Olly made ten changes from the team that drew with Everton at the weekend, Keith Southern being the only player to keep his place, losing 3-2 to Aston Villa in the process and will face some severe scrutiny from the FA as a result. The Wolves manager Mick McCarthy did the same last season when his side travelled to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, knowing he had a much more winnable game with Burnley the following Saturday, and practically threw the game. He knew it was highly unlikely his side would be able to get anything from the game and so gave his reserves a run out, ultimately the expected result occured as Wolves lost 1-0 following a worthy performance from Wolves. Their was also to be further vilification for McCarthy as Wolves went on to beat Burnley 2-1 at the weekend, an important result as it left them three points ahead of the Clarets in the Premier League Table. Wolves would end up surviving the drop by eight points while Burnley were relegated back to the Championship at the first time of asking. That wasn't to be the end of the matter either as following an FA board hearing Wolves were given a suspended £25,000 fine.
Mick McCarthy admitted to resting his best players to help them win the following game against Burnley but Holloway has strenuously denied doing the same thing, Blackpool coming up against bottom of the table West Ham this coming weekend. Holloway instead insisted that he was keeping his first choice players from injury, saying in his post-match press conference:
"If Charlie [Adam] played, if [David] Vaughan played, if [Gary] Taylor-Fletcher played, they're all carrying slight bits and pieces. Charlie and Vaughany have been off on international duty - they haven't had a break.
"If I play my players four times in a row at this level, they will get injured, and I don't do that to my players. I picked a team that I spent a lot of money on."
Resting players carrying slight knocks is one thing, but to drop ten in a bid to avoid injury is another thing and says that Holloway has little faith in the fitness of his players, something that his charges will not be impressed with. The Premier League has eight less games in a season than the Championship, but although the intensity of the games is a step up to make so many changes so at what is still a very early change in the season is a baffling decision.
But the Blackpool gaffer also stated that his decision was to give some of his squad players the game they deserve, not only for their efforts in training but also to thank them for the work that many of them had put in last season, getting their team promoted:
"I should have probably played the other players at Birmingham (last month) but I didn't. It's all about getting the timing right. I can't keep picking the same XI when the others are trying their heart out and never give them a chance.
"I knew all the way along, whatever the scores were, I was going to reward the ones who played well for me last year and then I'm going to try some new ones. I gave myself at least 10 games and this is the 12th game."
This statement from Holloway begs the question of their being room for sentiment in modern football. Yes, every player deserves a chance but doesn't making that many changes take something away from the fans who spent their hard earned money to travel to Birmingham and watch their team? Last night his squad players stood up and made themselves accounted for, putting in a sterling performance against a gifted Aston Villa side but that isn't always going to happen when putting out that sort of side in a Premier League fixture.
What Mick McCarthy did last season undermined the competitiveness of the Premier League but Holloway had a chance to take on an out of sorts Villa side who put forward a fairly inexperienced frontline that included youngsters in Marc Albrighton, Barry Bannan and Nathan Delfouneso and the tightness in the end result could have been so much more had players such as Charlie Adam and Gary Taylor-Fletcher started the match.
Opposing manager Gerard Houllier was supportive of Holloway's decision. Having had to do so himself in previous games the Frenchman would not be afraid to do so again if needs be:
"If I feel I have to do it, I will do it. I've done it and I won the game. Players were getting tired and drained.
"If you know your players, you sometimes need to make those changes."
Fans views have been mixed on the subject, though most seem to be supportive of Holloway's decision, stating that it is 'his right' to pick whatever players he sees fit. There are, however inevitably, some fans who have not seen eye to eye with their manager and feel that both they and the club have been let down.
Whether right or wrong the FA will not look too kindly on the subject and there may be further punishment for the Tangerines, not that Holloway would be impressed with any action taken as he has threatened to resign if such a thing were to happen, but he will have his chance to answer the FA, who it is believed will write to the north-west club at some point this week.
If Blackpool are punished, as Wolves were, it sets a precedent that other teams who make wholesale changes should also get into hot water, even if it were Manchester United or Chelsea, having already won a Premier League title, giving their younger players a chance to shine in a first team game, just as they do in the League Cup. Fans of smaller clubs will claim that bigger clubs will get away with it, just because they have bigger, more capable squads, is it about putting out your strongest team every time or putting out a group of players that you feel will win.
But as a Premier League manager it should be that Holloway has the right to pick whatever players he sees fit. With the squad rules brought in to give more players a chance to take part more regularly the extremity of Holloway's squad rotation is perhaps taking it too far, but then what right does the Premier League have to state how many changes a manager should make from one match to another? That's the question that is on the lips of Ian Holloway and many others in the game today.
Though we may not understand Holloway's motives it is not in his nature to let a game of football go without a fight. A resignation would be a disaster for Blackpool, losing a manager who, however eccentric, has the support of his players and the vast majority of the fans and did so well in getting Blackpool to the Premier League in the first place.
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