Simon Grayson says Blackpool is a proper football club again

Blackpool's appointments off the field have impressed Simon Grayson

Lists are being made for next transfer window says Grayson

With chief executive Ben Mansford set to begin work at the start of next month, Grayson says the club is finally beginning to act in an appropriate manner.

“It’s looking like a proper football club again,” the Pool manager said.

“The new chief executive comes in next week, and we’ve now got a head of recruitment and other bodies coming into the club and occupying some key roles.

“I know Tommy Johnson (the head of recruitment) really well from my playing days and as a friend, but it was a decision made above me as to who was going to be taking that role.

“I’m pleased with Tommy taking the role because I know him.

“And ultimately we will all work together from Simon (Sadler, owner) to the chief executive, myself, my coaching staff and all the other people in the scouting and recruitment departments to go out there and get the best players available for us within the budget available to us.”

Grayson added: “Key decisions have been made and ones that are very welcome at this club.

“I’m not just a one-man band. I can’t make every decision and go to every game.

“When we came in during the summer, there was only Peter Glover, the chief scout, and no other scouts.

“So we had to quickly employ three or four of our own scouts to watch players and do reports on the opposition.

“People don’t realise what is required behind the scenes and this club has lacked a lot of that over the last few years.

“It’s all things we’re building and working towards, and all that stuff off the pitch will certainly help me on the pitch.”

With the new structure now in place, the club has decided it doesn’t require a director of football – a position Sadler previously hinted he could introduce.

“It didn’t really bother me to be fair as I’ve worked with them in the past,” Grayson added, when asked about the prospect of working alongside a director of football.

“If a director of football had come in, he would have been working alongside myself.

“He wouldn’t have been making sole decisions – they would have been joint decisions.

“Now we’ve got Ben Mansford coming in and Tommy. We will all work closely behind the scenes, and we will all be wanting the same types of player and the same things to happen to make this club successful again.”