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Neil Lennon described the Blackpool job as the “hardest in the Championship” but is still aiming to pour more misery on managerial counterpart Lee Clark.
Wanderers could send the Seasiders down tomorrow at the Macron, although by most standards it would look more like a mercy killing.
Clark has had a thoroughly miserable time since taking over at Bloomfield Road – although the fans ire remains squarely focused at chairman Karl Oyston.
The Geordie coach was sacked the last time Wanderers beat one of his teams, Birmingham City, when Lennon celebrated his first game in charge from the stands after being harshly sent off.
And he was denied a first win at Blackpool back in November when Chung-Yong Lee produced a late equaliser on a pudding of a pitch.
“Lee will be sick of the sight of me – this is the third time this season,” Lennon shrugged.
“He’s got the hardest job in the Championship. It’s almost an impossible job, really.
“It won’t come as a big surprise to anyone if and when they do get relegated. I’m sure Lee is planning for next season already and he’ll know what he needs.
“He’s been there and done it, he’s got experience even though he’s young, and I wish him well apart from the weekend.”
Wanderers go into the game as heavy favourites, having lost just once at home under Lennon.
But the Northern Irishman was impressed by Blackpool’s performance against Leeds United last time out, as they scrapped for a 1-1 draw and a stay of execution, and he is advising his players not to lose any focus.
“Everyone thinks it’s a gimme but it’s not. Every game you should guard against complacency,” he said.
“I want to attack, be on the front foot. The fans deserve a performance - and that’s what we want to give them.
“Blackpool have had a really difficult season and I don’t know how they’ll approach the game. It is hard to assess them.
“Lee has changed the formation and personnel quite a bit and that’s understandable because he’s trying to find a recipe that works. It’s difficult for them and I’m not being condescending.
“But I watched them against Leeds and they did quite well, so I’d guess away from home that they wouldn’t change too much.”
Clark’s woes can be summed up when you consider 51 different players have turned out for Blackpool this season but the club has had nothing like the same crippling injury problems which account for Lennon’s own high tally of 43.
Oddly enough, the team which used the most players in a single season was managed – for a spell – by ex-Wanderers boss Colin Todd.
Darlington used a whopping 54 players in the 2009/10 season as they slipped into the Conference without a trace. Todd was sacked halfway through the campaign and replaced by Steve Staunton, to little effect.
Clark is desperate not to be given the tag “worst ever team in the Championship” – a title currently held by Stockport, who were relegated in 2005 with just 26 points.
“We don’t want records like that on our heads,” he said. “We want to finish the season on a relative high and make sure we win some games.
“We all have to get out of this mentality of losing games, which is a big problem around this club at the moment.”
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Wanderers could send the Seasiders down tomorrow at the Macron, although by most standards it would look more like a mercy killing.
Clark has had a thoroughly miserable time since taking over at Bloomfield Road – although the fans ire remains squarely focused at chairman Karl Oyston.
The Geordie coach was sacked the last time Wanderers beat one of his teams, Birmingham City, when Lennon celebrated his first game in charge from the stands after being harshly sent off.
And he was denied a first win at Blackpool back in November when Chung-Yong Lee produced a late equaliser on a pudding of a pitch.
“Lee will be sick of the sight of me – this is the third time this season,” Lennon shrugged.
“He’s got the hardest job in the Championship. It’s almost an impossible job, really.
“It won’t come as a big surprise to anyone if and when they do get relegated. I’m sure Lee is planning for next season already and he’ll know what he needs.
“He’s been there and done it, he’s got experience even though he’s young, and I wish him well apart from the weekend.”
Wanderers go into the game as heavy favourites, having lost just once at home under Lennon.
But the Northern Irishman was impressed by Blackpool’s performance against Leeds United last time out, as they scrapped for a 1-1 draw and a stay of execution, and he is advising his players not to lose any focus.
“Everyone thinks it’s a gimme but it’s not. Every game you should guard against complacency,” he said.
“I want to attack, be on the front foot. The fans deserve a performance - and that’s what we want to give them.
“Blackpool have had a really difficult season and I don’t know how they’ll approach the game. It is hard to assess them.
“Lee has changed the formation and personnel quite a bit and that’s understandable because he’s trying to find a recipe that works. It’s difficult for them and I’m not being condescending.
“But I watched them against Leeds and they did quite well, so I’d guess away from home that they wouldn’t change too much.”
Clark’s woes can be summed up when you consider 51 different players have turned out for Blackpool this season but the club has had nothing like the same crippling injury problems which account for Lennon’s own high tally of 43.
Oddly enough, the team which used the most players in a single season was managed – for a spell – by ex-Wanderers boss Colin Todd.
Darlington used a whopping 54 players in the 2009/10 season as they slipped into the Conference without a trace. Todd was sacked halfway through the campaign and replaced by Steve Staunton, to little effect.
Clark is desperate not to be given the tag “worst ever team in the Championship” – a title currently held by Stockport, who were relegated in 2005 with just 26 points.
“We don’t want records like that on our heads,” he said. “We want to finish the season on a relative high and make sure we win some games.
“We all have to get out of this mentality of losing games, which is a big problem around this club at the moment.”
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