As predictions for the upcoming EFL League One season began to roll in, an unfamiliar name started to slip off the tongues of experts and casuals alike. Blackpool’s bullish preseason business, beating off competition from Championship sides and League One promotion favourites alike for signings, has seen the Seasiders named by some as this season’s potential dark horses.
Headed by the vastly experienced Steve Bruce, the Tangerines have a significantly stronger squad than the one that ended last season with a disappointing 9th placed finish. Despite this, theiropening two games have seen them ship seven goals, losing both convincingly.
With the visit of another of the division’s fancied sides, Huddersfield Town, on the horizon, will the Seasiders be able to overcome these early season woes and prove themselves to be promotion contenders? Here’s why we here at Lower Tiers believe they can.
Brucey Boost
As mentioned in the intro, the record of the Seasider’s gaffer speaks for itself. Having taken charge of over 1000 games, the vast majority of which in higher divisions, Bruce is by far and away the most experienced manager in League One.
An unpleasant spell at Newcastle United aside, fans of the Geordie’s former clubs tend to remember his time with them fondly. The 64-year-old boasts four promotions on his CV, all of which were to the Premier League. With 476 games managed in the topflight alone, Bruce has nothing to prove at Bloomfield Road.
Whilst his appointment last September was met with a mixed reaction, you would now be hard put to find a Blackpool fan with a bad word to say about the man. Critics at the time were instantly silenced, with four wins in his first four games putting last season’s poor start to right. The decision to revert to a simplified 4-4-2 formation also pacified a fanbase who had spent a season growing weary of Neil Critchley’s uninspired tactics.
Whilst the season ended in a damp squib, as numerous draws put the sword in the Seasider’s late play off push, optimism for this season is rife at Bloomfield Road as the Tangerines begin their first full season with Bruce at the helm.
With owner Simon Sadler backing his manager with a large war chest, many believe Bruce is the right man to take Blackpool back to the Championship. Over a full season, his experience and pull may just be two factors that give the club an edge over other EFL League One promotion hopefuls.
Exciting Signings
With just under three weeks left of the window, Bruce has added eleven new faces to his Blackpool squad. Excitingly, money has been splashed as the Seasiders look to bring in a calibre of player capable of promotion.
The window started strongly with two defensive additions, with centre-backs Fraser Horsfall and Michael Ihiekwe joining the ranks from Stockport County and Sheffield Wednesday respectively. The arrival of Horsfall was the first example of the club flexing their financial muscles, with a four-year-deal tempting the 28-year-old away from the clutches of Huddersfield Town, as well as other Championship suitors.
Money has also been splashed on further signings, including a reported fee of over £1 million for Northern Ireland international Dale Taylor. Midfielder Jordan Brown was prised away from League One rivals Leyton Orient, whilst the club importantly sealed the return of Niall Ennis, beating off competition to bring the 26-year-old back to Bloomfield Road.
The loan market has been used to fill some rather obvious gaps, with Bruce looking to former club Birmingham City to bring in Goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell alongside Swedish winger Emil Hansson.
The window’s overarching theme, rather surprisingly to most Blackpool fans, is that the club seem to be landing the targets they are linked with. Whereas in previous seasons, players linked with multiple clubs would inevitably end up elsewhere, this year the club have landed multiple signings where significant competition would be expected.
One such arrival is that of former Sunderland captain George Honeyman. A fine representative of the high quality of this season’s arrivals, Honeyman slotted effortlessly into the team during his debut against Stevenage, notching the opening goal of the Seasider’s campaign.
For a club used to bargain bin free signings and loan players you can’t help but fall in love with, this season’s arrivals show a real signing of intent from owner Sadler. The last season where such a feeling of optimism arose from a window ended with promotion to the Championship at Wembley. Should the eleven new arrivals gel quickly, it’s easy to imagine this season ending similarly.
Play-off Kings
Whilst a couple of predictions have rather generously seen the Seasiders placed in the coveted top two, the past tells another story. The club’s last automatic promotion came all the way back in the 1984-85 season as Sam Ellis’ side finished second in Division Four.
The club’s record in the play-offs, however, is a totally different story, and a much more reassuring one. Blackpool are the EFL’s play-off kings, with a record six promotions coming from the end of season lottery. Huddersfield Town are the only other side to have won all three divisional play-offs, although the Seasiders were the first to achieve the feat.
Two of these triumphs have come in League One, with the latest coming in the 2020-21 season. A Kenny Dougall double was enough to secure a comeback victory over Lincoln City, sending the Seasiders back to the Championship following a six-year absence. With the club’s most recent spell in the second tier only lasting two seasons, a lot has been invested with the hopes of a swift return.
Bruce is no stranger to the play-offs either – two of his four promotions have come through the format. Should the Seasiders possess enough to break into the top six this season, these are all facts that should reassure them.
After all, history does not lie. Out of nine entries, the Seasiders have only failed to make the final once. Their record in finals is equally as reassuring – just two losses in eight attempts are numbers that give any Blackpool fan confidence in an extended campaign.
Why They Might Not Be?
Whilst on paper everything seems exciting, the reality has not been so smooth for the Seasiders. They’ve suffered a torrid start to the season, losing both their opening fixtures to Stevenage and Exeter respectively, before being dumped out of the League Cup at home to Port Vale.
With a visit from title favourites Huddersfield Town fast approaching, something needs to change, and rather quickly. Defensive errors were the cause of the Stevenage defeat, whilst an error in the registration of million-pound man Dale Taylor summed up the Exeter debacle. Although a lone header secured defeat against Vale, more worrying was the lack of threat up front, especially considering the money invested.
Time may be needed to help this team gel, which unfortunately isn’t a luxury often afforded in a 46-game season. With favourites such as Huddersfield, Stockport and Luton already six points ahead, you get the feeling the Seasiders need to catch up, fast.
Something that hasn’t helped is the loss of last season’s star men, Sonny Carey and Rob Apter, both of whom departed for a new challenge with Championship new boys Charlton Athletic. Whilst on paper the squad may appear much stronger than the last couple of seasons, an entire revamp of the squad’s backbone may have contributed to the club’s slow start. Of the side that came down from the Championship two seasons ago, only three remain at the club.
Despite all this, things can change fast in football. A positive result on Saturday could potentially turn this season around for the Seasiders. In their last promotion campaign the club managed a mere ten points from their first ten games, before an unstoppable run led them to a third-place finish. Although the records point to success should they sneak into the play-offs, fans will certainly be hoping that for once, the club spares them the agony and ecstasy that the play-offs will almost certainly deliver.
With Steve Bruce at the wheel, once things start to gel the club will almost certainly be heading towards a top half finish. Consistency is key in League One, and the jury is still out on whether the Seasiders have enough of that to compete for promotion.
How do you think the Seasiders will get on this season? Let us know in the comments below!
