'We've got to' - Steve Bruce hopes Blackpool optimism can return despite tough run
Blackpool suffered a 1-0 defeat against Northampton Town.
Steve Bruce remains hopeful Blackpool can change their fortunes and reinstall optimism at Bloomfield Road.
The Seasiders’ early season woes continued on Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 defeat to Northampton Town at Sixfields - with a late goal from Cameron McGeehan proving to be the difference.
Heading into the campaign there was positivity on the Fylde Coast, with the squad on paper looking strong following a number of notable deals, but in reality the squad are yet to look like a cohesive unit.
Bruce is aware of the frustration the Blackpool faithful are currently feeling, but believes they will eventually be rewarded for sticking by their side.
“Since I’ve walked through the doors here they’ve been nothing but spectacular with their support of the club,” he said.
“We’re as disappointed as I’m sure they are at the moment. There was a lot of optimism in the summer, but unfortunately we haven’t got the results.
“We’ve got to be big boys, we know what’s coming. We’ve got to stay with it. We haven’t really played at all this season, but today (against Northampton) I’ve seen more like it for what we’re trying to achieve, and with a bit more luck we could’ve won the match.”
Reaction to the latest defeat
Despite Saturday’s game being the Seasiders’ fourth away loss of the season, and fifth overall, Bruce was positive about what he saw from his side.
“I saw a very good team today, apart from the first five minutes, I thought we were excellent,” he stated.
“I saw the makings of a very good side today. We’ve spent the last two weeks on the training ground, and you can see how we worked. We were a threat going forward, but gave a bad goal away, and that’s something you can’t coach - it’s a couple of individual errors.
“We’re really frustrated because we were the better team by far. If you were a neutral then you’d think we were going to win the game all day long - that’s the way I felt.
“That’s arguably the best we played, I have to say. I was encouraged a lot, I thought we were the better team, however we haven’t taken our chances and unfortunately have given a poor goal away.
“We played very well today in all areas, but we needed to be a bit more clinical and take our chances.
“It was difficult to start with, and you can see where we are with the confidence levels, but the more the game went on, I saw what we’ve been looking for, with a bit of control and a threat going the other way.
“The goal is a kick for everyone because it’s a soft one, which unfortunately has blighted me since I’ve been here. It’s a big frustration for everyone.
“I was pleased with the way we played against a team that had won two on the trot, now three. There were large spells where we just needed to take a chance. When you’re on top as much as we were, you’ve got to take them.”
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