Keshi, take a bow... : the Mighty vs Barnsley

I'm not sure how today will go. The problem is two-fold. a) a prediction might end up accidentally being a curse and b) it's difficult to account for the essential 'Blackpooliness' of any Blackpool side. 

Years of experience has told me to imagine the opposite of whatever I think will happen. So, whilst part of me thinks we'll beat them, part of me also thinks we'll lose. Usually I can weigh the two parts and come up with a definitive feeling about the game but right now, they're in a position of complete stalemate and thus a draw is the only thing I can conclude. 

I think that's probably as clear to anyone as XG and that. Basically, you put a finger in the air and sense the feeling of the gods. 

The above quality analysis outlines a typical expected set of outcomes that arise from arriving at Bloomfield thinking 'we'll murder these useless cloggers' 

Below we analyse what is likely to be the result of thinking 'shit - we're going to get battered today'

I think most Pool fans would probably recognise there's a grain of truth in this system of thought. 

That said, the fact the seaweed and tea leaves speak of 'a draw.' isn't the end of it. Do I trust myself or second guess myself again? Is there an opposite of 'a draw' - Every action (i.e predicting a draw,) has an equal and opposite reaction. So there must be. But what is it? I hope it's not that the match doesn't happen because everyone gets stuck at a petrol station, society grinds to a halt and by this time next week, we're sharpening sticks and fighting for the fattest pigeon in order to feed our families whilst dismantling our furniture so we can burn it and stave off the coming winter chills for a few more hours. 

Hopefully not. But it would at least be a bit of a novelty. 

I fancy a fairly similar line up, Jezza or Gaz for TJJ who needs a break to reflect on his game and come back firing. I wonder if Carey will get a bit of time anytime soon. I also wonder if Barnsley is the most Yorkshire place on earth. It seems more Yorkshire than Geoff Boycott discussing frugality with Nora Batty whilst drinking a massive pint of mild very slowly in a flat cap whilst mill workers and miners file past on a dour terraced street with a brass band playing. It's therefore weird that they're now all fancy and continental. It seems not unreasonable that someone should have passed a decree that Paul Heckingbottom had to manage them forever just because we knew where we were with them then. 

Anyway. We're all none the wiser after this ridiculous and frankly shite opening bit. All we've learned is I've got fuck all idea what will happen today. What will follow, will follow. Cos it's Blackpool. And that's the way we like it. 

C'MON YOU POOOOOOOOOL 

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Critch has picked the same team two games running. That's weirder than if he had stuck Sarkic in central defence. We knock it forward. Tyreece John-Jules doesn't win a header. Hmmm. Barnsley put us on the back foot with a passing move of rare, swift beauty, a veritable white rose of one touch mobile football. This could be a long afternoon. 

John-Jules is back in my good books with a clever flick over his shoulder. Bowler is doing that thing where he looks like he's lost it then you realise he's through. Maybe it won't be so bad after all. Keshi bursts through, going wide, cutting in, squeezing between two players and squaring to Lavery who should do more than hit the keeper. Lavery himself explodes down the right and puts in a lovely cross that's turned away for a corner with John-Jules lurking dangerously.  

Barnsley create a moment of abject horror, the ball lifted across the box and then headed back across it, with pinball speed, it looks as if the ball might drop for a Tyke but one of our players levers it away. 

Chris Maxwell drop kicks and lands it right where Lavery wants it. He's a cross between a Ferrari and a tank and he nearly forces himself through, the ball breaks for Bowler, he's is stopped, but now it's with Dougall who slips John-Jules away but the keeper is out sharply and smothering it. 

We're playing well, Kenny is back to his kingly bast and he spreads it well to Anderson who finds Garbutt coming from nowhere and who has two efforts but can't smuggle the ball past the keeper. Closer. Keshi has it wide left, there's not much on, he's going nowhere in particular but then he pulls out a trick, a miraculous little flourish, a perfectly weighted back heel into the path of Lavery who cuts inside and puts the ball just inside the far post. A beautiful razor blade precise finish. Yes! 

It's a sensational goal. Keshi's assist was ridiculous, like something from Brazilian beach football and Lavery's finish is as deadly as the bite of a funnel web spider. We're on fire at the moment, the ball is threaded to John-Jules, he hits the keeper, it rebounds, we pass it about and it finds its way to Garbutt. The ball is lofted across, John-Jules, smarting at his earlier poor finish launches himself into a spectacular effort but only succeeds in putting off Josh Bowler who is coming in unmarked and ends up blasting it over the top, possibly because there's a reasonable chance he might have ended up with Tyreese's boot in his face. Barnsley have been quiet but then a swift interchange and they're in, it's hit smartly, hard, low and across towards the opposite corner, just about a perfect hit that screams 'goal' but Chris Maxwell springs across, stretching and falling and turning it away. He used to play for Preston and they gave him away but he's now above them in the league and he's alright now.

At some point an alarming announcement about missiles is made but squint as I do, I can't make out any rocket launchers. ---

We've been good, there's a sense of us playing with a bit of, if not exactly swagger, definitely a bit of verve and invention. We're trying stuff, we're varying the way we go forward. We're much quicker to move the ball and it's good to see. We've been better than them in the way Huddersfield were better than us. Marvin's distribution has been a real positive, Sterling has looked assured and very good on the ball, always ready to receive and not needing an invitation to go forward. Just before half time I decide Ryan Wintle is my new favourite player because he's the only one of our lot wearing black football boots. I've also noticed we've put in a lot of clever little spoling fouls high up the pitch to stop their moves forming like Huddersfield did to us. Either Critch is reading my blog or, more likely, seen as I'm constantly berating him for idiotically picking winning teams, he noticed that all by himself. ---

Early in the second half two things stand out. 1) Chris Maxwell is unbelievable good at time wasting and 2) Richard Keogh is twice brilliant defensively. He makes one perfectly timed tackle but it's the time he gets run at and instead of entering into a footrace just anticipates what their lad will do and runs to where he will be instead of chasing him and blocks off the cross. 

They're looking a bit handier this half and flash an effort not far over the top. That rouses us and Keshi looks to add a goal of the season to his assist of the decade, slaloming through a crowd and driving it low and just wide.  

The irrepressible Anderson then slips away Lavery who hits the keeper again. If he could finish like he did earlier every time he'd have had a hatrick by now. To be fair, if he finished that well every time, he'd have about 20 this year already and Dixie Dean would be anxiously wondering if he was about to be usurped in the record books.

They're pressing. They're winning a corner. John Jules is heading clear, Keshi is into the tackle, the ball bounces weirdly, it hits him in the face, he stumbles, but Keshi is made of strong stuff and he's springing up and he's running, inside his half, over the halfway line, drifting wide then arrowing for the middle, he's gone for what seems like miles, he's absolutely brilliant and only a ball a yard too heavy for Garbutt robs us of a second utterly brilliant assist from our sensational no 10. I don't know if it's me, but he seems to have slimmed down and gained a yard of pace. Last year he always reminded me of a man in a barrel falling down a waterfall and clattering off rocks with his squat stature and combative style but he seems a more svelte, more graceful figure this season. Less muscular and more athletic, pace more explosive and therefore seemingly with a little more time of his own making.

Barnsley come into it again. Marvin is good but Keogh is like one man defence for 5 minutes. He heads, he blocks, he slides. He springs up and points at things. It occurs to me that I may have written less than charitable words about him once upon a time. I feel bad. I shout 'Keooooooooogh' to make up for it. No one joins in. It serves me right. They're messing around, fiddling it across the box. Marvin steps out and makes a sensational challenge. I love Marvin. 

Garbs takes a free kick 40 yards out on the left. Lavery darts and gets the header wrong. I think it's harsh to knock his finishing because he makes what would be a tenth of a chance to some players into more than a half chance for him. He just keeps turning up. He's horrible to play against. Fast, strong, deceptively good in the air because of his spring loaded leap.

Keshi gets clattered on his ankle and limps about. We're playing those defensive triangles and then we pass to him. He's on one leg so, not surprisingly he loses the ball. Barnsley pass and pass and then slip it through but Marvin makes one of those insanely well timed challenges where he seems to turn into liquid as he slides in gracefully and nips the ball of the the toes of the forward.

Barnsley gain a corner. Barnsley waste the corner. Styles lashes it away in a proper tantrum. You love to see it. The Tykes are getting tetchy. A pointless foul is committed on Sterling. Garbutt takes the free kick deep from the right Marvin rises. Lavery is on to the knock down but it's wide again.

Madine comes on to join Lavery. Nasty. A bull and a wasp. Madine wins hearts with some shithousery including a terrific tumble to the ground looking all hurt and innocent after he's just bundled someone over but it isn't the Goal Machine's best ever display. He does have a far post effort saved late on but the ball doesn't stick to him like it can do and we come under increasing pressure.  

Barnsley press more, they slide a funny flat ball across, a player darts to the near post, he hits it hard but Maxwell brilliantly anticipates and flings himself forward into the path of the ball and it bounces away - he was like an ice hockey keeper almost. He's just fucking magic. A minute or so later he tips over a horrible hanging cross at the last minute and from the corner they rise at far post and head one that goes just past the near. It's getting tense. Critch goes for 5-3-2 sending on wor Jimmy and Demi Mitchell.

Demi is looking really good. He seems to have borrowed the magic boots that Josh Bowler sometimes wears. The ball is velcroed to his feet as he races about just taking it where ever he wants. Bansley still press. Keogh has a sliding tackle from heaven to block a chance. The ball breaks, they run through. Some one goes down but to everyone's delight there's a yellow card for a dive as he went down with no one actually within two yards of him.

 

There's one more half chance. There's another Keogh slide. One last side parting sweep. There's flares burning. Chris Maxwell lying on the ground having seen the ball past his post. He kills time. Demi has another touch with his magnetic boots. There's the whistle! YESSSSS!

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That was a deserved win. We did have to hold on a bit at the end and thank fuck we have a brilliant keeper but there's a lot to praise. Lavery is tireless (though to be fair, he did look tired by the end,) Marvin continues to be superb, both full backs played a big role in giving us width, Bowler is a delight to watch even though he's also deeply frustrating at times, the midfield pair were excellent with Dougall in particular distributing the ball really well but for me, the star men were Keogh who was brilliant second half and Keshi who was magnificent for an hour and showed invention, daring and constant innovation.

 To think we started without Yates and Mitchell, without Grettarson, without Stewart and others and played well, again beating an established championship side and being the better side should give us cause for optimism. The best thing was, we made chances and the crowd really warmed to that. Mistakes were made but the atmosphere was never darkened. There's something really admirable about how these players continue to grow and really admirable about how Critchley keeps feeding them with whatever it is you feed footballers with to make them better. Keshi and Marvin were 4th division players when he took them. Keogh was finished. Lavery had never played league football. They were utter class today. Again.

All hail the impish one...

utmp

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