Arsenal vs Blackpool, Premier League Saturday 21st August 2010, kick-off 3:00pm Well what a start to the Premier League. For 2.5 glorious hours Blackpool sat top of the PL table. Little Blackpool were, for a short while anyway, the best side in England!! Until Chelsea decided to hammer West Brom 6-0. Up next after the demolition of Wigan Athletic is the small matter of the Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Gulp. The game will be streamed live again on various websites. More news through the week.
I admit it. I voted for Arsenal. I believe they will win this one. I am however, rooting for the Seasiders. I'll be watching it on ESPN 2 probably wearing two kits...lol
Well I only voted for Blackpool out of blind faith and stupidity!!! BFC this afternoon confirmed that 2,151 tickets have so far been sold out of their allocation which I think is 3,000. I fully expect all 3,000 to be sold.
Referee for the game is Mike Jones. The Chester-born referee was in the middle for the Fl championship 0-0 draw between Leicester City and Middlesbrough last weekend.
The MyP2P page for the game which will have links to live streams on the day of the game. http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=83713&part=sports
Israeli international defender Dekel Keinan who finally joined Blackpool today, will go straight into the squad for the game.
Every time I hear (read) Ian Holloway talking...it's just amazing. He refuses to get carried away. He refuses to accept the uber praise. He talks about how well his players are doing. He's built for this role... The man is a genius.
Ollie is certainly a character and when we got promoted one of the things that the national media were all looking forward to was inteverviewing him this season as a PL manager! Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri will miss the game as he is out of action for a month following minor surgery.
Well done Blackpool and here's to giving us Gunners a spirited match! I wish you luck in the form of staying healthy and it being a great game. We need to be careful not to take you lightly, which is my biggest fear. Your team might sneak up on a few this season. Hope it's not us....
For some strange reason I'm getting a very good feeling about this match...I had a good feeling about the last one as well.
BFC confirmed this morning that 2,537 tickets had been sold so far and that they would possibly go on general sale this afternoon.(*) (*)Blackpool have a strict policy for selling tickets for away games this season. They are sold in this order 1. Season ticket holders of four years or more 2. Season ticket holders of three years or more 3. Season ticket holders of two years or more 4. Season ticket holders of one year or more 5. General sale (if any tickets are left of course)
Neat!! Thank you for posting things like this. As usual, as the ignorant American soccer fan that I am, we don't have these things, and we're not privy to them. My good friend told me yesterday that he and his friend one season when they were young men living at home in college, went to every Blackpool match in a season...all home and all away. I can't even imagine that.
Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpoing is out of the game and out of action for six to nine months with a cruciate ligament injury.
Arsenal may have four players back for the visit of Blackpool on Saturday. Alex Song (calf), Johan Djourou (hamstring), Denilson (abdominal) all missed the 1-1 draw at Anfield last weekend through injury while Cesc Fabregas also sat out the game because he lacked match fitness. Robin Van Persie did feature as a substitute but he, too, is working his way back after his World Cup travails. They could all be involved at Emirates Stadium this weekend. The only real question mark is over the Brazilian but the manager did suggest he would not rush back the two finalists from South Africa. Nicklas Bendtner (groin), Samir Nasri (knee), Emmanuel Frimpong (knee) and Aaron Ramsey (leg) will miss the game. Laurent Koscielny is suspended after his dismissal at Liverpool on Sunday.
If they are missing Denilson, Fabregas, Song, Nasri, Bendtner, and Ramsey...you guys could have a real chance. Those are a lot of their better players.
Cesc was actually sick for the Liverpool game, or he would have been on the bench. I don't know if he will start against Blackpool - although with Nasri's injury, it's more likely that he will.
Keeper Paul Rachubka will not be part of the squad following a knee operation. Also missing the trip to the Emirates is striker Jason Euell.