Where Blackpool's past five managers are now - including new podcast venture alongside Portsmouth and Stoke City figure
Blackpool have employed a range of different managers across the last few seasons.
Blackpool have attracted a range of different managers to Bloomfield Road in recent years.
Throughout the last few seasons it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster for the Seasiders.
After working their way back to the Championship, and spending two years in the second tier, the Fylde Coast outfit have found themselves back in League One for the last few seasons, and haven’t come close to promotion.
Alongside familiar faces who have enjoyed past success with the club, Blackpool’s appointments have also included a couple of high-profile names.
Current head coach Steve Bruce falls into the second category, and will be hoping to reward the Seasiders hierarchy for their backing and their patience over the next few months following a slow start to the current campaign.
For those that have come before the 64-year-old in recent times, not many have gone on to hit the heights in the dugout in the years since.
Here’s a look at where Blackpool’s last five permanent managers are now:
Neil Critchley
Neil Critchley has been Blackpool boss on two occasions in recent times, which brought differing fortunes.
In his first stint, the 46-year-old guided the club to promotion and Championship stability, before departing to be Steve Gerrard’s assistant at Aston Villa.
After returning to Bloomfield Road in 2023, things didn’t quite work for the ex-Liverpool youth coach in his second spell.
Failure to reach the play-offs in his first season, followed by a poor start to the 2024/25 campaign, led to the two parties going their separate ways.
Since then, Critchley has spent time with Hearts in the SPL, but things didn’t work out there either, and he’s been out of work since his Tynecastle sacking.
Mick McCarthy
With the likes of the Republic of Ireland, Wolves and Ipswich on his CV, Mick McCarthy was brought into Blackpool in 2023 to save the club from relegation.
Sadly things didn’t go as planned, and with matters becoming worse on the Fylde Coast, the 66-year-old departed after a few months.
McCarthy has seemingly called time on his coaching career since his Seasiders spell and has recently moved into podcasting.
The Managers features the ex-Barnsley defender alongside Tony Pulis - who has his fair share of experiences, with his former clubs ranging from a short-lived stint with Portsmouth to a success story with Stoke City.
Michael Appleton
Michael Appleton returned to Bloomfield Road for a second stint in the summer of 2022, with his previous spell coming a decade before.
Things ultimately didn’t work out for the 49-year-old, who was sacked in the following January.
Since leaving the Seasiders, the ex-Preston North End midfielder briefly spent time with Charlton Athletic and is currently with Shrewsbury Town.
On the back of their relegation last season, the Shropshire outfit currently sit 23rd in League Two.
Simon Grayson
Like others on this list, Simon Grayson has also had two spells in charge of Blackpool.
Similar to Critchley, the 55-year-old couldn’t replicate his past success on his return to the Fylde Coast, and was in charge for less than 12 months.
Since leaving the Seasiders, the ex-Leeds United boss has spent time with Fleetwood Town, Bengaluru in the Indian Super League, and Lalitpur City in the Nepal Super League.
Following his stints overseas, Grayson returned to England during the summer to take over at Hartlepool United, with the North East outfit currently sat eighth in the National League.
Terry McPhillips
Terry McPhillips was in charge of the Seasiders during the 2018/19 season.
Since resigning as Blackpool boss, the 56-year-old’s role has included being a coach under Robbie Fowler at East Bengal and a scout for Forest Green Rovers.
McPhillips is now with Oldham Athletic as the Owls’ head of recruitment.
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