've had two weeks off so we're ready to go at it.
Final Score:	Preston	2	-	0	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
We play pretty well for 45 minutes until Brian O'Neil scored on a pass from the wing and heads it past Mhyre for his first goal of the season. Still we limited them to just that one shot on goal…but we didn't must much offense at all.
2nd Half Notes
The 2nd half was almost a carbon copy of the 1st. We play hard for the first 40 minutes or so and then give up a late goal. Again it was Brian O'Neill who lofted one over an advancing Thomas Mhyre for his 2nd and that's all she wrote.
Goals -	Brian O'Neil 44, Brian O'Neil 87
Man of the Match -	Brian O'Neil
Conditions -	Dry 51F
Venue -	Deepdale, Preston
Attendance -	20464

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	12	9	2	1	18	3	15	29
2	Sunderland	12	8	4	0	20	3	17	28
3	Nottm Forest	11	7	2	2	21	12	9	23
4	Crystal Palace	12	6	4	2	18	11	7	22
5	QPR	12	7	1	4	18	15	3	22
6	Ipswich	11	6	3	2	16	7	9	21
7	Stoke	12	6	3	3	18	11	7	21
8	Wolves	11	6	2	3	20	11	9	20
9	Preston	12	6	1	5	22	15	7	19
10	Fulham	12	5	4	3	15	14	1	19
11	Derby	11	4	5	2	17	14	3	17
12	Burnley	12	4	4	4	10	9	1	16
13	Millwall	12	4	4	4	18	21	-3	16
14	Gillingham	12	4	2	6	15	17	-2	14
15	Blackpool	12	4	2	6	12	19	-7	14
16	Brighton	12	3	3	6	9	17	-8	12
17	Leeds	11	3	2	6	7	15	-8	11
18	Coventry	12	3	2	7	11	20	-9	11
19	West Ham	12	3	2	7	11	21	-10	11
20	Rotherham	12	1	7	4	17	20	-3	10
21	Sheff Wed	12	2	3	7	10	17	-7	9
22	Crewe	11	2	3	6	13	23	-10	9
23	Wigan	12	2	2	8	16	26	-10	8
24	Bristol C	12	1	3	8	13	24	-11	6

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

20 October 2005
- On Thursday we learn that MR Martin Bullock will be out a week after he twisted his knee during training.
- We confirm the deal to send Matthew Lawlor to Stockport for 3 months.

21 October 2005
- The Wolves continue to be hot on our trail for a couple of our players. They make a $32,000 offer for MR Martin Bullock and a $110,000 for DM Keith Southern.

22 October 2005
- And of course Claude Davis' work permit was turned down. We appeal it. The decision will be made in two more weeks. November 5th.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
There was a time in this dynasty that I was relieved when I came to Bloomfield Road for a match…now I dread it. Today we have one of our best chances to pick up a victory as we take on Rotherham. They only have one win and eight draws on the season. It's our usual starting lineup in today with the exception that Lewis Guy is in for John Murphy. Murph-Dog just seems a bit over his head in this league. We may have to look for a replacement while his value is still pretty high at $240,000.
Final Score:	Blackpool	2	-	1	Rotherham
1st Half Notes
It was a odd first half because we actually have a lead…and at home no less. Rotherham outshot us in the 1st half which seems to be the trend at home but we came through 15 minutes in as MC James Harper on a mini-fastbreak hooked one in from about 25 yards out. It was such a slow shot and had so much spin on it that the keeper didn't react in time and it dinged off the post for a goal.
2nd Half Notes
Well we finally did it…a home victory in a championship match. Keigan Parker added his 4th goal of the season at the 74th minute on one of our better passing displays of the season to make it 2-0. We thought we were home free but Dion Dublin had to go add a garbage goal at the 88th minute...but we were able to hold off Rotherham for the win.
Goals -	James Harper 15, Keigan Parker 74, Dion Dublin 88
Man of the Match -	James Harper
Conditions -	Dry 48F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9040

23 October 2005

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	13	10	2	1	20	3	17	32
2	Sunderland	13	8	5	0	21	4	17	29
3	Wolves	13	8	2	3	28	14	14	26
4	Crystal Palace	13	7	4	2	20	11	9	25
5	Ipswich	13	7	3	3	19	9	10	24
6	Stoke	13	7	3	3	20	11	9	24
7	Nottm Forest	13	7	3	3	21	16	5	24
8	QPR	13	7	2	4	19	16	3	23
9	Fulham	13	6	4	3	19	14	5	22
10	Preston	13	6	1	6	22	18	4	19
11	Burnley	13	5	4	4	12	9	3	19
12	Millwall	13	5	4	4	20	21	-1	19
13	Derby	13	4	6	3	17	16	1	18
14	Blackpool	13	5	2	6	14	20	-6	17
15	Gillingham	13	4	2	7	15	19	-4	14
16	Sheff Wed	13	3	3	7	13	17	-4	12
17	Brighton	13	3	3	7	9	19	-10	12
18	Wigan	13	3	2	8	19	27	-8	11
19	Coventry	13	3	2	8	11	22	-11	11
20	West Ham	13	3	2	8	13	25	-12	11
21	Leeds	13	3	2	8	8	21	-13	11
22	Rotherham	13	1	7	5	18	22	-4	10
23	Bristol C	13	2	3	8	15	24	-9	9
24	Crewe	13	2	3	8	14	29	-15	9

[MikeVick7]

29 October 2005

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
We've got a brutal stretch of fixtures coming up. Today we take on the Wolves who are 3rd in the table…then on Tuesday we face Nottingham Forest…they're 7th in the table. Then a week from today we get Crystal Palace at home and they're 4th. The starting lineup is intact today with the exception of James Harper who is recovering from an injury so Eoin Jess will start in his place.
Final Score:	Wolves	3	-	0	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
We really got blitzed in the first half. The Wolves scored twice in the half as they capitalized on their 12 shots…six of which were on goal. We had one. Ughh.
2nd Half Notes
We were outshot 22-7 and we had to play the final 37 minutes one man short. Not a lot can be said for our effort although I am surprised that we only gave up 3 goals.
Goals -	Colin Cameron 33, Ioan Viorel Ganea 45, Sammy Clingan 70
Man of the Match -	Colin Cameron
Conditions -	Dry 46F
Venue -	Molineux, Wolverhampton
Attendance -	24728

+ Physio Report +

- We didn't pick up the greatest news after getting slaughtered on Tuesday. DR Leam Richardson is going to be out 3 weeks with a damaged knee cap. And DM Keith Southern will be out 5 days with a bruised shin.

30 October 2005

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	14	11	2	1	21	3	18	35
2	Sunderland	14	9	5	0	24	4	20	32
3	Wolves	14	9	2	3	31	14	17	29
4	Ipswich	14	8	3	3	22	9	13	27
5	Crystal Palace	14	7	5	2	20	11	9	26
6	Stoke	14	7	4	3	20	11	9	25
7	Nottm Forest	14	7	3	4	21	17	4	24
8	QPR	14	7	3	4	20	17	3	24
9	Fulham	14	6	5	3	19	14	5	23
10	Burnley	14	5	5	4	12	9	3	20
11	Preston	14	6	1	7	22	19	3	19
12	Derby	14	4	7	3	18	17	1	19
13	Millwall	14	5	4	5	20	22	-2	19
14	Gillingham	14	5	2	7	17	19	-2	17
15	Blackpool	14	5	2	7	14	23	-9	17
16	West Ham	14	4	2	8	14	25	-11	14
17	Leeds	14	4	2	8	9	21	-12	14
18	Sheff Wed	14	3	4	7	14	18	-4	13
19	Brighton	14	3	4	7	10	20	-10	13
20	Rotherham	14	1	8	5	19	23	-4	11
21	Wigan	14	3	2	9	19	30	-11	11
22	Coventry	14	3	2	9	11	24	-13	11
23	Crewe	14	2	4	8	15	30	-15	10
24	Bristol C	14	2	3	9	15	27	-12	9

[GoldenEagle]

Outstanding job. I will have to get this format from you.

[MikeVick7]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

Outstanding job. I will have to get this format from you.

Thanks...it's all copy and pasted directly from a spreadsheet...but I could always email to you what I use.

[MikeVick7]

November 2005

Team Capsule
League Position:	15th in Championship League
Record:	5-2-7
Active Tournament(s):	None
Wage Total:	$59,546
Wage Budget:	$61,000
Transfer Budget Available	$204,858
Transfer Budget:	$277,482
Balance:	$4,073,273

Seasider News

1 November 2005
- Fulham's Claus Jensen...a 28yr old midfielder...was named the English Championship Player of the Month.
- And West Brom's Gary Megson was named the manager of the month.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
This is the middle game of our toughest stretch of the season so far. Today's opponent is Nottingham Forest who currently sits 7th in the table. We're missing Keith Southern at DM and Leam Richardson at DR. Andreas Lipa and Rob Clare will start in their places.
Final Score:	Nottm Forest	2	-	2	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
What I'm really getting tired of is giving up goals right at the end of the 1st half. We play a great 1st half …tied up at 1-1…then we gotta give up a header right before half to go down one. But really we played well. They scored on a Robert Hughes goal just six minutes in but Keigan Parker added his 5th of the year just eight minutes later to even it up. But hence...we are down one after the first 45 minutes. An injury note...Andreas Lipa was injured at the 24 minute mark and Martin Bullock has to play out of position at DM as Keith Southern could not play today.
2nd Half Notes
This 2nd half was easily our best of the year. Already playing with one player out of position…we had DL Rob Edwards go down with an injury at the 60 minute mark. So in comes Eoin Jess to play defense. Then in extra time…John Murphy…who subbed in with 10 minutes left...scored his first goal of the season with just :15 left to come up with an improbable draw.
Goals -	Robert Hughes 6, Keigan Parker 14, Marlon King 45, John Murphy 90
Man of the Match -	James Harper
Conditions -	Dry 37F
Venue -	The City Ground, Nottingham
Attendance -	20019

+ Physio Report +

Andreas Lipa - sprained ankle (4 weeks)
Rob Edwards - bruised head (5 days)
Artim Sakiri - bruised rib (3 days)

5 November 2005
- And the news we really were fearing...Claude Davis' moved to our club has been cancelled thanks to our appeal being turned down for a work permit.

Well with that news we immediately go after our 2nd choice. It's 26yr old Emmerson Boyce who Crystal Palace has listed a transfer price of $48,000.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
Well our week was made on Tuesday afternoon as we salvaged a point out of these three games. Now we come home against 4th place Crystal Palace with a good feel about us. We're a bit beat up and tired…so we bring up Danny Coid from the reserve squad to start for an injured Rob Edwards at DL. And John Murphy will get the starting nod up front after he scored his first goal of the season on Tuesday.
Final Score:	Blackpool	2	-	3	Crystal Palace
1st Half Notes
Well…we don't play too bad of a 1st half. Palace plays a 3-4-3 so we're gonna have our chances. After being down 1-0…James Harper takes it straight down the middle after a pass in from the wing and put it past the keeper to tie it up. But then five minutes later Neil Shipperley picked up his 2nd goal of the day after he stole one away from backup DL Danny Coid and put it past Mhyre to make it 2-1 at the half.
2nd Half Notes
We again played hard against a tougher opponent…but in this one we come up a bit short. Neil Shipperley scored his 3rd goal just 2 minutes into the half but we got back within one as Eoin Jess scored his 2nd of the season at the 76 minute mark. Then DC Mark McGregor received his 2nd yellow card and was sent off leaving us a man short. So that pretty much spelled our doom as we had to take the 3-2 loss.
Goals -	Neil Shipperley 28, James Harper 32, Neil Shipperley 37, Neil Shipperley 47, Eoin Jess 76
Man of the Match -	Neil Shipperley
Conditions -	Wet 44F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9040

- After the match...we're reminded that DC Mark McGregor is suspended for one match due to the red card he was given in the Crystal Palace match...and then ML Artim Sakiri reached his yellow card limit in the match as well so he will also be suspended for one game.

6 November 2005

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	15	11	2	2	21	4	17	35
2	Sunderland	16	9	7	0	25	5	20	34
3	Wolves	15	10	2	3	35	17	18	32
4	Crystal Palace	16	9	5	2	24	13	11	32
5	Stoke	16	8	5	3	23	13	10	29
6	Ipswich	16	8	4	4	26	14	12	28
7	Nottm Forest	16	8	4	4	25	19	6	28
8	Fulham	16	7	5	4	24	18	6	26
9	Derby	16	6	7	3	25	22	3	25
10	QPR	16	7	4	5	23	21	2	25
11	Millwall	16	7	4	5	24	23	1	25
12	Burnley	16	5	7	4	15	12	3	22
13	Preston	16	6	2	8	24	24	0	20
14	Gillingham	16	5	4	7	20	22	-2	19
15	Blackpool	16	5	3	8	18	28	-10	18
16	Brighton	16	4	5	7	15	22	-7	17
17	Leeds	16	5	2	9	13	24	-11	17
18	Rotherham	16	2	9	5	22	24	-2	15
19	West Ham	16	4	3	9	16	28	-12	15
20	Wigan	16	4	2	10	23	35	-12	14
21	Sheff Wed	16	3	4	9	15	23	-8	13
22	Bristol C	16	2	5	9	16	28	-12	11
23	Coventry	16	3	2	11	15	31	-16	11
24	Crewe	16	2	5	9	17	34	-17	11

- Now we have a well needed two week break as our next game isn't until November 19th.

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

7 November 2005
- MR Martin Bullock is once again wanted as Fulham offers us a deal where they give us 20yr old MC Michael Timlin and $10,000 for Bullock. Timlin doesn't seem all that great but we'll send a scout to watch him to see if he's worth anything. We have a week to respond.

8 November 2005
- On Wed we learn that Crystal Palace has accepted our transfer offer for Emmerson Boyce. We offer Boyce $3,200 a week for three years as that is what he is making currently with Palace.

12 November 2005
- We find out that GK Thomas Mhyre performed well in a 2-0 win over Switzerland in a World Cup Qualifier
- More importantly we discover that Emmerson Joyce has accepted our offer and will join our club for some much needed defensive help.

[MikeVick7]

19 September 2005
- It was a really really slow week as no news happened. So therefore...we take you to our next game.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
We're fully rested after a two week layoff and we have a new player in the lineup to boot. Emmerson Boyce will start at DR today in place of injured Leam Richardson. Also…Martin Bullock will start at MR today in place of suspended Artim Sakiri. We play Millwall who sits just above us in 11th position.
Final Score:	Blackpool	1	-	1	Millwall
1st Half Notes
We like our new player Emmerson Boyce…we really do…but things couldn't have gotten off to a worse start for the full back. Just 15 minutes into the first half Boyce…in a miscommunication with the keeper gets credit for an own goal as he the pass in sliced off his foot and into our goal. Yikes.
2nd Half Notes
I really like John Murphy to be in the lineup at striker but he hasn't done too great so far this season. And even in this game I was tempted to take him out late to get some fresh legs in there…but I left him in there cause he is great in the air. Well it paid off. In the game's 90th minute...Keigan Parker sent one in from the left side of the box and it found Murphy's head and he knocked it in for the equalizer and we escape this contest with a 1-1 draw.
Goals -	Emmerson Boyce og15, John Murphy 90
Man of the Match -	James Harper
Conditions -	Wet 39F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	8232

+ Physio Report +

- James Harper will be out for five days with a strained neck.

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	16	12	2	2	23	4	19	38
2	Sunderland	17	10	7	0	27	5	22	37
3	Wolves	16	10	3	3	38	20	18	33
4	Crystal Palace	17	9	5	3	26	16	10	32
5	Stoke	16	8	5	3	23	13	10	29
6	Ipswich	16	8	4	4	26	14	12	28
7	QPR	17	8	4	5	25	21	4	28
8	Nottm Forest	17	8	4	5	26	23	3	28
9	Fulham	16	7	5	4	24	18	6	26
10	Derby	17	6	8	3	27	24	3	26
11	Millwall	17	7	5	5	25	24	1	26
12	Burnley	17	5	7	5	15	14	1	22
13	Preston	17	6	3	8	25	25	0	21
14	Leeds	17	6	2	9	16	26	-10	20
15	Gillingham	17	5	4	8	20	24	-4	19
16	Blackpool	17	5	4	8	19	29	-10	19
17	West Ham	17	5	3	9	20	29	-9	18
18	Brighton	17	4	5	8	16	24	-8	17
19	Rotherham	17	2	9	6	22	26	-4	15
20	Wigan	17	4	3	10	25	37	-12	15
21	Sheff Wed	17	3	5	9	18	26	-8	14
22	Bristol C	17	3	5	9	18	29	-11	14
23	Coventry	17	3	3	11	16	32	-16	12
24	Crewe	16	2	5	9	17	34	-17	11

[SirFozzie]

Gotta keep grinding, I'm getting a bit worried, 5 Points to the dropzone.. eek..

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

21 November 2005
- On Monday we find out that MC James Harper was named to the English Championship Team of the Week.

22 November 2005
- Despite our recent string of tough games...we find out today that three more of our league matches have been chosen for live TV coverage.
February 4th against Burnley
February 19th at home versus Preston
April 15th against Wigan

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
We get our best chance for a win in exactly a month as we take on Crewe. Crewe sits at the bottom of the league and we are in dire need of a victory. Despite an own goal in his debut…Emmerson Boyce will get the start alonside Mark McGregor at DC and Eoin Jess will start at MC in place of an injured James Harper.
Final Score:	Crewe	0	-	0	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
Big blow for us in the 1st half as Emmerson Boyce had to be taken off due to an injury. Not what we wanted to see in his 2nd game. We spent the majority of that half being pelted by long shot after long shot by Crewe…but only four were on goal and none went in. We only mustered three shots total and the halftime score was 0-0.
2nd Half Notes
There were a couple amazing things that happened in that game. There were 29 total shots (22 by Crewe) and neither team scored. The other amazing thing that happened was that Kenny Lunt for Crewe missed a penalty shot at minute 83 that would have given them a win. Just a weird weird game.
Goals -	None
Man of the Match -	David Yelldell
Conditions -	Dry 37F
Venue -	The Alexandra Stadium, Crewe
Attendance -	7292

+ Physio Report +

- Emmerson Boyce will miss 5 days with a damaged shoulder and Graham Stuart will miss up to a week with a damaged shoulder as well.

23 November 2005
- Scouring the transfer list we see 24yr old DL Stephen Crainey...who is a decent fullback but what we like about him is his free kick ability and his stamina is outstanding as well. Stephen's from Scotland...so I suppose his work permit will come into play. Leeds' asking price is $110,000.

25 November 2005
- Leeds has accepted our $110,000 for Stephen Crainey. Now we go into negotiations. We offer him a decent sized $5,000 per week for the next three years.

26 November 2005

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
We get to play our 4th match on TV today against Wigan. Wigan's sitting 21st in the table so far this season so we're feeling pretty good. We need a win badly and we haven't had the best of luck on TV so far this season. Today we're going with Lewis Guy up front in place of John Murphy and Peter Clarke is back in at DC for Emmerson Boyce who is a bit dinged up.
Final Score:	Blackpool	0	-	3	Wigan
1st Half Notes
What is it about us putting David Yelldell in goal and then having that team just pepper him with shots? Well Wigan held a 5-1 edge with shots on goal but we hold them to just one. Jason Roberts gets his 8th goal of the season just two minutes into this thing. I swear we're the king of giving up early goals.
2nd Half Notes
Well another pathetic home match on TV. We give up two goals to Emerson Thome in the 2nd half and can't must a single shot on goal and lose 3-0. This was a bad loss.
Goals -	Jason Roberts 2, Emerson Thome 51, Emerson Thome 81
Man of the Match -	Emerson Thome
Conditions -	Wet 37F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9072

27 November 2005

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	17	13	2	2	27	4	23	41
2	Wolves	18	12	3	3	40	20	20	39
3	Sunderland	19	10	8	1	29	8	21	38
4	Stoke	18	9	6	3	26	13	13	33
5	Crystal Palace	19	9	6	4	26	20	6	33
6	QPR	19	9	5	5	29	21	8	32
7	Nottm Forest	18	9	4	5	29	25	4	31
8	Ipswich	17	8	5	4	27	15	12	29
9	Fulham	17	8	5	4	25	18	7	29
10	Burnley	19	7	7	5	18	15	3	28
11	Millwall	19	7	7	5	28	27	1	28
12	Derby	19	6	9	4	29	28	1	27
13	West Ham	19	7	3	9	24	30	-6	24
14	Preston	19	6	3	10	25	29	-4	21
15	Gillingham	19	5	6	8	20	24	-4	21
16	Leeds	19	6	3	10	17	28	-11	21
17	Blackpool	19	5	5	9	19	32	-13	20
18	Rotherham	19	3	9	7	27	30	-3	18
19	Wigan	19	5	3	11	28	38	-10	18
20	Brighton	19	4	5	10	18	29	-11	17
21	Sheff Wed	19	3	7	9	19	27	-8	16
22	Bristol C	19	3	6	10	19	34	-15	15
23	Coventry	19	3	4	12	19	36	-17	13
24	Crewe	18	2	7	9	18	35	-17	13

[MikeVick7]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Gotta keep grinding, I'm getting a bit worried, 5 Points to the dropzone.. eek..

Yeah we're definitely not in our best form right now. But I hopefully will have two new defensmen coming in by the new year. I never improved my back line in the offseason and it's costing me right now. Hanging in there for now.

[SirFozzie]

Oh, just to let you know: You only need work permits for players outside the EU (European Union), ie, you wanted to bring somebody from Asia, the Americas, Africa, etcetera.

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

28 November 2005
- Good news on Monday as Stephen Crainey's accepts our contract offer. We now have to fork over $110,000 to Leeds. We see that he has commented to the media how happy is is to revive his career as he felt he was frozen out a Elland Road. Crainey's got some decent talent and is just 24. His free kick ability is very Beckham-like (20).

I guess I'm now confused because the Scotsman Crainey doesn't have to worry about a work permit. Can anyone explain this one to me?

- As a result of our recent defensive pickups that makes us a bit loaded in the backline. So we choose to transfer list DC Peter Clarke. Bristol C is an interested club and we send a proposal to them with Clarke listed at $150,000. His current value is $160,000.
- And we also transfer list 24yr old Danny Coid. Coid is a tweener as he can play defense and midfield. But with the new talent coming in this year he has spent a majority of time on the reserves. His value is $110,000 so we hope we can get at least $100,000 from someone for him.

[MikeVick7]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Oh, just to let you know: You only need work permits for players outside the EU (European Union), ie, you wanted to bring somebody from Asia, the Americas, Africa, etcetera.

lol. You answered my question before I had a chance to ask it. My new fullback was from Scotland and they didn't require a permit...so there you go. It's a lot clearer to me now. The player that I have scheduled to come over on Jan 1st is from Nigeria...so I guess I'll have to go through the work permit thing with him too.

In FM...is it basically a toss-up whether or not they will grant a player a work permit? Or if your club is more known...ie a premiership team...are they more willing to fork one over??

[GoldenEagle]

You may want to see if they have a second nationallity. If thye have a second nationality that is a EU country they are granted a work permit automatically.

[SirFozzie]

the standard rule for Work Permits are that the player must have played in 3/4ths of their national team's games over the last year.. (either that or 3/4ths of their last 12 games).

exceptions can be granted, for players of high caliber, but you have to convince a board that you couldn't get a EU player of the same talent.

It's rare, but it does happen.

[MikeVick7]

The Nigerian that I have coming in has 18 caps to his credit but is not currently listed on their national team. He's 23...so I'm not sure how long ago that was.

[MikeVick7]

December 2005

Team Capsule
League Position:	17th in Championship League
Record:	5-5-9
Active Tournament(s):	None
Wage Total:	$67,858
Wage Budget:	$61,000
Transfer Budget Available	$43,455
Transfer Budget:	$277,482
Balance:	$4,000,256

1 December 2005
- Well despite the recent woes...the chairman still has confidence in me. Again...don't get relegated...don't get relegated.
- 25yr old midfielder Seyi George Olofinjana has won the English Championship Player of the Month. James Harper finished 2nd. Very solid.
- Stoke City's Tony Pulis has won manager of the month.

2 December 2005
- Bingo! Bristol C has bitten on our offer to send them DC Peter Clarke for $150,000. Now Clarke just has to agree to terms with his new wage. This would be big for us since Clarke makes $5,400 a week and we are almost $7,000 over our weekly wage budget.

3 December 2005

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
For the first time in a long time it would be safe to say that our true starting lineup is in for this fixture against Derby. In back It's Crainley…McGregor ..Boyce and Richardson in back. Southern at DM. Sakiri…Harper and Staurt in the middle and Parker and Murphy up front. Now let's see if we can do something with it.
Final Score:	Derby	3	-	0	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
Aww man…now I'm starting to wonder how we won five games in this league. Feelin good going into this one and we just play terribly on defense. I guess the new guys haven't had to to gell or something. We get more shots on goal…but the two shots that they get...they put em in. Grzegorz Rasiak scores his 12th on the season and Tom Huddlestone puts away his 1st.
2nd Half Notes
Whoa…we are definitely in a HUGE slump. Six shots on goal today and a 3-0 loss. The only note of the 2nd half was that Keith Southern received two yellow cards and was sent off so he will not be available in our next match.
Goals -	Grzegorz Rasiak 22, Tom Huddlestone 36, Nathan Doyle 71
Man of the Match -	Lee Camp
Conditions -	Dry 39F
Venue -	Pride Park, Derby
Attendance -	19223

- And on top of Southern suspended for one match...Mark McGregor collected his 5th yellow card and will sit out the next match as well.

4 December 2005

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	18	14	2	2	31	5	26	44
2	Wolves	19	13	3	3	42	21	21	42
3	Sunderland	20	11	8	1	30	8	22	41
4	Stoke	20	10	6	4	28	16	12	36
5	Crystal Palace	20	10	6	4	29	20	9	36
6	Fulham	19	9	6	4	28	19	9	33
7	QPR	20	9	6	5	30	22	8	33
8	Millwall	20	8	7	5	30	27	3	31
9	Nottm Forest	19	9	4	6	29	26	3	31
10	Derby	20	7	9	4	32	28	4	30
11	Ipswich	19	8	5	6	28	18	10	29
12	Burnley	20	7	7	6	19	17	2	28
13	West Ham	20	7	3	10	24	32	-8	24
14	Leeds	20	7	3	10	18	28	-10	24
15	Preston	20	6	4	10	26	30	-4	22
16	Gillingham	20	5	7	8	22	26	-4	22
17	Rotherham	20	4	9	7	29	30	-1	21
18	Blackpool	20	5	5	10	19	35	-16	20
19	Sheff Wed	20	4	7	9	22	29	-7	19
20	Wigan	20	5	3	12	30	41	-11	18
21	Brighton	20	4	5	11	18	31	-13	17
22	Bristol C	20	3	7	10	21	36	-15	16
23	Crewe	20	2	8	10	20	40	-20	14
24	Coventry	20	3	4	13	19	39	-20	13

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

5 December 2005
- We'll have to say goodbye to DC Peter Clarke as he agreed to the deal that Bristol C has offered him. Clarke appeared in 39 matches for us over two seasons...scored no goals and was awared one man of the match.
- Also today the draw for the 3rd round of the FA Cup will be held. This is first round in which championship teams will be involved. 64 teams are left in the tournament.
- And in the first round we once again do not get a break as we draw the team that we just lost to...Derby. We'll get to play them at Bloomfield Road however. So maybe that will help?? This game will be played almost exactly a month from today...January 7th.

7 December 2005
- Cruising the players that are available for loan we find 20yr old Martin Brittain who plays for Newcastle Reserves. Brittain has a lot of talent and if he chose to come here on loan...that would make Martin Bullock available to unload.

10 December 2005
- Hey good news...Newcastle accepted our loan offer for midfielder Martin Brtittain. It will be interesting to see if he does the same thing.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
With Southern and McGregor suspended for this big game…we have to resort to an out of match shape Andreas Lipa and Rob Clare at DC. Fulham is not the team to break out of slumps on…but we've done surprisingly well against some of the top teams. With that said...we probably lose 3-0.
Final Score:	Blackpool	1	-	2	Fulham
1st Half Notes
In typical Blackpool style we give up a Tomasz Radzinski goal nine minutes into the match. I had had pretty much had it at that point and gave up the 4-1-3-2 attacking and switched to a more defensive style of play with more attention to counter attacking. That reaped immediate benefits as James Harper scored 20 minutes later. But Fulham went back on top at the 36 minute mark with a Lee Clark goal.
2nd Half Notes
We gave it a good effort in the 2nd half but just couldn't muster up anything. I was digging the defensive style…it seemed to be a bit more effective all around. Man we need a win.
Goals -	Tomasz Radzinski 9, James Harper 29, Lee Clark 36
Man of the Match -	Justin Hoyte
Conditions -	Wet 41F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	8645

11 December 2005

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	20	16	2	2	36	5	31	50
2	Wolves	20	14	3	3	45	22	23	45
3	Sunderland	21	12	8	1	37	12	25	44
4	Fulham	21	11	6	4	31	20	11	39
5	QPR	21	10	6	5	32	22	10	36
6	Stoke	21	10	6	5	29	19	10	36
7	Crystal Palace	21	10	6	5	33	27	6	36
8	Nottm Forest	21	10	4	7	31	28	3	34
9	Burnley	21	8	7	6	22	18	4	31
10	Millwall	21	8	7	6	31	30	1	31
11	Ipswich	21	8	6	7	28	19	9	30
12	Derby	21	7	9	5	33	33	0	30
13	West Ham	21	8	3	10	27	34	-7	27
14	Preston	21	7	4	10	28	30	-2	25
15	Leeds	21	7	3	11	20	31	-11	24
16	Gillingham	21	5	8	8	22	26	-4	23
17	Sheff Wed	21	5	7	9	27	30	-3	22
18	Rotherham	21	4	9	8	29	32	-3	21
19	Blackpool	21	5	5	11	20	37	-17	20
20	Wigan	21	5	3	13	30	44	-14	18
21	Brighton	21	4	5	12	18	33	-15	17
22	Crewe	21	3	8	10	23	42	-19	17
23	Bristol C	21	3	7	11	21	38	-17	16
24	Coventry	21	3	4	14	21	42	-21	13

Our landslide continues as we are now 2 points behind Sheff Wed. And now we're just 3 points out of the relegation zone. This team needs to gell soon.

[tanglewood]

Try to stick to a set group of players in your back four. For defences it is important that they can communicate effectively and anticipate each others actions etc. and that only comes from playing together for a period of time. If you can establish a reliable defensive partnership at DC then you have a solid foundation.

How are most of the goals against you being scored? If tey are players b eating your defence for pace or running onto balls over the top/slid through then you should play your defence deeper. If the opposition is enjoying a lot of possesion around the outised of your area and has time to pick passesand take long shots then you should play higher uo the pitch with a DMC set to maximum pressing to close the opposition down. If the're coming from crosses then you could add a third DC to help bolster the centre, or you could make your wingers less attacking and more willing to back-track etc.

[MikeVick7]

Hey tanglewood...thanks for the tips. From what I can remember...goals are coming from all all over the place right now...lol. Actually I think a lot of them are coming from a possession standpoint...so maybe I'll try to up the pressing a bit.

My main problem this year is that I just promoted to the Championship League and talent-wise I am near the bottom of the league. So not only does the opposition have better players but I'm trying to acquire better players and so if cohesion is taken into effect in FM then that too is really killing me cause I can't just stick with the players that I had in League One.

Your tips make a lot of sense to me and I'll have to experiment tonight to see if I can get something to work for me.

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

12 December 2005
- This is a good way to start the week...Newcastle's Martin Brittain said he had no intention of going on loan in ol' Blackpool. Thanks dude.

13 December 2005
- On Tuesday...we went through and did a little housecleaning with our roster and ML Paul Edwards was released on a free transfer. The 25 yr old appeared in a few games for us last season but he really wasn't needed going forward.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
Today we start the new defensive look for the Seasiders. We're still sticking to the 4-1-3-2 tactic but a more defensive scheme along with a bit more emphasis on counter attack. DM Keith Southern and DC Mark McGregor are back after their one game suspensions...and Lewis Guy will start up front for the weary John Murphy.
Final Score:	Leeds	2	-	1	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
I was going to give us the "we flat out suck now" call after the first 40 minutes of this half went by as we found ourselves down 2-0. But Lewis Guy played give and go with Graham Stuart at the 44th minute to close within 2-1 at the half. Again…defensively we struggled and that makes everything else that much harder.
2nd Half Notes
We switch back to attacking for the final 20 minutes and we actually took command of the game having numerous chances but we couldn't cash in on any. Leeds took target practice on us all day with their 21 shots.
Goals -	Jermaine Wright 2, Jonathan Stead 27, Lewis Guy 44
Man of the Match -	Leam Richardson
Conditions -	Wet 37F
Venue -	Elland Road, Leeds
Attendance -	21601

15 December 2005
- For some reason we have a lot of clubs...all of them out of the country...that have an interest in our 33yr old Keeper Sasa Ilic. The veteran had many starts for us last year...but just doesn't have what it takes on the Championship level. So we listed him at $12,000 and all of the clubs came back interested and let the bidding war begin

17 December 2005
- Before our match on Saturday we're warned again that GK David Yelldell's loan is due up again. So we ask for an extension for the 2nd time.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
Well the defensive experiment lasted all but one game. Ok…well I think we'll use it more…but we just need to start scoring goals and not playing so scared. So back to the attacking mode today at home against West Ham. Lewis Guy will start again up front for us after he scored our only goal on Tuesday.
Final Score:	Blackpool	1	-	0	West Ham
1st Half Notes
An impressive first half for once as it looks like my pre-game speech about not sitting back on our has lit a fire under our collective asses as we take an early 1-0 lead on a James Harper goal. He took a nice feed from Graham Stuart on the right side for an easy goal. We controlled the tempo in that first half and actually looked pretty good.
2nd Half Notes
It wasn't pretty…but we got the job done. We held off a semi-rally from West Ham down the stretch to hang on to the 1-0 win. That was our first win since 10/22. Ya…10/22. But we feel good. We got a lot of shot (15)…not the greatest amounts of shots on goal (3)...but it was enough.
Goals -	James Harper 8
Man of the Match -	James Harper
Conditions -	Dry 42F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9055

18 December 2005
- Before we get to the weekly table...we find out that David Yelldell will be with us for 3 more months. Nice.

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	21	16	3	2	37	6	31	51
2	Sunderland	23	13	9	1	42	15	27	48
3	Wolves	22	15	3	4	49	24	25	48
4	Fulham	23	12	7	4	36	21	15	43
5	QPR	23	11	7	5	35	24	11	40
6	Crystal Palace	23	11	6	6	36	28	8	39
7	Burnley	23	10	7	6	26	18	8	37
8	Nottm Forest	23	11	4	8	33	31	2	37
9	Stoke	23	10	6	7	31	24	7	36
10	Millwall	23	9	8	6	36	34	2	35
11	Derby	23	8	9	5	34	33	1	33
12	Ipswich	23	8	7	8	29	23	6	31
13	West Ham	23	9	3	11	30	35	-5	30
14	Preston	23	8	5	10	32	32	0	29
15	Leeds	23	8	4	11	25	35	-10	28
16	Gillingham	23	6	8	9	24	29	-5	26
17	Rotherham	23	5	9	9	31	34	-3	24
18	Sheff Wed	23	5	8	10	30	37	-7	23
19	Blackpool	23	6	5	12	22	39	-17	23
20	Wigan	23	6	3	14	33	47	-14	21
21	Crewe	23	4	9	10	28	45	-17	21
22	Brighton	23	4	5	14	19	39	-20	17
23	Bristol C	23	3	7	13	23	44	-21	16
24	Coventry	23	3	4	16	21	45	-24	13

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

19 December 2005
- After Saturday's match we now have a nice week break...but then we play two games in three days...Monday then Wednesday. We're also reminded today that S Lewis Guy's loan is going to run out. He's done a decent job for us scoring two goals in eight games. We decide to ask for an extension.
- Also today GK Sasa Ilic accepts the offer from Zeleznik and will depart for them today. We confirm the offer and pocket $12,000.
- Blackburn got back to us today to extend the loan for David Yelldell for another three months.

20 December 2005
- And off the news of extending one player's loan...Newcastle has rejected our bid to keep their young striker Lewis Guy for another three months. Back to the pool we go.
- After scouring the wire...we like what we see in Karl Noon...a 19yr old striker from Liverpool. We haven't sent our scouts to see him...but from what we've heard he's a good one. In the meantime...we'll call up Simon Lynch from the reserve team.

22 December 2005
- Ooooooh...and just when we start to pick up a little steam we receive news that our best pick-up of the offseason MC James Harper has gone down with a hip injury that will keep him out for 3 months. This hurts. We quickly head back to the loan pool. Meanwhile...Eoin Jess will start in his place.

24 December 2005
- No game today but we hear back from Liverpool and they have accepted our loan offer for Karl Noon.
- On our phone call with Liverpool we mention to them that we not have a huge hole to fill at MC and they mention that they also have 21yr old Darren Potter that they'd be willing to loan us. We ask them if he'd be available to the end of the season.

[MikeVick7]

26 December 2005

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
We are exactly halfway through the season and now start the schedule over again. Today's opponent…Ipswich…baptized us by handing us a 2-0 defeat in our first match in the Championship League. Coming off the win a week ago I'm hoping that gives us a little incentive. We're gonna start off with an attacking mentality. Eoin Jess will get the start in place of James Harper.
Final Score:	Ipswich	1	-	0	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
Ipswich controlled the 1st half of the match and then they took advantage of their numerous corners as Darren Bent socked one home at the 24 minute mark. Then after the kickoff Eoin Jess goes down with an injury and had to be taken out of the match. So almost by force we play a more defensive style of ball and it actually pays off. We start to limit Ipswich's chances and we actually got a shot or two on goal...but the score remained 1-0 at the half.
2nd Half Notes
Again defensively we show some nice improvement…but our O just stinks. Another shutout for our crew as we lose another on the road.
Goals -	Darren Bent 24
Man of the Match -	Mark Kennedy
Conditions -	Breezy 42F
Venue -	Portman Road, Ipswich
Attendance -	18621

+ Physio Report +

- It looks like Eoin Jess will miss about a week due to a damaged foot. This will leave us really short at the midfield.

Seasider News

- Good news after the game...we find out that Karl Noon as accepted the offer to come here on loan at striker. Then Liverpool also agrees to the loan offer for midfielder Darren Potter. His decision will come in a day or two.

27 December 2005

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
Today's game against bottom-dwellar Coventry starts a three match homestand for us. This is the kinda thing we need. But we're awful thin in the midfield and being that this is the 2nd game in three days…we might be a bit fatigued in the 2nd half. We sub in as many players as possible including giving Karl Noon a start at striker.
Final Score:	Blackpool	1	-	0	Coventry
1st Half Notes
We likey what we see out of Karl Noon. The 19yr old is a master in the air and that lead to our first goal this afternoon. Artim Sakiri sent one up to Noon who masterfully headed it to a streaking Martin Bullock and Bullock went into the box unmarked and scored his first goal of the season. Noon also had a shot just miss the left post in which would have capped off a beautiful half for him. We also played good defense limiting Coventry to just two shots.
2nd Half Notes
It's weird that I'm excited about a 1-0 victory…but believe me…we're taking them anyway we can get em. Karl Noon was brilliant in his first game in the Seasider uniform. He had a goal erased in the 2nd half after a very questionable offsides call and his heading came into play in a lot of build-ups. Very happy with this performance.
Goals -	Martin Bullock 15
Man of the Match -	Andrew Whing
Conditions -	Dry 41F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9055

29 December 2005
- Finally some good news for our ailing midfield. Darren Potter has also accepted to come join us till the end of the season. He'll more than likely start at MC ...sharing some time with Jess.
- As a result of Liverpool helping us out with a couple of their young players I publicly praise Rafa Benitez...the Liverpool Manager to the media this week.
- Darren Potter commented to the press that this was a great move for him to play some first team football...but he also said that it might be a way to secure a permanent deal away from Liverpool. Interesting. Too bad his price tag is in the millions.

31 December 2005

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	24	18	4	2	43	9	34	58
2	Sunderland	25	15	9	1	46	16	30	54
3	Wolves	24	16	4	4	52	25	27	52
4	Fulham	25	14	7	4	41	22	19	49
5	Crystal Palace	25	12	7	6	40	31	9	43
6	QPR	25	11	9	5	37	26	11	42
7	Nottm Forest	25	12	5	8	38	34	4	41
8	Stoke	25	11	7	7	37	28	9	40
9	Burnley	25	10	8	7	27	21	6	38
10	Millwall	25	9	9	7	38	37	1	36
11	Ipswich	25	9	7	9	30	25	5	34
12	Derby	25	8	9	8	37	42	-5	33
13	Preston	25	9	5	11	36	37	-1	32
14	West Ham	25	9	3	13	31	40	-9	30
15	Leeds	25	8	6	11	28	38	-10	30
16	Gillingham	25	6	9	10	26	32	-6	27
17	Sheff Wed	25	6	8	11	36	41	-5	26
18	Blackpool	25	7	5	13	23	40	-17	26
19	Rotherham	25	5	10	10	31	35	-4	25
20	Wigan	25	7	4	14	38	51	-13	25
21	Crewe	25	4	11	10	31	48	-17	23
22	Bristol C	25	4	8	13	28	48	-20	20
23	Brighton	25	4	6	15	23	44	-21	18
24	Coventry	25	3	4	18	22	49	-27	13

[MikeVick7]

January 2006

Team Capsule
League Position:	18th in Championship League
Record:	7-5-13
Active Tournament(s):	3rd Round FA Cup
Wage Total:	$61,452
Wage Budget:	$72,000
Transfer Budget Available	$193,453
Transfer Budget:	$277,482
Balance:	$4,442,353

Don't get me wrong...I love having more money to spend...but I love it when the club ups the Wage Budget and Transfer Budget and doesn't tell me about it.

1 January 2006
- It's the start of a new year...so that means it's awards time. Here's a list of the year end awards:
World Footballer of the Year - Thierry Henry (get used to his name)
World Player of the Year - Thierry Henry
European Footballer of the Year - Thierry Henry
European Goalkeeper of the Year - Gianluigi Buffon
European Defender of the Year - Rio Ferdinand
European Midfielder of the Year - Patrick Vieira
European Striker of the Year - Thierry Henry

- In our lowly league...the Wolves winger Seol Ki-Hyeon has won the English Championship Player of the Month.
- Fulham's Ronnie Moore has been named the league's manager of the month.
- And also today...the transfer window has been re-opened.
- In a surprise move...we were able to sign our Nigerian DC Joseph Enakarhire w/o acquiring a work permit. He's not currently listed on the Nigerian National team...but he has 18 caps as a 23 year old...so I'm sure he's played with them real recently. This is real nice for us.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
Again we bring a different look into today's match against Sheff Wed. Joseph Enakarhire will start at DC and Darren Potter will start at MC. John Murphy is back up front alongside Keigan Parker. We will see Karl Noon in the 2nd half however. This is a big game for us as Sheff Wed has crept above us in the table and we need to change that.
Final Score:	Blackpool	1	-	1	Sheff Wed
1st Half Notes
Man…what a terrible first half. We give up 11 shots to our piddly one and find ourselves down 1-0. I just don't know why we would perform so terribly against this team that I feel we're a lot better then.
2nd Half Notes
Well at least we didn't lose. Darren Potter had a flukish goal at the 60 minute mark to pull even and that's how it ended against Sheff Wed. Potter's shot from straight on must have deflected off the defender that was right in front of him cause it took a weird bounce that the keeper never reacted to and it went slowly in for a goal. We had the majority of the chances in the half as we played a counter attacking style...but just couldn't put the winner in the net.
Goals -	Shaun Bartlett 41, Darren Potter 60
Man of the Match -	Richard Wood
Conditions -	Dry 39F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9073

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	25	18	4	3	43	12	31	58
2	Sunderland	26	15	10	1	47	17	30	55
3	Wolves	25	16	5	4	52	25	27	53
4	Fulham	26	14	8	4	42	23	19	50
5	Crystal Palace	26	13	7	6	44	31	13	46
6	Nottm Forest	26	13	5	8	40	34	6	44
7	QPR	26	11	9	6	37	30	7	42
8	Stoke	26	11	7	8	38	31	7	40
9	Burnley	26	10	9	7	30	24	6	39
10	Millwall	26	9	9	8	38	38	0	36
11	Derby	26	9	9	8	41	44	-3	36
12	Ipswich	26	9	7	10	30	27	3	34
13	Preston	26	9	6	11	36	37	-1	33
14	West Ham	26	10	3	13	34	40	-6	33
15	Gillingham	26	7	9	10	27	32	-5	30
16	Leeds	26	8	6	12	28	39	-11	30
17	Rotherham	26	6	10	10	33	35	-2	28
18	Sheff Wed	26	6	9	11	37	42	-5	27
19	Blackpool	26	7	6	13	24	41	-17	27
20	Wigan	26	7	5	14	41	54	-13	26
21	Crewe	26	5	11	10	34	49	-15	26
22	Bristol C	26	4	8	14	28	50	-22	20
23	Brighton	26	4	6	16	25	48	-23	18
24	Coventry	26	4	4	18	23	49	-26	16

[MikeVick7]

8 January 2005
- It's been confirmed that Joseph Enakarhire is indeed on the Nigerian International Team as he has been called up for duty on his African Cup of Nations squad. But he'll be available for our FA Cup match before he leaves.

FA Cup 3rd Round
Preview
We really want this match badly. Derby handled us pretty easily in our first matchup this season 3-0 and we want revenge. We're looking for any reason to get out of our slump and Derby meanwhile is in a bit of a slump themselves. Karl Noon will start along with Parker and Potter will start at MC as well.
Final Score:	Blackpool	1	-	2	Derby
1st Half Notes
We probably play our best half in well over two months as we get five shots on goal and get a breakaway goal from the newbie Karl Noon. This guy has tuned out to be a true sparkplug for us…leading breaks…finishing breaks…just gives us a lot of energy. And our defense was real solid in the first half only allowing one shot on goal.
2nd Half Notes
See the above paragraph? Well take my emotion from that half and reverse it for the 2nd. We give up a goal from a corner kick and on a free kick and then have one of our goals by Darren Potter taken away by a real questionable offsides call. This loss is hard to stomach.
Goals -	Karl Noon 28, Tommy Smith 47, Marco Reich 54
Man of the Match -	Lee Grant
Conditions -	Dry 46F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9057

[MikeVick7]

14 January 2006
- A very slow January so far. We haven't been active in looking for any new transfers...instead I've been trying to come up with a way to score more goals. We haven't scored more than one goal in a match since November 5th against Crystal Palace. So for the time being...we're gonna switch to a more convential 4-4-2 and go back and forth between attacking and defensive.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
This might not be a fair game for us to assess the new tactic…but let's see if it at least gives us a few more scoring chances. West Brom sits at the top of the table but they for some reason are the biggest favorites in this match despite playing at home. Our new 4-4-2 lineup looks like this. Crainey ..McGregor...Enakarhire and Boyce in the back. Sakiri....Jess ..Potter and Stuart across the middle and Murphy and Parker up front.
Final Score:	West Brom	3	-	0	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
Yup…got run over in that first half. 17 shots…9 shots on goal and 2 goals for West Brom. Us you ask? 0 shots. How is it only 2-0?
2nd Half Notes
This was not the game we needed at this point in the season. We're trying to build momentum and we run into a pseudo premiership team who outshot us 26-3. Yuck.
Goals -	Jason Koumas 16, Salif Diao 44, Thordur Gudjonsson 57
Man of the Match -	Jason Koumas
Conditions -	Wet 44F
Venue -	The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
Attendance -	26200

15 January 2006
- I know we're still seven points clear of relegation at this time...but sitting in 21st place makes us feel a bit more uneasy.

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	27	20	4	3	49	14	35	64
2	Sunderland	27	15	11	1	47	17	30	56
3	Wolves	27	17	5	5	56	29	27	56
4	Fulham	27	15	8	4	46	23	23	53
5	Crystal Palace	27	14	7	6	48	32	16	49
6	Nottm Forest	27	13	5	9	40	37	3	44
7	QPR	27	11	10	6	37	30	7	43
8	Stoke	27	11	8	8	38	31	7	41
9	Burnley	27	10	10	7	31	25	6	40
10	Ipswich	27	10	7	10	33	27	6	37
11	Millwall	27	9	10	8	40	40	0	37
12	Derby	27	9	10	8	42	45	-3	37
13	West Ham	27	11	3	13	36	40	-4	36
14	Preston	27	9	7	11	38	39	-1	34
15	Gillingham	27	8	9	10	30	32	-2	33
16	Leeds	27	8	7	12	28	39	-11	31
17	Rotherham	27	6	10	11	34	37	-3	28
18	Sheff Wed	27	6	9	12	37	45	-8	27
19	Wigan	27	7	6	14	41	54	-13	27
20	Crewe	27	5	12	10	34	49	-15	27
21	Blackpool	27	7	6	14	24	44	-20	27
22	Bristol C	27	4	8	15	29	54	-25	20
23	Brighton	27	4	6	17	25	52	-27	18
24	Coventry	27	4	4	19	23	51	-28	16

[MikeVick7]

+ Physio Report +

16 January 2006
- More injuries as we learn that Martin Bullock damaged his neck in training and will be out for about a week.

Seasider News

19 January 2006
- About the only promising young player...DC Sean Lawlor returned from his loan at Stockport where he appeared in 9 League One games. He had 1 goal...5 assists and he was Man of the Match 4 times. And his value has skyrocted from $280,000 to $750,000 in just three months. Impressive!

21 January 2005
- I completely forgot that we had Danny Coid transfer listed and finally someone stepped up to the plate. West Ham has made an offer of $100,000 and we gladly accept.

22 January 2005
- Our asst Billy Dearden has informted me that the only player involved in the recent international call-ups was DC Joseph Enakarhire who came in as a sub and played well by all reports in a 3-1 loss.

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

24 January 2006
- It's announced today that the transfer deadline is in one week. We've been pretty dormant this month and it's doubtful that we'll find anything.
- And Danny Coid has come to terms with West Ham and we pocket the $100,000.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
I'm not sure if this is the match we need right now either…but we gotta get it out of the way. Last game it was 1st place West Brom…now it's 2nd place Sunderland. It's late and I don't have much else.
Final Score:	Sunderland	2	-	0	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
Sunderland controlled the first half but we played pretty well. We had a couple chances but nothing that resulted in a shot on goal. I think the last time we played these guys it ended up in a 0-0 draw. Maybe we can come up with something in the 2nd half.
2nd Half Notes
Story of the 2nd half. Two corner kicks…two goals off headers. That's definitely been a problem for us.
Goals -	Damien Delaney 50, Stephen Caldwell 53
Man of the Match -	Dean Whitehead
Conditions -	Wet 37F
Venue -	The Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Attendance -	23460

Seasider News

- After the match we learn that DM Keith Southern has reached his yellow card limit and will be suspended for one match.

25 January 2006
- We've got two players on Blackpool that have been called up for international duty for the England Under 19's squad to face Norway...Karl Noon and Matthew Lawlor. The match will be played on February 6th.
- Now we see our other loaned player from Liverpool Darren Potter being called up to the Ireland Under 21's to face Slovakia. That match will be held on February 7th.

27 January 2006
- Well we may have our first media battle with another team. Brighton's manager Mark McGhee came out in the media and said that the morale in his dressing room is very high right now and also warned not to attempt any mind games. Well dude...you started it...so I responded by saying that I'm not really his biggest fan. (I need to get my team fired up somehow)

28 January 2006
- Just before the game we find out that DL Rob Edwards will be sidelined for about a week when he twisted his knee in training. Rob's role is that of a backup these days and this won't hurt us too badly in this afternoon's game.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
Well the battle in the media this week has definitely added a little spice to this afternoon's game. This is truly a battle for us as we sit in the last non-relegation spot in the table…just six points clear of our opponent Brighton. So for this game...we go back to what we know and that is the 4-1-3-2 with a few tweaks. We'll start out attacking and then if that's not working we will not be afraid to switch to a more defensive mentality and look at counter attacking. We go with the usual starting 11 in today's match with the exception of McGregor starting for Enakarhire...who is on international duty right now...and Richardson at DM for the suspended Southern.
Starting Line up:
Strikers -	Parker / Noon
Midfield -	Sakiri / Potter / Richardson / Stuart
Defense -	Crainey / McGregor / Clare / Boyce
Keeper -	Mhyre
Final Score:	Blackpool	1	-	1	Brighton
1st Half Notes
I took two things from that first half. 1) Apparently my team does not respond well to trash-talking. 2) Teams know that we cannot defend corner kicks and have killed us with their superior heading ability. As you can guess…that's how they scored their first goal.
2nd Half Notes
Considering how things have gone as of late…I guess we'll take this result. Darren Potter scored a clutch goal for us 84 minutes after Jake Robinson scored Brighton's goal to make it level…and that's how it ends. It was a pretty even match and considering where both teams are in the table...I guess it makes sense. Will we ever score more than one goal in a game??
Goals -	Jake Robinson 3, Darren Potter 87
Man of the Match -	Darren Potter
Conditions -	Dry 39F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	8280

- After the match we learn that now DR Leam Richardson has reached his yellow card limit and will be suspended for the next match.

29 January 2006

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	29	21	4	4	52	16	36	67
2	Sunderland	29	17	11	1	52	18	34	62
3	Wolves	29	18	6	5	61	31	30	60
4	Crystal Palace	29	16	7	6	52	32	20	55
5	Fulham	29	15	9	5	50	28	22	54
6	Stoke	29	12	9	8	41	33	8	45
7	QPR	29	11	11	7	39	34	5	44
8	Nottm Forest	29	13	6	10	42	40	2	45
9	Derby	29	11	10	8	45	45	0	43
10	Ipswich	29	11	8	10	35	28	7	41
11	Burnley	29	10	11	8	31	27	4	41
12	West Ham	29	12	3	14	40	44	-4	39
13	Millwall	29	9	11	9	41	44	-3	38
14	Preston	29	10	7	12	40	41	-1	37
15	Gillingham	29	8	10	11	31	34	-3	34
16	Leeds	29	8	9	12	28	39	-11	33
17	Rotherham	29	7	10	12	36	40	-4	31
18	Wigan	29	8	7	14	44	55	-11	31
19	Crewe	29	6	12	11	35	51	-16	30
20	Blackpool	29	7	7	15	25	47	-22	28
21	Sheff Wed	29	6	9	14	38	51	-13	27
22	Brighton	29	5	7	17	30	55	-25	22
23	Bristol C	29	4	8	17	29	57	-28	20
24	Coventry	29	5	4	20	26	53	-27	19

[MikeVick7]

February 2006

Team Capsule
League Position:	20th in Championship League
Record:	7-7-15
Active Tournament(s):	None
Wage Total:	$60,067
Wage Budget:	$72,000
Transfer Budget Available	$253,306
Transfer Budget:	$277,482
Balance:	$4,480,133

1 February 2006
- The transfer deadline has come and passed...but again we can still make deals with domestic clubs.
- DC Joseph Enakarhire started in Ghana (African Nations) match against Nigeria and did well before being substituted late in the match.
- Despite our recents woes...the board is still delighted with my performance as manager. That is amazing actually...but I assume Blackpool is just happy with being in the Championship League.
- Crystal Palace's midfielder Jimmy Bullard was named the English Championship Player of the Month.
- Our own Darren Potter finished 2nd in the English Championship Young Player of the Month.

4 February 2006
- It's kinda funny...just as I was thinking about looking for a replacement to 35 yr old Graham Stuart for next season...Bristol C has offered us $18,000 for his services. It would be nice to get a little something for the old man instead of just letting his contract run out this June. We look around but the transfer don't look all that great at the moment however.
- So while we don't see a lot in the transfer market...we give our favorite manager a call Rafa Benitez and he has yet another midfielder listed for loan. This time it's 20yr old Mark Jones. We ask about his services for a 3 month loan.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
We're back on the boob tube tonight as we face Burnley. We just haven't had the best luck on TV this season as I guess we're just not quite ready for primetime. But somehow...looking at the odds...we're listed as the favorite in this one???? Just one change in the lineup…Southern is back in at DM while Leam Richardson is serving his one game suspension.
Starting Line-ups:
Strikers -	Parker / Noon
Midfield -	Sakiri / Potter / Southern / Stuart
Defense -	Crainey / McGregor / Clare / Boyce
Keeper -	Mhyre
Final Score:	Burnley	1	-	0	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
We played a very nice 1st half…but our lack of finishing continues to rear it's ugly head. Now Karl Noon has lost his touch a bit…he had great chances in the first half including a breakout in which no one was within 5 yards of him and he couldn't sneak it past the keeper. Then we on the other hand...we give up a goal to Jean-Louis Valois on a real weak defensive effort. So we find ourselves down 1-0 at the half.
2nd Half Notes
Just…can't…score…goals. The opposition's defense is so superior to any striker that we throw out there. Good lord. Well…for the 2nd straight game…we outshoot the opponent…yet we have a draw and a loss to show for it.
Goals -	Jean-Louis Valois 41
Man of the Match -	Jean-Louis Valois
Conditions -	Dry 44F
Venue -	Turf Moor, Burnley
Attendance -	22575

+ Physio Report +

- Karl Noon suffered a little shoulder damage in that match...he'll be out of training for the week.

5 February 2006

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	30	21	4	5	53	18	35	67
2	Sunderland	30	18	11	1	54	19	35	65
3	Wolves	30	19	6	5	64	31	33	63
4	Fulham	30	16	9	5	51	28	23	57
5	Crystal Palace	30	16	7	7	52	35	17	55
6	Nottm Forest	30	13	7	10	45	43	2	46
7	Stoke	30	12	9	9	41	35	6	45
8	Burnley	30	11	11	8	32	27	5	44
9	QPR	30	11	11	8	40	37	3	44
10	Derby	30	11	10	9	45	46	-1	43
11	Ipswich	30	11	9	10	36	29	7	42
12	West Ham	30	13	3	14	42	44	-2	42
13	Preston	30	11	7	12	44	42	2	40
14	Millwall	30	9	12	9	44	47	-3	39
15	Gillingham	30	9	10	11	32	34	-2	37
16	Leeds	30	9	9	12	31	40	-9	36
17	Rotherham	30	7	11	12	37	41	-4	32
18	Wigan	30	8	7	15	45	59	-14	31
19	Crewe	30	6	13	11	36	52	-16	31
20	Sheff Wed	30	7	9	14	40	51	-11	30
21	Blackpool	30	7	7	16	25	48	-23	28
22	Brighton	30	5	7	18	30	57	-27	22
23	Coventry	30	5	5	20	27	54	-27	20
24	Bristol C	30	4	8	18	29	58	-29	20

[MikeVick7]

6 February 2006
- It's Monday and the start of a new week...checking the league news we see that Emmerson Boyce has made the English Championship Team of the Week. Wow...weird to see one of our defensemen making the team.

7 February 2006
- And it appears that we may have gone to the well one too many times as Liverpool has rejected our loan offer for midfielder Mark Jones.

11 February 2006
- On Saturday we lose John Murphy for a month as he strained his knee in training. We'll now bring Simon Lynch back up from the reserve squad.
- Before today's match we make a loan offer to Middlesbrough for midfielder James Morrison.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
We again are listed as the favorites in this one. Weird. Can we get the offense going here? We have 16 games left to hold our ground. Stoke sits in the top 10 in the league…this one isn't going to be easy.
Starting Line-ups:
Strikers -	Parker / Lynch
Midfield -	Sakiri / Potter / Southern / Stuart
Defense -	Crainey / Enakarhire / Boyce / Richardson
Keeper -	Mhyre
Final Score:	Blackpool	2	-	1	Stoke
1st Half Notes
Not too shabby of a first 45. We give up yet another goal on a corner kick. What an achiles heal for us. But we showed some moxy by answering just a minute later with our own header by Darren Potter. Potter took a cross from Artim Sakiri to tie it up.
2nd Half Notes
Yes!! We finally did it. Not only do we score more than one goal in a game for the first time in over three months…but we get the win to boot. Keigan Parker scored his first goal in months as he made some nifty moves from the left side of the box to score his 6th of the season and we get a much much needed win.
Goals -	Ryan Hutchinson 18, Darren Potter 19, Keigan Parker 57
Man of the Match -	Thomas Mhyre
Conditions -	Dry 44F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9044

+ Physio Report +

- Our strikers continue to fall as Keigan Parker strained his groin during our last match. He'll be sidelined for up to two weeks.

- West Brom has once again shown interest in one of our players. This time it is young striker Ryan Watson. They are offering $45,000 for him. Doesn't seem too tempting. I think we'll keep Watson for a little while longer.

12 February 2006

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	31	22	4	5	54	18	36	70
2	Sunderland	31	19	11	1	56	19	37	68
3	Wolves	31	20	6	5	66	31	35	66
4	Fulham	31	17	9	5	54	29	25	60
5	Crystal Palace	31	17	7	7	54	35	19	58
6	Nottm Forest	31	13	8	10	46	44	2	47
7	Derby	31	12	10	9	48	46	2	46
8	Stoke	31	12	9	10	42	37	5	45
9	West Ham	31	14	3	14	46	45	1	45
10	Burnley	31	11	11	9	32	28	4	44
11	QPR	31	11	11	9	41	41	0	44
12	Ipswich	31	11	10	10	37	30	7	43
13	Preston	31	11	7	13	44	45	-1	40
14	Millwall	31	9	12	10	44	49	-5	39
15	Leeds	31	10	9	12	32	40	-8	39
16	Gillingham	31	9	10	12	33	37	-4	37
17	Wigan	31	9	7	15	48	60	-12	34
18	Sheff Wed	31	8	9	14	41	51	-10	33
19	Rotherham	31	7	11	13	38	44	-6	32
20	Crewe	31	6	13	12	36	54	-18	31
21	Blackpool	31	8	7	16	27	49	-22	31
22	Brighton	31	5	7	19	30	58	-28	22
23	Coventry	31	5	5	21	27	56	-29	20
24	Bristol C	31	4	8	19	29	59	-30	20

[MikeVick7]

13 February 2006

- Keeper Thomas Mhyre has been selected to the English Championship League Team of the Week. Now that's sayin somethin.

14 February 2006
- We're informed today that Middlesbrough has accepted our offer for midfielder James Morrison. If we are able to land him on loan...we'll offer Stuart to Bristol C.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
We got our butts handed to us the last time we played QPR. But QPR is just 0-2-4 in their last six games...so morale can't be high. We're coming off our first multiple goal game in forever…so hopefully that will give us some spark that we need. Coming into this game we're now nine points clear of relegation after our win last weekend. We're just down to two strikers for a couple games...so Matthew Blinkhorn will come up from the reserves. We're down three starters total for this match.
Starting Line-ups:
Strikers -	Noon / Lynch
Midfield -	Sakiri / Potter / Southern / Stuart
Defense -	Crainey / Enakarhire / Boyce / Richardson
Keeper -	Mhyre
Final Score:	QPR	1	-	0	Blackpool
1st Half Notes
We do an excellent job in the first half. We controlled the ball and the tempo and we had more opportuinties than QPR. I was very impressed. But we stil couldn't put the ball in the net as the score is still at 0-0.
2nd Half Notes
Terrible…just terrible. We totally outplay QPR and they win the match on a penalty shot as the referee said our keeper of all people fouled one of their players on a crossing attempt. Man. We just don't need breaks like that to go the other team's way.
Goals -	Mark Pembridge pen82
Man of the Match -	Emmerson Boyce
Conditions -	Wet 50F
Venue -	Loftus Road, London
Attendance -	15666

Seasider News

16 February 2006
- We got some good news following the heart-breaking loss. Middlesbrough's James Morrison has agreed to join us for the rest of the season. This will spell Graham Stuart's fate.

17 February 2006
- We put Graham Stuart on the transfer list for one day and Bradford City of League One has made an offer of $20,000. Bristol C...who was interested in the veteran midfielder a few weeks earlier also offers a contract to Stuart.

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
We get to play another TV game today. This is our third game vs Preston this season and all of them have been on TV. Kinda weird. They've owned us this year…outscoring us 5-0 in the process. James Morrison will get the start at MR today in place of the Graham Stuart.
Starting Line-ups:
Strikers -	Noon / Lynch
Midfield -	Sakiri / Potter / Southern / Morrison
Defense -	Crainey / Enakarhire / Boyce / Richardson
Keeper -	Mhyre
Final Score:	Blackpool	0	-	1	Preston
1st Half Notes
The 1st half was almost a bore-fest. Only four total shots from both teams. And of course…Preston jumps on top by scoring a fluke goal. Really…that's how the announcer described it…so we're going with it. Anyway…we're not totally out of this.
2nd Half Notes
I guess when you're used to losing for the majority of the season…breaks just don't go your way. God I hate when I whine.
Goals -	Paul McKenna 26
Man of the Match -	Paul McKenna
Conditions -	Dry 42F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9070

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	33	24	4	5	58	19	39	76
2	Sunderland	33	20	12	1	58	20	38	72
3	Wolves	33	21	7	5	70	32	38	70
4	Fulham	32	18	9	5	56	30	26	63
5	Crystal Palace	33	18	8	7	57	36	21	62
6	Stoke	33	13	10	10	44	37	7	49
7	West Ham	32	15	3	14	48	45	3	48
8	Nottm Forest	32	13	9	10	47	45	2	48
9	QPR	33	12	11	10	43	44	-1	47
10	Derby	32	12	10	10	48	49	-1	46
11	Ipswich	33	11	11	11	41	35	6	44
12	Burnley	32	11	11	10	33	30	3	44
13	Preston	33	12	7	14	46	47	-1	43
14	Leeds	33	11	10	12	34	41	-7	43
15	Millwall	32	10	12	10	47	50	-3	42
16	Gillingham	32	9	10	13	33	38	-5	37
17	Rotherham	32	8	11	13	41	44	-3	35
18	Wigan	33	9	7	17	48	65	-17	34
19	Sheff Wed	32	8	9	15	41	53	-12	33
20	Crewe	33	6	14	13	40	60	-20	32
21	Blackpool	33	8	7	18	27	51	-24	31
22	Coventry	33	6	6	21	32	59	-27	24
23	Brighton	32	5	8	19	32	60	-28	23
24	Bristol C	33	4	8	21	29	63	-34	20

[MikeVick7]

Seasider News

22 February 2006
- Let's hope this doesn't come back to haunt us. Graham Stuart chose to sign with Bristol C today. They're still behind us in the table and I hope he doesn't provide them with a spark. He certainly didn't provide us with one. In 33 games with us this year...Stuart had one goal and four assists with an average rating of 7.15.

24 February 2006
- And of course to spice things up before our big match vs...who else but...Bristol C. Bristol manager Steve McMahon said that the pressure is all on us in our match this weekend...(he's actually kinda right). But feeling fed up with the season I just flat out told the press that I don't think he has what it takes to save Bristol C from getting relegated back to League One.

25 February 2006

Coca-Cola Championship League Gameday
Preview
This basically is the game of the season for us. We have a media squabble between managers…Bristol C is in a relegation spot…we are fighting to stay out of one of those spots. Bristol C has two former Seasiders on their team…the recently acquired Graham Stuart...who's not starting today by the way...and former DC Peter Clarke...who is starting. We go with the same lineup as last game as our strikers are still injured.
Starting Line-up:
Strikers -	Noon / Lynch
Midfield -	Sakiri / Potter / Southern / Morrison
Defense -	Crainey / Enakarhire / Boyce / Richardson
Keeper -	Mhyre
Final Score:	Blackpool	2	-	1	Bristol C
1st Half Notes
The first 45 mins lived up to the pregame hype. We strike first in a pinball-like scenario. As Darren Potter scored yet another goal for us just 15 mins in. But then a handling error by Thomas Mhyre allowed Steve Brooker to knock in the loose ball right before the half to make it even at the half 1-1. Both teams had three shots on goal.
2nd Half Notes
The second 45 was almost as great as the first. Simon Lynch took advantage of a keeper mishandle and knocked home his 1st goal of the season to give us a lead that we wouldn't relinquish giving us a win in one of the most important matches of the season.
Goals -	Darren Potter 15, Steve Brooker 42, Simon Lynch 76
Man of the Match -	Thomas Mhyre
Conditions -	Dry 55F
Venue -	Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance -	9057

Seasider News

26 February 2006
- On Sunday...Man Utd defeated Blackburn in the Carling Cup final 2-1.

27 February 2006
- For the first time this season we have two players that made the Championship Team of the Week. Keeper Thomas Mhyre was named for the 2nd week in a row and Liverpool loaner MC Darren Potter.

Championship League
Pos	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Ag	GD	Pts
1	West Brom	34	25	4	5	59	19	40	79
2	Wolves	34	22	7	5	72	32	40	73
3	Sunderland	34	20	13	1	60	22	38	73
4	Fulham	34	19	10	5	61	31	30	67
5	Crystal Palace	34	18	9	7	59	38	21	63
6	QPR	34	13	11	10	46	44	2	50
7	Stoke	34	13	10	11	44	38	6	49
8	West Ham	34	15	4	15	50	48	2	49
9	Derby	34	13	10	11	52	52	0	49
10	Burnley	34	12	12	10	35	31	4	48
11	Nottm Forest	34	13	9	12	48	52	-4	48
12	Preston	34	13	7	14	47	47	0	46
13	Ipswich	34	11	12	11	43	37	6	45
14	Millwall	34	11	12	11	48	54	-6	45
15	Leeds	34	11	10	13	34	42	-8	43
16	Gillingham	34	10	10	14	35	41	-6	40
17	Rotherham	34	8	13	13	43	46	-3	37
18	Sheff Wed	34	9	9	16	43	56	-13	36
19	Crewe	34	7	14	13	43	60	-17	35
20	Wigan	34	9	7	18	48	66	-18	34
21	Blackpool	34	9	7	18	29	52	-23	34
22	Coventry	34	6	7	21	33	60	-27	25
23	Brighton	34	5	9	20	34	63	-29	24
24	Bristol C	34	4	8	22	30	65	-35	20