Neil Critchley wants to restore Blackpool's identity in the club's bid for glory in League One

The former Liverpool Under 23s coach steered the Seasiders to a 16th place finish in the Championship in 2021-22 having previously guided them to promotion from League One via the play-offs.

The Tangerines had been on course for a top half finish in the second tier that term when thrashing Birmingham City 6-1 at home and then beating Barnsley 2-0 at Oakwell.

But they lost their final two fixtures of the campaign, firing blanks in defeats to both Derby County and Peterborough United, prior to Critchley's unheralded switch to Aston Villa.

He said: "My immediate target is to get us back on track, to get us back to who we were because we had a clear identity when I was here for how we played, which was built on a good work ethic, total commitment, organisation, then certain players bring their own identities to the team.

"That's when you get the imagination, flair and creativity. Getting back to that is my immediate focus in pre-season and that'll give us the best chance of gaining success again."

The 44-year-old, who succeeds Mick McCarthy, feels he'll have the advantage of familiarity when his squad reports back to their Squires Gate training base following the summer break.

The likes of Jake Beesley, Sonny Carey, Callum Connolly, Kenny Dougall, Jordan Gabriel, James Husband, Shayne Lavery, Marvin Ekpiteta and Jerry Yates were all part of the group in Critchley's previous spell at the club.

"I know quite a few of them," he said. "Hopefully they'll be pleased to see me. Some of them will, some of them might not be.

"That will hopefully give me an advantage because they know what I expect of them, they know what they can expect from me, they know what makes me happy, what makes me angry, and those players will be the flag-bearers for some of those who don't know me.

"I'll be pointing to them to say this is the standard that's expected of you if you want to play in this football team."

Critchley’s relationship with his players, the backroom team, owner Simon Sadler, and those working behind the scenes – and the values and philosophies they had shared – successfully rebooted the club after a year in the EFL’s basement division and three mid-table finishes in the third tier.

With everybody reading from the same page, and working towards the same goals, the Seasiders landed the spoils at Wembley and then posted their highest finish in the pyramid since 2013.

Critchley concluded: "I had many years at Crewe Alexandra and it was very similar so I'm totally comfortable working in those circumstances. It's not about me, it's about the football club. I will work for the football club and do the best for the club.

"I think that's why we made some really good decisions last time. When you've got a strategy and vision in place, and you know where you're trying to get to, it's much easier to make those decisions because it keeps you aligned.

"I can't wait. I'm very excited!"