Blackpool interim coach shares update on his future with ex-Bolton Wanderers boss favourite again
Blackpool are yet to make a permanent appointment on the back of Steve Bruce’s sacking earlier this month.
Blackpool could be getting closer to finding their next head coach - but Stephen Dobbie is remaining focussed on his interim duties until a permanent appointment is made.
The former Seasiders forward has overseen three matches since the sacking of Steve Bruce earlier this month.
His first game in charge ended in a 1-0 defeat away to Stockport County, before his side secured their place in the next round of the EFL Trophy with a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest U21s on Tuesday night.
Dobbie looked on course to secure a league win as well against Wycombe Wanderers, but a 112th minute equaliser from Jack Grimmer cancelled out Ashley Fletcher’s opener.
It was understood last Wednesday that ex-Blackpool defender Ian Evatt had yet to be interviewed for the head coach position, but a sudden shift in the bookmakers’ odds suggest that may have changed, with the ex-Bolton Wanderers boss now favourite at 4/9.
Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens is behind him at 11/4, while Matt Bloomfield and Leam Richardson are both now 5/1.
Dobbie’s focus
Dobbie, who is now down the list at 33/1, states he will start the preparations for the Seasiders’ trip to Peterborough next week.
“I’ll keep doing the job that the club needs and we’ll see what happens,” he said.
“Until I get the phone call, I’ll review the game tonight and start working on what we’ll do for Peterborough, then if it changes; it changes.”
Dobbie admits while he’s only picked up one point in the league as interim boss, he was pleased by the way the squad reacted to some of his ideas.
“We’ve tried to implement different things on how we hurt the last line and how we build the game,” he added.
“With three midfielders in there, it’s been about how we get control. We know how they can hold onto the ball, so that’s what we tried to do against Wycombe.
“We had the rotation of Albie (Morgan) trying to get forward and helping Fletch (Ashley Fletcher) - which I thought we did quite well in the first half.
“I feel they’ve grown. At the end of the Stockport game we were in the ascendancy to get the goal, and we put in a plan that we’ve been working on. In the second half we dropped a bit deeper and didn’t do as well on the ball, and we were just looking for them to dig in and get over the line, but it didn’t go for us again.”
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