The Matt Scrafton column: Blackpool should ignore barbs of rival supporters

Blackpool, for so long the club that had to resort to bargain basement signings, are now attracting envious glances from clubs in League One.
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So much so, the Seasiders have been accused of attempting to ‘buy the league’ by fans of their third tier rivals – seemingly irate at owner Simon Sadler for having the audacity to spend fees on CJ Hamilton and Jerry Yates respectively.

While the overall outlay of those two deals has been kept private via the medium of the good old ‘undisclosed fee’, it’s widely believed to be around the £400,000 mark for the two combined. Whether we’re in Covid or non-Covid times, that’s a lot of money by anyone’s calculation. But judging Blackpool’s summer business solely by those two cash signings ignores the wider picture.

Jerry Yates is one of two new signings Blackpool have paid transfer fees for so far this summerJerry Yates is one of two new signings Blackpool have paid transfer fees for so far this summer
Jerry Yates is one of two new signings Blackpool have paid transfer fees for so far this summer
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The Seasiders have already recouped a large portion of that in the £250,000 they have been paid by Rangers for Tony Weston.

Plymouth Argyle manager Ryan Lowe recently admitted they had to stump up a loan fee to secure the services of Ryan Hardie for the season.

While a move to Belgian side Club Brugge for QPR winger Bright Osayi-Samuel has recently broken down, Pool will still be hoping the former Seasider will move to pastures new this summer to ensure they benefit financially from the sell-on fee the club negotiated prior to his 2017 departure from Bloomfield Road.

Ignoring any potential future incomings and outgoings, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility Blackpool will make a net profit from their summer dealings.

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With the likes of Armand Gnanduillet, Jay Spearing and Nathan Delfouneso all off the books, there’s a good chance Blackpool’s budget would have been lower than last season’s, even before the salary cap was voted in.

But that, unfortunately, doesn’t fit with the agenda or narrative of rival clubs, who appear so eager to paint Blackpool as the league’s big-spending bullies.

I’d imagine most of the ill feeling will be coming from Swindon Town fans, who still haven’t got over Yates and Keshi Anderson opting to make the move up north – what a bizarre rivalry that promises to be this season!

It’s fair to say Blackpool’s newfound ambition has caused some confusion among the club’s fans, who were for so long accustomed to seeing the same unimaginative free transfers season after season.

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Pool fans are now asking themselves, ‘How are we supposed to react to this? Should we be boastful, should we play it down or should we just be pleased to have a club that – at long last – is trying to be successful?’ This is all new to them, after all.

Blackpool have made no secret of their objective this season – they want promotion.

The owner has said it, the chief executive has said it, head coach Neil Critchley has as good as said it and the players, new and old, are all sharing the same mantra.

Everyone involved with the club, either on or off the pitch, appears absolutely certain where they are heading – with no exceptions. The direction of travel is one-way only.

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While Blackpool have been among the most active clubs in the EFL so far this summer, their business has been made to look minimal by Bolton Wanderers, who have dwarfed their six signings with 14 arrivals.

In League One, meanwhile, Bristol Rovers have been the busiest club to date with seven new acquisitions.

The new season gets underway in fewer than three weeks, with clubs kicking off the campaign with Carabao Cup ties a week before the ‘real’ action begins.

So why shouldn’t clubs do business now? Why shouldn’t they get their houses in order and prepare for the new season? If other clubs are stalling and waiting to make signings, perhaps that says more about them than it does Blackpool.

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The suggestion from some quarters is Pool were among those clubs in the third tier to have ‘pleaded poverty’ when the vote to curtail the season was approaching.

Again, that simply ignores reality. It’s revisionist nonsense.

Not once did Blackpool’s hierarchy claim the reason they voted to end the season early was because they couldn’t afford it.

Finances were one of several factors, of course they were. Why would you pay hundreds of thousands for testing when your season is as good as over?

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Ipswich Town, Peterborough United and Tranmere Rovers would all have done the same had they been in the same position.

But after the years of strife the Seasiders faced under the Oyston regime, Blackpool fans shouldn’t have to apologise for now supporting a club that is backed to the tilt by a hometown owner who genuinely cares about the club – and nor will they.