Zamora plunges Blackpool deeper into mire

IF Ian Holloway looks at the ‘Man in the Mirror’ next season, a Championship manager could well be staring back at him.

On a day when Fulham owner Mohamed Al-Fayed unveiled a garish statue to honour his friend Michael Jackson outside the quaint surroundings of Craven Cottage, it was left to Bobby Zamora to put Holloway’s Blackpool deeper in trouble towards the bottom of the Premier League.

The one-time England striker scored twice courtesy of some slack defending in the first half and Dickson Etuhu added another after the break to seal a straightforward win.

Al-Fayed claimed yesterday Fulham fans can ‘go to Hell’ if they don’t like his odd tribute to Jackson, while the Premier League must be pretty Hellish for Holloway these days. The Tangerine dream is dying at present, as one win in 11 matches testifies. Blackpool’s cushion on the bottom three now stands at one. Next up? Arsenal.

There was no ‘Thriller’ to speak of at Craven Cottage yesterday but there were plenty of statues.

Aside from the odd looking one outside the ground, there were four in the Blackpool defence, contributing to a downfall that was set in place during five first half minutes.

James Beattie’s wayward pass allowed Zamora to steam in and smash the opener on 23 minutes and a static defence watched on as Zamora was afforded the freedom of west London to head home and finish the match off five minutes later.

Etuhu then converted Brede Hangeland’s pass in the second half to deepen the gloom on Holloway and in a tight Premier League campaign, goal difference may be crucial.

Zamora’s goals, his first in open play since August, signalled the latest step on the road to recovery following his return from a broken leg that robbed him of six months of the league season.

“This was a perfect game for Bobby. It was important for him to get over that last hurdle following his injury and that was starting a match, so it has been perfect for him,” a beaming Mark Hughes said afterwards.

“There is a sense of what could have been this season had he have been fit for all of it so that is frustrating.

“Bobby coming back is a huge boost for me and the fact he is in a Fulham shirt gives everyone confidence. We’re not safe yet — but in terms of what we’re producing, I don’t have too many worries.”

The spectre of relegation still lurks over Fulham, considering how tight the league is, but this victory leaves them six clear of the bottom three and Hughes can expect a stress-free end to the season. Unfortunately for Blackpool, they seem to have forgotten to heed the old adage that the league is a marathon, not a sprint. They look a team spent, battle-weary from their entertaining exploits this season. The future may not be bright, nor orange, but it would be a shame to see Holloway’s entertainers exit stage left.

He said: “Our body language was horrible. I’ll be cracking the whip when I get home — we got promoted on the strength that we didn’t care if we conceded but they showed body language I had not seen this season.

“We didn’t recover and we need to get out of that. You can’t feel sorry for yourself though — I am always confident and I would love this fairytale to continue.’’

Cruelly, the home support taunted Blackpool with chants of ‘we’ll never see you again’ but only those with a stony disposition would want to see the back of them.

Whereas many unfancied teams adopt a belligerent approach to matches upon arrival in the Premier League, Holloway’s men have taken the scenic route in their escapades this season.

While they may be brittle at the back, as the 63 goals they have conceded shows, they play with infectious enthusiasm going forward and the league has been richer for the involvement this season.

Alas yesterday it was as easy as 1,2,3 for Fulham on a day when Jackson stood surreally outside Craven Cottage — whether the curtain comes down on Blackpool this season remains to be seen but many more results like this and relegation will beckon.