Blackpool boss Simon Grayson wants his players to entertain everybody

Simon Grayson insists he’s just as desperate as the club’s supporters to be entertained by his Blackpool side.
Simon Grayson saw his Lincoln City counterpart Michael Appleton take the three points at the weekendSimon Grayson saw his Lincoln City counterpart Michael Appleton take the three points at the weekend
Simon Grayson saw his Lincoln City counterpart Michael Appleton take the three points at the weekend

The Seasiders delivered another below-par display in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Lincoln City, which stretched their winless run to eight games.

In that time, Grayson’s side have notched just five goals in a run that has seen them slip down to 15th in the League One table.

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“That’s the frustrating part, because there were parts of our game where we looked alright and did look positive and confident,” Grayson said after Saturday’s defeat.

“We moved it around, especially in that first 20 minutes, and even later on in the game when we threatened to make opportunities.

“But we need to do that more often. Whether that’s at home or away, we’re going to have to dominate games and be more expressive.

“But I will say again, that’s not coming from me, I want my players to entertain me from the touchline.

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“I’m not telling them: ‘when you get it, pass it out of play or don’t take somebody on’.

“I can see the frustration of the supporters because I’m suffering that as well. I want people to be entertained and for the players to do what they’re paid to do.

“If you’re a defender defend, if you’re an attacker express yourself and affect the top end of the pitch.”

While the out-of-form Pool players were far from their best yet again, it’s fair to say luck wasn’t on their side against Michael Appleton’s Imps.

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Jay Spearing was harshly penalised for a first-half penalty, which Mark Howard did superbly to save from Tyler Walker.

Meanwhile Ben Heneghan’s attempted clearance slammed straight into teammate Spearing in the second half.

The ball ricocheted straight to the feet of Walker, who slipped in strike partner Tyreece John-Jules to score what proved to be the winning goal.

“If we get the breaks in our favour we aren’t far away from getting results again, which is what we have to do,” Grayson added.

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“You go through spells as a manager where it’s tough and you go through spells as a player where it’s tough.

“But what do you want to do? Do you want to just accept it? Or do you roll your sleeves up and really dig deep?

“We know what the players are capable of doing and ultimately you know it can change very quickly.”

Pool have already been busy during this month’s transfer window, but Grayson repeated his claim that further upgrades are a necessity.

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“I’ve said before that we need better quality in the team,” he said.

“We’ve proven that already last week and it’ll probably be proven again this week and before the window shuts.

“We need better quality players that can handle the ball and can express themselves and can pick out a pass and get past somebody.

“A couple will benefit from this game. Marc Bola hadn’t played for a bit and Gary Madine and Grant Ward are the same.

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“But we know what we need to do, we need better quality of players.

“Anybody in that dressing room who doesn’t want to be here and thinks they’re going to get moves, well we’ve seen this week we’ve been quite active in moving things around.”