Simon Grayson takes over as manager of Blackpool FC from Terry McPhillips

Simon Grayson has been confirmed as the new manager of Blackpool Football Club.

The 49-year-old seals a return to Bloomfield Road to take over from Terry McPhillips, who decided to step aside earlier this week.

Grayson, who previously managed Pool between 2005 and 2008, has signed a two-year contract and will link up with the squad in Scotland for their pre-season training camp.

It is understood it was entirely McPhillips’ decision to leave and there’s no suggestion the board forced him to step aside in order to bring in their own manager.

It is also the club’s thinking that, with four promotions from the third tier to his name with four different clubs, Grayson will be the ideal man to help the club’s immediate aim of getting back to the Championship.

With just 28 days until the start of the new season, the club also had to move swiftly to make an appointment which ruled bringing someone in who was already in work.

Grayson made 126 appearances for the Seasiders as a player between 2002 and 2006.

The former defender moved into coaching during the 2005/06 season when he juggled his playing commitments to manage Blackpool’s reserve squad.

Like the man he is replacing, Grayson was first named caretaker manager of the first team at the back end of 2005 following the departure of Colin Hendry, who had left the Seasiders in a relegation fight in the third tier.

Grayson, who guided Pool to safety, was later given the job on a permanent basis for the start of the following campaign.

He guided the Seasiders to promotion via the League One play-offs in his first proper season, defeating Yeovil Town in the final at the newly-renovated Wembley stadium.

Grayson signed a new two-and-a-half year contract the following campaign, where Pool finished 18th in the Championship

He was heavily linked to the vacant manager’s role at boyhood club Leeds United in December 2008, but Blackpool refused permission for the Yorkshire club to speak to their manager.

Grayson then tendered his resignation, which the Blackpool board also turned down, but he was later announced as the Leeds boss and the two clubs ultimately settled the dispute for an undisclosed fee.

Grayson went on to earn further promotions from the third tier with Leeds, Huddersfield Town and Preston North End.

In 2017, he had a brief unsuccessful spell at Sunderland, while his last job came at Bradford City where he left at the end of his short-term contract in May 2018.