Source: Daily_Mail
Blackpool fear frozen turkey on Boxing Day as snow threatens Liverpool clash
Blackpool admit their Boxing Day fixture against Liverpool is in jeopardy from the weather, sparking rumblings of discontent at the Premier League. [LNB]The Seasiders have already had two games postponed at Bloomfield Road, the only ground in the top flight without undersoil heating, and their pitch is still frozen. [LNB]Chairman Karl Oyston says they will protect the surface with covers ahead of Sunday's game but the idea that a fixture may have been in any doubt six days before it was due to be played was greeted with incredulity at the Premier League.[LNB] Will it be all white on the night? Blackpool's ground has suffered in the arctic weather[LNB] It could even force a rule change, bringing on to the agenda the idea that newly-promoted teams must have undersoil heating before they can enter the competition. [LNB]Blackpool struggled to get their stadium equipped for top-flight football last summer after their surprise promotion and were forced to flip a home game against Wigan and play away on the opening day of the season as building work was completed.[LNB]Remember 1962-63If you think last weekend was badfor football think again. The worstday for fixtures being frozen off was February 9, 1963, when 57 matches in England and Scotlandwere postponed, leaving just seven Football League games to go ahead. The icy weather really began over Christmas 1962 andcarried on until the end of February, one of the coldest spells in modern times. A total of more than 400 matches were postponed and several FA Cup ties were rescheduled at least 10 times. [LNB]That switch, together with postponedgames against Manchester United and Tottenham, mean Ian Holloway's teamare facing a backlog of home games. [LNB]The game against United has been re-arranged for January 25 and will be live on ESPN, but the Spurs game has yet to be rescheduled, although two midweek dates stand out next month. One, January 18 or 19, would mean four Premier League home games in a row for the Seasiders. [LNB]They already have a four-match home sequence during April and five of their last seven League games are due to be played at Bloomfield Road, something which could be construed as an advantage by rivals. [LNB]It is not the first time Blackpool have caused a headache for the organisers in their debut Premier League season. They had to intervene to settle a row over bonuses owed to captain Charlie Adam and are still considering whether manager Holloway deliberately played a weakened team against Aston Villa last month to keep players fresh for a game at West Ham three days later. [LNB]A thaw is forecast for the weekend, which may relieve the pressure, and Oyston said: 'We can almost certainly guarantee the pitch will be playable but the prevailing conditions once the covers have been removed may mean the pitch will freeze before the end of the game.' [LNB]He also said undersoil heating at Bloomfield Road is 'not a financial consideration' until the end of the season at the earliest and he is not concerned about a fixture pile-up.[LNB] Pile up: Blackpool could play four home games in a row as they make up their lost fixtures[LNB] 'It's not something that fazes us,' said the Blackpool chairman. 'We have just come out of the Championship and we're used to 46 games in a league season, playing Saturday and Tuesday. It's maybe more of an issue for our opponents. Those involved in Europe will have issues.' [LNB]The Premier League will resist pressure from television companies to reschedule the Chelsea v Manchester United game close to the end of the season and do not expect the campaign to be extended unless many more games succumb to the weather. [LNB]Stoke players endured a 10-hour journey back to the Potteries after learning their game at Arsenal on Saturday had been called off at mid-day. The bus got stuck in the snow and players had to bounce up and down at the back of the coach to help free it. [LNB] When men were men and footballers kept playing despite the snowWeather woe grinds on but Premier League insists it will cope with pile-upAll I want for Xmas... Sportsmail's club-by-club Premier League wishlistSo why was Chelsea's game with United postponed 27 hours earlier? [LNB] Explore more:People: Ian Holloway, Charlie Adam Places: Liverpool, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe Organisations: Football League
