Blackpool return excites assistant boss

The 47-year-old made the move to Bloomfield Road from Port Vale earlier this week after Terry McPhillips brought him in as his new number two.

Brabin spent three years with the Seasiders as a player, making more than 70 appearances and earning himself a reputation of a midfield tough man in the process.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

“I’ve got some great memories from when I was here and obviously I’ve followed the club over the years.

“Terry is a good friend of mine and to have an opportunity to come back to the club and work with a great friend like Terry is a great opportunity.

“It’s exciting for us now to both be in this position and working together to put the team right on a Saturday.

“We share the same beliefs and philosophies, if you like, in football because over a number of years we’ve gone to games together and spoke football.

“We know what we want and what we like, and we’ve got every confidence that we’ll work well together.”

Brabin, who played for Blackpool between 1996 and 1999, only arrived at Blackpool on Monday but he’s already had plenty to do this week.

He added: “I was just going to come in and have a little look at the players and get to see their personalities, but Terry decided to throw me straight in at the deep end.

“I was straight in training with the lads and they seem a really talented bunch.

“There’s a really good atmosphere amongst the group of lads and a good team spirit is important.”

Brabin’s first game in the dugout will be against Luton Town today, a club he managed for two years.

“Gary’s a good guy and the lads have all taken to him,” said Pool boss McPhillips.

“He did a bit of work on Tuesday and he joined in on Thursday too, so that’s good.

“We play Luton, one of Brab’s old teams he managed, football often does that to you.

“He’s a number two I’m not going to argue with too often. He’s a big lad with a big presence and a big heart, so he’s going to bring lots to the party for us.

“We’ll just have to see how the relationship develops. I like coaching, I’ve always been a coach, Gary (Bowyer) was the same.”