Andy Gray looks at high-flying Blackpool and says they should respect, rather than fear Chelsea.
Respect is due to Tangerines as well as unbeaten Blues, says Andy
Blackpool are a shining beacon for any club with Premier League aspirations.
A decade ago they were plying their trade in the bottom tier of English league football; now they sit fourth in the Premier League.
'Progress' is stamped on their badge and they've lived up to the billing.
Their rise is a wonderful testament to the way domestic football is structured; whoever is sitting 92nd in the league can dream of playing Premier League football one day and know that if everything goes right there's at least a chance.
Blackpool are now living the dream again and their fans can chant 'we are Premier League' with every justification.
I'm looking forward to seeing how they shape up against Chelsea this weekend. Hopefully they'll finish the game with 11 men rather than the 10 they were left with against Arsenal so we can judge them properly against one of the country's best sides.
Seven points don't make a season but the squad will be brimming with confidence after their victories over Wigan and Newcastle and I've no doubt they'll love going to Stamford Bridge - or Old Trafford, the Emirates or the City of Manchester Stadium for that matter - and playing in front of packed houses.
Respect
Blackpool should respect Chelsea, but they shouldn't fear them - no way. There's no point.
Rangers gave a very good example in the Champions League this week of going to a club and respecting them but not fearing them.
Most people expected Manchester United to hammer them at Old Trafford on Tuesday but Rangers went there with a plan and made life very difficult. Healthy respect is good in my book, but why would you fear anybody? Just go out there and enjoy it instead.
I always call games like this a freebie. Blackpool's season isn't going to depend on how they do away at Chelsea.
My advice would be 'go out there and enjoy it' - and I'm sure Ian Holloway is saying the same.
Ian has come into the Premier League with a very open mind and has told his team to go and play football rather than try to stifle games. It's a bold policy but one that has already reaped dividends in the shape of two away wins.
Those victories are a phenomenal achievement, make no mistake about it, especially when you consider Hull City didn't win once on the road last season.
Pressure
I've always thought Ian's a really fun guy but this season there's an added seriousness about him because he knows the size of the job in hand; he hasn't turned up in the Premier League just to play 38 games and disappear never to be seen again.
He wants his side to leave his mark on this league - he wants other teams to remember them, and Wigan and Newcastle already do.
It will be interesting to see how he copes with the pressure in the coming months. It won't be easy and there will be times when his side have horror matches like the one against Arsenal where they lose by four, five or maybe even six.
He'll sit there on a Sunday and think 'wow - where do I go now, what do I do'. That's where his conviction kicks in. But he can't do it all on his own.
It's important that someone motivates the motivator, that others lift him when it's required because Ian's whole personality is stamped on this team.
They might go five or six games in this season without winning any but they must stay buoyant - that will be a real test.
I think Ian was frustrated at the start of the season - not only about the unfounded rumours that he had resigned - but also because he tried to get umpteen players in and not many wanted to go to Blackpool.
His luck changed before the window closed, though, and he made some shrewd signings.
Like many clubs out there, Blackpool have had to cut their cloth accordingly and while I don't expect someone like DJ Campbell to score 25 goals this season, he and his fellow forwards must strive to get the goals that matter most to Blackpool.
They are not going to score too many against the teams in the top bracket but they do have to stand up against the likes of West Ham, Wigan, Stoke and influence those matches.
If they can, then they've got a chance. I still think it is going to be a long, cold winter for them - there is going to be a lot of heartache down this road - but I'm impressed with what I've seen so far.
Impress
Being a Rangers fan I'm especially looking forward to seeing how Charlie Adam plays on Sunday.
He's always been a very talented footballer but he could never quite hold down a position week-in, week-out at Ibrox.
In fairness to Walter Smith, he decided to let Charlie go so he could make a career for himself and he seems to be flourishing at Blackpool.
He loves being on the ball, he's a great passer and he isn't afraid to try a few tricks either; I'm not the first to say his creative input will be vitally important to Blackpool's chances of survival this season but I am as interested as any to see how far he has come.
He'll be up against a midfield that will contain the likes of Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel, maybe even Ramires - who are all really good players in their own right and Charlie will want to hold his own.
Another Scot who has impressed is Matt Gilks. Matt has been around the block a little bit but he showed last week against Newcastle that he's still got what it takes. Whether you are challenging for the title or scrabbling around at the bottom, the goalkeeper is the bedrock for everything and on his day he's as solid as most.
I'll say one thing - he's not going to be short of work this season! He won't be wondering when he's next going to touch the ball, that's for sure!
Uncertainty
I'm sure he and his team-mates will have noted with some interest Barcelona's defeat to Hercules in last week's La Liga.
It was an amazing story, even if Barca paid the penalty for resting five or six of their best players against the so-called minnows.
I can't see Chelsea adopting the same approach. I'm sure Carlo Ancelotti will recall Didier Drogba, who will be champing at the bit to extend his good goal-scoring start to the season after being suspended midweek.
So that's going to freshen up their side (even if Frank Lampard is still on the mend) and give them every chance of extending their winning start to the season.
If I was Blackpool, though, I'd swing as many balls into the box as I could because that's an area where Chelsea look unusually susceptible.
Over the years Petr Cech, Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry proved themselves equal to most things that where thrown at them; they were very combative, very organised and conceded very little.
But ever since he suffered that head injury Cech hasn't looked as decisive as he once was and I don't think he will again and Carvalho's departure has created uncertainty at the heart of Chelsea's defence.
Whether Terry is partnered with Alex or Ivanovic, there doesn't seem to be the same confidence and reliability at the back as there once was and that is an area that Blackpool would do well to exploit.
