Gazette opinion: Jay Spearing's shock departure will leave a sizeable hole in Blackpool's dressing room

Just hours after celebrating his beloved Liverpool’s title win, Jay Spearing had some pretty big news of his own to announce.
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Club captain Jay Spearing leaves Blackpool after failing to agree terms on new c...

Just hours after celebrating his beloved Liverpool’s title win, Jay Spearing had some pretty big news of his own to announce.

His departure from Bloomfield Road might not be quite as seismic as Liverpool’s long-overdue Premier League success, coming 30 years after the Reds’ last triumph.

One of Spearing's standout moments came at Accrington last yearOne of Spearing's standout moments came at Accrington last year
One of Spearing's standout moments came at Accrington last year
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But Spearing’s departure comes as a big shock to those of a Blackpool persuasion who expected an extension of his current deal to be nothing more than a formality.

The 31-year-old told The Gazette back in March, prior to the Sunderland game that was cancelled the following day as the full scale of the pandemic started to become clearer, that he had already told Blackpool he was willing to pledge his future to the club.

A little over three months later and the club captain has left.

Had he been offered reduced terms, due to the crippling financial effect of the coronavirus? Was he offered a shorter deal than he had been hoping for? Or has another opportunity come up elsewhere that he felt he couldn’t turn down? Or was it just time to move on?

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Even then, when you take into account the Neil Critchley factor, a man Spearing knows well given his Liverpool connections, you would have thought it would have been nothing more than a matter of time until the Liverpudlian put pen to paper.

It’s well documented that Spearing has taken his coaching badges and I gather he might have been offered a role in Liverpool’s coaching setup. But at 31, and a fit 31 year old too, his playing days are far from over.

There’s no doubt Spearing will leave a sizeable hole in the Blackpool dressing room, a dressing room he’s led superbly over the last three years.

It’s not just on the field where Blackpool will miss him, it’s off it too. Whenever the chips are down, he’s always the first to front up and explain why things might be going wrong. That's the measure of a true captain.

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While there’s no doubting his quality on the grass, he’s a player that’s featured at the very highest level, after all, a lot of his work often goes unnoticed, a lot of it behind closed doors. He’s a leader in every sense of the word.

From a media point of view, he’s always been a pleasure to deal with, too. He’s always the first player to shake your hand as he walks into Bloomfield Road on the morning of a press conference. He always makes sure to ask how you’re doing, how the family are getting on and so on.

Believe me, not all footballers are quite as amenable. Gestures like that can go a long way.

Even when Jay approached me to pick apart my player ratings from the previous game - and he was usually right - he did it in the right manner. He wasn’t just complaining for the sake of complaining, like some do, and he earned even more respect by doing it to my face.

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When I think of Spearing’s standout moments in a Blackpool shirt, the obvious one to mention would be the homecoming clash last year, when the midfielder was tasked with leading the Seasiders out out onto the Bloomfield Road turf in front of a sold-out crowd from what was a truly historic occasion.

But, for me, it has to be his late winner at Accrington Stanley just four days before.

On what was the first real gathering of Pool fans since the Oystons’ departure, Spearing stood over an 81st-minute penalty for what felt like an age. Even before that moment, you could sense there was something in the air that night.

With the Seasiders packing out the uncovered terrace behind the goal, Spearing smashed the ball home to spark wild scenes of celebration in the away end. Spearing was just as animated as any supporter that night.

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Speaking to him post-match, you could tell in his face that he realised something had changed and that yes, Blackpool really were back. It wasn’t just a meaningless slogan, after all.

The Seasiders must now move on to the next chapter of their story but they must do it without their most inspirational player. Replacing Spearing will be no easy task.