Ian Evatt shares honest view on 'delicate' Blackpool players as he makes win prediction
Blackpool were on the end of a 2-1 defeat away to Doncaster Rovers.
Ian Evatt states Blackpool are capable of getting the wins required to secure their League One status despite the ‘delicate’ mentality of the squad.
Despite heading into the current campaign with hopes of promotion, the Seasiders find themselves with a big task to survive the drop with just nine games to go.
Problems that cost Steve Bruce his job as head coach back in October have continued to be an issue under current boss Evatt, with just two wins coming his side’s way in 2026.
This has left them 21st in the third tier, leaving the prospect of relegation feeling close with each passing fixture.
An issue with mentality has been apparent in particular in the last few weeks, with Blackpool collapsing in a number of games to find themselves on the end of heavy defeats.
Their latest loss came away to Doncaster Rovers on Saturday afternoon, as the 2-1 scoreline left them unable to take points off a fellow club near the bottom.
Evatt states his squad will give everything to fight their way up the table, and believes they can still go on a run to secure their safety.
“It’s not the system, it’s not anything else, it’s moments, individual errors and basics,” he said.
“All season, prior to me and post me, we’ve not done that well or consistently enough. There isn’t anything we can do in terms of coaching detail, it’s just the players executing on the day, and too often we’ve not done it.
“We’ve made mistakes that have cost us games and cost us goals - that’s football.
“We’re trying to push, but it’s difficult to gain any momentum when the ball is bouncing around all over the place. The only way you can gain territory on this pitch, is to do what they did, and put it long and put it behind to gain momentum that way. They did better than us.
“The players absolutely care. I think you saw George’s interview the other night. He’s very emotional and the players are very emotional, but they’re very delicate as well. Everyone’s different personality-wise, and everyone deals with pressure in different ways - they’re feeling it.
“We have to make sure that motivates us. It isn’t over. It feels like it, and it feels like a really bad week, but it isn’t over. We’ve got an opportunity on Tuesday to get some ground and get some momentum.
“Four or five wins will be enough for us, and I think we’re capable of doing that. Other than two or three teams left to play, a lot of them are those around us, so we know we can gain ground, but we’ve got to make sure we’re fighting until the very end - I will be, the staff will be, and it’s our job to make sure the players are as well.
“We’re all trying different things. We’re working on them all of the time. We’ve changed our approach. It’s not the system, it’s not the approach - it’s the individual moments that we’re not doing well enough.
“I keep emphasising, it’s not over, it’s not the end; it’s just more difficult now.”
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