Ian Evatt’s reign as Blackpool manager is well and truly underway, with the former fans’ favourite set to reach his 20th game in charge against Stockport on Tuesday night. It’s been a mixed bag for Blackpool under Evatt so far, winning seven and losing six in all competitions.
Whilst some strong performances against promotion hopefuls such as Cardiff City and Lincoln City early on reignited hopes of a delayed push up the table, the Seasiders slumped to a run of four losses in a row, including the New Year’s Day capitulation at Vale Park.
Despite this, faith in Evatt’s ability to turn things around remains high at Bloomfield Road. Having inherited a squad low on confidence and ravaged with injuries, it’s clear to see how the former Bolton manager’s influence has improved performances.
In this article, we look back at the club’s previous five managers, taking a look at where they are now and ranking them in terms of their impact at Bloomfield Road.
With the Seasiders currently battling relegation in League One, many have asked themselves if it can get worse. It can. Mick McCarthy could still be in the dugout.
Appointed by Simon Sadler with the task of keeping the club’s Championship status, McCarthy arrived at Bloomfield Road with the club 23rd in the Championship table.
Less than four months later, he departed the club following a thrashing by his former side, Cardiff, leaving the Seasiders rock bottom and essentially relegated.
Despite promising that assistant coach Terry Connor would get the club’s strikers scoring, McCarthy seemingly neglected defensive responsibilities, with the team conceding 24 goals in his 14 games in charge.
In amongst those goals were three scored by arch-rivals Preston North End, as Blackpool rolled over at Deepdale for a second consecutive season. A 6-1 hammering of QPR aside, McCarthy’s football was uninspiring.
Since leaving Blackpool, Mick hasn’t returned to full-time management. A film about his fallout with Roy Keane before the 2002 World Cup was released in September 2025. The casting of comedian Steve Coogan as McCarthy sums up his time as Blackpool boss rather aptly.
Spared fifth place on this list by the existence of Mick McCarthy, it’s fair to say Michael Appleton’s second coming at Bloomfield Road was a disaster.
Things went wrong from the start, with current Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior having been touted to take over from Neil Critchley. The appointment of Appleton was seen as the wrong option by many, with his short-lived spell in 2012 hardly filling fans with excitement.
To add insult to injury, rumours of a Preston North End tattoo didn’t help his popularity.
Despite a statement win in the West Lancashire derby (as well as proving the tattoo didn’t exist), much of Appleton’s regime was spent in the Championship bottom three. Poor performances, alongside an even poorer relationship with fans, ultimately led to his departure in January.
Although not helped by the untimely manner of Critchley’s departure and the sale of star man Josh Bowler, the quality at Appleton’s disposal seemed wasted. Whilst many wrong decisions were made in the 2022/23 season, perhaps the most disappointing of all was not sacking Appleton before the World Cup.
Following an even shorter stint with Charlton Athletic, Appleton is now manager of League Two side Shrewsbury Town. Just two points from safety at the time of writing, the former Lincoln City boss once again finds himself battling at the wrong end of the table.
Coming back to Bloomfield Road having managed bitter rivals PNE was never going to be easy for Simon Grayson. Touted as a League One promotion specialist having led the Seasiders out of the division once before, Grayson’s stock had fallen slightly following disappointing spells at Sunderland and Bradford City.
Things started smoothly for Grayson. The 2019/20 season saw the return of fans to Bloomfield Road following the end of their successful boycott against the Oyston family, as well as the sale of the club to Blackpool fan Simon Sadler. Results went the side’s way, and for the first few weeks, it seemed as though the club would be in for a play-off challenge.
It quickly went south for Grayson. Criticised for his perceived one-dimensional football, which seemingly only involved passing the ball for Liam Feeney to cross for Armand Gnanduillet, teams worked Blackpool out fast. A disastrous run of seven losses in ten games saw the Seasiders drop from 4th to 15th, as well as Grayson losing his job.
Third place in this list perfectly sums up the middle-of-the-road nature of the 2019/20 season. The curtailing of the season through COVID-19 saw the club finish in no danger of promotion or relegation. Ultimately, the sacking of Grayson would lead to the appointment of Neil Critchley for the first time, making it an important turning point.
Grayson has since enjoyed perhaps the most exciting career on this list following his sacking. A short spell at neighbours Fleetwood Town was followed by spells in India and Nepal, where Grayson became a cult hero.
In 2025, he lifted his first league title as manager, as Lalitpur City won the Nepal Super League for a second year in a row. At the start of 2026, Grayson moved to Ireland, where he is currently an advisor to the board at Cork City.
One of just two managers on this list not returning for a second spell, Steve Bruce was a shock appointment in 2024.
Despite some grumblings, he quickly won the fans over with a run of four consecutive wins. This form saw Bruce receive the manager of the month award for September. The tragic passing of his grandson in October saw him take a short break from the dugout, before returning for an FA Cup fixture against former side Gillingham.
Bruce’s experience and calm manner were key components to the respect he earned from fans. As well as helping develop young talents such as Rob Apter and Kyle Joseph, one of Bruce’s biggest strengths was his man-management skills.
A series of draws saw the club miss out on the play-offs for a second consecutive season, though the foundations for a successful 2025/26 season had seemingly been laid. With the arrival of some big-name signings, as well as Bruce preparing for his first full season in charge, expectations were high to say the least.
As such, Bruce being sacked in October, having won just two in eleven games wasn’t something many had seen coming. A small squad plagued by injuries, players playing out of position, and a team that looked like strangers all led to Bruce’s departure.
Whilst the football was some of the worst seen at Bloomfield Road in the last five years, the previous season and the breath of fresh air he brought in play to Bruce’s advantage in this listing.
Everybody already knew Bruce wasn’t going to be a long-term appointment, and his departure was swift and necessary. Since leaving, Bruce has been out of the game. Whether the 65-year-old returns to the dugout remains to be seen.
Despite the manner of his departure the first time around, and an at times turgid second spell, Neil Critchley takes top spot on this list. The only gaffer on this list to have the club challenging at the right end of the table makes the decision a no-brainer.
At one point, Neil Critchley had the world in his hands at Blackpool. Alongside promotion at Wembley in his first full season in management and going toe-to-toe with sides such as Sheffield United, Fulham and Middlesbrough in the Championship, the former Liverpool coach had also built a close relationship with fans.
As such, to call his departure in June 2022 to work as Steven Gerrard’s assistant a surprise really doesn’t begin to capture the shock felt by Blackpool fans. For the first time in a while, it had felt like something promising had been building at the club under Critchley.
For him to throw it all away to return to coaching left a sour taste in many a mouth on the Fylde Coast.
As with the other second stinters on this list, Critchley was on a hiding to nothing with his return. Anything other than promotion would be a failure, and this time he had the fans on his back from the start. Missing out on the play-offs on the final day, mixed with a poor start to the next season saw Critchley depart again in August 2024.
However, as mentioned, Critchley is the only gaffer on this list to have given fans memories to treasure. Added to this, the 8th placed finish in 2023/24 is the closest the club have got to challenging for promotion since relegation.
That Kenny Dougall double against Lincoln City at Wembley will live long in Bloomfield Road folklore, and for that reason Neil Critchley tops this list, regardless of the nature of his departure.
A short spell at Hearts followed his second sacking, but since then Critchley has been out of work. Whilst things don’t seemed to have worked out for Critch since leaving Bloomfield Road the first time around, here’s hoping he can get what seemed to be a promising managerial career back on track.
