It’s Thursday 3rd August 2023 and in this evenings show we catch up with all the latest pre-season news, look at the current strength of the squad, give our League One Blackpool predictions and preview this Saturdays season curtain raiser against Burton Albion at Bloomfield Road.

#blackpoolfc #burton

Preseason results

• Southport 0  Pool 3
• Barrow 0  Pool 5
• Pool 1  Tranmere 2
• Morecambe 1  Pool 1
• Pool 3 - Hibs 0 
• (Ticket fiasco pre match, and North gate shut post match.  Ditto Bloomfield Road blocked off for home fans!)

Can we read anything into these results at all?

Squad 

• Jerry out - gutted but inevitable
• Kyle Joseph in.  
• 100 EFL appearances, Scotland youth international. 
•  6’1” “all action centre forward” apparently
•  9 goals in 37 appearances for Oxford last season
• Mackenzie Chapman in.  GK from Oxford on a one plus one
• Matt and Tims view of the strength of the squad

Mitch’s muse

Key points

• Beesley weak, common pattern
• Carey big season ahead
• Need a wide man

New guidelines announced by the EFL

Designed to create “fairer conditions” for all teams, the changes will focus on…

1) More precise added-on time

As a result, referees are being told to add the exact time taken for goals and celebrations, substitutions, injuries, penalties and dismissals. Previously, a set nominal amount of time used to calculate added-on time.

A multi-ball system - which permits a match to resume immediately with another ball when the original one goes out of play - will also be used to help keep stoppages to a minimum. The EFL says this “has been proven to increase ball in-play time”.

2) Changes over how injured players are treated;

Injured players will also have to leave the field of play to be assessed. (Exceptions to that ruling include injured goalkeepers, players from the same team who have collided and severe injury.) Once play has restarted, the treated players will have to wait at least 30 seconds before being allowed back on.

3) The way players are punished after conceding penalty kicks.

In future, as long as a player makes an attempt to play the ball, or makes a challenge for it, only a caution will be issued for conceding a penalty by denying an opponent a clear goal-scoring opportunity. A red card will be given in any other circumstance, such as holding, pushing or handball.

4) High threshold for penalising contact

Finally, the EFL have again shown its commitment to keeping the game flowing by maintaining a "high threshold for penalising contact" again next season. They say officials will only penalise a player when contact has a detrimental impact on an opponent.

Burton preview

• "Dino" Maamria is the gaffer
• Finished 15th on 56 points
• Our team pick
• Our predictions

Season predictions 

• Play Mitch VT
• Ask for final predictions
• Give our pred

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