Blackpool FC: League One preview - verdict on summer signings, pre-season reflection, and season prediction

Blackpool start the campaign with a trip to the Broadfield Stadium to face Crawley Town on Saturday evening (K.O. 5.30pm).

The Seasiders will be hoping to make a bright start, as they look to put last term’s eighth place finish behind them, with a defeat to Reading on the final day costing them a spot in the play-offs.

Here’s some of the key topics ahead of the new season:

New additions

On the whole it’s been a pretty positive transfer window for Blackpool, with some proven players coming in.

Ensuring the return of Jordan Rhodes and Hayden Coulson was critical after both players impressed while on loan.

The Seasiders’ last campaign would’ve been over by Christmas if it wasn’t for Rhodes’ 15 goals. His injuries from the end of January onwards were unfortunate, and his presence was missed.

Both on and off the pitch the striker will make a difference and should prove to be a key player.

Meanwhile, Coulson was crucial in the left wing-back role after arriving on loan from Middlesbrough.

Whatever the fee was for the 26-year-old was, it was worth it, as his influence provided a real boost after a number of other players had struggled in the position.

If the system Critchley wants to play is going to be a success, then Coulson will be at the centre of it.

Meanwhile, fellow wing-back Zac Ashworth has arrived for an undisclosed fee from West Brom. He’s a young player that hopefully will grow during his time at Bloomfield Road after previously having experience out on loan with Burton Albion and Bolton Wanderers.

The fact he is also to slot into the back three is a nice added bonus, and just gives the Seasiders another option, and a more defensive on the left to Coulson.

Also in defence, Elkan Baggott has been added on loan from Ipswich Town, and based on his previous spells elsewhere, the 21-year-old should enhance competition for the centre back roles.

The club clearly needed to replace Marvin Ekpiteta following his exit as a free agent, and perhaps the Indonesian international could be the answer.

Looking at the current squad, another defensive option may be required for back-up, depending on what is expected from Dan Sassi, who arrived from Burnley earlier in the year.

One of the arrivals in the midfield could prove to be the best bit of business, with Lee Evans certainly impressing during his friendly appearances.

The 30-year-old knows what it takes to get out of League One, having done it with Wolves, Wigan Athletic, Ipswich Town and most-recently Portsmouth.

His passing range could be exactly what Blackpool need, and in pre-season he seems to have provided Ollie Norburn with more freedom.

Alongside Evans arriving in the centre of the park is Elliot Embleton, who has previously enjoyed a successful loan spell at Bloomfield Road.

The 25-year-old has struggled with injuries in recent times, so certainly has a point to prove coming back to the Fylde Coast.

Elsewhere, up top, Ashley Fletcher will be hoping his Seasiders switch will reignite his career.

The striker has struggled in recent years, but maybe dropping down a division will benefit him. He comes in as a replacement for Shayne Lavery, and should prove to be an upgrade after spending so long as a Championship player.

Captaincy choice

James Husband looks set to be Blackpool’s captain this season after wearing the armband in last Saturday’s pre-season friendly away to Crewe Alexandra.

Alongside the new arrivals, securing the defender’s future until 2026 was an important bit of business for the club.

His influence on the pitch is clear to see, and when he’s unavailable, his presence is missed.

The 30-year-old has been at the club for a while now, and has clearly bought into the project they are working towards.

Pre-season performances

Firstly, the main thing about pre-season is to get minutes in the tank, and the majority of the Blackpool squad have managed that.

Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel missed a few games through injury, while Albie Morgan was absent for the last two fixtures, but both could still be involved against Crawley this weekend.

Elsewhere, Dominic Thompson and Kylian Kouassi have both been working their way back to fitness after surgery, and Andy Lyons is still recovering from last season’s ACL blow - with the trio being the only ones not to feature at all this summer.

In terms of the performances, they defended pretty well on the whole against Sunderland, and had a positive 20-minute spell in the second half of the fixture at Bloomfield Road where they were on the front foot.

Meanwhile, the Crewe game had plenty of positive signs, with Evans’ impact on Norburn being clear, and Kyle Joseph looking sharp.

Obviously it was disappointing to lose 3-1 to Accrington Stanley and Tranmere Rovers on the same day, with neither display being particularly good, but the squad was split in half and it was mainly just about fitness.

Of course, after some of the poor displays last season, they can’t afford to replicate too many of those performances, but in pre-season it shouldn’t be seen as an issue.

Key decisions

It’s clear that Blackpool will proceed with a 3-5-2 formation, or at least different variants of that, and with players coming in to match that system, it needs to work.

Ahead of the first weekend, there’s a number of key decisions to make concerning the team.

The back three should be Matthew Pennington, Olly Casey and James Husband, while presumably it’ll be Hayden Coulson at left wing-back, and of course Dan Grimshaw between the sticks.

It’ll be between CJ Hamilton and Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel for the right wing-back role when both are fit, and the latter probably should edge it.

As for midfield, giving Evans and Norburn the green light together should be the best starting point, but the more role in the three is a little trickier.

Rob Apter returns to Bloomfield Road on the back of a really good loan spell with Tranmere, and has the potential to bring something special to the table this season.

Meanwhile, Sonny Carey enjoyed a positive conclusion to last season, and has looked good in the games throughout the summer.

Finally, the front partnership will be another key decision. Based on the Crewe game, it should really be Jordan Rhodes and Joseph starting up front, with Jake Beesley and Fletcher on the bench.

Prediction

With some of the teams in the division, and the budgets they’ve got, it’s going to be a really tough season.

You’d expect certain sides to run away with it, and there to be a massive gap between them and the rest.

We won’t really know where Blackpool are until they’ve played a few games, with fixing last year’s inconsistencies, especially on the road, being crucial.

On paper, it does look like the squad has improved, so they should once again be competing for the play-offs, and getting the job done this time around when it comes to claiming a top six finish.