Good times were sparse. Everyone got sent off or injured. Jerry scored goals. Jud defended well. Patino had a banging chant. Josh Bowler was the best footballer I'd seen for years, then a flickering faded ghostly half forgotten concussed and confused memory of himself. We beat PNE. We lost to PNE. There's not a lot more to it really.
So... what now? (Apart from Norwich away?)
We're heading down with loads of questions. Who, what, when? They apply to the team. They apply to the coaching staff. They apply to the board and the structure that manages the club. It's either a recipe for chaos or big red button marked 'factory reset.'
Which it is, I don't know. As yet, Simon Sadler has not contacted me and said 'MCLF - as the the third best Blackpool FC based blog on the internet, I want to thank you for your unstinting commitment to quality content like AI generated pictures of Gary Madine in various unlikely circumstances and your seeming never ending ability to mention long standing resentment over the release of Sullay Kaikai with an exclusive, no holds barred, Piers Morgan style interview with me'
So... what now? (Apart from Norwich away?)
We're heading down with loads of questions. Who, what, when? They apply to the team. They apply to the coaching staff. They apply to the board and the structure that manages the club. It's either a recipe for chaos or big red button marked 'factory reset.'
Which it is, I don't know. As yet, Simon Sadler has not contacted me and said 'MCLF - as the the third best Blackpool FC based blog on the internet, I want to thank you for your unstinting commitment to quality content like AI generated pictures of Gary Madine in various unlikely circumstances and your seeming never ending ability to mention long standing resentment over the release of Sullay Kaikai with an exclusive, no holds barred, Piers Morgan style interview with me'
 |
| The King of England. |
I can only guess based on the shite on the internet that everyone else guesses about.
Who will be the next manager? I don't know. I hope it's Stephen Dobbie because I like the way we've played, I like his fearless tactical approach, I think he's communicated well to players and probably the most consistent period of performances has come under his tenure - which is no small feat when you think about how listless and uninspired some of the performances have been this year.
It could, of course, be Pete Wild, Richie Wellens or anyone else. I'm ok with that but I do think that if A.N. Other Manager gets the job and isn't immediately successful there's a distinct possibility that we'll be tempted to shout 'this chap isn't quite what we're after Mr Sadler. Do give that nice Mr Dobbie a chance my good fellow' in the direction of the directors box.
Who will be the next manager? I don't know. I hope it's Stephen Dobbie because I like the way we've played, I like his fearless tactical approach, I think he's communicated well to players and probably the most consistent period of performances has come under his tenure - which is no small feat when you think about how listless and uninspired some of the performances have been this year.
It could, of course, be Pete Wild, Richie Wellens or anyone else. I'm ok with that but I do think that if A.N. Other Manager gets the job and isn't immediately successful there's a distinct possibility that we'll be tempted to shout 'this chap isn't quite what we're after Mr Sadler. Do give that nice Mr Dobbie a chance my good fellow' in the direction of the directors box.
Dobbie has given us an intoxicating glimpse of death or glory football with motivated young players playing with some joy and desire - once you've opened that box, it's hard to close the lid again.
The appointment of a manager is the easy bit though. As long as it's someone competent who isn't wedded to belting the ball forward aimlessly, Neil McDonald, Lee Clarke or some kind of fan baiting villain from our local rivals then, I think we're good.
The biggest job is going to be giving the manager the tools for the job. We've gone down this year because we've not had a balanced squad from the outset. We knew this. On paper, it's fine saying 'if player x or y can get fit' but in practice, it leaves you short. So many times we've had players out of position or simply the wrong balance of attributes in the key parts of the pitch. Super Gaz leading the press like a tired bull chasing rabbits till it falls over. The flimsy midfield made of tissue paper being ripped to bits and then disintegrating in the rain. Kids in the centre of defence looking a bit like they've gone to play on the motorway but are now frightened of the big trucks and noise.
We have difficult choices to make on the future of some of our players. Is it fair to judge all of them on the basis of a season where the team they played in was so often a bit dysfunctional? Can we judge Shayne Lavery's future fairly by his cameos on the wing? Can we really say if Sonny Carey is an intelligent and skillful technical player with a big future or not because he's been midfield ratting most of the season. Is Marvin the panic stricken error prone red card waiting to happen or the calm, poised player from the season before? Do we go all out to keep Yates (unlikely as that may be) or do we put our faith in others and take the cash?
The appointment of a manager is the easy bit though. As long as it's someone competent who isn't wedded to belting the ball forward aimlessly, Neil McDonald, Lee Clarke or some kind of fan baiting villain from our local rivals then, I think we're good.
I know the club read this as they nicked the Gary Madine in the sea meme from me. I am absolutely not challenging you to appoint the elasticator.
We have difficult choices to make on the future of some of our players. Is it fair to judge all of them on the basis of a season where the team they played in was so often a bit dysfunctional? Can we judge Shayne Lavery's future fairly by his cameos on the wing? Can we really say if Sonny Carey is an intelligent and skillful technical player with a big future or not because he's been midfield ratting most of the season. Is Marvin the panic stricken error prone red card waiting to happen or the calm, poised player from the season before? Do we go all out to keep Yates (unlikely as that may be) or do we put our faith in others and take the cash?
These are tough decisions. What we think we have will dictate what we need to go and get. With the fabric of the club looking a little more threadbare than it did even a few months ago, who is going to make that happen? Are we all over the global market, searching high and low for that elusive energetic, physical midfielder who combines presence and quality? Are we already talking to the best of the released players from here, there and everywhere about how they can restart their career with Blackpool? What vision are we selling them? Who is doing that selling?
I don't know. The point is, we're kind of back where we were in 2020. Kind of. Lots of things have improved. We've got a nice portakabin (sorry, modular building) and blippy tickets and the ground has been tarted up and lots of plans to build things at some point somewhen which we'll take at face value... but in footballing terms, we've got a squad of players, some of whom have been knocking around for a while whose futures are on the line and definitely the need to go and get quite a few new ones.
We did that well in 2020. but the people who did that are all gone. We don't have (unless Dobbie has known he's getting the job since day one of his tenure) the luxury of the months of Covid inactivity for Critchley and committee to plan precisely what they want...
I think the overwhelming point is - there's a real need to get on with it. The previous summer was marked by failed transfers that dragged on and uncertainty. Football is a capricious mistress. No one can possibly guarantee success and every club can get it wrong. We have to risk a decision though. We have to commit to what we're doing because there's so much to be done. We haven't got time for cautious and careful deliberation.
We need a manager and a coaching staff. We need a squad. We need to replace some of the key players and voices in the existing unit. We need to bond those new players together and the manager to instil his ideas into them. We may very well require some of the decision makers and administrators to make the above happen.
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| Again. No! |
We need a manager and a coaching staff. We need a squad. We need to replace some of the key players and voices in the existing unit. We need to bond those new players together and the manager to instil his ideas into them. We may very well require some of the decision makers and administrators to make the above happen.
Where does the vision come from? Does the sporting director serve the managers vision or vice versa. As we have neither, which one comes first. Who fits around who? If there's no board in place, how do you do the recruitment in the first place?
Why doesn't wor Simon just buy big Gaz a pint and the two of them work it out together?
Sometimes modern football seems very complicated to me. I'm all for just giving it to Dobbie and hoping for the best.
If nothing else, he's got a great beard.
Onward!
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