Six things for Blackpool to address as they look to improve on underwhelming season
Blackpool enjoyed a bright end to the season to finish well above the League One relegation zone - but will still be underwhelmed they weren’t competing at the top end of the table.
Blackpool have plenty to review this summer - after finding themselves in a League One relegation battle last season despite having hopes of promotion back in the summer.
A sloppy start set the tone for large parts of the campaign, with the initial signs of promise under Steve Bruce quickly fading - resulting in the experienced head coach getting the boot at the beginning of October.
Club legend Ian Evatt returned to take on the top job, and reinstalled a bit of hope at Bloomfield Road following an unbeaten December.
Unfortunately, things took a drastic turn for the worse at the start of 2026, as the club kept discovering new lows to hit.
At a stage where many had written them off, Blackpool found the form they’d been craving for, picking up 22 points from their final nine games to survive comfortably in 13th.
Despite enjoying a bright end, which can now be used as a platform going forward, there still needs to be an inquest on why it was so poor for so long.
Here’s some of the key topics for the club to address:
Slow start to the season
A reason behind Blackpool’s poor start to proceedings was the fact they simply didn’t look up to speed.
Too many players looked off the boil, and with the naked eye, some simply didn’t look fully match fit.
Considering the pre-season programme featured a trip to Spain and more than enough friendlies, the Seasiders must ask themselves what they can implement this time around to make sure everyone’s ready for the starting pistol.
There’s an even better chance to get things right for the opening league game this time around due to the campaign starting with the EFL Cup.
Evatt has already promised a tough pre-season, which is set to feature precise detail and a lot of work for his squad.
Wretched injury record
Something that could tie into a lack of match fitness for some at the start of the season could be the club’s injury record.
Blackpool’s fortunes on this front have been rotten, with as many as 10 players absent at one stage.
When you’re missing a large chunk of your squad, then it’s not surprising that there’s been so many tough periods.
It could simplistically be put down to bad luck, but this isn’t a new issue - it’s something they’ve struggled with for a while.
Even thinking back to Bruce’s early time in charge, players were forced to play out of position because of a large number of absentees. A clear example that comes to mind is Sonny Carey, and how he got his opportunity to shine from the left side.
At the start of the most recent campaign, the previous manager was forced to start the season with a different formation than what he preferred because of the players he had missing, while Evatt had to long periods with only two fit strikers and limited options elsewhere.
Injuries can’t be used as a blanket excuse for why the Seasiders underperformed for so long, but it does offer mitigation in some circumstances.
Settle on a style of play
A reason why absentees in some areas hurt more than others, is because of a lack of clarity above the manager in recent times.
The club was very much geared towards a wing-back system under Neil Critchley, before appointing Bruce - who wanted to play 4-4-2.
This was addressed to an extent over two windows, but October’s change of manager saw that plan go out of the window.
When Evatt came, he switched to a wing-back system again, stating it was the best formation for the players he had available, even if some ultimately became surplus to requirements.
The result of this, was a lack of depth in important areas, and a need for certain players to learn a new position.
This does create questions over the club’s long-term thinking, ranging from the direction they want to go in to whether they’ve been precise enough with their recruitment.
Obviously managers will naturally change, but there should be a bigger picture and clearer image of what the club’s identity looks like.
Evatt has to be given what he wants this summer, and not just players who are there to fill in or simply do a job; they must be tailor made for what the head coach wants.
He has a clear idea of what he wants to do, and it’s up to the club to embrace that blueprint.
Big signings not coming good quickly enough
Another problem Blackpool have faced in the past 12 months was their big signings not clicking immediately.
Going back to the theme of injury - this played a part, with several of the summer arrivals missing extended periods of action at various points.
The club’s yet to see a fully fit Michael Ihiekwe, both George Honeyman and Fraser Horsfall had several spells out, Dale Taylor suffered two really bad injuries, and Josh Bowler wasn’t up to speed at the start.
You’ve got to hope that the big names who arrived 12 months ago will come good consistently next time around, with some of them certainly showing signs of what they’re capable of in short snippets.
On paper, there was some good business, it just didn’t pan out in reality due to various factors.
Of course, there’s been several signings to forget in the past few years, but the ones still at the club still have something to bring to the fold.
Away form needs improvement
This is quite a simple one to point out - Blackpool haven’t been very good away from home.
In the final few weeks, they were able to record back-to-back wins on the road, but on the whole, it’s their performances at Bloomfield Road that kept them up.
Based on away results, the Seasiders would’ve been 21st in the table, which suggests their home sickness is severe.
Once again, this isn’t a fresh problem, with similar issues occurring under Critchley in the past.
This could come down to a mentality thing. Far too often, Blackpool would collapse under adversity, and that proved costly for large periods.
By the end of the campaign they looked a lot stronger in that respect, but it was concerning just how fragile they could be.
Make sure there’s a strong connection
One of the Seasiders’ great strengths is the connection they’ve got with their fans.
As stated previously, it was Bloomfield Road that got the club over the line eventually, and by the end there was a strong sense of unity.
Credit to those behind-the-scenes and Simon Sadler, things kick started with a game to mark the anniversary of the homecoming and a ticket deal to get more people in the ground.
Of course, it’s a two way street, and the fans more than played their part in rising to the challenge and backing their side.
Just as much as there’s a base to build on with the end of season performances on the pitch, it’ll be important to keep that connection with the supporters strong as well.
A good start for new CEO David Downes will be to keep a consistent line of communication open from the boardroom, and learn from one of the mistakes made by Julian Winter.
There’s been a lot of positive steps taken in recent times, it’s about allowing supporters to be firmly part of that journey.
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