Blackpool boss won't rush into new signings: Ten years on from Premier League promotion

We’re dipping into the archives each day to bring you STEVE CANAVAN’S Gazette reports from a decade ago on Blackpool’s remarkable journey to the promised land.

Ten years ago, Ian Holloway had to deal with speculation concerning potential summer signings...

Ian Holloway admits keeping Blackpool in the Premier League will be the greatest challenge of his life but he won’t panic or rush into buying new players.

The Seasiders boss held a series of meetings at Bloomfield Road yesterday, including talking to chairman Karl Oyston about his budget and transfer policy for the coming season.

Holloway will give the bulk of the squad which won promotion the chance to prove they can cut it in the Premier League but he also has to add some more quality to what he already has.

The manager has been inundated with calls from agents – “I’ve never had so many brand new best friends in my life,” he joked – and Pool have already been linked with a number of players.

However, Holloway has warned fans not to be taken in by the constant speculation.

“The playing squad is something I’ve got to give great care and consideration to,” said the boss.

“I won’t be telling people who I’m going for and I won’t be letting anyone tell me who I should be going for.

“So, just for the record, Andy Reid, Richard Chaplow, Robbie Blake, Sean St Ledger, Danny Welbeck, Shaun Densmore and Kirk Broadfoot ... if any of them were in my plans I wouldn’t be telling anyone and it wouldn’t be in the papers because I haven’t brought anybody in yet.

“Where it all comes from, all these rumours, I don’t know.

“I can’t understand how people are linking me with those players at the moment, and I mean that with the greatest respect to every one of them because they are all fine players in their own right.

“But how anyone can say Blackpool are going to get one of these players ... it’s like fantasy football.

“It isn’t anything like our focus at the moment.”

DJ Campbell and Stephen Dobbie remain targets.

Holloway is also sure to talk to Everton about another loan deal for Seamus Coleman and will keep Aston Villa’s Barry Bannan in his thoughts, though with only two players allowed on loan at any given time, the boss doesn’t have much room to manoeuvre.

“The rules are very different now, especially when you think that we had seven players on loan last season and 21 the year before that,” he said.

“Now we can only have two at the same time and they can’t be from the same Premier League club so that’s thrown a bit of a spanner in the works.”

What Holloway is acutely aware of is the need to maintain the same sort of team spirit that led to success last term.

If Pool lose a few games – as they are likely to do in the top flight – that’s when the dressing room character and spirit will kick in.

Lose that and Holloway knows there could be trouble.

“I’ll explain it like this,” he said.

“I’ve never gone looking for a car that is expensive if you get what I mean.

“I’ve looked in the Mini garage to spend whatever it is for one of those. But now I might have to look for a Bentley and, oh dear, they can expensive and they can be temperamental.

“So if I bring in one of those high maintenance cars when I’m used to looking after Minis, then it could ruin my whole car lot. I am not going to do that.

“They had better behave like one of mine. I don’t want one of these Bentleys that might be temperamental or might cost me a fortune.

“I want someone who wants to play for me the way my lads want to play for me.

“If they don’t want to then they can sling their hook because I’m not interested.

“I am not going to bring in some big-time Charlie, who is more concerned about what his hair and clothes look like than what sort of shift he will put in for me.

“I think that’s what a lot of people have done. They have made the mistake of going for those players.

“They might have better quality and skill, but you risk losing the heart you’ve got and we’re not going to do that.”

It’s why Holloway wants to retain the likes of Ben Burgess and Rob Edwards.

Both will be offered new deals, probably on reduced wages, and Holloway – aware that both are popular in the dressing room – hopes they will stay.

“I haven’t spoken to them yet but I am very hopeful we can sort things out. I think they can be part of the 25-man squad I need,” added the boss, who has until the end of August to register that squad with the Premier League.

“But the deals they had, we didn’t take up. We’re not the first club to do that.

“Robert Koren at West Brom has been told exactly the same as my two have and he is contemplating whether he should accept a bit less.

“It’s down to those boys and the other choices they get.

“I’m optimistic they will want to stay with us and I’m optimistic we can come up with something that suits them, and us.”