Mixed feelings, winless run and clap-gate: Matt Scrafton's verdict on Blackpool's Boxing Day draw against Hull City

In normal circumstances, when you play for over 40 minutes with 10 men you’d certainly take a point.

When Jordan Thorniley was sent off just eight minutes into the second-half I’m sure we were all thinking the same thing: ‘oh no, not again’, while suffering painful flashbacks of that defeat at Wigan before the break.

But with Blackpool leading against a relegation rival, potentially leapfrogging them in the league table and moving out of the bottom three, it stings not to hold on to the three points, especially when Michael Appleton’s side arguably had the better chances to win the game even with a man disadvantage.

A better performance

In isolation, given the circumstances, a draw is absolutely fine. Of the three games Blackpool have played since returning from the break, this was their best performance.

Whatever we think of Appleton’s side, their heart and character can certainly not be questioned.

Appleton pledged to be more aggressive and on the front foot and that’s exactly what we got, with their high pressing directly leading to Sonny Carey’s emphatically-finished goal.

But the fans baying for Appleton to go will scream and shout about the bigger picture, the seven-game winless run and the three-point haul from a possible 21. They’re well within their rights as well.

In the grand scheme of things, a third straight point will do little to alleviate fans’ concerns. It keeps them in the bottom three after missing another big chance to take points off a relegation rival.

Whichever way you look at it, whatever excuse you concoct – and there are plenty, I concede that – six wins from 24 is simply not good enough.

Whatever the outside noise, results will always be the determining factor. But what won’t help Appleton’s case is alienating himself from a fanbase that is already calling for his head.

To clap? Or not to clap?

In some respects, I understand why he chose not to applaud the travelling fans during the last two away games. Given what happened at Wigan, he’s not stupid, he knows he’s going to get dog’s abuse and be told where to go. So why bother?

But the fact we’ve even reached this point barely halfway into the season is sadly telling. But it wasn’t entirely unpredictable either.

Even if the relationship between head coach and fans has totally broken down, you should still show your appreciation.

Last week, the week before Christmas, fans travelled 228 miles down to South Wales for the Cardiff game for an eight-hour round trip only to be ignored by their boss at full-time.

Again, given the chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” and “you don’t know what you’re doing”, you can see why he was so quick to march down the tunnel.

But even if it’s a token gesture of walking halfway and a quick clap, you’ve got to show some sort of appreciation to those who are parting ways with their hard-earned cash.

For it to happen again on Boxing Day, when supporters have taken themselves away from their families and driven two-and-a-half hours there and two-and-a-half hours back, is simply a case of shooting yourself in the foot and bad PR.

For this to even be a discussion point is depressing in itself. In many ways it shouldn’t really matter but in other aspects, it really does. If there’s no connection between the leader of this group and the supporters, then what are we all doing here? Having such a frosty and heated relationship is simply unsustainable.

That’s not to say managers should always be beating the chest, making love-heart gestures and fist pumping after every win, there’s a happy medium to be found. But thanking the fans for coming out to watch your team is the bare minimum. That really shouldn’t be up for debate.

It’s sad really because so many strides have been made in recent years to unite the fanbase. I’m in no way comparing this current on-the-field situation to the club’s struggles under the previous owners, but the last thing the Seasiders need right now when they’re in a relegation dogfight is a divided fanbase.

Quick turnaround

On that note, it will be interesting to see how the supporters respond on Thursday night when promotion-chasing Sheffield United come to town.

So far we’ve only heard dissenting voices at away games, at home it’s just been eerily muted, which is another sad indictment of how Blackpool’s season has gone and how much has changed since Neil Critchley departed in terms of the mood around the club.

It’s one thing 100 or so fans chanting about the manager being sacked at Cardiff, it’s another matter entirely if you have 7 or 8,000 home fans doing it.

Anyway, let’s hope that’s not the case and Blackpool can provide us with a performance that inspires us all against the Blades. And why not? They’ve done it once already this season during the infamous Battle of Bramall Lane.

On paper, their next three league games don’t make for pretty reading, with Sunderland and Watford coming after Paul Heckinbottom’s men.

But in a strange way, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Pool picked up more points from this trio of fixtures than they did against Birmingham, Cardiff and Hull.

We all know Blackpool’s record against sides at the bottom isn’t good, whereas they tend to rise to the occasion when they play supposedly bigger and better clubs. Prior to Boxing Day, for example, five of their six wins had come against teams in the top half of the table.

Fingers crossed that run continues over the coming days. It might need to.