Brett Ormerod column: Blackpool look to be developing a winning habit

A fortnight ago I wrote that they were finding new ways to win and now it is becoming a habit, which can only be a good thing.

It changes your whole mindset going into games if you have a winning culture at the club.

They’ve strung together some good results and it’s come at a good time for all concerned.

They haven’t played a league game since the start of the month and have had a two-week break since the FA Cup win at Eastbourne, so Neil Critchley and his squad have had a chance to recharge the batteries for a tough run of games up to Christmas.

Most of those games are away from home, including all of the next three, so it’s a massive help to go into what will be a difficult period in a positive frame of mind.

The difference seems to be the performances in the final third, where they are creating more chances and scoring more goals.

They have a good combination with the two centre-forwards in Gary Madine and Jerry Yates.

They are developing a real understanding from playing together regularly and that is starting to bear fruit for the club.

They will face a real test at Peterborough United on Saturday, though. Nobody will be surprised to see them at the top of the pile and setting the standards.

They were always going to be among the favourites, even with a few changes of personnel from last season, and it will be a tough test for Blackpool.

The Seasiders then visit Doncaster in midweek, followed by the FA Cup trip to Harrogate, before they finally return to Bloomfield Road in December.

It’s a lot of travelling, which leaves little scope for training, but hopefully they can keep the points tally ticking over and building the momentum they had before the international break.

The EFL brought in a new rule for league games this week, allowing teams to make five substitutions per game instead of three.

We know Neil Critchley is in favour and I think it’s a good idea too.

Football is becoming more and more of a squad game and this will give more opportunities to more players.

It will also give more options to the manager and I think it can’t be a bad thing.

Looking at the internationals over the past week, England at least ended the year on a high with a good win over Iceland but it’s all been a bit of an anti-climax after the defeat by Belgium on Sunday meant they could not qualify for the Nations League finals.

I must admit I didn’t see the Belgium game but, ever the glutton for punishment, I promised myself I’d tune in for the Iceland game.

It wasn’t as though there was nothing at stake because players are looking to secure places for the European Championships next summer and there were some good performances.

The real shining light has been Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, who looks like he could be the Paul Gascoigne-esque player England have been looking for for a number of years now.

He looks the one player people would pay to watch play. He can make England exciting again and he looks like he belongs on the international stage.

We won’t see him in the Nations League finals but he will be one to watch at the Euros, where he could make a big difference.

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