Blackpool- first season back in the Championship

The Seasiders have been on a journey over the past 12 years. From gaining promotion to the Premier League under Ian Holloway to being relegated to the bottom division in England. It has been a nightmare for Blackpool fans as well as being a Tangerine Dream with success in the playoffs.

What has happened?

Much of the problems were caused off the field by the controversial family who owned the club. The Oyston family was finally hounded out after many protests, boycotts, and finally a court settlement with former investor Valeri Belekon. Now, the club is backed by local businessman Simon Sadler who has rejuvenated the club since he injected his cash into it.

Sadler was not for messing around and wanted all the correct infrastructure in place. Despite manager Terry McPhillips doing a solid job, they realized it might have been a step too far for him and Simon Grayson came in at the start of the 2019-20 season.

However, by February he was shown the door. Blackpool fans must have thought this is the spiral they were in again. This was not the case. The loveable Neil Critchley was given the job and the rest they say is history.

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Critchley effect

In Critchley’s first full season in charge, heavily affected by the pandemic, he got his team playing how he wanted them to play. In his first senior job, apart from standing in for Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, he got Blackpool into third place and they gained promotion to the Championship via a play-off final win over Lincoln.

He brought in a fantastic balance of youth and experience but there were no short-term fixes, this was a view for the long term. Under the Oystons, players were given short contracts so they could move on quickly if it did not work out but under Sadler, he trusts the signings and what Critchley and his staff want to do.

Players like Kenny Dougall, Chris Maxwell, and Jerry Yates all stood out by playing above their station. Blackpool fans, albeit sat at home, we’re loving what they were seeing.

2021/22 season

The new season brought optimism rather than apprehension about what Blackpool could do in a division higher. With fans fully back in the stadium, home and away, Blackpool fans were the ones making all the noise and they have continued to do so.

After a difficult start trying to play the same way they did in League One, Critchley had to switch it up and he did so against Fulham and grabbed the first three points of the season; even the best betting bonuses did not predict a Blackpool win.

The form of the club has been indifferent but not at all a problem especially with standout performances this season from Josh Bowler, Keshi Anderson, and Liam Grimshaw. After the Fulham win, Blackpool won six of their next nine games including an important league win over local rivals Preston North End. However, results did slump and there was no win in eight games but the hard work had been done over the previous period.

Coming into this season Blackpool were relegation candidates but that has been far from the case. Currently, they are in 13^th place, one above Preston, and just nine points from the playoffs. The form since the turn of the year has been fantastic as they have lost just two of the last twelve games.

Could they make a late push for the playoffs? Maybe but they will have to hope quite a few teams drop points on this last part of the race but anything is possible in the Championship. One thing is certain and that is Blackpool can hold their heads up high and look back on a great first season back in the Championship.

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