Jimmy Armfield is a man who knows his stuff and whose views are respected world wide. Therefore, if Jimmy Armfield says that Blackpool can achieve promotion to the Premier League, then Blackpool can achieve promotion to the Premier League!
The legendary Armfield was speaking to the Blackpool Gazette, and said:
‘Promotion is a possibility – while the door’s still open then there’s a chance.
‘I’ve seen quite a lot of matches in this league, and six or seven of Blackpool’s home games, and to be honest I don’t think there is much difference between the top and the bottom club.
‘When Newcastle came to Bloomfield Road they looked very ordinary and Blackpool could have been five goals ahead by half time.
‘You see a team like Ipswich looking over their shoulders and yet they look quite reasonable, and that’s the problem with this division – it is very tight. But if back in August we had told people we would be eighth in the league and even thinking about getting into the play-offs then they’d have been surprised.’
He says that getting to 54 points and essentially guarenteeing Championship safety is the priority, but that after that, the Seasiders should push on and give promotion a real crack.
However, he added that the key is hard work and focussing on one game at a time:
‘You have to keep your head down now and get on with it.
‘It was a real boost getting those two wins recently and OK we lost at Barnsley, but you turn your attention to the next game – Ipswich on Saturday – and try to win that.
‘It’s a cliché but it really is a case of one match at a time until you cross the finish line.
‘Hopefully we will continue to be strong until the end of the season.’
Armfield also praised the progress that the Seasiders have made this season, heralding the work of manager Ian Holloway:
‘After being in the lower division for such a long number of years, the club has made great strides forward.
‘The manager has done a good job. He is bright and bubbly and I like the way he tries to involve the fans and the community – that’s good.’
To finish the interview, Armfield spoke about the quality of the Seasiders’ squad:
‘We’ve got some useful players, they always try hard and the matches I’ve seen have been entertaining. They might not have always won but they’ve been entertaining.
‘Everybody mentions Charlie Adam but simple truth is that there are other good players in the team.
‘The manager has a good squad and that stands them in good stead.’
So, do you agree with Jimmy that the Seasiders can achieve promotion this season? We’ll be putting a new poll online shortly asking you where you think the Seasiders will finish this season.
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its ok getting in the prem but staying there is hard as we are finding out now at burnley.