Blackpool boss remains confident he can lead the Seasiders up the League One table
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Blackpool head coach remains confident in his abilities as he completes a year at Bloomfield Road.
Ian Evatt maintains he is the man to take Blackpool up the League One table as he marks a year in charge at Bloomfield Road.
Evatt succeeded Steve Bruce as head coach on October 21 last year and has overseen 51 matches in all competitions going into Tuesday’s home game with MK Dons.
Last weekend’s defeat at Leyton Orient took his record in that time to 21 wins, 22 losses and eight draws, with the Seasiders 20th in the table.
Having ended last season with seven wins from nine, Evatt’s players started the new campaign with seven points from nine before a run of five defeats in six.
That has led to disquiet from a section of the Blackpool support but Evatt remains steadfast in his view that things will turn around.
He said: “I believe I’m the guy to get us out of this, the players - I know - believe in me and I know people behind the scenes do because they can see what we’re doing and the process we’re undertaking.
“A lot of the fans can’t see that, they only see what the outcome is and I understand how upset and frustrated they are.
“I love this club and I suffer - when they suffer, when we suffer - more than anybody.
“The minute I don’t think I’m that guy that can get this club to where I believe it belongs, then I’ll say.”
While Blackpool’s lowly position means a win of any kind is welcome in the short-term, Evatt doesn’t believe winning while playing badly is a recipe for long-term success.
Instead, he wants to combine result and performance - and thinks there are reasons to be optimistic with the Seasiders’ displays of late.
“You can win games without playing well but that isn’t sustainable,” Evatt said.
“The better you play, the better your performance. If you execute what you’re trying to do in terms of performance, it gives you a much better chance of winning the game.
“I looked at Saturday (the loss at Leyton Orient) and thought there’s a lot of things we did well.
“The issue we’ve got at the minute - and has been our problem for a long time, prior to me - is defending direct play; defending set plays, defending long throws.
“The profile of our players, the ones that are good at that, are on the injury list and on the bench.
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“Our defensive structure against Cambridge (United, 1-0 defeat) was very good with 10 men for 85 minutes.
“Prior to the international break, we were giving up lots of big chances, too many spaces in the middle of the pitch.
“The two games post-international break, Cambridge and Leyton Orient, it hasn’t been that at all.
“We haven’t really conceded anything from general play, which is a positive and a plus.
“It’s my job to look at the positives. I know there’s a lot of negatives at the moment - and I’m not trying to avoid any of those - but you can’t keep manifesting on negative energy.
“You’ve got to focus on what are the positives and what can we do to make the negatives better?”