How the Blackpool squad responded to the sacking of Neil Critchley after back-to-back defeats

The Seasiders suffered back-to-back defeats to newly promoted Crawley Town and Stockport County, with a 4-0 victory over Burton Albion in the EFL Cup proving to not be enough to save the former Liverpool academy figure.

Critchley helped the club to promotion to the Championship during his first stint at Bloomfield Road, but after returning last summer, the 45-year-old was unable to replicate that success.

Discussing the initial conversations following the departure of the head coach, Blackpool interim boss Richard Keogh said: “It’s never easy, but I just tried to provide a bit of clarity from my situation, letting them know what I’m asking of them and how it’s going to look in training.

“It’s always tough, but we had a good meeting, and it was important for us to get on the grass. Sometimes it’s good just to get back playing football, and that’s where we need to keep pushing and learning because that’ll give us the best opportunity to perform well.

“It was important for us to get and train to start competing again, bringing in some energy and intensity, with a little bit of competition and fun.

“It’s never an easy situation, but you want to make sure the team is getting prepared.”