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AS the English Football League season comes to an end, we head to the match dubbed the 'richest game in football'. The World Cup Final to be played in South Africa? No! The Champions League final? No.
It's actually the Championship play-off final, with the winner receiving an estimated £50 million (BD29.45 million) from only one season in the Premier League, plus an additional £22 million over two seasons in parachute payments if they are relegated (although the Premier League is proposing to increase this to £50 million over four seasons). A successful run in the Champions League will boost a club's coffers by ONLY £30 million!
The first team to reach the final is one of the unlikeliest. Blackpool, whose three-sided ground currently holds a maximum crowd of 12,000 and a pitch that plays like it hosts every Chinese cockle picker from nearby Morecombe (replace this with 'every seaside reveller' if you think that's a bit close to the bone) between matches, overcame third placed Nottingham Forest with a flattering 6-4 scoreline over the two legs.
Despite returning home with a one goal deficit to make up, Forest had reason to be confident. They had won their last 17 encounters at the City Ground and had not conceded a goal in the last seven. However, the last team to beat them had been Blackpool.
While they rode their luck in both legs no-one can doubt the dominance they held over Forest this season, winning all four fixtures. Ian Holloway, the charismatic manager appointed earlier this season will feel that Blackpool's run has helped disprove those who doubted his talents as he was axed from play-off rivals, Leicester. He may have liked to face his former charges at Wembley to settle old scores directly.
However, it was not to be as Leicester fell to a better organised Cardiff team who took a 1-0 lead back home thanks to Whittingham's exquisite free kick. The Foxes fell further behind thanks to the well-travelled Michael Chopra. However, Leicester fought back through talismanic striker Steve Howard to lead the tie 3-2 on aggregate, only to see Whittingham level the scores from the penalty spot, taking the tie to extra-time and penalties. Cardiff prevailed 4-3 in a tense and exhilarating advert for England's second tier following two excellent saves from David Marshall.
The play-off final promises to be an interesting matchup. While Cardiff has received the plaudits for their free-flowing consistency throughout the season, it is Blackpool who has scored the most goals and has the most successful record over the last 10 games of the season. The key battle will be in midfield between Cardiff's Peter Whittingham and Blackpool's Charlie Adam, who many rate as the Championship player of the season.
Cardiff will be cheered on by a Welsh nation hoping the Bluebirds become the first non-English team to compete in the Premier League. They have history in this regard, becoming the only team to take the FA Cup outside the English borders when they beat Arsenal in the 1927 final! A return to the top flight for the first time since 1962 would certainly help ease their financial struggles.
The neutral will be cheering for Blackpool whose long-suffering fans still hark back to the days of Sir Stanley Matthews flying down the wing. While it would be a remarkable 'rags to riches' tale for 'the Tangerine's' and would surely ensure outspoken manager Ian Holloway is not short of offers from established clubs in the fickle fairyland of football, Blackpool will surely struggle without a high-risk investment strategy in the summer transfer market. Their best chance will be to maximise home advantage - the thought of Arsenal trying to pass their way around the cramped, bobbly pitch at Bloomsfield Road will bring a wry smile to many.
Ironically, it is Blackpool's home pitch that may hold their key to the Premiership. The Wembley surface that was once the envy of the world, has been heavily criticised in recent years for cutting up badly, not least by former England captain John Terry who described it as the 'worst he has played on all season'. With so much at stake this is unlikely to be a match for the footballing purist, although the playing surface will surely also play its part.
The team that best adapts on Sunday will win the richest prize in football.
- By Abu George
