Bowyer: Show Blackpool's fans some thought

Bowyer criticised the EFL for their lack of thought for the club’s supporters as they face a trip to Scunthorpe United today, followed immediately by a trip to Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday.

A home clash against Oxford follows but September’s only other home fixture against Rochdale is sandwiched between trips to Bristol Rovers and Southend United.

With an abundance of North West clubs in League One, Bowyer hopes someone takes notice of the schedule.

He said: “The Football League, in their wisdom, gave us a Tuesday night away last year at Plymouth.

“We understand it. It is easier for us as players and staff because we have the ability to go down the day before recover, travel back, stay overnight.

“That is not a problem for us. My biggest thing is the lack of thought for our supporters.

“To make them go down last year to Plymouth and Portsmouth on a Tuesday and, this season when there are far more North West teams in the league, they have done it to us again.

“Like I say, from our point of view as players and staff, it is not a problem to us.

“For our supporters I think it is just a lack of planning.We have Scunthorpe away on Saturday, Plymouth Tuesday, Bristol Rovers away, then Southend away, all in September – come on.

“We are talking at the moment about how important the supporters are and the transfer window; they go and do that to our supporters this month – it beggars belief!

“Surely someone at the Football League looks at it because if you look at our fixtures in October we have got quite a lot of North West teams on a Tuesday night - it just does not make sense!

“I feel so sorry for our supporters. But it is not just us. Wigan travel to Charlton on Tuesday.

“Surely someone has a look at it and checks it over.”

And Bowyer did not stop there as he questioned how, in recent games against MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon, the opposition turned up in black with the referee having no alternative to his black shorts and socks.

He said: “We are talking about how much money is in the game now at the moment.

“Like last Saturday – and this is the second time it has happened in two game – the away team come in black.

“The referee wears black shorts and black socks and has no change of black shorts or socks.

“How much money is in the game and we cannot sort this problem out? It is hilarious.

“Wimbledon were in black, I said to the referee ‘can you not change?’ He said ‘we haven’t got any.’

“A player has just gone for £200m, yet we can’t provide a change of socks for the referees.

“I spoke to David Allison (Football League head of referees) about it.

“He is going to bring it up but surely to God the people above at the Premier League, the FA, Football League – let’s just put a bit of money there so it does not clash.

“I offered three weeks ago (to get some from the club shop) when we played MK.”