Simon Grayson insists David Dunn’s arrival at Blackpool isn’t the end for Ian Dawes

Ian Dawes was absent from the Blackpool party who travelled to Reading last weekIan Dawes was absent from the Blackpool party who travelled to Reading last week
Ian Dawes was absent from the Blackpool party who travelled to Reading last week

Dawes was absent from Blackpool’s trip to Reading last weekend for the Seasiders’ 2-2 draw in the FA Cup.

Instead, new coach Dunn and assistant manager Ian Miller took charge of the pre-match warm-up, something which had previously been Dawes’ responsibility.

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When asked if Dunn was a replacement for Dawes, Grayson told The Gazette: “Maybe, maybe not. We’re just waiting to see where we are with that.

“Bringing Dunny in has allowed me to give Ian the opportunity to maybe get another role at the football club.

“I like Dawesy and I kept him on when I first came to the football club, but I just felt it was the right thing to do.

“I wanted to bring in my own man to work alongside me who I knew, trusted and know all about. That’s no reflection on Ian Dawes.”

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When it was put to Grayson that Dawes could potentially move back to the academy, a role he previously held before being promoted to first-team coach in September 2018, the Pool boss added: “We’ll just see.

“It only happened the other day when we made the decision so we’ll see where we’ll go after the weekend.

“We can all take stock of what has happened over the Christmas and New Year period.”

Prior to arriving at Blackpool, Dawes had a spell managing Bangor in Wales and was also the head of coaching and U18s boss at Shrewsbury Town.

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Dunn, meanwhile, arrives at Bloomfield Road on the back of a stint working in a coaching role with former club Blackburn Rovers.

“He brings the experience of a good player,” Grayson said. “He’s been a first-team coach, manager at Oldham, coach of Under-23s, he’s vibrant, enthusiastic and has a lot of knowledge.

“I think he’ll add something different to the coaching staff we’ve got here already.”