Ignoring the noise and disputing the narrative: Matt Scrafton's verdict on Blackpool's January transfer window dealings

Whether or not your club ends the window in a stronger position than they started it almost seems irrelevant now. It’s all about signing as many players as possible with no apparent foresight or long-term planning and splashing the cash - even if the situation doesn’t require it - just to prove the club’s “ambition”.

If a club fails to register a flurry of deals in a frantic rush during the final hours of deadline day, supporters will inevitably register their complaints.

“Underwhelming,” you’ll read on Twitter. “How disappointing”, I read over and over again as Blackpool had the temerity to sign just ONE player yesterday. How dare they?!

Perhaps the fact they didn’t need to sign more than one player after the window had already been open for a month might actually be a good thing?

Sometimes I swear supporters just want to see new players arrive for the sake of it, otherwise it’s an evening wasted sat in front of the TV watching Jim White on Sky Sports News. Whether or not the additions improve their teams’ squad seems to be an utter irrelevance.

With the Seasiders moving on a further four - despite none of the four involved being considered a regular first-team starter - the narrative was that Blackpool had “lost”, they had endured a disappointing deadline day. One in, four out, it’s basic maths after all.

We even saw a handful of fans complain that Blackpool had “given up” on the season (even though we’re not even at the halfway point), hadn’t invested sufficient amounts and would be left with no choice but to “play the kids”.

Please, I beg you, dig a little deeper and get a sense of perspective.

Teddy Howe has been at Blackpool for exactly a year and has failed to make a single league appearance. His loan move to Scunthorpe United has no impact on Blackpool’s first-team whatsoever.

Calum Macdonald has been on loan with Tranmere Rovers for the entirety of the season and, while it’s a disappointment to see a promising player fail to fulfil his talent at Bloomfield Road, his permanent switch to Prenton Park is another deal that has no real effect on Neil Critchley’s League One campaign.

The left-back performed well for the Seasiders last term and looked a decent prospect, but with James Husband, Luke Garbutt and Demetri Mitchell already at the club, the left-back’s future had been in doubt some time before Monday's permanent exit.

Oliver Sarkic was the last man out of the building last night, rejoining former Burton Albion boss Nigel Clough at Mansfield Town.

The forward has started just one league game all season and has failed to find the back of the net in nine appearances in all competitions. He hasn’t even been making the match-day squads for the majority of the season.

The only decision which can really be up for debate is the departure of MJ Williams, given he was more involved in first-team affairs, making as many as 14 appearances.

The defensive midfielder did well for Pool and is a steady, tidy player in the middle of the park. But if Pool are going to continue playing 4-4-2, is there really a need to have SIX central midfielders on the books in that position?

In this day and age where every spot counts in the club’s squad list, sometimes you have to take tough decisions on players that would have otherwise be considered backup who will only be required in an emergency.

Williams started Blackpool’s last two games but only because the squad had been decimated by a combination of Covid-19 and injuries. If Kenny Dougall, Kevin Stewart, Matty Virtue, Ethan Robson and Grant Ward all are fighting fit, chances are Williams would be last in the pecking order.

The 25-year-old only penned a one-year deal at the start of the season and was out of contract in the summer, so he’ll be pleased to get a longer-term contract under his belt at Bolton Wanderers where he’s more likely to get regular game time.

Just on Robson, the 24-year-old was spuriously linked with Scottish sides Motherwell and Rangers early on yesterday but, funnily enough, nothing transpired. It’s understood the links were little more than agent talk.

Another man who is capable of playing in central midfield is yesterday’s one and only arrival, Sunderland loanee Elliot Embleton.

The highly-rated 21-year-old, who has made 12 appearances for the Black Cats this season, is also capable of playing as a number 10 or out wide, which was a position Blackpool badly needed to strengthen given the injuries to CJ Hamilton and Keshi Anderson and the inconsistency of Bez Lubala and Sullay Kaikai.

The discontent among Sunderland fans in response to Embleton's departure should tell you everything you need to know. Why the Black Cats have opted to move on a talented player - who they've handed a new contract to, after all - to a divisional and potential promotion rival, I'm not so sure. But let's hope Sunderland's loss is Blackpool's gain.

Would I have liked to have seen an out-and-out winger arrive? Yes, I would. I’m confident Critchley and the club shared the same view. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t attempt to bring someone in, it’s not always that simple.

With Ellis Simms and Kevin Stewart arriving earlier in January and Dan Ballard extending his loan deal, there’s little doubt the Seasiders have ended the transfer window in a stronger position than they began it. That’s all you can ask for, isn’t it?

Heading out have been Jamie Devitt - who had his contract cancelled by mutual consent to free him up for a permanent switch to Barrow - and Ryan Hardie, who made his loan spell at Plymouth Argyle into a permanent move.

Nathan Shaw extended his loan spell at AFC Fylde at the beginning of the month, only to be recalled last week due to the suspension of the National League North campaign.

Other than their failure to bring in Harry Kane, I’m struggling to see what Blackpool have done so wrong this month.

The fans bemoaning the lack of deadline day business are often the same supporters that complain about panic buys and the revolving-door policy which sees players come and go at an alarming rate.

And those suggesting Pool will have little choice but to “play the kids” - which is utter nonsense - also tend to be the same fans complaining that youngsters aren’t getting their chance. You just can’t win sometimes.

The truth is, Blackpool had a bloated squad at the beginning of the season and it needed trimming. Nevertheless, it’s still bigger than most in League One.

Some are blind-sided by the introduction of the 22-man squad list, but this only applies to senior players over the age of 21. When you take all players into account, and remember, the list of Under-21s includes loanees Ballard, Simms and Embleton, the Seasiders have as many as 28 players in contention for the first-team. Unless they’re hit by another Covid outbreak, chances are they’ll get by.

And as much as I’d love to see Rob Apter, Brad Holmes and co get their chance, I don’t think the Seasiders have quite reached that stage just yet.

Given the reaction to the window shutting last night, you’d have thought the Seasiders had sold half their squad or lost their best player for diddly squat.

In truth, they’ve streamlined their squad, added another promising addition who will hopefully improve the first-team and kept together the vast majority of the team without any major upheaval for the first time in god knows how long.

Ignore the noise, the Seasiders did just fine.

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