DONCASTER ROVERS
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BLACKPOOL
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BLACKPOOL
Well, alledgedly Rovers are going to play a football match tomorrow evening. With the temperature in Doncaster at 6°C as I write, and a barmy 7°C forecast for tomorrow evening, it looks good so I will continue!
It's been frustrating for Donny with Rovers yet to play a match in February. Blackpool, on the other hand have played twice in the league and knocked Sheffield Wednesday out of the FA Cup since the begining of the month. So Rovers will be the fresher, or rustier side dependent on your point of view.
The encounter at Bloomfield Road this season was one of those where Donny started well, indeed they led at the break. But then either Blackpool improved or Donny ran out of steam. I suspect a combination of the two and two goals from substitute Tom Ince reduced greatly the importance of Billy Sharp's first half strike. The second of those strikes being a 94th minute 25-yarder. The kind of goal that leaves you feeling hollow about the evening if you're on the receiving end.
DONCASTER ROVERS
Well, the "business end" of the season is fast approaching and for Donny, all players being on the right page is fast becoming vital. During the enforced break, plenty has happened off the pitch to distract just about anyone, never mind the players. Training gorund life without our best player and an exodus on the board have been tempered by our maintaining the services of El-Hadji Diouf and Habib Beye until at least the end of the season. David Button has also committed to another month and Fabien Robert has become the 13th signing of the Saunders era - all four months of it. New sigings do lose their magic when they happen just about every week!
Another off field development are the continuing trials of Portsmouth. Pompey are looking like inviting in the administrators for the second time in two seasons. The 10-point deductioon Pompey will receive will bring them right into the relegation dogfight, just one point ahead of Rovers having played one game more. I don't want to stop up at the expense of a points deduction but nor do I want Rovers relegated at any cost. Here's hoping Pompey can recover, though not at our expense.
Finally one more departure I feel that I have to mention, although I have not seen it confirmed. Donny Dog has left his (or
indeed her) Keepmoat Kennel. I saw a tweet shortly after Billy Sharp's tarnsfer to Southampton. Somethings are simply irreplaceable!
BLACKPOOL
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| Donny Dog - Gone! |
Finally one more departure I feel that I have to mention, although I have not seen it confirmed. Donny Dog has left his (or
indeed her) Keepmoat Kennel. I saw a tweet shortly after Billy Sharp's tarnsfer to Southampton. Somethings are simply irreplaceable!
BLACKPOOL
I think it would be fair to say that the majority of Rovers fans were disappointed by Blackpool after our meeting at Bloomfield Road. It was a game Rovers could have easily won but for Ollie's inspired substitutions. But I think that's enough criticism of the seasiders. In the month that Rovers visited Blackpool, they lost 3 out of 5. And in the 3 and a half months since then, they have lost just two from 19. Overall, they have the third best current form in the division and are unbeaten in 2012.
No easy task, but Rovers have proved a hard nut to crack at the Keepmoat of late. My only concern? This season, we haven't returned from breaks very well. I'd have prerfered a game in the last two weeks.
Watching the highlights against Portsmouth and I was listening to the names of the Blackpool playersb and wondering where tehir zimmer-frames were. Crainey, Taylor-Fletcher, Lua-Lua all seem to have been around for ages.
But they aren't quite ready for their bus-passes as Lua-Lua, in particular put in an impressive shift being in the middle of most good things that Blackpool did. Indeed but for a player absent-mindedly wandering offside, Lua-Lua would have given Blackpool the lead from a Free-Kick in the first half.
In attack, most of the Tanges best chances came from distance but were good for all that. The goal that earned Blackpool the point was a great freekick from Steven Crainey, even if it was a lazy attempt by the Portsmouth 'keeper to keep it out.
Defensively, there was some hope for the Rovers. Blackpool were playing a high line and their were a few occasions when Portsmouth got behind it. With the chamces this caused, it was a match that I felt Pompey should have won.
There were also a number of occasions where tackles could have been made, but weren't. So Rovers, its a defence worth taking a run at and also look to move them around.
As ever though, I'm not counting any chickens. Its going to be a tough night at the Keepmoat against a good and in-form team.
No easy task, but Rovers have proved a hard nut to crack at the Keepmoat of late. My only concern? This season, we haven't returned from breaks very well. I'd have prerfered a game in the last two weeks.
Watching the highlights against Portsmouth and I was listening to the names of the Blackpool playersb and wondering where tehir zimmer-frames were. Crainey, Taylor-Fletcher, Lua-Lua all seem to have been around for ages.
But they aren't quite ready for their bus-passes as Lua-Lua, in particular put in an impressive shift being in the middle of most good things that Blackpool did. Indeed but for a player absent-mindedly wandering offside, Lua-Lua would have given Blackpool the lead from a Free-Kick in the first half.
In attack, most of the Tanges best chances came from distance but were good for all that. The goal that earned Blackpool the point was a great freekick from Steven Crainey, even if it was a lazy attempt by the Portsmouth 'keeper to keep it out.
Defensively, there was some hope for the Rovers. Blackpool were playing a high line and their were a few occasions when Portsmouth got behind it. With the chamces this caused, it was a match that I felt Pompey should have won.
There were also a number of occasions where tackles could have been made, but weren't. So Rovers, its a defence worth taking a run at and also look to move them around.
As ever though, I'm not counting any chickens. Its going to be a tough night at the Keepmoat against a good and in-form team.
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