Receiver Paul Cooper believes Blackpool FC can undergo ‘significant change’

Paul Cooper is tasked by the High Court to discharge the club and its related assets to raise the £25m Valeri Belokon is still owed by Owen Oyston.

However, speaking to The Gazette, Cooper this scenario could mean a whole lot more for the football club.

“Ultimately I want to get a purchaser of the club who is going to take it to where it should be,” he said.

“A club of this magnitude, in this location and this catchment area, you don’t need me to tell you what that club could be with the fanbase.

“You’ve got thousands of people to come back with their energies.

“While I’m never going to know as much as the people involved, it’s my belief you’ve got an amazing opportunity here to affect some significant change.

“There are so many passionate fans and people in the community that are waiting for something to happen.

“There’s all this goodwill, passion and latent energy that’s waiting to be harnessed in the right way.

“But at the same time, things can change quickly as well.

“Sometimes you get people who aren’t happy with something and are happy to take a view and say something when it might be misinformed.

“So I think the word from me is unity, it’s very important people pull together and stop fighting amongst each other.

“There’s always people who have got voices and you’re never going to please all the people all the time, but it’s very important all the different stakeholders come together and try and work together to get the best outcome.

“People need to focus on what the best outcome is here, and that’s where my involvement and my interests align very closely with what the fans want.”

Cooper has already been in touch with manager Terry McPhillips and has reassured him he has no interest in stepping on his shoes.

He added: “Like most football managers I’ve dealt with, Terry is a very pragmatic, no-nonsense, down-to-earth guy who says it how he sees it – same as me, as much as I can.

“To be clear, I am a receiver stepping into the shoes of the owner in terms of the shares.

“This is not about Paul Cooper, this is not about me being involved with the manager and the team.

“This is about appointing a responsible board of directors that manage the club.

“There’s a big difference between owning a club and owning the shares in a club.

“I’m only a receiver who has stepped into that, I haven’t come here to choose the team or be involved with anything like that.

“I’ve come here to help resolve the situation in the most transparent way and so, while I think it’s very important to be in contact with Terry, the players, staff and the fans, I’m simply here to implement a board that is going to implement the day-to-day decisions – that’s not Paul Cooper.”