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Canavan's blog: Time to keep your nerve
IT has been an interesting week at Bloomfield Road.
Internet rumours and text messages were flying about within minutes of the depressing home defeat by Watford, many suggesting Tony Parkes had resigned.
I received several calls from fans telling me there would be a press conference on Monday at 11am.
Funny that. You would have thought I'd have known about it.
Parkes didn't resign, there was no such press conference and the week has passed as weeks at Bloomfield usually do – apart from there being greater attempts than normal to get a new striker in.
It's amazing the effect a couple of defeats can have. The setbacks at Derby and against Watford seemed to cause widespread panic.
>> Watch highlights from Wednesday's reserve game, including Charlie Adam's wonder goal
Yes, they were disappointing. But the club is still playing one league outside the top flight and is five points from the relegation zone.
Had Simon Grayson, at the start of the season, been offered a five-point gap over the bottom three in the last week of February, believe me, he would have willingly taken it.
Grayson's departure and the uncertainty over his long-term replacement are reasons why people are a bit jumpy.
The three home defeats on the trot don't help either.
And while it would be wrong to trivialise the disappointment and worry many supporters are feeling, there is certainly a strong argument for keeping calm and – for the moment – backing the current management pair to guide the club through these choppy waters.
Pool may have won only two of their 10 league games in charge but don't forget that Grayson won just two of his final nine.
There is a massive week coming up. Tomorrow everybody expects Bristol to win. Pool have nothing to lose.
But the following two games, both at Bloomfield Road against Burnley and Norwich, are key.
Two more bad results on home turf and the arguments for making a change at the top will ring with much more resonance.
At the moment, Karl Oyston is keeping faith with Parkes and Thompson, and in these days of no loyalty I tend to think that's a good thing.
I do think they could do with a little help, though, and adding another coach to the set-up wouldn't go amiss. At the moment Gary Parkinson is stretching himself between the youth and first teams, leaving the youth set-up a man light.
Oyston received some praise and much criticism for his midweek interview. It appears that when it comes to the chairman speaking out, he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. I's probably why he doesn't speak more.
Whatever your viewpoint, at least he gave us some answers.
The chairman is in Latvia today, continuing talks with Valery Belokon.
Not to put too fine a point on it, they are basically discussing whether to bring in a manager. If that happens, they will only hire someone who agrees to keep Parkes and Thompson on his backroom staff.
Names to keep an eye on include Ian Holloway and Iain Dowie.
Nothing is likely to happen before tomorrow, though. And given the fickle nature of football, three points at Ashton Gate may well see the situation change once again and the pendulum swing back in the favour of the current duo.
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Weather for Blackpool
Monday 13 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 32 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: North west
