Will it be a Tangerine dream this season?
(League One)ndLast Season’s finish: 22
Nickname: The Tangerines
Ground: Bloomfield Road
Capacity: 17,338
Last Season – Summary:
A second successive relegation means that the side find themselves playing in the fourth tier. One win in their first nine league matches was the worst possible start for a club already low on confidence following a disappointing campaign the year before. Their form improved slightly, but just three wins from the end of October through to the beginning of 2016 meant they continued to struggle. Heavy defeats to Rochdale, Wigan and Peterborough United at the end rounded off a disappointing season.
Manager: Gary Bowyer
The former Blackburn Rovers manager arrives at Bloomfield Road tasked with rebuilding the club and helping it to find stability. After two relegations in as many years, Bowyer’s experience at higher levels will undoubtedly be vital. He was caretaker manager at Ewood Park in 2012 through to 2013, before taking over permanently in May 2013. He left in November 2015 and became Blackpool boss at the start of June and is the eighth Blackpool manager since 2012.
Key Man: Mark Cullen
The former Luton Town forward made 41 appearances in the league for the Seasiders last term, scoring nine goals in the process – including a double on the opening day of the campaign. The Tangerines will be hoping to hold on to the 24-year-old for the upcoming season.
Press View: William Watt – Blackpool Gazette
Summary of last season:
Last year was an absolute disaster for Blackpool. They had a really poor year in the Championship the year before, and everyone thought they’d bounce straight back up but it never happened.
Right from the start they just struggled to get going, they needed to recruit a lot of players quickly and it just didn’t work. There was all sorts of stuff happening off the pitch and disaster is the best way to describe it. Hopefully now the new manager Gary Bowyer will be able to steady the ship.
Key Man:
I think Brad Potts in the middle will be key for the side. He’s one everyone keeps talking about, he still only 21 and he’s played a lot of games. Blackpool brought him in from Carlisle and he’s played for England at all levels up until the age of 19. He came with promise and it hasn’t quite happened yet, but he has clear ability and the manager has been saying how much he’d like to get him playing. Hopefully we’ll begin to see the best from in because he’s a lad with a lot of potential, it just about fulfilling it.
Prediction for the 2016/17 season:
I think they’ll finish in the top half, if they can hit the ground running they could challenge for the top six. If they can get some stability then they can grow again on the pitch, because the problems off the pitch don’t seem to be going away. If they can isolate the football and get that going again they can look up rather than down and have a positive year.
