Blackpool

Blackpool FC forward Jake Daniels announced on Monday that he is gay. 

"Off the pitch I've been hiding the real me and who I really am," he said in a statement. "I've known my whole life that I'm gay, and I now feel that I'm ready to come out and be myself. It's a step into the unknown being one of the first footballers in this country to reveal my sexuality, but I've been inspired by Josh Cavallo, Matt Morton and athletes from other sports, like Tom Daley, to have the courage and determination to drive change."        

Daniels is now the first male English footballer to publicly come out as gay since Justin Fashanu in 1990, per ESPN. 

Aston Villa's Thomas Hitzlsperger and Hull City's Thomas Beattie came out as gay after their playing careers. 

"I’ve hated lying my whole life and feeling the need to change to fit in," Daniels wrote. "I want to be a role model myself by doing this. There are people out there in the same space as me that may not feel comfortable revealing their sexuality. I just want to tell them that you don’t have to change who you are, or how you should be, just to fit in. You being you, and being happy, is what matters most."

Daniels received an outpouring of support from across the footballing world.

Daniels, 17, scored 30 goals for Blackpool's under-19 team this past season. He debuted for the senior side earlier in May in a Championship game against Peterborough.

Last year, Adelaide United's Josh Cavallo became the only male football player in a top-flight league to publicly identify as gay, playing in Australia's A-League Men. 

Blackpool legend and former England captain Jimmy Armfield died Monday at the age of 82 from cancer.

According to Anna Cryer of the Blackpool Gazette, Armfield died at Trinity Hospice in Blackpool early Monday morning. His family released the following statement:

"After a long and courageous battle, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and father-in-law Jimmy Armfield, has passed away peacefully surrounded by his immediate family.

"At this time we are still in shock as we begin the grieving process. We know Jimmy was a public figure, but the family respectfully ask for privacy at this time.

"We have many wonderful messages of love and support, for which we are grateful, and moved by all the kind words.

"We would also like to thank all the magnificent and dedicated NHS staff who have kept Jimmy, and the family, as well as possible over the ten years of his illness.

"During the last few days Trinity Hospice in Blackpool made a big difference to Jimmy as he slipped away, pain free at last."

Armfield was diagnosed with cancer for a second time in 2017.

The right-back spent his entire career with Blackpool, making 627 appearances for the club in a 17-year career spanning from 1954 to 1971.

He also earned 42 caps for England, captaining the Three Lions on 15 occasions, and he was part of the World Cup-winning squad in 1966.

His club and the Football Association paid tribute to him on Twitter:

Tributes also poured in from footballers, broadcasters and pundits alike:

Following his retirement from playing in 1971, Armfield took charge of Bolton Wanderers as a manager and won the Football League Third Division with them in 1973.

Two years later, his Leeds United side finished as runners-up in the 1975 European Cup final to Bayern Munich.

Armfield retired from management in 1978, having guided Leeds to consistent top-10 finishes throughout his four years at the club, and became a journalist with the Daily Express, a position he occupied until 1991.

He also spent over 30 years working as a commentator for BBC Radio 5 Live, a role for which he is perhaps best known to younger generations.

Things are not going well at Blackpool football club.

The team is already relegated from the Championship, its unhappy fans threw "eggs, flares and smoke bombs" at the club's reception, a loan player had his deal terminated earlier this season after Snapchatting that the team was going to lose again, and Blackpool's pitch looks something like this: 

“@FilthyFootball: Blackpool's pitch is an ankle breaker! pic.twitter.com/THJ7e89K09” @hurmainkhan they play at our home ground

— Jack Bowyer (@JkBowyer) April 11, 2015

Another embarrassing story has now emerged. During last Tuesday's game against Reading, goalkeeper Joe Lewis was forced to wear a shirt he had autographed with the intention of giving to a sponsor later in the evening. 

The club had a shortage of goalkeeper shirts and no kitman to rectify the problem, which led to the issue. 

The gaffe was revealed by Spanish midfielder Andrea Orlandi, as per The Gazette: 

When Joe tried to get another one he was told there were none left.

It was funny because he tried to put a plaster over the writing to cover it, and it looked even more funny.

However, things like that – details without apparent importance – make a difference in a club. A small thing? Probably, but still not normal for a Championship club.

A clean shirt was finally found for Lewis but not until the second half.

[The Gazette]

If you're a young footballer on loan at a new club, you should probably take what Blackpool's Jacob Murphy did this weekend and do the opposite.

The 19-year-old winger, on loan from Norwich City, sent the above message on Snapchat ahead of Blackpool's match against Rotherham on Sunday. The message was leaked and went viral, and Murphy issued an apology Monday.

I’d like to offer my sincerest apologies to the manager, my team-mates, the fans and everybody at Blackpool Football Club for the hurt and embarrassment that a recent photo message I sent has caused. It was totally unprofessional of me and a foolish thing to do.

I have loved my time at Blackpool so far, and I’ve been really grateful for the support I’ve received. I know I have let the manager and fans down badly, but I aim to repay them by working even harder and helping the team climb up the league table.

I’d also like to make clear that Donervon Daniels had no part in this and I apologise for implicating him.

Blackpool manager Lee Clark also issued a statement, saying he was "extremely disappointed" and the matter would be investigated internally.

Update, January 1st

Blackpool have decided to end Murphy's loan spell early after an investigation into the matter. 

[Twitter, h/t Guardian]

Michael Chopra might feel as if he's been around football forever, but the striker is only 30 and still plying his trade at Championship level with Blackpool.

He arrived to training in wintry conditions on Tuesday and was less than happy with what he saw, leading to this less-than-happy tweet:

The tweet was swiftly removed, but not before it had started circulating on the web.

A subsequent tweet indicated that Chopra had realised his tweet had been, to say the least, clumsy:

Best wishes go to Steve Thompson and family just found out why he wasn't in

— Michael Chopra 8 (@MichaelChopra10) January 7, 2014

There has been no clarification as to what Chopra was referring to here.

Blackpool then stepped in with an official club statement to say that Chopra's views on training were not acceptable, and the club fined him £10,000:

The club can confirm that Chopra was one of number of players asked to report to training as normal this morning for extra work with the fitness coach. 

Both the manager and the chairman are aware and disappointed with the contents of his tweet, prompting this course of action.  

The player, who has the right to appeal, has since apologised for the tweet and removed the contents from his account. 

Chopra has yet to set Bloomfield Road alight since joining the club—in fact he has yet to score a goal. Blackpool are 12th in the Championship at present with a thoroughly middling record of eight wins, eight draws and eight defeats.

The fallout from Paul Ince's five-game stadium ban has continued with excerpts of the official Football Association report coming to light.

According to a PDF transcript of the report, published by 101 Great Goals, the Blackpool manager is reported to have threatened to "knock out" fourth official Mark Pottage. 

The minutes of the FA disciplinary hearing quote referee Oliver Langford giving an extraordinary version of events:

At the end of the game as we left the field of play into the tunnel area as a team of match officials we were confronted by a clearly irate Mr Paul Ince. On confronting us Mr Ince asked why he had been sent to the stand. I explained to Mr Ince the reason why he politely had been asked to leave the technical area. It was then a clearly frustrated Mr Ince said 'and where's your busy f***er of a 4th.'

Mark Pottage, the 4th official, was stood behind Mr Ince at this time and said 'I'm here.' Mr Ince then turned around and violently shoved Mr Pottage with 2 hands in to the chest. Stewards then quickly stepped in and tried to usher Mr Ince to the dressing room area. As this occurred Mr Ince, being restrained by stewards and players of Blackpool, was repeatedly shouting in an aggressive manner 'I'll knock you f***ing out you c***' to Mr Pottage.

Ince cannot attend a Tangerines match until November 30 after the incident following the win over Bournemouth last month when Pottage advised Langford to send the former England midfielder to the stands after hitting a female steward with a bottle he threw, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Around 10,000 Blackpool fans will show their support for Ince during Saturday's televised match against Wigan by wearing masks of their manager claim the Daily Mail.

Blackpool winger Tom Ince is among many players being tipped for a possible transfer in the summer window.

Here's a breakdown of his numbers and a brief scouting guide to the England Under-21 international, along with a few hints as to where he might be playing next summer.

Age: 21

Contract Situation: Ince's contract finishes in 2014.

Career Stops: Liverpool (2010-11), Blackpool (2011-present). 

Current Campaign Stats

Championship: 44 games, 18 goals.

FA Cup: 2 games, 0 goals.

League Cup: 1 game, 0 goals. 

Video Showreel

 

Scouting Guide

If the surname sounds rather familiar, that's because it should do. Tom Ince is the son of former England captain and current manager of Blackpool, Paul, and everything so far suggests that the ex-Manchester United and Inter man's progeny has more than enough talent to follow in his footsteps. 

Here's an odd story you might have missed last week from the English lower leagues.

It's from the Championship, the second tier of English football, and it has to do with one of football's favorite pastimes: swearing.

Apparently, during Blackpool's draw with Barnsley the day after Easter, police warned Blackpool manager Ian Holloway to watch his language.

No way? Yes way.

From the Daily Mirror:

A livid Ollie went ballistic after Keith Southern was sent off in the 21st minute - upsetting a fan sat near his dug out.

The supporter complained and Holloway was ordered to tone down his swearing by a nearby copper and the fourth official.

He said: "I got spoken to by the police and I must apologise for that. You sometimes say things in the heat of battle that you shouldn't."

So what did Holloway say?

Normally one would assume he dropped the F-bomb, or at least the dreaded C-word.

But because of the day the match was played, this might be something else.

Since it was the day after Easter, the policeman and fourth official might have taken issue with some vulgar blasphemy.

Alas, the mystery will go on.

Holloway went on:

"Football is an emotional game. I always try to stay calm but sometimes you forget yourself and I apologise."

Holloway had a nightmare day as his promotion chasing side were held by strugglers Barnsley and he missed the Tykes 47th minute goal after being caught short.

He said: "Funnily enough I didn't even see their goal. I was just coming out of the toilet at half time.''

The toilet! Nothing like a bit of potty humor to liven your Tuesday, eh?

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