Holloway is undaunted by challenge

Ian Holloway says Blackpool has a steep hill but his club is only looking to go up, and not down and regulated.

Blackpool's English manager Ian Holloway grestures after his team's English Premier League football match against Fulham at Craven Cottage in London on April 3, 2011. AFP

Ian Holloway said his team have nothing to fear from their run-in as they bid to preserve their top-flight status.

Blackpool are above the relegation zone on goal difference alone with four matches left to play in their maiden Premier League campaign.

Holloway's side face Stoke City at Bloomfield Road today before travelling to Tottenham Hotspur, hosting Bolton Wanderers and finishing their season by taking on Manchester United at Old Trafford.

It is a tough sequence of games to be sure, but the reverse fixtures yielded seven points for Blackpool and their manager is in an optimistic mood.

"We've already beaten Stoke away, we've already beaten Tottenham here," Holloway said.

"We drew with Bolton away and we lost 3-2 to Man United here, with them having to climb out from a two-goal deficit.

"Am I scared of any of them? No. Am I looking forward to it? Yes. And do I think we can get enough points?

"Absolutely, yes."

Blackpool have won only one of their last 14 matches, losing 10 of them, but moved out of the drop zone after last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Newcastle.

"It was like seeing my team again," Holloway said. "That is how we have been most of the year, and it's really difficult to put your finger on what goes wrong or why it goes wrong at this level.

"It might not be you, it might be the opposition being that little bit better.

"But that was about as complete a performance as I've seen from my team. We limited them to very few opportunities throughout the whole game, we created quite a few and we didn't quite get some decisions, which were massive. If you get three shouts for a penalty, you normally get one.

"That was a bit disappointing, but such is life and it will turn if we keep pressing and closing like we did. I think that comes from a fresh outlook that the worst has happened now. Let's crack on and see if we can take on these teams."

Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager, insists he will not be tempted to play a weakened team against Blackpool as they build up to the FA Cup final against Manchester City in two weeks' time.

Tuesday's 3-0 win over Wolves ensured any lingering doubts about Stoke's survival in the Premier League were banished, but it came at a cost of influential winger Matthew Etherington tearing a hamstring. Pulis could be forgiven for being cautious in his team selections for the trip to Bloomfield Road and next weekend's clash with Arsenal, but the Potters' boss does not believe that approach would be the right one.

"The player you're protecting could go out and train and go over on his ankle," Pulis said. "I think you've just got to play it the way you normally play it and get on with it. We'll pick a team that will go to Blackpool and hopefully do the best they possibly can."

* Press Association

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