Gazette opinion: Blackpool only heading in one direction under Neil Critchley

The then Liverpool Under-23s coach was enticed away from Merseyside and persuaded to occupy the hotseat at Bloomfield Road, which had been left vacant by the sacking of Simon Grayson.

Critchley arrived for his unveiling and press conference wearing a smart suit with a tangerine tie, but it would be the last time we saw him dressed so formally. Since then, it’s been his trusty body warmer all the way.

His start was a promising one. He took over a side that was used to losing far too regularly with players that had become accustomed to a hands-off approach on the training field.

The Seasiders did minimal tactical analysis of the opposition under Grayson, something that was put right within days.

Training, meanwhile, was revolutionised under Critchley and his number two Mike Garrity.

One player, who is no longer with the club, remarked how the new management team had overseen more coaching and tactical work in his first week at Squires Gate than the previous incumbent had during their entire spell.

Judging by his first game in charge, the goalless draw away to neighbours Fleetwood Town, you could certainly tell.

All of a sudden, the Seasiders had become a high-pressing team wanting to play high-octane, high-tempo football.

Critchley had managed to completely flip things on its head in the space of a few days. The shackles had been unleashed and Pool were now a side that wanted to play on the front foot.

Of course it was nowhere near the finished article and Blackpool didn’t claim the victory their performance deserved, but the signs were promising.

It was a shame his first home game ended in defeat too, despite a spirited second-half comeback against Tranmere Rovers. But that game would soon be forgotten about in the blink of an eye.

The day before Blackpool were due to host 4,000 Sunderland fans at Bloomfield Road, the footballing world and, more significantly, the entire globe was thrown into chaos due to the emergency of the coronavirus.

The fixture was called off, temporarily at first, but the league schedule would soon be scrapped when the true reality of the pandemic became clear.

A couple of weeks later the country was ordered into its first lockdown and the league table was finalised by points-per-game. Critchley wouldn’t oversee a competitive fixture for another six months.

Far from ideal, I’m sure you agree, but in the grand scheme of things, football was the last thing on peoples’ minds.

As it transpired, the time away allowed Critchley the chance to analyse the players at his disposal in greater detail and watch the club’s previous matches. He soon decided the squad needed a major overhaul.

Initially, it looked as though that heavy-handed approach might have backfired as Blackpool - despite the pre-season optimism boosted by impressive performances against Liverpool and Everton - lost six of their first nine league games.

But that nightmare start to the campaign probably turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.

It’s not like the performances had been poor, far from it in fact. But things soon clicked into gear and the Seasiders would motor up the league table, eventually finishing in third.

This was largely due to a supreme last few months of the season, where they somehow managed to get better each week despite being without eight, nine and sometimes 10 players through injury and Covid.

Once the play-offs came around, it felt like a procession. As a journalist I’m naturally cynical, but I’ve never felt so confident of anything in my life.

Oxford United were swept aside in the semi-finals before Pool got the job done at Wembley thanks to the left and right boot of Sir Kenneth of Dougall.

I bullishly claimed within hours of the play-off final that Blackpool would be absolutely fine in the Championship. I wasn’t concerned about survival at all.

That was said with a limited knowledge of the second tier, as this is my first season reporting in this division. But it was said with a great deal of confidence having seen and witnessed Critchley’s work first-hand, up close and personal.

Not only is he a highly-qualified coach and an impressive tactician, he’s also a fine human being.

It was a shame then, that he wasn’t able to foster and build-up a relationship with the supporters due to the vast majority of games being played behind closed doors during his first season in charge.

That soon changed though and within weeks of fans’ return, a strong bond began to blossom. The fist pump was born and the rest is history, as they say.

The Seasiders got off to a slow start this term but in hindsight, that was to be expected given the adjustments they had to make to acclimatise to their new level.

Not only that, they also had to wait until the final hours and days of the transfer window to find the last few pieces of the jigsaw. Having started the campaign without a recognised right-back, they ended the window with two in Jordan Gabriel and Dujon Sterling.

Blackpool’s pre-season had also been hampered by Covid cases, which didn’t help, while key players were also sidelined through injury.

The men in tangerine soon found their stride though and soon looked at home in the Championship. At one point they even moved up into sixth.

A late play-off push still can’t be discounted at this stage, the gap only stands at nine points after all. But it would require around 25 points from their last 12 games, at an average of two points a game, which is a big ask.

Realistically speaking, Blackpool are heading for a mid-table finish, which should be celebrated as a major achievement. Can they finish in the top half? The top 10 perhaps? And, most importantly, above PNE?!

One only has to look at how Hull City and Peterborough United, the two sides promoted alongside Pool, have struggled this season to realise how well Critchley has done.

Not only that, but the Seasiders are on course to finish above some big, established clubs at this level whose budgets will dwarf theirs.

Arguably Blackpool’s biggest result of the season came off the pitch, when Critchley signed a new long-term contract in November.

The 43-year-old put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half year deal to keep him at the club until June 2026.

In a few weeks’ time, Critchley will celebrate his 100th competitive game in charge of Blackpool when they host Swansea City at Bloomfield Road.

Of the 85 league games he’s overseen, Pool’s head coach has won 37 - giving him a win ratio of 43.52 per cent.

For comparison, Ian Holloway’s win ratio was 37.76 per cent, although we should obviously take into account Pool were playing at a higher level for one season, making victories harder to come by.

But Grayson’s win ratio (in his first spell) was 37.06 per cent, which gives you some indication of just how successful Critchley has been.

It’s telling that only Sam Allardyce has a better win ratio of recent Blackpool managers, but that’s where numbers alone don’t tell the whole story.

Unlike Critchley, ‘Big Sam’ was unable to get the Seasiders over the finishing line when it really mattered (the less said about that play-off semi-final second leg, the better).

Critchley, on the other hand, had no such problem, overseeing Pool’s promotion from League One in his first full season in charge.

It remains to be seen what comes next, but under Critchley’s leadership the club appears to only be heading in one direction.

Record (league only)

Games played: 85

Games won: 37

Games drawn: 22

Games lost: 26

Win ratio: 43.52%

Record (league and cup)

Games played: 97

Games won: 41

Games drawn: 27

Games lost: 29

Win ratio: 42.26%