What is it they say about you can't polish an inanimate, brown, smelly object? You can roll it in glitter but it will still be what you started with. If anyone wondered if this squad of players were under performing with Jose Riga at the helm, Lee Clark proved today they weren't, they're just not up to the task. Riga has left behind a notch potch of players who couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag, let alone a relegation fight. The new manager will have to test the promises of his Chairman before the loan window closes as this is a side desperately lacking quality.

Lee Clark put his own twist on this side by giving a debut to Charles Dunne and bringing back Joan Oriol, Nile Ranger and Tony McMahon. If Riga was questioned last week for putting a midfielder at left back when he had two available, then so must Clark's judgement to put McMahon in to the midfield with the woeful Lundstram when he had Mellis, Orlandi and other options. To then place Joan Oriol in midfield with the inexperienced Dunne at left back was a strange choice and clearly didn't work. The whole side looked unbalanced, the defence struggled to have any shape, the midfield bar an occasional burst forward under Fonz was ineffective and whilst Miller and Ranger had a few chances in general the high ball pumped forward proved to be wasteful. All in all it was not only a mess, it was uninspiring, there was no entertainment value and by the end it was embarrassing.

Ranger could have put the Seasiders in the lead early doors and we might have seen a different game unfold but the ball just wouldn't sit for him before another bad judgement call by Daniels lead to Ipswich winning the ball which lead to David McGoldrick scoring from close in after Teddy Bishop miscued his own shot. Despite spells of pressure Blackpool rarely threatened an equaliser and Daryl Murphy put the game to bed from Luke Hyam's cut-back. The least said about the last half an hour the better and anyone who left on 61 minutes made a good judgement call.

So where do you start? We need Cubero fit to see if he can change a midfield which lacks any quality. Clark should be looking at his full back positions, wide players and a pacy goalscorer to change things up front. The new manager talked about 4/5 players and at this rate he'll need all of them even though he won't be able to play them all. Dark days at the seaside and Clark's arrival hasn't changed the mood.

Photo: Action Images

HarryFromBath added 11:11 - Nov 2 Looking at Blackpool's situation from the outside, Riga was only able to build a house of cards which inevitably would come crashing down and it was not his fault - any manager would have struggled. Once Joan Oriol was out and Dielna had that nightmare against Sean Scannell, the game was up. McMahon was suspended playing out of position in a reshuffled defence as was Perkins the following week. Seeing Oriol back in midfield yesterday seemed odd from the outside, but I'm not sure that there really was any better work around. It looks like the left-back position is cursed, but the truth was that this could have happened in any number of positions - an injury highlights how inadequate the back-up is, and the balance of the team is wrecked as players are shuffled around, perpetuating the problem. Having the good will of so many other clubs supporters is scant consolation, but it may be a small crumb of comfort. We all know what needs to happen, and it all comes back to the Chairman and his money.

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