Next Blackpool Manager Odds: Four names in the frame to replace Neil Critchley
After Neil Critchley left his post at Blackpool just two games into the League One season, EFL pundit Gab Sutton has dissected four names that could replace him in the next Blackpool manager odds.
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1. Richie Wellens
Why he will get the job
On the one hand, Richie Wellens is a young(ish) manager at 44 with plenty of drive and ambition to go on to work in the top two leagues, whilst also having a track record of having delivered excellent results in four jobs out of five.
A two-time League Two title-winner with Swindon and Leyton Orient, the former midfielder led the O’s to a top half finish in their first season up, proving he can deliver results at this level when he has a reasonable if modest budget that gives him half a chance, and a stable ownership structure above him.
Blackpool would give Wellens a budget and quality of squad that would allow him to strive for promotion, having arguably hit something a glass ceiling in E10.
Plus, there’s a geographical factor, with the Mancunian still having roots in the north-west that saw him head home at times last season, whereas a move to Bloomfield Road might be more logistically convenient.
Why he might not
Neil Critchley was wedded to a 3-5-2 system during his time in charge, whereas Wellens favours a 4-2-3-1 – although he did dabble with a wing-back system briefly at Salford, and it’s not unheard of for him to go to 3-4-2-1.
A switch to a back-four, though, would cause certain complications including the absence of a specialist right-back, with Andy Lyons still recovering from an ACL injury and Jordan Gabriel set to depart.
They’ve also got six strikers on their books who are all good enough to contribute to the first-team, and that’s before you get to Jake Daniels who hasn’t even been loaned out yet – so it’s a squad that lends itself to two up top, and Wellens tends to prefer one up top systems.
Verdict
Would be an excellent appointment, but with the need to move quickly in the remainder of the window for the right incomings and outgoings to alter the squad accordingly.
2. Pete Wild
Why he will get the job
Pete Wild was the only manager to get results at Oldham, under Abdallah Lemsagam. He worked wonders in the National League, inspiring Halifax to two Play-Off finishes in three on a bottom-end budget, and led Barrow to successive top-10 finishes after they’d finished 20th and 22nd previously.
In short, Wild has delivered everywhere he’s been, whilst being able to galvanize a fanbase with his passionate touchline conduct and post-match fist pumps.
Despite, that is, the 40-year-old never yet having worked with one of the bigger budgets in a division; at Blackpool, he would inherit just that, as well as one of the better squads in League One, if missing a touch of stardust.
If Wild gets a team playing above the sum of its parts once again, at Bloomfield Road, the result would be a top-six finish – and this is a manager out of work, too.
Why he might not
It seems unnecessarily harsh to judge managers on patterns of form, rather than what they do over a whole season, and start holding them to a different standard midway through the campaign.
However, the Bluebirds were in the Play-Off picture in both his seasons in charge, even in the top three mix in 2023/24, but seven wins in the final 27, and six in the last 23, respectively, suggest a pattern of struggling in the second half of seasons when the pressure ramps up.
There’s a school of thought that the intensity with which Wild manages, and the emphatic celebrations of each victory, can create a real buzz initially, but also cause difficulties in maintaining balance and composure in those high-stakes moments.
If each victory means everything then, by definition, so does each defeat.
We don’t want to tell Wild to stop doing the fistpumps, because we love them (and we don’t have that sort of power regardless!) – but maybe there’s a balance to be struck somewhere.
Verdict
Would be a great appointment, providing that he’s shown a willingness to learn and evolve.
3. Scott Lindsey
Why he will get the job
Seeing Scott Lindsey have the success he had at Crawley was one of the real pleasures of the 2023/24 EFL season.
The 52-year-old has been through the mill in his personal life, and at times it’s had an impact on the sorts of career decisions he’s been able to make, but he’s remained one of the kindest and most approachable people in the game, as well as an outstanding coach – and now is his time to shine.
Lindsey came in at an uncertain time at Crawley, midway through the 2022/23 campaign, and kept them up in 22nd, before they sold five of their best players the following summer, and subsequently finished 7th, winning promotion with three of the most impressive performances in recent EFL Play-Off history.
The Red Devils have been playing fluid, possession football under Lindsey’s guidance, and have even begun with back-to-back wins in League One.
The question marks over owner Preston Johnson mean Lindsey would likely take an opportunity at a bigger club, under a more stable ownership regime, with a greater possibility of success.
Lindsey would help Blackpool look after the ball better, something they struggled to do under Neil Critchley, which may have been a factor behind their chronic inconsistency.
Why he might not
Some candidates for the job, like the aforementioned Richie Wellens and Pete Wild, have a history of succeeding at multiple clubs. Others, like Brian Barry-Murphy, who we’ll come onto, have an elite coaching reputation.
Lindsey has neither, and there’s a clear bias for young managers that many clubs apply as well: only one of the 17 EFL managerial appointments since the end of last season are his age or older.
Neither of those are necessarily good reasons for Blackpool to not approach him, but it’s possible the thoughts occur.
Verdict
A quality coach – would’ve been better for him to come in at the start of the summer, though, to implement his own ideas, rather than two games in.
4. Brian Barry-Murphy
Why he will get the job
Blackpool don’t have a rich benefactor capable of taking them to the Championship primarily based on budget, so they may need to develop assets for the club to sell on for seven figures, and use the loan market smartly.
Brian Barry-Murphy would help on both counts, because he has a real passion for nurturing potential, having been entrusted with the progress of some of the hottest prospects in world football at Man City EDS – like Rico Lewis and Oscar Bobb, for instance.
Plus, BBM’s knowledge of the U21s scene would help him land the best loan deals, especially with his status at City.
While the Irishman is yet to deliver categoric success in the EFL, he did good work at Rochdale at an extremely difficult time for the club, keeping them up in League One twice playing attractive football – and they narrowly went down in 2020/21, scoring more goals than Blackpool the season they were promoted under Critchley.
Why he might not
BBM’s critics at Rochdale perceive his skillset to suit the more developmental environment, which he currently enjoys at City, rather than a competitive one.
The 46-year-old is religiously process-driven, to the point where it can feel grating for a certain section of supporters who would prefer their manager to focus more on what’s right in front of them, as opposed to coaching principles of play that might be more beneficial in the long-run.
Plus, two games into a season isn’t the optimum time to embrace an extreme style of play that’s different to what’s already in place, and fans expecting a Play-Off push might not be uniformly supportive if results and performances don’t come from the off.
Verdict
A great appointment if Blackpool are looking to initiate a playing style and ethos that will remain in place for the long-term, and are prepared to be patient to make it happen – but not the appointment that increases their chances of finishing in the top six this season.
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