Ex-Wigan Athletic and Portsmouth promotion winner discusses 'whirlwind' start to life with Blackpool amid early managerial change
Blackpool midfielder Lee Evans states he’s enjoying learning from new head coach Steve Bruce - but admits he was disappointed to see Neil Critchley lose his job.
The 30-year-old joined the Seasiders during the summer as a free agent following the conclusion of his short-term contract with Portsmouth.
Evans’ brief spell at Fratton Park last season resulted in another League One promotion to add to his CV, after also achieving the feat with Wolves, Wigan Athletic and Ipswich Town in the past.
Since his move to Bloomfield Road, the four-time Wales international has scored two goals and provided four assists in 11 outings, but it hasn’t all been plain sailing.
Only two games into the league campaign, Critchley was relieved of his duties as Seasiders head coach, with Bruce later replacing him following Richard Keogh’s interim spell in charge.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind to be honest,” Evans said.
“I’m not going to lie, it was disappointing losing the manager when we did. He showed faith in me and brought me to the club.
“It was a shock because it was so early in the season. You could sense the disappointment in the crowd after the Stockport game, but I didn’t expect the manager to lose his job.
“I just told people to stay calm, these things happen unfortunately.
“It’s never nice to see someone lose their job, but that’s football, and I think we’re lucky to have the manager we have now - it’s a coup for the club.
“The players were excited (about Bruce), you’ve only got to look at the clubs he’s managed and the career he’s had. We’re learning how he wants to play and putting it on the pitch.
“He’s not done anything too complicated, he’s lifted the place and lifted the energy, he’s just told us to go after teams and play when we’ve got the ball.
“You never stop learning. If you can’t take advice off him then you won’t take advice off anyone.”
Since Critchley’s departure, the Seasiders have got their season back on track with a seven game unbeaten run in League One.
“It was us who had to put it right,” Evans added.
“We were the ones who had been playing and didn’t pick up the results in the first few games, so it was down to us to improve things.
“We started playing a lot better in (Richard) Keogh’s interim period, and we’ve carried that on now the manager is here.
“We’ve got to take it each game at a time. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in teams that have been up and around there, and you look at the table around February or March, it’s about Mansfield on Saturday now.”