'Questioning my sanity' - Ex-Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers boss reflects on return to management after completing League One great escape

Former Blackpool boss Gary Bowyer admits he’s loved being back in management following a period away from the dugout.

The 53-year-old took over as Burton Albion manager back in December, and guided the club to a great escape to secure another season in League One.

After being sat in 23rd and nine points from safety at the start of 2025, the Brewers claimed nine wins from their final 21 games to finish above the bottom four.

Bowyer has enjoyed success at a number of clubs throughout his coaching career - which has included a League Two play-off win with the Seasiders back in 2017, but found himself out of work for nearly 18 months after leaving Dundee in the summer of 2023.

“To be back in football is brilliant, I’ve got a lot to thank Radio Lancashire for as they had me doing the games at Blackpool, which helped because I was watching League One football,” he said.

“The call came from Burton just before Christmas, and I found myself being offered the job. It was a massive challenge, people were questioning my sanity, but I had been out of work for a long time and I needed to get back in.

“I was excited by what was sold to me. It was a massive job to pick everyone up and get smiles on their faces. Fortunately we had a good January window, and then we won three in a week - which really gave everyone the belief we would fight until the end.

“I was never in a position where I could guarantee an outcome, but what I could guarantee is that we would work very hard in training and we’d always be competitive in games. It was more a process of highlighting what strengths we had individually and collectively, and just keep reaffirming them and building on the positives.

“Before we knew it, we were winning football matches, and that’s the thing that gives players that confidence.

“If you look at the situation now, then we’ve raised expectations. When we first went in people didn’t expect us to do anything.

“We’ve got players we’d got players who we’d like to keep who are out of contract, and we’ve had loans go back, so we’ve got a big rebuild to do, and it’s going to be tough again with the calibre of teams that have come down, and the ones coming up are big as well. From a budget point of view, it’s going to be tough for us again.”

Bowyer makes comparisons to Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool jobs

Bowyer is no stranger to challenging situations, having been in charge of both Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool at difficult times for both clubs during his career.

“I’ve been fortunate with the successes I’ve had,” he admitted.

“To go in at Blackburn, with all the negative media it was getting, and turn the club around, building a team that was young and hungry - with massive assets, that was a real buzz for me because I had been there 11-and-a-half years.

“Then, the romance of being a kid and watching your dad playing at Wembley so many times, to then lead Blackpool out there was a huge moment for myself and my family. To top it off by winning - that was just huge.

“Then, to go up to Scotland and be an Englishman winning there, that gives me an enormous sense of pride.

“For this one (with Burton), no one gave us a chance, we were dead and buried, so it’s a fantastic achievement for everyone.

“It’s difficult to rank them all because they are so different and so unique.”

Bowyer shares struggles for managers out of work

Bowyer admits he was surprised by how long it took for him to get back into management after leaving Dundee, despite departing Dens Park having just won the Scottish Championship.

“I look back to my time at Blackburn, I was happy being the reserve coach, then I got asked to do the caretaker job, and you get hooked on the management side of it,” he stated.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be in work as long as I have, as many times as I have, so you can’t beat being on the grass and working with players. I’ve always enjoyed putting a team together and working with them.

“It was tough being out. The family had stayed in England when I was in Scotland, so at first it was okay, it was great to see people you’d not seen for that year and integrate into family life. You were able to go away on holiday at different times, so that was good.

“Then, it does get tough, and you start to question yourself. Doubt is there. There’s better coaches and managers out of work now, so it is tough.

“You need good support and process for your days, because they can sometimes fly by without you doing anything. I was fortunate that I had good people around me.

“I was offered some jobs that didn’t suit me or my family, and one or two at a level that I didn’t want to drop to. I missed out on a couple as well in League One, and you get frustrated with that.

“When you lose out to some, you think ‘fair enough, I understand that,’ but it’s the ones where you think ‘I don’t understand how they came to that decision.’

“When you’re out of work, you question whether you’ll get back in, and if it’s time to do something else - that’s just human nature. What it does do, it makes you appreciate every day that you’re back working.

“I still try to keep in touch with people I know who are out of the game still to support them because it can be a tough place at times.”

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