Steve Bruce amplifies importance of Blackpool's preparation to face Bolton Wanderers
Blackpool take on Bolton Wanderers at Bloomfield Road this weekend.
Blackpool are in desperate need of both a result and a positive performance when they welcome Bolton Wanderers to the Fylde Coast on Saturday afternoon.
The Seasiders have endured a disappointing start to the new campaign, with their 1-0 loss away to Plymouth Argyle at the weekend being their fourth defeat of their opening five League One outings.
Heading into the fixture at Home Park, the Pilgrims had failed to come out on top in their opening four, but were able to get off the mark thanks to Malachi Boateng’s second half goal - which came courtesy of a defensive lapse in concentration.
After losing back-to-back games on the road, Steve Bruce’s side will be hoping a return to Bloomfield Road will change their fortunes.
In their previous home outing, they were able to claim a 3-2 victory over Huddersfield Town, despite playing the majority of the game with 10-men, and will be searching for a performance of a similar standard.
With the Seasiders knocked out of the EFL Cup in the first round, they have no midweek fixture ahead of Bolton’s visit, which will provide them with some vital time at the Squires Gate.
“We will go to work and see who is fit and who is not, and see if we can improve,” Bruce said.
“(Not having a midweek game) is certainly a good thing in terms of being able to get back out on the grass.
“It’s been frustrating because we’ve brought players in who have been injured, so it’ll be good to work on the training.
“I expect Bolton to be there and thereabouts, they’re a very decent team, and that’s the same thing I said about Huddersfield, so we look forward to the challenge of Bolton.”
Under pressure?
Bruce took over at Bloomfield Road last September, replacing Neil Critchley in the Blackpool dugout.
There have been some signs of promise throughout the 64-year-old’s first 11 months in charge, but his side ultimately fell short of the play-offs last season and have struggled in the last few weeks, albeit with some mitigating factors being in play.
In the last few months, the ex-Newcastle United and Aston Villa coach has been able to shape the squad to his liking, with 11 new players arriving during the summer transfer window so far.
When asked if he was currently under pressure following the slow start to the campaign, Bruce responded: “If you don’t win football matches whether you’re me or anyone else (you face it).
“I don’t feel under pressure, but I’m sure when you’ve lost four out of your first five games, then I accept I’m under pressure because I don’t want my team to keep performing in the way we are.
“As a defender myself, the goals we concede are there for everyone to see.
“It’s always my fault, that’s the way football is. We had a bit of a nervous start, but I saw signs where we were somewhere near to where we were last year.
“We looked a threat on the counter and created a couple of good chances ourselves, but we’ve thrown it away. There’s probably two or three individuals you can ask a question of, which is not acceptable.”
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