No talks yet between Stephen Dobbie and Blackpool over head coach role

The 40-year-old has made a positive impression since being promoted to the caretaker role following the departure of Mick McCarthy earlier this month.

Dobbie, who was previously in charge of the club’s development squad, has won two of his first four games. The Seasiders also performed well in the two games they lost under his tutelage.

Dobbie previously admitted he wouldn’t rule out taking the job on a permanent basis but, given the significance of Blackpool’s final two games of the season, his focus lies elsewhere at this moment in time.

“No thoughts just now,” he said ahead of Friday’s clash against Millwall. “All my focus has been on this game, so it’s one game at a time.

“Whether at the end of the season there’s a conversation, we’ll see. I don’t know which way the club wants to go.

“I’m just taking it one game at a time and just trying to do the best for this squad and the club at this precise moment.”

The club are keen to make a swift decision at the end of the season to ensure the new man is given all summer to prepare for the next campaign, whether that’s in the Championship or League One.

Last season the sudden departure of Neil Critchley took the club by surprise and from that point onwards they were playing catch-up in terms of recruitment and preparation for the new season.

When asked if the club have given him any indication of how soon they’d like to make an appointment, Dobbie said: “There’s been no conversation, there’s been no conversation at all.

“I wouldn’t expect it and I wouldn’t like it now either because that would take the focus off what we’re trying to do right now.”

After taking on the interim role earlier this month, Dobbie didn’t rule himself out of the running for the job full-time.

“You never know,” he said.

“It’s obviously an honour to come in as an interim manner into a club where I’ve got great history with the fans.

“It’s one game at a time just now, so let’s see where we get to.”