Blackpool boss Neil Critchley vows: No kneejerk reaction to second defeat

The Seasiders lost for the second time in three games on Saturday, a frustrating 2-0 defeat at Gillingham.

While Blackpool remain keen to add to their squad and have until October 16 to do so, Critchley says they won’t make panic signings.

It follows calls from supporters for Pool to add more experience and guile to their ranks, in particular at centre-back and right-back.

Pool’s head coach said: “You have to be careful not to make kneejerk reactions after one performance. We have to take stock of this, reflect and evaluate. We have to think about where we want to go and how we want to get there. I’m a firm believer this group will get better. The players have room to improve.

“We still had long spells of possession but we haven’t done enough with it. We lacked some guile and intelligence. Would experience make a massive difference? Maybe, maybe not. I’ll have to go away and think about that one.”

Critchley remains confident the Seasiders will go on to enjoy a successful campaign. But after such a high summer turnover of players – 12 arriving and 18 heading out – he insists supporters must remain patient.

He added: “I don’t set targets for the players. I think it’s foolish to say we want to do this or that. We just want to improve every game and get better as a group.

“We’ve got a new group with new personnel. We want to improve as a team together and believe in what we do, and if we do that I still believe we’ve got a good chance of being successful this season.

“Success is improving and getting better than we saw at Gillingham. The game showed the players are not quite used to playing with each other when they’re on the ball. That relationship and understanding is not quite there yet and that just takes time.

“Therefore, if we stay together and keep improving, then the results will follow. We’ll become a team with a clear identity and a clear way of playing. We will get success off the back of that.”