Opinion: Blackpool failed to sign a central midfielder in January, but Neil Critchley will find a way to cope

The Seasiders made it their number one priority last month to strengthen in that area of the pitch but were unable to get a deal over the line.

It certainly wasn’t for the want of trying and, to all intents and purposes, two could well have arrived on deadline day in the form of Ollie Norburn and Cameron Brannagan had Josh Bowler’s move gone through.

Blackpool fans are absolutely delighted Bowler is still with the club – and why wouldn’t they be?

However, his mooted departure could well have raised the funds to bring in two, perhaps even three, players with Manchester City winger Morgan Rogers also strongly linked.

So how well will Neil Critchley’s side cope with their lack of options in central midfield?

In essence, it was one in, one out for the Seasiders in that position during January with Ryan Wintle returning to Cardiff City, which led to Ethan Robson being recalled from MK Dons.

Despite Robson performing excellently in League One, the 25-year-old is yet to take to the pitch since making his return.

It means, as it currently stands, Kenny Dougall is the club’s only fit and available central midfielder who is likely to start every game.

Callum Connolly has filled in there admirably over the past couple of weeks but he’s predominately a defender and can’t be described as a natural in that position, despite how well he’s done.

While Kevin Stewart is back from his ankle injury, it’s unlikely the Seasiders will be able to rely on the 28-year-old to feature on a regular basis.

I hope I’m wrong, but Stewart’s only made three appearances all season and, other than a combined 57 minutes during two games for Jamaica, hasn’t seen any competitive football since mid-October.

It’s a shame because when he’s fully fit, he’s arguably the best midfielder at the club, so hopefully he can get up to speed quicker than anticipated and play an important role between now and the end of the season.

Reece James is also closing in on a return and will provide another option in midfield, but you’d imagine that would only be in an emergency.

The 28-year-old will be required at left-back given the absences of Luke Garbutt and James Husband and, besides, his displays in midfield earlier in the campaign hardly set the world alight.

He’s never let the side down at full-back though, so his return will certainly be a welcome one for Critchley and will hopefully come sooner rather than later.

With Robson now back at Bloomfield Road, the Seasiders do have options so they’ll find a way to battle through as they always do.

The lack of options certainly didn’t hold them back at Fulham last week, where they were superb.

One of Blackpool’s best performers at Craven Cottage was CJ Hamilton who, up until a few weeks ago, had barely featured following an injury-plagued 2021.

That just shows every man in the squad will be called upon at some point and, sometimes, bringing in others from the outside isn’t always the answer.

Critchley suggested something similar last week, when speaking before the trip to Fulham and before the transfer window had closed.

“I like consistency within a squad, that can be important. Improving the players you’ve got is important too,” he said.

“People don’t often talk about that or recognise that as a potential option, because it’s more exciting to be linked with players and talk about who you’re bringing in. Sometimes you forget who you’ve already got in the building.

“We’ve done a good job of improving the players we’ve got in the building but some players naturally want to play more football and aren’t getting the game time they want.”

Individuals like Jordan Thorniley, Connolly, Robson and Hamilton, who might have been considered bit-part players at the start of the season, will now get plenty of game time in the second half of the season.

Would you bet against Critchley getting a tune out of them? Of course you wouldn’t.

He’s the ideal man to have in charge to coach, develop and bring out the best in players, which is probably why Doug Tharme was so keen to make the move to Bloomfield Road.The centre-back, who will remain on loan with Southport for the remainder of the campaign, is certainly one for the future.

From what I’ve heard, he’s a player with a high ceiling and certainly has the potential to move up the ladder.

A commanding 6ft 4in centre-back who is also capable and comfortable on the ball, he fits the profile of what the club is looking for in the transfer market.

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