Passive, lack of intent and gulf in quality: Key talking points from Blackpool’s defeat to Middlesbrough

I’m not sure how else to expand on that, but it’s a statistic that perfectly encapsulates the dark, deep hole Blackpool currently find themselves in.

Take one look at the form book or a bookies’ paper slip and this was a game Blackpool were meant to lose and they did. On that note, nothing remarkable occurred.

But I was still left hugely frustrated with the result but, perhaps more so, the performance.

Intent

Did I really expect Blackpool to go up to the Riverside and win? Probably not. I didn’t think a point was out of the question though.

But it’s not necessarily about the result, because you can play well and lose and vice versa. It’s about intent and the message you convey with your approach.

The feeling I got was that the Seasiders were there to sit back, soak up pressure and hang on for dear life.

A smart tactic, one might think, when you’re facing a side as good as Middlesbrough who are absolutely flying under Michael Carrick. Not quite.

The statistics at half-time made for grim reading – 1-0 Middlesbrough, just 22 per cent possession and no shots on target. It was passive and difficult to watch.

I realise the Seasiders are absolutely shot of confidence at this moment in time, having not won in the league since October, but where was this new manager bounce we were all hanging our hats on?! It was nowhere to be seen.

To Blackpool’s credit, they did end up creating some good chances in the second-half and did have a bit of a go. But even then, the gulf in quality was there for all to see.

The key moment came just before the hour mark when, with Boro still only leading by one, Jerry Yates headed CJ Hamilton’s cross onto the post. Had that gone in, who knows what might have happened?

But literally within seconds the home side raced up the other end of the pitch and doubled their lead through Chuba Akpom’s second of the game.

Gulf in quality

I’d like to say that was the only difference between the two sides, Middlesbrough’s clinical finishing, but that would be lying. Carrick’s men looked every inch a team fighting it out to reach the Premier League while, dare I say it, the Seasiders resembled a plucky League One outfit that were here to spoil and hold on and maybe knick one on the break.

It sounds harsh, it’s blunt and to the point and I certainly take no joy from writing these words, but unfortunately it’s the reality of the situation. A run of 11 games without a win proves the point.

Perhaps I’m penning these words with pent-up frustration still boiling inside of me, frustration born out of a fear the Seasiders are sleep walking their way to relegation. That frustration came to the fore before this game even kicked off, which is never a good sign.

It might seem like a small, trivial thing to most, and it probably is, but I couldn’t help but shake my head as I paid particular close attention to the amateur-ish manner in which Blackpool’s players were taking part in their pre-match warm-up.

Half the substitutes were joking around doing keepie-uppies, while the other half took part in a hastily arranged game of crossbar challenge.

The defenders due to start the game were lazily lobbing the ball to one another from 30/40 yards away with no real tempo or intent. The forwards, meanwhile, were struggling to beat Stuart Moore in their shooting drill over on the other side of the pitch.

To top it all off, Jordan Thorniley attempted to join in with the starting XI’s final warm-down in front of the away end only to realise he wasn’t due to start, resulting in an embarrassing jog away back to the other subs.

It probably had no bearing on the game whatsoever and Blackpool have far more pressing concerns than a wishy-washy warm-up, but still, it maddened me. Set the one, set the standard. Be as professional as you can be.

This is something that has bothered me all season, by the way, so it’s not just creeped in since Mick McCarthy has taken the reigns.

But you glanced at one half of the pitch and you saw a well-oiled unit, a team that knew what their roles were both before and during the game. It wasn’t so long ago Blackpool had that under Neil Critchley, but alas it’s no more.

In the other half, you had what resembled a rabble of players walking around doing their own thing like they’re about to kick-off their local Sunday league game. Come on, you can do better than this.

Every game matters

What also frustrates me is this notion that Tuesday night’s six-pointer against Huddersfield was always the priority. Anything against Middlesbrough would have just been a bonus. Absolutely not.

The Seasiders find themselves in such a perilous position they can’t afford to take this approach. Every game matters and every point counts.

Form and performance level isn’t something you can just switch on and off like a tap. Blackpool have got to be right at it in every game, regardless of opposition.

Even if McCarthy’s men had lost against Middlesbrough but given it a right go, I’d be heading into the Huddersfield game a lot more enthused than I currently am.

As it is, I’m dreading these back-to-back home games coming up in a week that will, as McCarthy rightly said, likely define Blackpool’s season.

If they don’t win at least one of them, it could well be curtains.