Accrington Stanley boss John Coleman was full of praise for his Blackpool counterpart Simon Grayson ahead of this weekend’s League One clash at the Crown Ground.
Blackpool are expected to be backed by a bumper away following on Saturday and Coleman was quick to express admiration for both the once-troubled club’s supporters and the Seasiders manager who he felt got a raw deal at one of his previous clubs, Sunderland.
Speaking to the Blackpool Gazette ahead of the game, the long-serving boss of Stanley said: ‘They’ve got a great set of fans, and the majority of them are brilliant.’
‘The fans should be applauded for going through the pain, and they’ve always had a great following.’
‘Their manager is good at this level. I’ve known him for quite a while, and he’s always created, good players and good teams.’
‘In my opinion, he was harshly treated at Sunderland.’
Grayson was sacked by Sunderland in October 2017 with his team twenty-second in the Championship after just eighteen games and four months in charge. He won only one league game during his disastrous reign, but despite his departure, the club still suffered painful relegation from the Championship at the end of the campaign.
He’s since found a new lease of life at Blackpool who are currently riding high In League One after an excellent start to the season. Their form has dipped a little of late, but Grayson will be hoping for three points against Coleman’s men who have endured a challenging run of form which has seen them win just once in eight games, conceding sixteen goals in the process.
Our View
Most Sunderland fans would probably disagree with Coleman’s comments after a quick glance at Grayson’s record.
However, Sunderland was in turmoil at the time, and he was literally on a hiding to nothing taking a club that lacked direction and leadership off the pitch.
With hindsight, Grayson probably wished he stayed at Preston.
In fairness, some Black Cat supporters did feel he deserved more time to turn the club around, but that was never likely once the majority of fans got on his back.
Nonetheless, Grayson proved during his previous spell at Blackpool he is decent manager, and he will be desperate to build on Tuesday night’s impressive 1-0 at Doncaster and maintain their momentum as he looks once again to guide the Seasiders to promotion.
