THOUGHTS ON BLACKPOOL CUPTIE

Are Saints going to reach Round 4 or be beaten by the new Premiership side?

I still remember being at the Dell for the 3rd round cuptie when Saints lost 1-2 to Blackpool and Stanley Matthews.

I don't like saying it, and it does go against the grain to do so because I despise losing, but I honestly would not be bothered if we went out of the cup tomorrow. Unfortunately, reports suggest that Holloway is bringing down a much changed team for the tie in order to keep his best players for the Premier League. I wish Nigel Adkins would do the same because I really feel that a cup run will be a hindrance and nothing more to our promotion ambitions. Not only that it also brings the risk of losing key players to injury or suspensions; it could be argued that so does the league but the cup is an extra load of games we don't need.
If it's heading for a draw and a replay I wouldn't care if one of our players booted the ball into his own net! Replays are not needed right now.

Stanley Matthews? That's going back a bit.

Should be a good game to watch as assume both sides will want to win and attack. Think Adkins will rest a couple of players, would not be surprised to see Bart in goal, Martin and Seaborne at CB, Dickson to start at LB. Gobern might get an outing and think Barnard will start possibly with Guly.

totally agree on a replay, might run on the pitch and score a deciding goal myself! I think Blackpool wont field as many youngsters as Holloway has implied, never believe anything he says. Best bet pummell in first half, get 4 goals up then rest players for second half.

Jason Puncheon is in the team after returning to the club when his loan at Millwall expired. The team is Bialkowski, Richardson, Seaborne, Martin, Harding, Puncheon, Hammond, Schneiderlin, Lallana, Lambert and Barnard.

H/T 0-0. We've certainly had the best of the half, we dominated but not scored although we had some good chances and Lambert hit the bar. A good performance, even if Blackpool have made huge changes (but so have Saints).


Other key scores: The skates are losing 2-0 to Brighton and have had Kitson sent off (straight red). The Few have also had a number of players booked. Brighton should have had a few more goals by the sounds of things.

Boscombe are leading Plymouth 2-0 and are keeping our 2nd spot warm for us as things stand.