OPINION: Blackpool’s appointment of Neil Critchley could be worth the wait

There’s no doubt this is a marker of how far the club has come in the last few months. To be able to attract someone of Critchley’s profile and quality would have been unthinkable under the previous regime.

You can’t help but be impressed with the 41-year-old’s CV, which includes a seven-year stint at Liverpool where he was responsible for bringing through Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and Neco Williams.

It’s clear he’s incredibly well thought of by Jurgen Klopp and, right now, that’s as good a reference as you can get in English football.

Liverpool fans, who witnessed Critchley take charge of their first team on two occasions this season in the German’s absence, were disappointed to see him depart.

As Critchley made clear in his official unveiling on Monday, this was an opportunity he just couldn’t afford to turn down.

Now is the time for the former Crewe Alexandra man to be his own man. He’s shown he’s one of the top coaches in the land but can he do it as number one? There’s only one way to find out.

Blackpool made it abundantly clear they were looking for a head coach, rather than a manager, that could fit in to their pre-established structures off the pitch.

I’ve no doubt Critchley will have a say on recruitment, the club’s plans for their training ground and plenty else, but by and large he will be left to do what he does best – train and develop his players.

That’s probably the biggest complaint fans had about Simon Grayson’s tenure at the club, that he wasn’t getting the best out of a very talented group of players.

Well that’s Critchley’s forte, making players better than they were when they first arrived at the football club.

He certainly spoke very well on Monday and displayed an impressive sense of calmness and composure that should serve him well in the Bloomfield Road hotseat.

Critchley, who is regarded as one of the top coaches in Europe, is just one of 16 coaches in the country to have gained the highest possible qualification in the game.

This comes after he was handpicked by the FA to take UEFA’s first elite badge course.

If it was a head coach the Seasiders’ hierarchy were looking for, they couldn’t really have found a higher qualified one.

Despite that, I do have concerns about how the club’s search for Grayson’s replacement unfolded.

There was no-one lined up prior to Grayson’s departure which, in hindsight, has worked out fine given the calibre of coach they’ve managed to bring in.

Is it too harsh to say the club’s approach was a little naive, especially when they had three official approaches knocked back in public?

On the one hand, the club should be commended for going down the right channels and attempting to try and speak to as many candidates as possible.

Should the club have been so forthright with their requests, knowing there’s a good chance their approaches would have been leaked by agents?

Whether this was the case or not, from the outside, it appeared that Blackpool were being knocked back left, right and centre.

It’s fair to say the club was played by Oxford United boss Karl Robinson, whose representatives ensured his hand at the Kassam Stadium was strengthened as a result of Blackpool’s interest.

Robinson made no secret of his desire to receive further backing from his owner and it appears he engineered Blackpool’s interest to get exactly what he wants.

Was he really going to leave Oxford with 10 games of the season remaining and his side just a point off the play-offs in League One?

A similar scenario played out with Swindon Town boss Richie Wellens, who has ended up with a fancy new long-term contract after Blackpool’s glaring advances were knocked back.

That’s where I think Blackpool can be accused of being a little naive.

Blackpool’s approach has appeared a little scattergun from the outside, but as long as the club feels they’ve got the right man, then that’s all that matters.

Lessons do need to be learned, especially given there are similar concerns about Blackpool’s approach to the January window.

Bringing 12 players in and shipping a further 12 players out was never going to be a smart move midway through a season –but it’s happened now and Blackpool must focus on the future with Critchley at the helm.

As first games go, it doesn’t get much better than a Fylde coast clash with in-form Fleetwood Town and a match-up with Joey Barton.