Hero Southern in Blackpool talks

Blackpool legend Keith Southern has been invited to discuss the managerial vacancy at Bloomfield Road.
Keith SouthernKeith Southern
Keith Southern

But The Gazette understands the former midfielder is just one of many candidates chairman Karl Oyston is interviewing as he seeks a successor to Neil McDonald.

The 35-year-old Southern racked up 375 appearances for the club in a 10-year spell after signing from Everton in 2002, and was a member of the unforgettable squad which won promotion to the Premier League six years ago.

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He later spent two seasons at Huddersfield and finally one at Fleetwood, from where he was loaned out to Shrewsbury to make his final few League appearances before hanging up his boots last summer.

Southern has witnessed the Seasiders’ second successive relegation at first hand working as a local radio pundit – a disastrous season which resulted in McDonald’s sacking a week ago.

Besides undertaking media work, Southern has also taken his coaching badges and he makes no secret of his desire to move into a managerial or coaching role in future.

Southern was the bookies’ favourite for the Pool job but yesterday attention switched to Dave Jones, the former Southampton, Wolves, Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday boss.

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But for all Jones’ experience, Southern believes someone with the club “at their heart” is best suited to preventing Pool slipping out of the Football League.

And Southern said: “I’ve made no secret it’s the path I want to go down. I’m a good way into my coaching badges.

“I ultimately want to become a manager or a coach and it’s something I’m looking to do in the near future, whether it’s Blackpool or somewhere else.

“I’ve spent the last two or three years building up to a moment where I could take an opportunity on if it was presented to me. But ultimately it’s up to Mr Oyston to decide.”

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Asked what qualities are required to take the Bloomfield Road hotseat at this most difficult of times, Southern replied: “I think it should be a person who has the club at heart, who knows the club inside out and cares about the club.”

Graham Alexander’s League One club Scunthorpe United have been linked with a move for Blackpool midfielder Brad Potts.