After the 6-1 defeat to Bournemouth, one of the comments I heard whilst leaving Bloomfield Road was 'that won't be the game that gets us relegated'. In truth, it won't help our cause but the damage was done way before Lee Clark arrived and tried to patch up the mess that he inherited. The Good Ship Blackpool is going down quickly unless Clark can stop the leaks and quickly. Conceding six goals against the Cherries only tells half the story because the lack of goals at the other end has arguably been our greatest downfall this season.
With the news that Nile Ranger has gone walkabout and failed to tell Clark where's he's been, it would appear Blackpool's striker options are even more lean. Options up front and a proven goalscorer has been a problem at Bloomfield Road since Tom Ince left the club and arguably even before that once we lost the goals of Dobbie, Phillips and co. Jose Riga never really addressed the issue bringing in Ishmael Miller, who has flattered to deceive, Nathan Delfouenso who was always going to be a squad player and the aforementioned Ranger. Between them they have failed to hit double figures and therein lies the problem. Fortunately for Lee Clark, Steven Davies has been knocking them in for him up front and he may have to rely on his goals until the transfer window opens in January.
Nyron Nosworthy is a major doubt ahead of the trip to Hillsborough and has a slim chance of recovering from a groin injury. Jose Miguel Cubero and fellow midfielder Jacob Mellis are out sidelined but due to return to training later this week. One possibility would be dropping one of his loan players from the 18 and bringing back Donervon Daniels. Having seen Darren O'Dea last weekend, that might not be a bad idea! Sheffield Wednesday captain Glenn Loovens is a doubt because of a hamstring injury and faces a late test. Midfielder Giles Coke and defenders Kamil Zayatte and Lewis Buxton are all still out.
Some people still believe in Father Christmas, just as some believe that Blackpool can avoid relegation next season - let's not dash anyone's hopes just yet!