Stephen Dobbie out to become latest managerial success story from Blackpool's class of 2010

The club’s interim boss came up against his former Blackpool teammate Rob Edwards in the dugout last week when he took charge of his first game against Luton Town.

Elsewhere, Ian Evatt is gunning for promotion from League One with Bolton Wanderers while the likes of Matt Gilks, Stephen Crainey, Keith Southern, Charlie Adam and Gary Taylor-Fletcher are also trying their hand in the world of coaching.

Neal Eardley, meanwhile, is currently working closely with Dobbie at Bloomfield Road in charge of Blackpool’s Under-18s.

Ian Holloway’s memorable promotion-winning squad still regularly keep in contact and Dobbie has revealed he’s been inundated with messages from his old teammates since taking on the role of caretaker boss.

“We’ve got our WhatsApp group. It’s a great group of lads with some fantastic characters,” he told The Gazette.

“Most of them have gone into coaching now, you look at the likes of Evo, Gilo, Stevie Crainey at Wigan. That generation are all moving on or have retired.

“I’ve had some great messages. When it got announced last Saturday I didn’t even open my WhatsApp until 7pm that night and it took me until about 8.30pm to get through them all, so I’ve had fantastic support from my friends.”

Dobbie, who is assisted by another two former Seasiders in Steve Banks and Matt Blinkhorn, isn’t at all surprised that so many of his former teammates are enjoying success in the world of coaching.

Evatt has previously attributed his style to that Holloway employed 13 years ago, which helped the Seasiders reach the promised land in remarkable fashion.

When asked if Holloway has been a major influence on that 2010 squad, Dobbie said: “Undoubtedly. That group was special though. Nobody gave us a chance at the start.

“The way the gaffer got the lads playing, he really gave us a special feeling. It’s about taking little bits from Ollie and other managers you’ve worked with, as well as your own ideas, to see how you can help these players.”