2012–13 Blackpool F.C. season

Blackpool F.C.
2012–13 season
Chairman Karl Oyston
Manager Ian Holloway (until 3 November)
Steve Thompson (caretaker) (3 November – 7 November & 11 January – 18 February)
Michael Appleton (7 November – 11 January)
Paul Ince (18 February)
Stadium Bloomfield Road
Blackpool, England
(Capacity: 17,338)
Football League Championship 15th
FA Cup Round Three1
League Cup Round One
Top goalscorer League:
Tom Ince (18)
All:
Tom Ince (18)
← 2011–12 2013–14 →

The 2012–13 season was Blackpool F.C.'s second-consecutive season in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English professional football, and their 104th overall season in the Football League. They finished in 15th position. Tom Ince was the club's top scorer, with eighteen goals in all competitions.

Ian Holloway, in his fourth season, was manager until 3 November. He left to join Crystal Palace, at which point his assistant, Steve Thompson, took over in a caretaker capacity. On 7 November, after a second game in charge for Thompson, Blackpool appointed Michael Appleton in the role in a permanent capacity, on a one-year rolling contract. He became Blackpool's thirtieth full-time manager. Appleton, in turn, left the club for Blackburn Rovers on 11 January. Steve Thompson again took over as caretaker. One month and one week later, Paul Ince was appointed manager, again on a rolling contract.

Season summary

Pre-season

Over the summer, the club released five players: forwards Lomana LuaLua, Daniel Bogdanović, Roman Bednář and Brett Ormerod, and defender Matt Hill. In addition, four loan players returned to their parent clubs: defender Danny Wilson, midfielder John Fleck, and forwards Nouha Dicko and Stephen Dobbie. Elliot Grandin, however, returned from an extended loan to Nice in his native France.

Blackpool made right-back Jake Caprice their first signing on 9 July. He arrived on a free transfer from Crystal Palace.

On 20 July, midfielder Isaiah Osbourne joined from Hibernian for a fee of ₤250,000.

Five days later, Portuguese midfielder Tiago Gomes was signed on a free transfer.

The following day, midfielder Keith Southern, the club's longest-serving current player, was sold to Huddersfield Town for £300,000, reuniting with his former manager at Blackpool, Simon Grayson. A testimonial match in honour of Southern's ten years of service to the Tangerines took place on 5 August. Everton were the visitors to Bloomfield Road, and Southern played the first fifteen minutes and the last fifteen minutes of the tie. The hosts won 2–0.

On 27 July, Ian Holloway made his fourth signing in Dundee United's 27-year-old Scotland international midfielder Scott Robertson. He arrived on a free transfer, and became the eighth Scot in the Blackpool squad.

As of 28 July, Ian Holloway had a first-team squad of 34 at his disposal. This included the four former Youth players who were handed professional contracts. They were forward Alex Addai, defender Matt Challoner, and midfielders Jamie Menagh and Curtis Thompson. While the squad were at their pre-season training camp in Portugal, Craig Sutherland suffered a knee injury that will put him out of action for twelve months.[1]

The first of Blackpool's three pre-season friendlies took place at Wrexham, managed by former 'Pool striker Andy Morrell, on 28 July. Goals from Kevin Phillips and new signing Scott Robertson gave the visitors a 2–1 victory. Recent departure Brett Ormerod started for Wrexham, while Morrell came on as a second-half substitute after being urged on by the visiting support.[2]

Season proper

On 18 June, the Football League fixtures were published. Blackpool had four Lancashire-derby fixtures this campaign, with Blackburn Rovers having been relegated from the Premier League last season. They joined Burnley as Blackpool's rivals in the Red Rose County.

Blackpool officially kicked off their season on 12 August, with a League Cup first-round fixture against Morecambe at Bloomfield Road. The first-ever competitive meeting between the two Fylde Coast clubs ended with victory for the visitors. The Shrimps took the lead inside six minutes via Lewis Alessandra. Andrew Fleming doubled their lead eleven minutes into the second half. Alex Baptiste scored what proved to be a consolation for the hosts with thirteen minutes remaining.[3]

On 14 August, Blackpool completed a trio of signings. Danish-Algerian striker Adda Djeziri, who had played under Ian Holloway at Leicester City, joined from Viborg. Spaniard Alberto Noguera, a midfielder, signed from Atlético Madrid, while fellow midfielder, Englishman James Caton, also put pen to paper. All three had been on trial with the club.[4]

On the eve of their first League game of the season, striker Nouha Dicko re-joined the club on a season-long loan from Wigan Athletic,[5] thus making the first-team squad total 38.

The following day, a 2–0 victory at Millwall put Blackpool joint-top of the table with Burnley.[6]

Blackpool maintained their 100% start to the League campaign with a 2–1 win at home to Leeds United. Tom Lees put the visitors ahead in the 16th minute. The score remained the same until fifteen minutes from time, when Nouha Dicko opened his account for the season. Substitute Matt Phillips, reinstated to the matchday squad after submitting a transfer request at the weekend, netted the winner five minutes later. The win kept the Seasiders top of the table, two points clear of Sheffield Wednesday.[7]

On 23 August, Ivorian forward Anderson Banvo and Frenchman Brice Irie-Bi joined the club on one-year contracts. They will start out in the Seasiders' development squad.[8]

They made it three wins out of three with a 6–0 whitewash of Ipswich Town four days later.[9]

On 31 August, transfer-deadline day, Blackpool signed Nathan Eccleston from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee and Nathan Delfouneso from Aston Villa on a season-long loan.[10]

Blackpool's 100% start to the League campaign was ended on 1 September, with a single-goal defeat at Ian Holloway's former club Leicester City — a disputed penalty the difference. Blackpool remained top despite the defeat, however.[11]

On 4 September, former Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot joined the club on a free transfer, becoming the ninth Scot at Ian Holloway's disposal.[12]

After a two-week break due to internationals, Blackpool travelled to Barnsley on 15 September. They came away with a draw — Tom Ince scoring his fifth goal in as many League games — and were knocked off the top of the table by Blackburn Rovers. Nathan Delfouneso became the 22nd player used by Ian Holloway in the club's five games thus far.[13]

Three days later, the Seasiders hosted Middlesbrough at Bloomfield Road. A double from Nathan Delfouneso, on his full debut, inside 40 minutes put Blackpool into the driving seat. Andre Bikey pulled one back on the stroke of half-time. Tom Ince made it 3–1 ten minutes into the second half, in the process making himself the division's leading scorer, with six goals. Elliot Grandin made it 4–1 from the penalty spot after he was fouled. The win kept Blackpool in second place, behind Blackburn Rovers, in what was their best start to a League season in 57 years.[14]

Two successive defeats ensued – 3–1 at home to Huddersfield Town, managed by former Blackpool boss Simon Grayson, and 3–0 at Cardiff City.

A victory, at Hull City on 2 October, followed, but a third defeat in four games occurred at home to Charlton Athletic. After that result, Blackpool lay in eighth position, six points behind leaders Cardiff City.

Four days later, Charlton Athletic dealt Blackpool their second-consecutive home defeat.

A fourth loss in five outings occurred two weeks later, after an international break. It was a Lancashire derby against Burnley at Turf Moor. Charlie Austin netted the only goal of the game inside twenty minutes.

Two successive home draws followed — against Nottingham Forest on 23 October and against Brighton & Hove Albion four days later.

Ian Holloway resigned as manager on the morning of 3 November, a match day at Derby County, to become the new manager of Crystal Palace. Assistant manager Steve Thompson took charge in a caretaker capacity for the fixture, but Holloway's team selection stuck. Blackpool lost 4–1, their sixth defeat of their fourteen League games.

Thompson remained in charge for the following game, in which Blackpool balanced their win/loss record with a 2–0 victory at Sheffield Wednesday.

Portsmouth manager Michael Appleton was named as Holloway's successor on 7 November. His first game in charge was at home to Bolton Wanderers three days later. The match finished 2–2.

A week later, Blackpool travelled to Bristol City and came home with a point after a 1–1 draw. A Tom Ince penalty — his tenth goal of the campaign — in the closing seconds of the game kept Appleton's unbeaten start intact. Blackpool climbed to 12th place in the table with the result.

A third-successive draw followed, at home to Watford on 24 November. The Hornets went two goals ahead before the half-hour mark, but the hosts fought back to take a point with second-half strikes from Kevin Phillips and, in the final seconds of the game, Isaiah Osbourne.

Three days later, Blackpool hosted Birmingham City. Tom Ince opened the scoring on 17 minutes, but Curtis Davies put City level three minutes into the second half. Blackpool sat sixteenth with the point.

Into December, and Michael Appleton notched his first win with a 4–1 scoreline at Peterborough United. Wes Thomas, on loan from Bournemouth, put the visitors ahead on 51 minutes with his first goal for the Tangerines. Seven minutes later, Tom Ince doubled Blackpool's lead from the penalty spot. Dwight Gayle pulled one back for the Posh on 71 minutes, but Nouha Dicko restored Blackpool's two-goal cushion ten minutes later. Two minutes from time, Ince scored his second and Blackpool's fourth. The win lifted Blackpool to eleventh.

On 8 December, Blackpool travelled to Ian Holloway's Crystal Palace. Nathan Delfouneso gave Blackpool the lead on 37 minutes. Owen Garvan equalised seven minutes in the second half. Glenn Murray put Palace ahead for the first time just after the hour mark, but substitute Nouha Dicko scored in the final minute to maintain Michael Appleton's unbeaten start to his Blackpool career.

On 15 December, Blackpool faced Blackburn Rovers at Bloomfield Road. Wes Thomas scored his second goal of the season on 22 minutes. Kirk Broadfoot opened his scoring account for Blackpool with an 81st-minute header to give Blackpool the three points and extend their unbeaten run to eight.

Wolves visited the seaside on 21 December, and came out the victors 2–1 in what was the halfway point of the campaign. Captain Alex Baptiste was Blackpool's scorer.

Blackpool crossed the Pennines on Boxing Day to face Huddersfield Town. The spoils were shared in a 1–1 draw, Nathan Delfouneso scoring for the visitors.

For their last fixture of 2012, Blackpool travelled north-east to take on Middlesbrough. They lost 4–2, with Wes Thomas and Chris Basham getting their goals.

New Year's Day saw Hull City switch coasts. They returned to Humberside with a point after a goalless draw.

On 11 January, after just two months in charge of the Seasiders, Michael Appleton quit to take over at Blackburn Rovers, leaving Karl Oyston the task of looking for a new manager for the second time this season.

Steve Thompson was again put in temporary charge for the trip to Charlton Athletic the following day. The Tangerines lost 2–1, with Nathan Eccleston netting his first Blackpool goal.

A week later, eventual champions Cardiff City travelled up the coast, looking to complete a double over Blackpool. They succeeded, with a 2–1 scoreline. gary Taylor-Fletcher scored the hosts' goal. Blackpool had now gone six games without a victory.

This was remedied on 26 January with a victory at Wolves. Tom Ince scored both Blackpool goals in the 2–1 scoreline.

Another defeat followed, however — this time at home to Barnsley, who went on to finish bottom of the table. Ince scored Blackpool's goal.

On 9 February, Blackpool beat Millwall 2–1 at Bloomfield Road. Ince, with his fourth goal in three games, and Nathan Delfouneso did the damage for Blackpool.

A long trip to Ipswich Town on 16 February proved fruitless, the Seasiders going down by a single goal.

Paul Ince was named as Michael Appleton's successor on 18 February, and his first match in charge was at Leeds United two days later. They lost 2–0.

Two goalless home draws followed — against Leicester City and Bristol City — leaving Blackpool without a goal to their name in 360 minutes of football.

Another draw, this time 1–1, at Birmingham City occurred on 5 March. Kirk Broadfoot opened his scoring account for Blackpool.

Paul Ince's first victory came on 9 March, at Watford, thanks to goals from Ince junior and Gary MacKenzie.

This was cancelled out, however, with a defeat the following week, at home to Peterborough United, another side relegated at the end of the campaign.

Blackpool made the short trip to Blackburn Rovers on 29 March. They would have expected to face former manager Michael Appleton, but he was relieved of his duties the previous week after 67 days in charge. The match finished 1–1. Gary MacKenzie found the net for the second-successive game.

They did face a former manager in the next game, when Ian Holloway brought his Crystal Palace side to Bloomfield Road. Despite having Barry Ferguson sent off just before half time, Matt Phillips' goal was enough to give the hosts a valuable three points.

A visit to Nottingham Forest on 6 April resulted in a point from a 1–1 draw. Ludovic Sylvestre scored for the Seasiders.

Local rivals Burnley visited the seaside on 13 April. Blackpool exacted revenge for the defeat at Turf Moor in the reverse fixture with a single-goal victory. Ludovic Sylvestre scored the goal.

A third clean sheet in four games followed with a goalless draw at home to Sheffield Wednesday.

Blackpool travelled to the south coast to face Brighton on 20 April, and they suffered their heaviest defeat in recent memory after Gus Poyet's men ran out 6–1 winners. The hosts scored all seven goals: Hammond put through his own goal.

Paul Ince got his fourth win the following week with a 2–1 scoreline against Derby County. Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Ludovic Sylvestre were on the mark for the hosts.

Blackpool's season was brought to a close with a 2–2 draw at Bolton Wanderers on 4 May. They led 2–0 before Bolton struck twice just before half time to level matters. Matt Phillips scored Blackpool's first, before Ludovic Sylvestre, with his fourth goal in six games, doubled the lead. The draw resulted in Wanderers' dropping out of the play-off zone in favour of Leicester City.

Results

Pre-season

The Championship

League Cup

FA Cup

Statistics

Appearances and goals

As of 4 May 2013
No. Pos Nat Player TotalLeague FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Scotland Matt Gilks 47 0 44+0 0 2+0 0 1+0 0
2 DF England Paul Bignot 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
3 DF Scotland Stephen Crainey 45 0 42+0 0 1+1 0 1+0 0
4 MF Scotland Scott Robertson 1 0 1+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
4 DF England Reece Wabara (loan) 1 0 0+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
5 DF Wales Neal Eardley 26 0 20+3 0 2+0 0 1+0 0
6 DF England Ian Evatt 12 0 11+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0
7 MF Scotland Matt Phillips 35 4 28+6 4 0+0 0 1+0 0
8 MF Portugal Tiago Gomes 26 0 20+4 0 0+1 0 0+1 0
9 FW England Kevin Phillips 18 2 9+8 2 1+0 0 0+0 0
10 MF France Elliot Grandin 13 3 6+6 3 0+0 0 0+1 0
11 MF England Tom Ince 46 18 41+2 18 2+0 0 1+0 0
12 MF England Gary Taylor-Fletcher 36 5 27+7 5 1+0 0 1+0 0
14 MF Guadeloupe Ludovic Sylvestre 31 5 21+7 4 1+1 1 1+0 0
15 DF England Alex Baptiste 45 2 42+0 1 2+0 0 1+0 1
16 MF Scotland Barry Ferguson 20 0 19+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0
17 MF England Chris Basham 27 1 23+2 1 2+0 0 0+0 0
18 MF England Isaiah Osbourne 29 1 22+5 1 2+0 0 0+0 0
19 MF Spain Alberto Noguera 1 0 0+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
20 DF Northern Ireland Craig Cathcart 26 1 22+3 1 0+1 0 0+0 0
21 GK England Mark Halstead 2 0 1+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
22 DF England Ashley Eastham 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
23 MF Argentina Gerardo Bruna 1 0 0+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
24 FW Scotland Craig Sutherland 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
25 GK Scotland Chris Kettings 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
26 MF England Liam Tomsett 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
27 FW England Tom Barkhuizen 1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+1 0
28 MF England Adam Dodd 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
29 MF England Jamie Menagh 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
30 FW England Louis Almond 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
31 MF Spain Ángel Martínez 22 0 17+4 0 0+0 0 1+0 0
32 MF England Curtis Thompson 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
33 DF Scotland Bob Harris 5 0 3+1 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
34 FW England Alex Addai 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
35 DF England Jake Caprice 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
36 DF England Matt Challoner 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
37 MF England James Caton 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
38 FW France Nouha Dicko (loan) 21 5 2+19 5 0+0 0 0+0 0
38 FW England Matt Derbyshire (loan) 12 0 4+8 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
39 FW England Wes Thomas (loan) 8 3 6+2 3 0+0 0 0+0 0
39 FW Scotland Gary MacKenzie (loan) 12 2 12+0 2 0+0 0 0+0 0
40 FW England Nathan Delfouneso (loan) 41 7 22+17 6 2+0 1 0+0 0
41 FW England Nathan Eccleston 8 1 0+6 1 1+1 0 0+0 0
42 DF Scotland Kirk Broadfoot 33 1 31+0 1 2+0 0 0+0 0
43 FW Bulgaria Márkó Futács (loan) 3 0 0+3 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
— FW Ivory Coast Anderson Banvo 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
— FW Algeria Adda Djeziri 0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0

Players used: 32
Goals scored: 65 (62 League; 2 FA Cup; 1 League Cup) (includes two own-goals)

Note: Players in italics are no longer with Blackpool

League table

# Team Pld W D L F A GD Pts
C Cardiff City 46 25 12 9 72 45 +27 87
P Hull City 46 24 7 15 61 52 +9 79
3 Watford 46 23 8 15 85 58 +27 77
4 Brighton & Hove Albion 46 19 18 9 69 43 +26 75
P Crystal Palace 46 19 15 12 73 62 +11 72
6 Leicester City 46 19 11 16 71 48 +23 68
7 Bolton Wanderers 46 18 14 14 69 61 +8 68
8 Nottingham Forest 46 17 16 13 63 59 +4 67
9 Charlton Athletic 46 17 14 15 65 59 +6 65
10 Derby County 46 16 13 17 65 62 +3 61
11 Burnley 46 16 13 17 62 60 +2 61
12 Birmingham City 46 15 16 15 63 69 −6 61
13 Leeds United 46 17 10 19 57 66 −9 61
14 Ipswich Town 46 16 12 18 48 61 −13 60
15 Blackpool 46 14 17 15 62 63 −1 59
16 Middlesbrough 46 18 5 23 61 70 −9 59
17 Blackburn Rovers 46 14 16 16 55 62 −7 58
18 Sheffield Wednesday 46 16 10 20 53 61 −8 58
19 Huddersfield Town 46 15 13 18 53 73 −20 58
20 Millwall 46 15 11 20 51 62 −11 56
21 Barnsley 46 14 13 19 56 70 −14 55
R Peterborough United 46 15 9 22 66 75 −9 54
R Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 14 9 23 55 69 −14 51
R Bristol City 46 11 8 27 59 84 −25 41
Promotion to Premier League
Qualification to Championship playoffs
Relegation to League One
Last updated: 13:56, 4 May 2013 (UTC)

Transfers

Players in

Player Position From Fee Date Source
Jake Caprice DF — Free 9 July 2012 [15]
Isaiah Osbourne MF Hibernian £250,000 20 July 2012 [16]
Tiago Gomes MF — Free 25 July 2012 [17]
Scott Robertson MF — Free 27 July 2012 [18]
James Caton MF — Free 14 August 2012 [19]
Adda Djeziri FW — Free 14 August 2012 [19]
Alberto Noguera MF — Free 14 August 2012 [19]
Nouha Dicko FW Wigan Athletic Season-long loan 17 August 2012
Anderson Banvo FW — Free 23 August 2012 [8]
Brice Irie-Bi FW — Free 23 August 2012 [8]
Nathan Eccleston FW Liverpool Undisclosed 31 August 2012 [10]
Nathan Delfouneso FW Aston Villa Season-long loan 31 August 2012 [10]
Kirk Broadfoot DF — Free 4 September 2012 [12]
Wes Thomas FW Bournemouth Loan 23 November 2012
Matt Derbyshire FW Nottingham Forest Loan 25 January 2013
Reece Wabara DF Manchester City Loan 31 January 2013
Gary MacKenzie DF MK Dons Loan 1 March 2013
Marko Futacs FW Leicester City Loan

Players out

Player Position To Fee Date Source
Keith Southern MF Huddersfield Town £300,000 26 July 2012 [20]
Tom Barkhuizen FW Fleetwood Town On loan until January 29 August 2012 [21]
Ashley Eastham DF Fleetwood Town One-month loan 29 August 2012 [21]
Ashley Eastham DF Notts County One-month loan 5 October 2012
Barry Ferguson MF Fleetwood Town Three-month loan October 2012
Scott Robertson MF Released 26 January 2013
  • ^1 Entered competition in Third Round

References

  1. ↑ "Sutherland Out For Season" - Blackpool's official website, 27 July 2012
  2. ↑ "Blackpool Beat Wrexham In Friendly" - Blackpool's official website, 28 July 2012
  3. ↑ "Blackpool 1–2 Morecambe" - BBC Sport, 12 August 2012
  4. ↑ "Blackpool sign Djeziri, Noguera and Caton" - BBC Sport, 14 August 2012
  5. ↑ "Nouha Dicko rejoins Blackpool on loan from Wigan Athletic" - BBC Sport, 18 August 2012
  6. ↑ "Millwall 0–2 Blackpool" - BBC Sport, 18 August 2012
  7. ↑ "Blackpool 2–1 Leeds" - BBC Sport, 21 August 2012
  8. 1 2 3 "Tangerines sign French pair" - SkySports.com, 23 August 2012
  9. ↑ "Blackpool 6–0 Ipswich" - BBC Sport, 25 August 2012
  10. 1 2 3 "Blackpool sign Nathan Eccleston and Nathan Delfouneso" - BBC Sport, 31 August 2012
  11. ↑ "Leicester 1–0 Blackpool" - BBC Sport, 1 September 2012
  12. 1 2 "Blackpool sign former Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot" - BBC Sport, 4 September 2012
  13. ↑ "Barnsley 1–1 Blackpool" - BBC Sport, 15 September 2012
  14. ↑ "Blackpool 4–1 Middlesbrough" - BBC Sport, 18 September 2012
  15. ↑ "Blackpool sign ex-Crystal Palace defender Jake Caprice", BBC Sport, 9 July 2012
  16. ↑ "Blackpool sign Hibernian midfielder Isaiah Osbourne", BBC Sport, 20 July 2012
  17. ↑ "Blackpool sign Portuguese midfielder Tiago Gomes", BBC Sport, 25 July 2012
  18. ↑ "Blackpool sign Scott Robertson from Dundee United", BBC Sport, 27 July 2012
  19. 1 2 3 "Blackpool sign Djeziri, Noguera and Caton", BBC Sport, 14 August 2012
  20. ↑ "Huddersfield Town sign Keith Southern from Blackpool", BBC Sport, 26 July 2012
  21. 1 2 "Blackpool's Tom Barkhuizen & Ash Eastham join Fleetwood on loan", BBC Sport, 29 August 2012

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