The six obvious names that will be linked or considered for the Blackpool job after Steve Bruce exit
Steve Bruce has been sacked by Blackpool - with the club currently sat in the bottom four in League One.
Blackpool have sacked Steve Bruce following a disappointing start to the 2025/26 campaign.
The 64-year-old departs the Fylde Coast having lost seven of his opening 11 games in League One this season - with Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to AFC Wimbledon proving to be his final outing in the Bloomfield Road dugout.
Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence leave the Seasiders alongside the head coach, while Stephen Dobbie and Steve Banks will take interim charge and lead the preparations for next Saturday’s game against Stockport County.
A number of names will be considered for the permanent job over the coming days, in what will be a critical appointment for the club to get right.
Here’s a look at some of the obvious names that will be linked:
Ian Evatt
Ian Evatt’s name immediately springs to mind as someone who will be called for. Like the majority of people on this list, there’s already an obvious link to the club, with the 43-year-old representing Blackpool as a player between 2006 and 2013.
As a coach, he knows what it’s like to work in League One, and had Bolton Wanderers in the play-off final not too long ago.
Having left the Trotters in January, Evatt is available and is searching for his next job.
Richie Wellens
Richie Wellens ticks a number of the same boxes as Evatt.
The 45-year-old spent time at Bloomfield Road as a player and has proven himself as a League One coach.
One difference is, Wellens is currently employed, with a project ongoing with Leyton Orient - whom he guided to the League One play-offs last season.
Gary Bowyer
Another former Seasiders figure who is working in the third tier is Gary Bowyer.
The 54-year-old guided Blackpool to League Two play-off success back in 2017 under extremely difficult circumstances, and it’d be interesting to see what he could do in a more stable environment on the Fylde Coast.
Bowyer is currently in charge of Burton Albion - whom he helped complete a great escape last season after taking over in December.
Ian Holloway
Another ex-Seasiders manager who you can’t really ignore at the moment is Ian Holloway.
The 62-year-old, who guided the club to the Premier League in 2010, is currently working his magic with Swindon Town - where he seems to be enjoying life at the moment, with the Robins sitting second in League Two.
Stephen Dobbie
Dobbie is obviously in interim charge for now, alongside Banks, but he’s been someone who Blackpool fans have called for over a number of years.
He knows the club well as both a player and a coach. Any games that come his way in the next few weeks will certainly be an audition for him to prove himself.
Ruben Selles
A coach who will probably be linked with every League One job that comes up for the foreseeable will be Ruben Selles.
After a brief spell in charge of Southampton in the Premier League, the 42-year-old claimed plaudits for the work he did with Reading under tough circumstances.
Since leaving the Royals last year, Selles has been sacked by Hull City and Sheffield United - with his time with the latter in particular being a disaster.
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