Ian Holloway’s Blackpool side won the final ticket to next season’s Premier League by beating Cardiff City 3-2 at Wembley in yet another pulsating Championship Play Off Final.
The amount riding on this game has been creeping up year by year. When Derby County beat West Bromwich Albion in 2007 the game was called the ‘£90 million match’. Inflation and extra parachute payments have quickly added to the value.
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Like Burnley a year ago, Blackpool have come from an unlikely position to snatch promotion. The club pay some of the lowest wages in the division and have a capacity of only 13,000 at Bloomfield Road. A new stand is required behind one end.
The Tangerine success story has been based on team spirit and fearless attacking style; the 3-2 scoreline was no accident because Holloway has employed an adventurous 4-3-3 all season.
It could have gone badly wrong- Cardiff were twice in front but each time the Welsh club were pegged back before Brett Ormerod put the Seasiders in the lead.
All the goals came before half-time and it was a surprise that the second period remained goalless. Whether Blackpool can get away with their attacking style in the Premiership is another question.
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The town should make a lot of money- more so than most newly promoted clubs- by pushing weekend packages combining a Premiership fixture and an overnight stay.
Holloway is going to be good value for the media and journalists because he couldn’t be boring if he tried. However, he will be aware that there is little sentiment in football. Derby boss Billy Davies was shown the door less than four months into the campaign in 2007/08.
Phil Brown took Hull City up to the top flight for the very first time but he is no longer managing the Tigers, despite keeping them up in their first season.
The word is that Blackpool- like Burnley-won’t be breaking the bank to stay up. At least Holloway can call on Charlie Adam whose purchase from Rangers was so influential. His success will encourage other players to take a chance under Ian Holloway’s idiosyncratic methods.
The Tangerines will struggle for points next season but it is worth remembering that they were a big club in the 1940s and 1950s- Blackpool may be small fish but they will be difficult to beat at home and may yet cause a few more surprises.
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The clubs contesting this season’s Championship play-off final reached this stage by contrasting routes; one was in the hunt for promotion all season and nearly always in the top six, while the other slipped in on the final day of the campaign.