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Blackpool reporter Amos Wynn is joined by Mark McMahon to discuss the Seasiders' decision to part company with Steve Bruce - and who should replace the former Manchester United defender in the Bloomfield Road hot seat.
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00:00Hello and welcome to this Blackpool special where I'm joined by Amos Wynn just to get the
00:09lowdown on Steve Bruce's departure from Bloomfield Road and what the future holds for the Seasiders
00:15as they search for a new manager. Amos, Steve Bruce has left as we said, left Blackpool 23rd
00:24in the table, 11 games played in League One this season, 1-2, drew 2, lost 7, 8 points, he departs
00:32Blackpool with a 40% win ratio after Saturday's 2-0 defeat to AFC Wimbledon. Can you just get your
00:40thoughts first and all on Blackpool's decision to part company with the former Newcastle and Aston Villa
00:45manager? Yeah, there's no hiding away just how disappointing this season has been. First and
00:52foremost, you know, it's a great shame on a personal level that it's not worked out for
00:56Steve Bruce. Throughout the 12 months of Blackpool has been great to deal with, he's sort of embraced
01:00the club, he's always spoken highly of the club and its fans and yeah, I think everyone who came
01:04across him, you know, only had good things to say but unfortunately in football, it's a result of
01:10business. He came in just over 12 months ago and hit the ground running, four wins on the bounce
01:15and you thought, here we go, you know, this is something to be excited by, something to build
01:19on and then, yeah, it was a bit of a rollercoaster and even in the second half of that season
01:23when things maybe weren't going as well, there were some snippets there to suggest, you know,
01:29yeah, there's something to build on, there's some positive things to look ahead to and that
01:33takes you into the summer where, you know, on paper, it was a fantastic transfer window.
01:38Look at some of the people who dropped down from the championship, some of the people who
01:41were performing well in League One, all attracted to Blackpool, all attracted by Steve Bruce
01:45and you just thought, well, they're going to be at the top of the table this year, they're
01:50going to absolutely smash it and for whatever reason, that's not been the case, you know,
01:54they've been soft at the back, you know, far too many individual errors, far too structural
01:58issues in terms of how they set up at the back and it's been, yeah, too easy for our teams
02:03to score against them and then that's contrasting to the problem that at the top of the
02:07field, they can't seem to score, you know, they seem to have no bite, you know, they
02:11were toothless up front, so when those two things combine, you're never going to be
02:16on to, you know, anything positive and it leaves you scratching your head really because
02:20it was clear that he had a plan in place last season, it was clear that there were some
02:24positive signs there but for whatever reason, they didn't transfer over into, you know, this
02:28campaign with this squad, so yeah, you know, you can be the most patient person in the
02:34world but you probably looked at the Luton and Wimbledon fixtures as games where they
02:39needed at least four points, needed to win at least one of them, they squandered a two-goal
02:43lead against Luton and then it was one of the worst performances I've seen at Bloomingfield
02:46going on Saturday afternoon and you sort of felt then, you knew, you know, his time was up.
02:52So it's fair to say defeat against the Wombles on Saturday, it was inevitable that he would
02:57be going after that third game?
02:59It would have been more surprising if he was still in charge because the mood had changed,
03:03the fans had sort of, you know, once fans turn against you, then it's very hard to get
03:09back and the fans hadn't seen enough to sort of get behind. There were some more positive
03:14signs, you know, first off against Bradford, they were a little better, against Luton for
03:18long periods, they looked better but it wasn't enough to think, wow, that's something that
03:23they're really going to kick on now. It was something that you'd want to see in August,
03:26you have a slow start, not in October. So yeah, there wasn't enough there and unfortunately
03:32it was a natural end of the line.
03:35Yeah, you spoke to Bruce at the end of the final whistle, it's fair to say he had a good
03:41feeling, he knew this was coming, didn't he?
03:44Yeah, he obviously emphasised that he wouldn't want to quit, he wanted to sort of battle on
03:50and give it every chance but even compared to a few weeks ago where he, you know, you could
03:55feel the confidence coming off him that he would turn it around, that the squad was good enough
03:59to achieve what he wanted. I think he'd sort of accepted that, you know, he's been around
04:04the block, he knows football too well, he knew that he'd reached a time where there
04:08probably was no coming back for him as well and he was a bit more downbeat to what we
04:11have seen in him, a bit more sort of accepting of what had gone wrong and he was, yeah, he
04:16reflected on decisions even in that game, decision not to start Andy Lyons, decision to
04:20change the system. You know, so yeah, he was very reflective and yeah, you could sort of
04:25tell him that moment that, you know, he'd, he knew he was at the end.
04:30You mentioned too, like, you went through what went wrong, defensive issues up top, formations,
04:36etc. And you've also mentioned that he was back in the transfer window during the summer
04:42with some good names on paper. Did he just, he clearly didn't know what the problem was.
04:49Did you ever get the sense that he was really struggling to really nail down what was going
04:54wrong here, why he couldn't turn it around?
04:57Yeah, and it was hard to put your finger on, you know, to give him some mitigating factors.
05:01He started the season with no fit wingers. I think Hamilton and Bloxham both got injured
05:06in the last pre-season game or just before the week of the season starting. And Emil Hansen
05:12only joined less than 24 hours before the game, so he was only able to go on the bench.
05:18So yeah, the season got on the back foot there that he couldn't really name the team he
05:23wanted. He had Niall Ennis suspended and then in the last few weeks he's had, you know,
05:27several players injured. So there are mitigating factors there, but he didn't help himself
05:32at certain times. You know, Jordan Brown was playing right back when Andy Lyons was there
05:36ready to have a game. Albin Morgan was played on the left against Northampton for the international
05:42break and there was a handful of wingers waiting there. So yeah, you know, that's not helped
05:48playing players out of position and whether it was forced or, you know, his choice. And
05:54then it's hard to see an identity, you know, obviously whether this lands the manager's
05:59door or the player's door, some of the players just simply don't look fit. You know, I won't
06:04go into them one by one, but some of them look well off the pace. And yeah, it's one thing
06:08saying they're disrupted pre-season elsewhere or disrupted pre-season for injury.
06:12In October, you know, footballers, they're paid to run around on the pitch and kick him
06:17out. Look, I'm unfit. But if he was paying me to run around and play football, I'd make
06:21sure that was the minimum thing. So that's another thing, you know, sort of fitness and
06:26sort of mentally the team wasn't with him.
06:28It's fair to say then, a few players maybe, again, no mentioning names, should be looking
06:34themselves in the mirror then today on the back of this here, Decision Better Club.
06:38Yeah, certainly, you know, whether or not the manager's got your full support or not,
06:43or whether or not, you know, the plan is clear. Some of those players, you know, it's
06:47the minimum to sort of still run through a brick wall for your fans. And I don't think
06:51some of them were doing that. So that's the most disappointing thing that, you know, especially
06:54on Saturday, there were so many lethargic promises, so many players that looked like
06:58a char doing simple things. And yes, you know, the plan maybe wasn't great. That was
07:04in place. You know, maybe maybe wasn't getting the best out of them. But yeah, just something
07:10to sit right with how some of them perform on an individual level. And if a new manager,
07:14when a new manager comes in, they are going to have to pull the socks up.
07:18Yeah. Talking about the new manager, again, the process has already begun. There's loads
07:25of names being linked. The bookies are making their minds up. Ian Evatt, this is going to start
07:31with him first. He is the bookies favourite at the minute. And you've also written a
07:36story today saying that it's your understanding that he may be interested in a return to Bloomfield
07:41Road. Can you just give us your thoughts on that? Would that be a good appointment? What
07:45just, what's your general thoughts on Ian Evatt?
07:48It's certainly an interesting one. And, you know, obviously he's someone that played for
07:52the club. He was part of the team that got to the Premier League. He's got credit in the
07:55bank. He knows the club, he understands the club. And sometimes that's what people want.
07:59But it's not often, you know, work for Blackpool in recent years. They've gone to Simon Grayson
08:03who'd enjoyed success in the past. It didn't work. Neil Critchley's second stint didn't
08:07work. So, yeah, it's good that he knows the club. He knows that he's got, it's good that
08:12he's got support of the fans already. And clearly, you know, I spoke to him in May after the
08:16Legends game and his love for the club was clear to see, you know, he was saying how much
08:20he enjoyed being back, enjoyed being back around his teammates and just seen the place.
08:23So, you know, that's a given that, you know, he no doubt would love to be Blackpool
08:28manager. But in terms of football point of view, at Bolton, he obviously played a wing
08:34back system. Neil Critchley played a wing back system. Now, I'm not going to say Everett's
08:39football would be exactly the same. You know, he could play it much more efficiently. But
08:45if that was his sort of method, then that's Blackpool wasting 12 months because they sat
08:50Critchley and ripped it all up. They spent the last two chance windows backing Steve Bruce,
08:54getting rid of sort of wing backs or natural wing backs and going towards a system that
09:00focuses on wingers. So if you go back to wing backs, you're going to have all these players
09:04who are suddenly playing out of position and it's not really fixed the problem. It may
09:08be, you know, the best thing going forward. Who knows? It could work this time. But you
09:12just think, what is the point of all that if you are going to go back and get a manager,
09:17you know, who is going to play that way? That's not just Ian Everett. That could be anyone.
09:19You know, for all we know, Ian Everett could come in with fresh ideas and take the squad
09:23as he sees it and plays different ways. But yeah, it would probably cause a major problem.
09:27One of you having to spend a chance for windows shifting back to that. And two, for the meantime,
09:33you know, there's only three senior centre backs. There's not many players who can play
09:37wing back as naturally as you'd like. So yeah, it would cause probably problems. But, you
09:44know, for me, I'd like to see a manager come in who just takes the squad as it is and play
09:47the best system that suits those players. I think, you know, you have to have someone
09:50who's happy to work with a blank canvas and not have any pre-existing ideologies of how
09:55the game should be played.
09:57Yeah. Another one high up the list is Stephen Dobby. Is it time to give a loyal servant to
10:03the club the permanent job? He's done the caretaker manager role before. Is he a natural replacement?
10:11Well, like Everett, probably even more so than Everett. Stephen Dobby knows the club. He was
10:15at the club four times on loan throughout his career. I mean, he's been, you know, coached
10:19at the various ranks in the last few seasons. Obviously, when Mick McCarthy got sacked, he
10:24took over for the end of the championship season. And fans, you know, they liked what
10:28they saw from him. He was sort of on the front foot, a bit more, you know, handbrake off.
10:33Now, Blackpool were all but relegated at that point. So who knows whether or not he would
10:38be the same again this time around. But from what it seems, he's going to get that chance
10:43against Stockport, maybe even beyond. It's going to be, I think it's going to be an audition
10:46for him to sort of prove why he's ready for the top job. He's served under, you know, different
10:50managers. He's served in the youth ranks. So yeah, I think it's only for that, you know,
10:54he gets a bit of reward and gets an opportunity to sort of show what he's about and guide the
10:58club. I'm sure he would want it as well.
11:00Yeah. Some of the other names, Ian Holloway, Richie Wellens, Damon Duff, Sean Dyche, don't
11:06know where that's come from. Charlie Adam, Steve Evans. Again, there's quite a lot
11:11of recognisable names out there. Is there any of those that tick your fancy at all?
11:17Well, Richie Wellens falls into the camp of the other two who play for Blackpool, knows
11:21the club. He also knows the league won't have him manager of Leighton Orient. But he is
11:25Leighton Orient manager and, you know, maybe things haven't gone as well as they would have
11:29hoped this season. But last season, he was going to play a final. So I'm sure that, you
11:33know, I'm sure they would like to keep him there. You know, I don't follow Orient,
11:37so I may be wrong, but that'd probably be a tricky one in terms of he had to buy.
11:41A manager out. Ian Holloway, another name, obviously, that we all recognise. He's doing
11:47good things at Swindon. He's probably very happy and settled at Swindon. And it is always
11:51a weird thing. It's like, do you go back? Do you go back to someone, you know, whether
11:56it's a player or a manager? And it's hard. I think everyone should be based off the manager
12:02of your career rather than they've been Blackpool before. I think going back, it's not really
12:08worked under the owner, like I mentioned before. So you probably maybe laugh to someone
12:12with fresh ideas, someone who's coming in with, you know, sees the club as for what
12:16it is, sees the players for what they are, rather than thinking, yeah, this should be
12:21the way we need to do this. This is what Blackpool is about. Someone who just takes the situation
12:25as it is. So, yeah, there's pros and cons of people knowing the club and not knowing the
12:29club.
12:30Do you think the Blackpool fans want somebody who knows the club or are they more open to
12:35just anybody that's going to get us forward? How important is that Blackpool link, if at
12:40all?
12:41Well, from what I've seen, it's 50-50. You know, some people would obviously like to
12:44welcome, you know, a famous player back to take on their reins. But I think first and
12:49foremost, more people just want the best coach possible. I don't think in most people's
12:54minds it would make a difference whether or not they've played for Blackpool or not before.
12:57So, I think, yeah, they just want somebody who can take this team forward and see, you
13:01know, signs of improvement and longevity.
13:06You mentioned there, Dobby's going to be in charge to at least, at least the Stockport
13:10game on Saturday, which implies this is going to be a kind of like a drawn-out process.
13:15Are you surprised by that there? Are you surprised that despite Bruce being under pressure, despite
13:21them thinking about what we're going to do with Steve Bruce in the build-up to the last
13:24couple of games, that they didn't necessarily have a candidate in place that would come
13:29in straight away?
13:32Yeah, in some ways, because you look at Wickham, they sat their mind and, you know, more or
13:36less an hour later, they had their placements announced. So, whether or not Blackpool, you
13:41know, generally did one give Steve Bruce every chance of that sort of like that pressure
13:44breathing down his net. Maybe or not, maybe they saw Stephen Dobby as someone who could come
13:49in as a caretaker anyway to get his chance. There could be considerations behind it, but
13:54when they sat Neil Critchley, it took three or four weeks for Steve Bruce to be announced,
14:01announced out of the blue, of course. So, and that just felt like a bit of wasted time.
14:06So, maybe the pressure is on Dobby a little bit to deliver. You know, Richard Keough had that
14:10opportunity last time and certainly things were a bit more positive, they were a bit more
14:15attacking, but, you know, they had a 4-4 draw with Cambridge, you know, it was very much
14:19very wild football, you know, it weren't really a foundation to build on. So, you know, you
14:25don't want to waste too much time, certainly if, you know, you are looking to a point elsewhere
14:29and not look from within.
14:32Yeah, yeah. Like, I know it's hard to answer this type of question, like, but in your, if
14:37you were the man in charge, if you're the one deciding this here, what sort of profile
14:41of manager would you go for? Would you go for the Steve Bruce, a traditional name,
14:46big name player, or do you go for somebody young, up and coming, wanting to make their
14:50way into the game, maybe got a wee bit more hunger about them? What sort of profile do
14:54you think at this moment in time would fit Blackpool best?
14:58I'd probably go down the young and up and coming route, you know, someone, you know,
15:02try and find the next Neil Critchley, obviously he'd come in after working for the Liverpool
15:05Academy and got the club promoted. Try and find someone like that, someone who's come in
15:10with, you know, fresh ideas straight from a Premier League club or, you know, quite a
15:14big club in the EFL. You know, someone who can take the club forward, someone, like I
15:18said before, who looks at the squad and thinks that's, you know, this is the best way to
15:22play for this squad. We can adapt, we can change, but this is the best way to play with
15:26the people I've got, not someone who's going to come in and say, you've all got to fit
15:29into this formation because this is how I want to play. So yeah, I'd like to see someone
15:33maybe young, you know, fresh ideas and up and coming in. Someone, you know, Blackpool
15:38can build around, not just this season, but think, you know, three-year plan, this is
15:42where we want to be at the end of the three years. Now, it's a good squad at the moment.
15:46Well, on paper, it's a good squad. You know, they're still recruited well from what you
15:49can see, you know, in the summer. So the player will be that bit of pressure to, you know,
15:53hit the ground running. But it would be nice for someone to come in and just be able to
15:56build a longer-term project and just, yeah, hopefully, you know, you get players who
16:01grow up the club and then either move on or go up with the club. Get a manager who can
16:05do the same.
16:06Yeah. Okay, then. We'll tell you what, Amos, let's wrap it up there. You're a busy man
16:11today. You're trying to get the finger on the pulse of everything that's going on at
16:14Bloomfield Road. You're doing a good job at the minute. Keep it up. For all the latest
16:19information on the managerial search, tune in to Blackpool Gazette's website. We'll be
16:23giving it all our resources as we can. So stay in tune and we'll be back soon. Thank
16:28you all for watching. Goodbye.
16:31Bye.
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