Blackpool boss Neil Critchley is eager to get the new season underway with the 44-year-old manager commenting on his excitement for the journey ahead, when speaking to the official Blackpool FC club website.
Critchley will hope he can guide Blackpool back up to the Championship at the first time of asking, the Seasiders relegated last campaign after a short-lived stay in the second tier.
The former Liverpool U23’s manager has experienced the high of promotion with Blackpool in the past, his first spell on the Lancashire Coast culminated in the Seasiders winning the League One playoffs.
Now, in his second spell in charge at Blackpool after a dire couple of months in the hot-seat at QPR, he’ll want to add another promotion success to his resume with the Lancashire club.
League One Promotion Race
Blackpool will be battling with a whole host of clubs in their attempts to clinch promotion however, League One this upcoming campaign shaping up to be a competitive division for all taking part.
The likes of Derby County and Bolton Wanderers could be argued as being more heavily fancied as favourites to win promotion over Blackpool, both sides bolstering their ranks ahead of what they will hope is a return to Championship football come next April.
Blackpool do fall back down to League One the most equipped compared to the other relegated sides, off-field issues at Reading and Wigan Athletic mean both outfits could well find relegation harder to swallow when matches kick off again.
Other sides such as Oxford United, Peterborough United, Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth also come into the equation when promotion from League One is uttered, meaning it won’t be straightforward for Critchley’s Seasiders to immediately bounce back to the second tier.
What’s Been Said?
Speaking ahead of Blackpool’s opening match at Bloomfield Road tomorrow versus Burton Albion, Neil Critchley was in positive spirits with a near enough full squad ready for selection – Kyle Joseph and Jordan Gabriel the only two notable players still suffering knocks.
Critchley praised the fitness of his group, commenting: “We’ve not suffered any muscle injuries and I think that’s due to the fact of how we work and how we train, with the sports science team, we take care and look after the players.
“It’s always getting that balance right of getting that fitness into the players, stressing and overloading them but not too much as you don’t want to undercook them either. Yes, we want to be ready for the first game of the season but we also understand it’s a long, hard season and we don’t want to be knackered come November – we’re conscious of that.”
The 44-year-old manager further opened up about his excitement for the new League One season, especially the atmosphere expected at Bloomfield Road for the season opener.
He said: “I’m really excited. I say to all the players we sign, Bloomfield Road on a Saturday afternoon is a very special place – the atmosphere is incredible.
“I can’t wait to experience that again. We’re at home, it’s the first game, it’s a new challenge and a fresh start and I’d love nothing more than to give our supporters three points on Saturday.”
Writer’s View
Blackpool are arguably going under the radar when it comes to the conversation about certain sides and their promotion credentials.
Neil Critchley is a proven promotion winner at the level – and after his colossal failure at QPR as manager – he’ll be returning to the Seasiders with a fire in his belly to show he’s a capable manager again.
Blackpool have also strengthened when it comes to signings into the building, notably the addition of Oliver Norburn from promotion rivals Peterborough United.
It will be a difficult battle for promotion however with so many sides looking likely to make it their year to break out of League One, but expect Blackpool to be there or thereabouts if everything clicks into place.
