Examining the reasons behind Blackpool's struggles as pressure piles on Michael Appleton

Michael Appleton faced the brunt on Saturday when the supporters turned against him at the DW Stadium after a fourth straight defeat saw the Seasiders slip into the bottom three.

While Blackpool’s head coach will know his job is on the line, it’s also only fair to point out he’s not the only one to blame, with summer recruitment also coming under the microscope.

The Seasiders have certainly had their fair share of bad luck as well in a season where it seems everything that could go wrong, has done.

Here, we examine the reasons behind Blackpool’s woes since the start of the summer and the context behind their slump into the bottom three…

Neil Critchley’s departure

A little simplistic, perhaps, but all of Blackpool’s current woes can be traced back to the moment Critchley upped sticks to join Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa, leaving the Seasiders in the lurch. Blackpool’s recruitment plans were put on hold as a result as the board started the search for his replacement. Appleton then needed more time to assess his squad, delaying Blackpool’s transfer search even further. The Seasiders have been playing catch-up ever since.

Appleton’s appointment

Appleton was no-one’s first choice, he acknowledged as much himself. It meant it was an uphill challenge from the start to win over the fans and many of them have been waiting for the opportune moment to turn on him. The fact he was handed a four-year deal was another sticking point with supporters, but, as reported at the time of his appointment, The Gazette understands the club are protected by certain things should they wish to make a change.

Simon Sadler’s statement

Following on from Appleton’s official unveiling, owner Simon Sadler then released a statement expressing his disappointment at the negative reaction among the fanbase. Not exactly getting off to the best start…

PNE ‘tattoo’

Preston fans, mischievously dubbing their former player as ‘Agent Appleton’, then helped spread a false rumour that Pool’s new man had a PNE tattoo on his leg. To prove a point, Appleton actually showed a group of fans at the Armfield Club that this wasn’t actually the case. Yes, this actually happened.

The injuries begin

As we’ll get onto later, injuries have been a constant theme of Appleton’s reign. It’s not a particularly new thing for Blackpool though as they had to endure the same misfortune under Neil Critchley. But Appleton certainly wasn’t helped by having Kevin Stewart and Jordan Gabriel sidelined before he even got to the training pitch while Keshi Anderson and Jake Beesley soon picked up long-term setbacks.

Failure to sign a striker

As good as Blackpool were in their first season back in the Championship, they still lacked goals. A striker was sought and the club went after Ellis Simms and Colby Bishop, but they were unable to get a deal for a number nine over the line. Gary Madine was told by Appleton before the season got underway he wouldn’t be a regular starter this season but as it’s transpired, Pool have had no option but to play the 32-year-old week in, week out.

Failure to sign a midfielder

Or to be more specific, make a statement signing in midfield of the Cameron Brannagan-ilk, or Fisayo Dele Bashiru or Dan Barlaser. It’s something the Seasiders have attempted to do over the past two seasons now but they’ve still not managed it despite their best attempts. Other midfielders did arrive in the form of Liam Bridcutt, Lewis Fiorini, Charlie Patino, Grant Ward and Callum Wright, but it still feels like something is missing.

Failure to sign Andy Lyons sooner

Blackpool had the chance to sign Lyons from Shamrock Rovers permanently during the summer, but they stalled over the move before eventually coming to an agreement to bring him in during the January window. It was hoped Jordan Gabriel could get through the first half of the season unscathed with Callum Connolly an emergency backup, but Gabriel suffered a freak injury (more on that later), resulting in Connolly playing virtually every minute of every game when he’s clearly not been 100 per cent.

Richard Keogh’s departure

This one might be a little harsh given it was Keogh’s prerogative to leave for family reasons and join Ipswich Town to be nearer his home with the club he began his career with. But Blackpool failed to replace his experience, albeit it’s understood attempts were made to sign Michael Morrison before he joined Portsmouth.

Defending summer recruitment

In an interview with The Gazette, Simon Sadler and Ben Mansford attempted to defend the club’s summer recruitment. One of their main arguments was the club’s ability to bring in the best young talent from the biggest clubs in England. But out of the five loans they’ve brought in, only Charlie Patino from Arsenal has really worked, albeit Man City’s Lewis Fiorini has been sidelined through injury since August. In hindsight, I don’t think it would have hurt for the board to hold their hands up and admit the club’s summer recruitment didn’t go as well as initially hoped. It certainly wasn’t for the want of trying and they targeted the right players, but for whatever reason things didn’t go their way.

Losing Josh Bowler

Not only did Blackpool lose their star man, they also lost him in the dying moments of the transfer window giving them no time to replace him. Theo Corbeanu and Ian Poveda had already arrived in the building, but I think it’s now fair to say neither are on Bowler’s level. But then again, was it ever going to be possible to replace someone of his ability? Appleton regularly told us a potential Bowler sale was a case of risk vs reward. In hindsight, it’s not worked out for either party with Bowler struggling for game time with Olympiakos.

Injury crisis kicking in

It didn’t take long until Blackpool’s list of injuries soon became farcical. One of the lowest points was when Charlie Patino and Lewis Fiorini both suffered setbacks just when things were beginning to click during an impressive showing at QPR, which Blackpool won 1-0. The midfield duo were at the heart of everything good that night, but they were quickly doomed to the treatment room.

Dropping Dan Grimshaw

Appleton made the bold call to drop Grimshaw for the game against Norwich at the start of October, a decision that took everyone by surprise. The 24-year-old could maybe have done a little better with two or three goals leading up to that point, but there were no glaring errors to look back on. His replacement Chris Maxwell has since gone on to perform worse by many peoples’ standards yet continues to hold onto the number one jersey. Keeping one of the club’s most prized assets on the bench is a head scratcher.

Signing Liam Bridcutt

Despite acknowledging his Championship level of ability, you won’t have heard one Lincoln fan complain about Bridcutt’s release at the end of last season. That’s because, as good as he is, he’s just far too injury prone and doesn’t play anywhere near enough. While the circumstances are different, it makes no sense why Blackpool opted to play it cautious over Colby Bishop but were so willing to bring in Bridcutt given his track record. The fact he’s not played since hobbling off during the PNE derby only backs up that point.

Injured on a stool

You know everything is transpiring against you when a key player suffers a serious injury while sitting on a stool at home. But that’s exactly what happened to Jordan Gabriel in the lead-up to the Sunderland game at the start of October. He was forced to undergo surgery as a result and won’t be back until the New Year. You really couldn’t write it.

Battle of Bramall Lane

The Seasiders came so close to claiming a famous victory away to Sheffield United with nine men, only to be cruelly denied at the death. The point came at a cost though, with Shayne Lavery harshly sent off after the final whistle meaning three players faced suspension. Blackpool appealed Lavery’s red but the decision predictably went against them.

Grant Ward re-signs

Appleton was repeatedly asked if Grant Ward would be signing a contract with the club after continuing to train with the squad while also featuring for the development squad. On one occasion, Pool’s head coach bluntly replied “no”. Fast forward to the end of October and the midfielder ended up agreeing a short-term contract until January. This is nothing against Ward and it was great to see him feature after 17 months of injury hell, but if this doesn’t sum up Blackpool’s recruitment then I don’t know what does.

Sickness bug

As if injuries and suspensions weren’t bad enough, a sickness bug then ravaged the Blackpool squad after the comeback win against Coventry. It came at the worst time possible with the Seasiders in the midst of playing Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday. Things got so bad, at one point there were question marks over 14 players. The win at Coventry would come to bite Blackpool in the backside as Appleton opted not to make any changes.

Keshi Anderson’s brief return

If Keshi Anderson re-injuring himself within 35 minutes of making his long-awaited return doesn’t sum up Blackpool’s bad luck, then what does? The midfielder hadn’t kicked a ball all season until the start of November, when he was named on the bench against Luton. But after coming off the bench at half-time, the 27-year-old injured his hamstring tracking back making a crucial last-ditch sliding tackle. Now he’s out until the New Year.

‘Negative’ comments

Supporters have accused Appleton of being too negative while speaking to the media on a few occasions this season, claiming it spreads the wrong message to his players. He was hit with the same accusation ahead of the weekend’s trip to Wigan when he claimed a return of 25 points from Blackpool’s first 21 games would be a “reasonable return”. Despite a backlash, Appleton doubled down on his claim insisting he will continue to be brutally honest even if it’s not what people want to hear. As it turned out, the Seasiders lost anyway so they’ve hit to reach 25 points.

Midweek woes and home record

Appleton has still only tasted victory in one of Blackpool’s eight midweek games so far this season in league and cup – and that win came against QPR all the way back in August. Blackpool’s home record is also cause for concern, having claimed just 10 points in 10 games at Bloomfield Road. Only Wigan have a worse record in the second tier. Home form was also an issue for Appleton at Lincoln, even during the season they reached the play-off final.

Coming to a head

All of the above concerns came to a head at the DW on Saturday and it was Appleton that bore the brunt of it. The supporters completely turned on him when Curtis Tilt scored Wigan’s late winner and once again when Appleton attempted to walk over and applaud them. Once the fans turn on a manager, it’s very hard to get them back. Appleton can point to Marvin Ekpiteta’s 17th minute red card as a mitigating factor, but again he didn’t help himself by failing to make a change until the 89th minute. You can’t bemoan injuries one minute and then leave the same 10 men on the pitch for almost the entire game the next.