TOM Ince says Pool’s second managerial crisis in as many months won’t affect the team or his future.
Blackpool’s players arrived at training yesterday to enter a circus similar to the one they were faced with when Ian Holloway departed for Crystal Palace in November.
Assistant manager Steve Thompson was again left to pick up the pieces in the absence of Michael Appleton and first- team coach Ashley Westwood.
But Ince was quick to reassure fans they will be as well prepared as ever for tomorrow’s visit Charlton tomorrow.
Ince said: “We can’t worry about things that are out of our control. We have a great bunch of lads here, and we just stick together and work hard as a team.
“Whoever is our manager at Charlton, we’ll just be going out there and doing our best to get three points.
“We know that with the talent in this team, our league position should be much better than it is at the moment, so that’s what we have to worry about.
“Anything off the football pitch is out of our control. We need to make sure we go to Charlton and get the win.”
As for yesterday’s events, Ince added: “We didn’t see Michael Appleton. Thommo took training. We treated it like any normal day and we all worked hard as normal.
“We just want to make our fans proud of us on Saturday and make sure we get ourselves back into the play-off places, where we want to be.”
The winger’s future has been the subject of intense speculation since the transfer window opened, with his previous club Liverpool and Swansea both showing interest.
But the 20-year-old says all the uncertainty around Bloomfield Road will have no bearing on his position.
He said: “This changes nothing for me. My future right now is here.
“I’m a Blackpool player, I’m contracted to Blackpool and I’ll continue to give 100 per cent for this team.”
“I don’t only do it for myself and the fans, I do that for my team-mates too. They are a great bunch of lads.
“The team spirit is fantastic and we have some top-quality players.”
“We are looking to a tough game at Charlton now, then on Tuesday we have a big FA Cup game, with a tie against West Ham or Man United as the prize.”
It’s barely two months since the last managerial upheaval at Pool but Ince says the players aren’t looking for any sympathy from supporters.
“We are very lucky to be in this game,” he said. “We are professionals and we should be able to deal with whatever is thrown our way.
“This is the crunch time for us. In the past, Blackpool have produced when it matters and we need to do that.
“We have to worry about nothing more than getting three points at Charlton.”
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