How Low Cost Carriers can improve access to Austrian and Slovenian Airports

When national newspapers and travel periodicals post reviews of a particular Austrian or Slovenian resort, or a certain aspect of one such as a new hut to hut trail or multi-peak walk, articles are usually concluded with where the author stayed, and how he or she arrived. Although a London-centric media will invariably seek to fly from Heathrow or Gatwick to the Alps, journeys are often described as landing in Vienna before an onward train journey, a very long one at that, to for example Zell am See for Saalbach Hinterglemm, or directly to the stations that service Kitzbuehel, and St. Anton am Arlberg.

There remains a lack of direct options for travellers both north and south of Watford, a perennial problem that has existed for those who do not wish to visit the Alps as part of an Inghams or TUI Lakes and Mountains package deal. Whilst this summer Jet2 offered twice weekly flights to Innsbruck from Manchester, seats which could be bought directly through its website or as part of a package with the aforementioned companies, the Yorkshire-based airline will be slashing this to a Saturday only service for the 2023 season.

This is not a blog post that is focusing on one season or another, with the dynamic of the airports in question, Ljubljana, Maribor, Innsbruck, and Salzburg, being significantly different. The question posed for each of this quartet is non-identical and amounts to contrasting scenarios but written from the perspective of how improved services would enable more UK travellers to enjoy the Alps, this post also seeks in particular regarding Maribor how its airport can be brought back into viability and from the brink of closure.

Since Slovenian flag carrier Adria Airways folded, the only way to directly visit the Julian Alps, Ljubljana, and Adriatic Coast was from Gatwick, Stansted, and London Luton. For those located further north and opting to travel to Bohinj, Portoroz, Bled, Kranjska Gora, and Bovec TUI and Inghams can only offer flights to Salzburg, some four hours away from Slovenia’s classic holiday destinations. This represents a far cry from the days when Adria flew twice a week between Manchester and Ljubljana.

As it stands Slovenia is the only country within the European Union which is resistant to the blandishments of Ryanair, although rumours have (re)surfaced of late regarding dialogue between Fraport, the owner operator of Ljubljana’s Brnik airport, and the Irish Low Cost Carrier (LCC). Adding credence to this was the advertisement of recruitment open days for prospective cabin crew, to be held in both Maribor and Ljubljana.

Ljubljana’s Brnik is reportedly an expensive airport with which to do business, something that jars with the principles of an LCC. Nevertheless, it remains a significantly underserved airport from a UK perspective, something which is surprising considering that Slovenia has similar alpine appeal to Austria to mountaineers and hikers. Perhaps Ljubljana wishes to keep out British stag and hen parties which is as plausible as it is understandable, but the majority of UK visitors are curious and respectful of this corner of the former Yugoslavia.

My ideal scenario would of course be a rebooting of Adria or the creation of a new Slovenian flag carrier, but this is unlikely enough to be discounted. There can though be no reason why eventually the gap in service is finally woken up to, with regular flights operated by Ryanair or EasyJet to Brnik from Manchester and/or Liverpool.

The curious story of Maribor’s Edvard Rusjan Airport can be found elsewhere on the ‘net and indeed within this blog, but in a nutshell, it is a ‘ready to roll’ facility with no customers or flights. It does though have the accolade of being the only Slovenian airport to have received Ryanair flights, during a brief flirtation in 2007. When subsidies were not forthcoming or continued from the Slovenian side, the service was sadly hooked. It might be stretching a point to say the airport never recovered from this setback, but it remained an underperforming and underserved facility despite significant EU investment to construct its current terminal building. Stories that it may now just exist for aircraft storage and as a base for flight schools are as frustrating as they are sad.

A lack of joined up thinking and collaboration from pertinent stakeholders in the Maribor area and central government lie at the problem. With a wealth of hiking and skiing opportunities in the nearby Pohorje Massif, numerous thermal spa facilities within easy reach, and the city of Maribor itself being a bona fide city break destination in its own right, it is baffling as to how nobody has cottoned on to joining the dots to sell Slovenia’s second city and the wine-growing eastern region of the country as a prime tourist destination. As things stand anyone intrepid enough to venture to Maribor must fly into Graz or Brnik, the latter involving a fairly long onward road or rail journey.

My wish list for Maribor would be for Ryanair to (re)commence flights from the UK, perhaps initially from Stansted, before connecting it with other cities of the former Yugoslavia. This could also stimulate the likes of Wizz Air and Air Serbia to join the party. Maribor and the Stajerska region are true year-round destinations catering for winter sports enthusiasts and hikers, viniculturists, historians, and spa seekers. I do not wish to see this wonderful area overrun with tourism, but it seems completely unnecessary for it to be continually overlooked and poorly marketed.

Innsbruck’s Kranebitten Airport is a different beast in the wintertime than it is during the warmer months. On seeing the roster of flights for any given Saturday between December and April, I have frequently wondered how such a small but perfectly formed facility can cope with the amount of people, luggage, and aircraft movements. In the summer a handful of flights can make the terminal feel crowded and rather warm, but many bigger aircraft arriving in the winter from all manner of UK and European destinations must put this well-run airport under momentary strain.

It is therefore the summer season where I seek an improvement of connectivity between the UK and Innsbruck. With a regular EasyJet service between Gatwick and Kranebitten the south is predictably reasonably well catered for, but a scheduled Jet2 service from the end of May until mid-September will as previously stated be reduced from Wednesday and Saturday rotations to just the latter for 2023, with less seats for package holidaymakers and independent travellers to vie for.

There will be operational reasons for this. My Jet2 flights between Manchester and Innsbruck and the return were not even half full, but it was early in the season. Many of the Austrian resorts serviced by Inghams and TUI are accessed through Salzburg’s Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Airport, with several such as Niederau, Saalbach Hinterglemm, and Kitzbuehel equidistant between Salzburg and Innsbruck. In these instances, and others where Salzburg Airport is if anything further away than Innsbruck, it is understandable that the more affordable to land at former is preferred than the latter. Nevertheless, for those wishing to visit the Paznaun/Silvretta region (Galtuer and Ischgl), the Oetztal (Obergurgl and Soelden), St. Anton am Arlberg, and the Zillertal (Mayrhofen, Finkenberg, and Hintertux) Innsbruck Airport is the only viable Austrian option.

It is not for me to say that Innsbruck Airport must become more affordable for airlines to do business with it. Cheaper, or rather less expensive landing charges could bring in more flights than the airport can realistically accommodate, and there are only so many pilots who hold special licenses to fly into an airport that is surrounded by what we’ll call challenging terrain. From a personal perspective I would prefer a twice weekly summer service into Innsbruck used by package tour operators, but also a weekly service operated by EasyJet again from Manchester or Liverpool that affords greater flexibility than otherwise being restricted to Wednesday and Saturday flights.

Holidaymakers travelling to resorts serviced by Salzburg Airport are well catered for both during the summer and winter seasons, but similar to Innsbruck greater flexibility for those who wish to travel independently could be afforded by the addition of an LCC flight from the north of England outside of the traditional Wednesday and Saturday schedules.

From this brief analysis it is clear that Slovenia remains a significantly underserved destination for UK travellers, especially those who live further north than the Home Counties. The ‘reasons why’ and challenges are very different at Brnik and Maribor, but the fundamentals remain the same – a lack of accessibility and insufficient collaborative marketing of wonderful areas of the Alps that share similarities with Austria and Switzerland but also deeply contrast through topographical, cultural, and historical nuances, as well the backstory of vastly differing political systems and attendant architecture.

Austria is an enduring popular destination with UK travellers, especially those seeking alpine thrills. It is undoubtedly true that away from Vienna it could be better connected with the UK, but the Tirol’s close proximity to Munich does to some degree mitigate its aviational shortcomings. By comparison Slovenia’s Julian Alps remains an impoverished cousin.

Kitzbuehel: A little piece of everything that makes Austria special, all under one roof

My previous visit to Kitzbuehel could hardly be regarded as an unqualified success. Opting to stay on the edge of town albeit in an elevated position on the edge of forest sounded to be an idyllic setting, and whilst the aspect from my ‘forest view’ room afforded some pleasing glimpses of local wildlife, the terrace to the rear of my room was in effect one long patio which was could be used as a shortcut by any of the patrons with a room at the back of the hotel. It also proved to be a popular place for the chambermaid to have a smoke…

Furthermore, the alleged opulence attributed to the hotel was not reflected in the service received in the dining room, with haphazard waiting staff thinking they could remember orders without writing anything down but three years on, I am still waiting for an omelette… With robotic, matter of fact never-the-same-twice receptionists and some on the catering side misbehaving at the rear of the hotel whilst on cigarette breaks, my stay at what was meant to be a luxurious bucolic retreat within easy (downhill) walking distance to Kitzbuehel zentrum became somewhere I dreaded returning to each day. Being abstract from bustling Kitzbuehel proved to be a mistake, not a plus point.

It is my understanding that the Schloss Lebenberg has since improved its offering, and is now operated by a different company. It is though somewhere I would never choose to stay again.

A walk that links the Schwarzsee with the Lebenberg area of Kitzbuehel.

The negative experience of my 2019 visit to Kitzbuehel was not limited to accommodational shortcomings. Having stayed in the likes of Galtuer, Obergurgl, and St. Anton I knew which resorts and valleys were the definition of high alpine, with the variegated difficulty of hiking they offered. Now, I am not suggesting I expected Kitzbuehel to be in the same bracket as the remote aforementioned areas of the Tirol, but hoped that its ‘legendary’ status would still give me the alpine kicks I expect from such a vacation.

I was not though overly enamoured with the hiking I undertook. Walking above Kitzbuehel is not characterised by hiking along ridges that gradually gain height and increase in difficulty. In fact, several of its cableways whisk patrons up to points that are the pinnacle of the mountains in question, similar to the Hohe Salve above nearby Hopfgarten. In such examples of mountain topography any subsequent walking can prove to be downhill all the way, making the it better to travel on a cable car, gondola, or chairlift than arrive at their respective top stations. It can be said that the Kitzbueheler Horn and Bichlalm cableways offer walking that isn’t really my cup of tea, but in mitigation the panoramic views from the former are worth the admission price alone.

As a town Kitzbuehel is not what you are going to encounter in an Obergurgl that in the summer is in almost hibernation, nor in a sleepy Galtuer or Bovec. The vast majority of tourists visiting ‘Kitz’ in the summertime are not alpinists but of the camera-wielding type who point at buildings, window shop in its many high end boutiques, and undertake a tour of duty of the town’s many coffee houses and wine bars. There is from this description not a hint of criticism, but as an alpine destination it certainly takes some time to becoming accustomed to – especially when I have been so used to silence being golden in most of the other mountain resorts and villages visited.

It could therefore be reasonably asked – why return to somewhere that did not previously provide the type of experience I look for from a mountain holiday? Prior to doing so I frequently asked myself just that, but the novel coronavirus pandemic perhaps reshaped my expectations albeit without a desire to compromise on standards, but I ultimately felt giving Kitzbuehel another chance was the right thing to do. And so it proved.

It was after such a long time away from an airport really good to be back, and whilst Manchester’s Terminal 2 has changed beyond all recognition from my last visit I at least did not suffer the interminable queues and delayed baggage reclaim which many have endured this spring and summer. Reaching Kitzbuehel in the early evening my hotel, the Tiefenbrunner, in the very centre of town immediately felt like the right place to be staying – both from a locational sense and the standards and friendliness which my accommodation rigidly adhered to.

The mighty Hotel Tiefenbrunner.

With staff who were unfailingly polite, and food both plentiful and always edible, my stay was a complete success. Being happy with one’s accommodation cannot be underestimated when determining the success or otherwise of a vacation, and although the walking above Kitzbuehel is not what I would get in Soelden or even the Wildschoenau, I viewed the town in a completely different light now that I was staying right amongst the action instead of being cut off from it. Yes there was noise but none of it was objectionable, and even though I am not an acquisitive, materialistic person the sight of so many shops where only Croesus could consider shopping in did not this time fill me with resentment or annoyance, but vague curiosity and arm’s length interest. For somewhere considered to be chic, and especially in the winter out of reach to all except those with the deepest of pockets, I only encountered friendliness, good service, and a clean, well-ordered town.

Looking back towards the winter-only lifts at Pengelstein.

The imposing and technically challenging Schwarzkogel.

A dreamscape towards the imposing Wilder Kaiser range as viewed from the Hahnenkamm.

The walking I undertook melded some familiar routes with those new to me, with the Gaisberg chairlift and eponymous walk above the neighbouring village of Kirchberg being particularly demanding. One regarded as ‘old familiar’ was the walk from the Hahnenkamm top station to Pengelstein, with accompanying tremendous views towards Jochberg and Aschau. It is undoubtedly true that the walk to Pengelstein is pockmarked by a profusion of winter-only mountain lifts but this time I viewed the area in a more sympathetic light, perhaps being mindful after two bouts of Covid I was fortunate to be travelling anywhere.

A view from the Gaisberg above Kirchberg, with the Kitzbueheler Horn dominating the background.

My ‘go to’ on days too hot for much else or if back early from higher reaches would be the Schwarzsee – the black lake. I am not normally someone who likes to linger around bodies of water but this certainly warrants not only a visit, but also to dwell in a shady spot listening to cuckoos and chiffchaff. Simple pleasures, but ones I unashamedly appreciated. The Schwarzsee is a busy place, especially on hot days, but my recommendation to walk around it during torrential rain is not as crazy as it sounds. In such circumstances it is not unrealistic to have an atmospheric lake framed by peaks near and far almost if not entirely to yourself.

All roads lead to the Schwarzsee.

For a longer holiday Kitzbuehel is in an ideal location from where to explore the wider Kitzbueheler Alps, with the hiking areas above Brixen, Westendorf, Hopfgarten, Ellmau, and Soell all within range on public transport. I am happy to say that my opinion of Kitzbuehel has changed for the better and whilst it isn’t purely a walking destination, there is as promulgated by the local tourist association something ‘legendary’ about the town. Would I visit again? Just try and stop me.

All photographs are the copyright of Charles Bowman, and may only be reproduced with express permission from and full acknowledgement of the rights-holder.

Oetzi the Iceman – 30 years on

Thirty years is a long time in the lives of most people but to Oetzi, the mummified iceman monikered as such due to the location of his discovery, it represents barely a blink of an eye in the timeline from when he roamed the high alps to the present day, via his introduction to the modern world three decades ago.

Much has changed in the world since September 19th, 1991, the date that Oetzi, or the Similaun Man, was laid bare by a rare meteorological phenomenon which would be easy to attribute to the early portents of Climate Change, but instead was more prosaically a by-product of regularly occurring Foehn Winds that on this occasion drew up Saharan sand all the way from North Africa to the European Alps. In what to some will be a rather unusual but ultimately disappointingly straightforward explanation as to how Oetzi revealed himself to the 20th century, the sand’s interaction with glacial ice melted away millennia of protection afforded the presumably murdered alpine traveller, who quite likely could have been re-covered at such an altitude, approximately 10,500 feet above sea level, than recovered in an initially amateurish fashion by a party of German hikers who by happenstance were passing through one of the Tyrol’s remotest corners.

Permanent icefields can no longer be described as such in the modern era, but what would otherwise constitute glaciation previously seen as abiding facets of the very highest reaches of the Alps, will in reality give up bodies each year of fallen climbers and disorientated hikers who have overestimated their abilities or misjudged the unforgiving terrain. Mobile telephony has of course levelled up to some degree the chances of being rescued in such circumstances, but there is no substitution in the mountains for recognising one’s own limitations and preparing accordingly for both the worst case scenario, and the likely effects on body and mind that a high-alpine tour can inflict upon even the most hardened devotee.

The very age of Oetzi, his astonishingly well-preserved condition, and an intriguing back story, or at least the many theories behind it, have captured the imagination of those whose purview extends far beyond being disciples of Europe’s alpine regions. It is humbling when walking in for example the Oetztal Alps, as I have done on many occasions, to think that over 5,000 years ago that there were those making the journey across modern-day frontiers without the alternative modes of transport and access to the latest mountaineering clothing and boots which are today taken for granted. The possibly but highly likely slain Oetzi also exemplifies that humans haven’t in their baser appetites changed a great deal over time. When trekking between the Schoenweishuette and Hochwildehaus via the Langtalereckhuette it is not hard to imagine how today’s hikers can disappear without trace despite all manner of search/rescue and technological advancements; indeed, I have walked along this route without seeing another fellow traveller. It is therefore not implausible in the slightest that glaciers or their melt water periodically give up those lost in the mountains, but without the benefits afforded walkers and their would-be rescuers, someone such as Oetzi would have stood little or no chance of being discovered, assuming of course that he has anyone in his life who noticed him conspicuous by his absence.

Mountains strike fear into many, but also provide solace to others who recognise them as one of the few remaining settings where unadulterated communing with nature is in theory possible. A profusion of visual abominations seemingly justified in the name of winter sports and the golden goose the industry has become threaten alpine serenity and uninterrupted views, but for the time being at least areas such as Oetzi’s fundstelle look, at least from a material untouched-by-humans perspective, as they might have when its earliest inhabitants bestrode the peaks and valleys for their own reasons. It is ‘only’ the retreating glaciers that remind us of humanity’s indirect impact on the high Alps, but as winter sports are gradually chased higher and higher into mountains by increased temperatures and less subsequent natural snow, finding more Oetzis in the future becomes a very real possibility.

Now housed, analysed, and jealously preserved in Bolzano’s South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology – it has long been disputed on which side of the modern-day Austria-Italy border the body was found – Oetzi has also had his name associated with Oetzi-Dorf, a mock up village portraying how it is believed those who lived 5,000 years ago, and Austrian singer DJ Oetzi who (re)popularised ‘Hey Baby’ to annoying effect but is actually from St. Johann, near Kitzbuehel, rather than the Oetztal…

It is though the man himself who I prefer to remember, who had five millennia of peace before being extensively analysed and having conclusions drawn from. Thirty years on from his inadvertent appearance, the Alps face multitudinous man-made threats and whilst lessons of the past may be learned from scrutinizing Oetzi, it is the very real contemporary issues demonstrated by climatic bellwethers that should be focusing minds and efforts, and not be concluded on in thousands of years’ time when by then it will be far too late.

Second and Third Generation Connectivity: Don’t Deride What You Don’t Understand

There is an area of rural North Lancashire where mobile reception, at least for customers of Three Mobile, harks back to an era of brick-style devices with breadstick-shaped aerials.

When the connectivity status shows the H+ symbol, we are in effect seeing an offshoot from 3G connectivity, an iteration Three are due to close by the end of the current year. Whilst it can be argued, and it is by Three themselves, that this will precipitate improvements in 4 and 5G connectivity, the geographic area in question has comparatively been in the mobile roaming dark ages for the past twenty years, during which time receiving any form of signal was by no means a foregone conclusion.

Within the 3G umbrella sits H and H+, with High Speed Packet Access (H) supposedly affording customers improved data transfer rates than basic 3G connectivity. An enhanced service (H+) is theoretically an upgrade on both, aforementioned strands of third generation connectivity, bridging the gap between 4G, the level of connectivity that most modern day customers require, which itself offers LTE (Long Term Evolution) and LTE-A (Advanced) connectivity. However, the latter standard does not get close to fifth generation connectivity, just as H+ remains somewhat distant in realistic capabilities compared to 4G.

It is therefore perhaps ironic that Three Mobile, the original standard bearer for third generation connectivity, is offering a form of connectivity in the test location that in theory it should have done twenty years ago. In fact, the current level of service is the ‘best’ its customers have received in that particular area, two decades too late! Just a few miles to the south, the 3G symbol, indicating a basic connection, briefly popped up on the screen of a 5G device…

Vodafone, O2, EE, and Three all plan to end 3G operations by 2025, although most have scheduled to pull the plug by the end of the current year. This obviously also affects Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), those providers who lease capacity from the big four operators, and includes the likes of Lebara, Smarty, and Giffgaff.

Despite the advent of 5G and now 5G+ connectivity, I firmly believe that the majority of domestic customers are sufficiently catered for by 4G LTE and LTE-A. The cost of implementing a comprehensive fifth generation network is prohibitive, but will unlikely be recouped from domestic customers accessing what are a limited number of use cases within a realistically priced monthly plan. The roll out of 5G in commercial settings is where the real paydirt can be found, and will in the end be the driving force behind an eventual sixth iteration of connectivity, some time after 2030.

Nevertheless, the Three Mobile coverage checker insists that the area of North Lancashire in question has ‘excellent 4G service’. This would seem to contradict the evidence of the local mast struggling to grind through its third generational gears.

With 3G through its ideals and reason for being having more in common with its successor, there are compelling reasons for it to moved off the telecommunications landscape, but should third generation connectivity be retained in the UK as a form of auxiliary back up, in the event of a nationwide outage or hack by a hostile actor? Or, will throwing in their lot with 4G, a standard that should now be seen as a default, safe haven of connectivity and an iteration that is likely to be with us for some time to come be seen as sufficient? I am inclined to take the latter view.

It is easy to forget that 2G, somewhat incongruously, continues to go strong. Whilst the number of mobile devices currently in use that rely on 2G is unclear, those procured as second or ‘burner’ phones are still readily available on the market. Whilst I cannot speak for those who for whatever reason possess devices with such limited capabilities, it is important to remember that smart meters installed in domestic households by utility companies run off a 2G network that entirely suits the hardware’s narrow, unchanging remit and data transfer requirements.

Quite what therefore will happen to tens of millions of smart meters when second generation connectivity is turned off in or by 2033 is unclear, but with most smart meters installed from the mid to late 2010s and with a realistic life expectancy of 10-15 years, there would appear to be, by accident or design, some synchronicity in both parties’ respective demises.

Whether still functioning smart meters can be retrofitted to run off 4G – could retaining 3G just for these purposes offer it an eleventh hour reprieve? – is something that could reduce electronic waste does not seem to be an issue that has been broached, but otherwise, the predicted loss of 2G coupled with an almost messianic drive to get a smart meter in every home looks to be another example of kicking the can down the road for another day.

The market has stormed ahead with fourth and particular fifth generation connectivity, with an almost snobbish attitude having developed towards its predecessors. Connectivity and use case issues remain, and perhaps remain unanswered or at best are ambiguously so, but for the time being at least, and despite insistence from Three Mobile regarding an area of North Lancashire, it appears that 2G and 3G still have a part to play in the overall ecosystem. Can it be categorically stated that mobile operators have adopted a belt and braces approach to covering all the reasons why second and third generation connectivity are still used? We will soon find out.

Blackpool FC announce retained list, whilst owner Simon Sadler confronts damaging claims in a Hong Kong courtroom

Blackpool Football Club’s retained list, in effect detailing the players leaving the building, those that remain under contract, and any with whom negotiations are ongoing, contained few surprises, although created some confusion amongst many supporters.

The most notable departee was Marvin Ekpiteta, a late starter in league football but who spent four in the main stellar seasons at FY1, with his first two campaigns being of particular note. Out of contract and without an option to be exercised by the club, Ekpiteta was quite likely offered a new deal but decided his future lay elsewhere, presumably in the Championship and closer to his London-based family. It is also entirely possible that the former Leyton Orient man notified the club some time ago of his desire to leave, with therefore the offer of a new deal being unnecessary. This though has not stopped some fans from criticising the club for not retaining his services…

Other relatively high profile but not unexpected departures include Shayne Lavery, Matt Virtue, and Callum Connolly. Each has found themselves on the periphery of the team, although Lavery’s frequent injuries have undoubtedly impinged upon his potency and confidence in front of goal. In fact, I can think back to October 2021 when Blackburn Rovers’ defender Daniel Ayala cleaned out Lavery to such an extent that he has arguably never been the same player again. Either way, eighteen goals at a frequency of 1 in 6 matches is clearly not good enough for a striker at any level of the game. In a similar situation, Matt Virtue has had such an injury-plagued career at the seaside that it is best for the Liverpudlian to reboot his career elsewhere.

Versatile defender James Husband is still in discussions with the club, and whilst retaining the 30-year old’s services would on balance represent good business, it would not be a great surprise if the player was seeking a fresh challenge. It is moot as to whether Husband is good enough to play in the Championship, but he and those still under contract such as Daniel Grimshaw, Jordan Gabriel, and Albie Morgan will undoubtedly have their admirers in the second tier. It is anticipated that Dominic Thompson will leave; to such depths had the former Brentford man’s stock fallen at the club that he ended up on loan at Forest Green Rovers, 92nd and last in the Football League.

If Blackpool are to be competitive next season, they will have to embark on a recruitment exercise that will cost more than perhaps owner Simon Sadler is willing to spend. A top class centre back, two wing backs (should manager Neil Critchley persist with three at the back), a third choice keeper, George Byers (or similar), and two strikers who have a unequivocal understanding of their remit is the bare minimum required. With the likes of Rob Apter, Ryan Finnigan, and perhaps Jack Moore and Josh Miles to come into the reckoning Blackpool are to some extent able to recruit from within, but there is much work to be done, and cash to be spent, if the starting line up and squad are to be brought up to code. Some very decent money has been saved from the wages of the departing Connolly and Ekpiteta, but let’s not forget that Blackpool have previously seen the high(er) earning but extremely influential Keshi Anderson, Gary Madine, Richard Keogh, Josh Bowler, Kevin Stewart, Kenny Dougall and Jerry Yates leave the club, no doubt reflecting a significant reduction in the wage bill.

A potentially sizeable fly in the ointment is the recent revelation of owner Simon Sadler appearing in a Hong Kong court, standing accused of alleged historic insider trading through his Segantii Capital Management hedge fund. A court-imposed surety of the equivalent of $128,000 USD not only highlights Sadler’s ability to pay, but also the severity of the matter. Adjourned until mid-June, this could be a serious distraction to the task in hand, the rebuilding of Blackpool’s squad into a leaner, more competitive unit.

Whilst I am loathed to make comparisons with previous owners, it is well-remembered by supporters of a certain vintage how Blackpool’s 1995/96 season fell off a cliff once an otherwise distracted Owen Oyston, facing multiple rape charges, was unavailable to sign off what at the time were the crucial signings of at least two of Karl Connolly, David Reeves, Paul Barnes, and Shaun Goater. As the only board member of Blackpool Football Club, and without doubt the man who has the final say on just about anything at Bloomfield Road, there will be until greater clarity has been evinced some concern as to how the club may be affected financially, and therefore its fortunes on the pitch, what with League One shaping up to be a greater challenge than ever. We also must remember that Mr. Sadler and his co-defendant are innocent until proven guilty, but the last thing Blackpool need is a owner who, unfairly or otherwise, is loosely but ultimately grouped together with the Oystons, and former minority shareholder, Valeri Belekon.

If, and it’s a big if, that the transfer budget allows Blackpool supporters to purchase their season tickets with more than a modicum of optimism, keeping the likes of Grimshaw, Gabriel and Morgan whilst recruiting former loanees Byers, Coulson, and maybe Jordan Rhodes would represent a solid base on which to build. However, the business model instituted by Sadler and Critchley during the latter’s first iteration at the club would suggest that developing the likes of Gabriel and Grimshaw before selling them on could form a large part of the recruitment budget. It should though be remembered that significant money was received for Josh Bowler and Jerry Yates, plus seven-figure compensation from Aston Villa when Critchley abruptly left to collect cones for Steven Gerrard. Despite this, Blackpool are no better off on the pitch, if league position is seen as the ultimate indicator.

Uncertainty and intrigue at Bloomfield Road are not exactly unusual, but with many moving parts to the narrative, what occurs 6,000 miles away in a Far Eastern court room may yet exert the greatest but most unwelcome influence over what occurs during the summer, and forthcoming season.

Blackpool FC: So Near, but in Reality Nowhere Near Good Enough

Blackpool started the final round of league matches as the outside bet for the end of season play offs, with taking care of their own business needing to be complemented by results elsewhere ‘going their way’. What transpired represented a veritable microcosm of what has frequently been a turgid, frustrating, and wasteful season.

It was therefore almost inevitable that either facet to precipitate an ultimately positive outcome would not go to plan, but it is especially galling to think that had Blackpool held up their own end of the bargain they would now be awaiting home and away fixtures with Bolton Wanderers, but the final outcome and the manner in which it arrived was of little surprise considering the chaotic, inconsistent, and often shambolic nature of the 2023/24 season.

Make no mistake, yesterday’s opponents Reading, as with Wigan Athletic, are far better than their league position suggests. Indeed, if the respective issues at both clubs can be satisfactorily resolved over the summer, I would expect both the Royals and Latics to be strong contenders next season. However, Ruben Selles’ men were there for the taking, particularly at 1-0 to the ‘pool and even after Sam Smith’s deserved leveller. Time and again this season Blackpool have failed in similar circumstances to put their foot to the floor; if there was ever a time to throw caution to the wind it was yesterday, but news of Barnsley and Oxford both being in the ascendency seemed to take the wind out the players’ sails. That though should not mislead readers: Blackpool have frequently been found wanting away from home, usually against markedly inferior opposition, and whilst Reading boast some fine players – Smith, Lewis Wing, Femi Azeez, and Harvey Knibbs – to simply say that score lines elsewhere were the chief culprits for such a supine second half performance is somewhat specious, and extremely misleading.

To have taken the season to the final day in regulation is all the more remarkable considering since the turn of the year Blackpool’s strikers have scored a handful of goals between them. Jordan Rhodes scored fifteen goals in three months but none after mid-December, although injuries rather than a drop off in form have severely hampered the Huddersfield loanee. It is the lack of form displayed by Kyle Joseph, Jake Beesley, and Shayne Lavery which has been of the biggest concern, and whilst Neil Critchley’s tactics do not always play to the strengths of his frontmen, each of the aforementioned have been responsible for some glaring misses and poor all-round play.

Defeats at Burton Albion – a result which in effect kept the Brewers in League One – Cheltenham Town, Port Vale, and Cambridge United were particularly damaging, but ultimately Louis Appere’s 96th minute equaliser at Oakwell meant a Blackpool win would see the Seasiders sneak into sixth place. By then, it was all too late but notwithstanding some impressive passages of play by Reading, Blackpool should have gone hell for leather to ensure that it wasn’t their own actions which denied the club a tenth stab at the play offs.

It has been well-documented how the players have at times been lost in a maze of Critchley’s own making, but I consider that owner Simon Sadler has overseen two seasons of failure on the pitch as result of exceptionally poor recruitment, perhaps stemming from an inadequate budget. When it is considered that big earners including Richard Keogh, Chris Maxwell, Gary Madine, Kevin Stewart, Jerry Yates, Kenny Dougall, Keshi Anderson, and Josh Bowler have moved on to pastures new, not only have most of these influential figures not been adequately replaced, but such a significant saving on wages has been blown on hiring (and getting rid of) Michael Appleton, Mick McCarthy, and Sporting Director Chris Badlan, as well as the considerable waste of money on Tom Trybull, Callum Wright, Liam Bridcutt, Ollie Norburn and yes, Kyle Joseph.

The owner has stated that should Critchley not get the club promoted this season, he’s expected to do so next time around. More fuel to the fire has been added by a senior figure at the club stating that Blackpool are expected to be challenging in the top half of the Championship, against remember sides who’ve benefitted from parachute payments, in less than three years. Neither of these scenarios will come to pass with the squad currently at Critchley’s disposal, nor that he’ll be left with after what will be a significant number of summer departees.

Of those out of contract, it is envisaged that Callum Connolly, Matt Virtue, Shayne Lavery, and Jake Beesley will be released, with Marvin Ekpiteta, Richard O’Donnell, James Husband, and Sonny Carey offered new deals. I anticipate Ekpiteta will seek a new employer, of whom there will be many interested parties. Karamoko Dembele, Hayden Coulson, George Byers, and Rhodes will return to their parent clubs, with Coulson the most likely to return on a permanent basis. Jordan Rhodes would represent an interesting acquisition, but I would be surprised if Simon Sadler wishes to part with significant wages for an injury-prone 34-year old.

Of those still under contract, it is anticipated by many supporters that Jordan Gabriel and goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw have played their last games for the club. With ersatz wing back CJ Hamilton somehow keeping positional specialist Gabriel out of the side, it would be no surprise if the former Nottingham Forest player took umbrage to his continued and baffling omission. Both Grimshaw and Gabriel would command sizeable fees which could be ploughed back into the squad, but I believe that most supporters would wish for both to stay in a side that should still be in the Championship, or at least be looking forward to participating in the end of season play offs. It is also feasible that Oliver Casey will wish to take his burgeoning but unappreciated talent elsewhere.

Both on and off the field, it is extremely difficult to predict what is going to happen at the club. Players under contract who form the core of the side may leave; some of those who are shoo ins to leave may continue their stay in FY1, whilst George Byers could return on the basis that Sheffield Wednesday are unlikely to offer the midfielder a new contract. The players whose immediate futures are cautiously predictable – Matt Pennington, Kylian Kouassi, and Albie Morgan – number few, and whilst these will likely be complemented by the likes of Rob Apter, the lesser-spotted Ryan Finnigan, Jack Moore, Daniel Sassi, and Zac Emmerson, this represents a low base from which to build a squad capable of gaining automatic promotion and surviving in the Championship. I therefore feel that the on field situation at Blackpool Football Club is one of the most convoluted and uncertain for as long as I can remember.

With a resurgent Reading, Wigan Athletic, and Charlton Athletic plus one or both of Peterborough United and Bolton, League One looks to be a tougher obstacle without mentioning a monied Stockport County, the circus that accompanies Wrexham, and probably Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town being added to the mix. Then are also the already in situ well-managed and overachieving Leyton Orient, Northampton Town, and Lincoln City; if in the unlikely event that Sadler dispenses with Critchley’s services, Richie Wellens, Jon Brady, or Michael Skubala would all be excellent candidates for the role.

If then the utterances from the club regarding promotion and becoming established in the Championship are to be realised, there has to be a significant statement of intent from Simon Sadler. I am not one to spend the owner’s money for him, but the time has long since passed that supporters have to be grateful to him because he isn’t an Oyston. There are season tickets to sell, which will not be shifted in the preferred number unless a clear objective is laid out by the club as to how setbacks of the last two seasons are not to be repeated. A large slice of humble pie must also be consumed, instead of a prickly and defensive response from the top that seeks to dismiss anyone questioning the owner’s judgment.

The retained list is eagerly anticipated, but it must be backed up with a joined up roadmap as to how to get the club to where most believe it should be. It’s never dull at the seaside: I wouldn’t therefore rule out a summer of intrigue and leftfield surprises.

Blackpool FC: Late in the day run for the play offs merely serves to paper over the cracks

With two matches in regulation remaining, Blackpool somehow have a chance of gate-crashing a play off party at which their presence should have all but been guaranteed, but instead, so far at least, have quite rightly been denied entry. Their name may have been down last August, but there has been scant evidence to suggest they were ever going to cross the threshold for anything other than a swift half and a vol au vent in the kitchen.

Just as with general elections, political parties and football teams tend to capitulate at crucial points rather than the opposition prevailing, and Blackpool’s still theoretical chance of reaching the top six is more to do with the inconsistencies of the likes of Barnsley and Oxford, as well as Lincoln City’s late, Doncaster Rovers-like burst of form starting to become less certain.

Ten points and consecutive clean sheets from the last four outings suggests that Blackpool are in form, but there is far more to that than meets the eye. Weak opposition – Wycombe Wanderers, Cambridge United, Fleetwood Town, and Carlisle United – have been ideal stooges for manager Neil Critchley’s turgid possession-based play, and whilst a win is a win, there has been a similar price to play at each. Boring, negative football where a seemingly obvious refusal to go for the jugular has seen close shaves against both Fleetwood and Carlisle, with misfiring strikers accounting for a paltry handful of goals since the turn of the year. To say Blackpool have made heavy weather of each of the last three wins would be stating the obvious, with maximum points garnered not quite by accident, but surely the execution was not by design?

We are now left with a scenario where Blackpool could finish anywhere between 5th and 9th place. With Saturday’s opposition Barnsley threatening to hit the buffers, it is feasible that two play off places are up for grabs, and not just the one occupied by 6th place Oxford United. Were the Tykes’ to lose at Bloomfield Road and in their final game at Oakwell, coupled with an unlikely victory for the Seasiders at Reading, Blackpool would overhaul Neil Collins’ side. Unlikely, but with so many permutations involving those currently in the play off places and Stevenage Borough, Lincoln, and Blackpool, one way or another the final make up of the top six is unlikely to be resolved until after the final round of fixtures.

Blackpool have a storied history of prevailing in the end of season play offs, but therein lies a not too subtle hint as to why the club has rarely finished in the automatic promotion places. A lack of on field investment throughout the Oyston era and arguably since Simon Sadler took control has meant that each respective squad has never quite been good enough to break into the top two. This season is no different, where a squad that so hopelessly failed in the Championship has been supplemented by loanees who represent the best players at the club, but ultimately belong elsewhere. The better players who left – Jerry Yates, Kevin Stewart, Gary Madine, Josh Bowler, Dujon Sterling, and Keshi Anderson – were never replaced, but should Blackpool stick or twist, their squad is woefully inadequate for the Championship, and is nowhere near good enough to mount a promotion charge next season. Too much faith has been placed in a core of personnel who time and again prove they cannot learn from repeated mistakes, but should Critchley remain in situ, don’t bet against the majority of Sonny Carey, Matt Virtue, Oliver Norburn, Jake Beesley, Shayne Lavery, CJ Hamilton, and Callum Connolly remaining at the club.

When it is considered that Blackpool do not own a proven striker – top scorer Jordan Rhodes has spend much of the last four months injured, and hasn’t scored since December – and that Hamilton is again keeping a natural wing back, Jordan Gabriel, out of the side, it beggars belief that the club are still talking about the play offs being a possibility. The superior attributes of George Byers and Karamoko Dembele have on several occasions dragged Blackpool off the canvas, but neither will be at the club next season. Indeed, has Gabriel been benched in a similar way to the now departed Kenny Dougall, who informed the club of his desire to leave? It would not surprise me if Critchley was picking Hamilton over Gabriel for this reason. I fully expect Gabriel, Dan Grimshaw, and Marvin Ekpiteta to leave the club in the summer, and will do with the fans’ blessing, but I firmly believe that the best players in the squad should be picked come what may.

With the likes of Rob Apter, Ryan Finnigan, and just maybe Josh Miles to figure highly next season, it is important that the club are able to recruit from within. However, with an expected high churn of personnel, some of whom may be those that supporters wish to keep hold of, a core of Matt Pennington, Oliver Casey, Albie Morgan, James Husband, Kyle Joseph, Kylian Kouassi, and the aforementioned triumvirate might be the best that can be hoped for. There is obviously a large job in Sporting Director David Downes’ in tray to confront, but without the type of budget where Blackpool are being seen to ‘have a go’, the aim of the club to be challenging in the top half of the Championship in less than three years time looks unattainable.

There remains much to ponder off and on the pitch, but as with David Moyes replacing Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, should we now be considering not the person who took over from the Oystons, but who might succeed him?

Blackpool FC: Another Away Day Debacle Sparks Wider Debate

Do Blackpool have the right to expect to beat Derby County? Of course not, but nor should the 1,200 supporters who braved bank holiday traffic to visit Pride Park be expected to put up with the recurring nightmare that watching Blackpool on the road has become.

Those who perhaps should know better carried hope of a victory, purely based on The Rams’ appalling number of injuries. It is though the hope that kills you, with another performance high on possession, but with nothing to show for it.

Make no mistake: if Blackpool had better players than Kyle Joseph and Jake Beesley on the park, they would have taken at least a point off Paul Warne’s men. The same could be said about the previous outing, at Wigan, which resulted in exactly the same outcome. Then there are the pathetic showings at Burton Albion, Lincoln City, Wycombe Wanderers, Port Vale, Stevenage, Leyton Orient, Cheltenham Town, and Cambridge United, where Blackpool got what they deserved – nothing. Indeed, the Seasiders have this season failed to score in eleven away games. This is not what is expected of a side relegated from the Championship, and one owned by an extremely wealthy Blackpool supporter.

The (re)hiring of coach Neil Critchley, astonishingly poor recruitment, and likely significant churn of personnel in the summer put Blackpool at a crossroads they should not be standing at. My theory is that Critchley was brought back to the club, when indeed he shouldn’t have been after the way he departed the first time around, as a cheaper option, not through the salary he’d command, but by dint of being prepared to work with a squad that was mainly his construct to begin with. If, for example, a Liam Rosenior or Tony Mowbray had been brought in, as had been rumoured since Critchley left in 2022, they may well have wanted their own squad of players, something that would have been financially anathema to owner Simon Sadler. As Critchley was more than happy to work with substandard players such as Callum Connolly, CJ Hamilton, Jake Beesley, Sonny Carey, and Matt Virtue, the need to expensively replace them diminished. Throw in those who are worthy of retention, for example Daniel Grimshaw, Marvin Ekpiteta, Ollie Casey, Jordan Gabriel, and James Husband, it was subsequently an easy re-integration for Critchley. This has though since turned into false economy, whereby players who aren’t up to the task having too much faith placed in them.

Over the last few seasons, recruitment has been highly questionable. From having a squad capable of mid-table Championship football which contained Gary Madine, Jerry Yates, Richard Keogh, Kevin Stewart, Kenny Dougall, Keshi Anderson, and Josh Bowler that complemented high-quality loanees Ryan Wintle and Dujon Sterling, Blackpool now do not own a proven striker, with arguably their most effective players – Jordan Rhodes, Karamoko Dembele, Hayden Coulson, and George Byers – belonging to other clubs. Throw in the exceptionally disappointing signings of Ollie Norburn and Kyle Joseph, Blackpool’s positive recruitment last summer consisted of Matt Pennington, Albie Morgan, and Kylian Kouassi.

The squad is therefore forever playing catch up, with midfield and striker positions in particular being short. The former has been so for several seasons, but I also ask, is Critchley using the 3-5-2 system he has predominantly favoured purely because he pragmatically felt that it was the best way to wring an extra few percent out of players who aren’t quite up to it? For the record, I don’t think anyone could get any more out of this squad; it is new blood which is needed, although the coach’s style of play and of course this season’s away record has precipitated many calls for his removal.

I therefore feel the failure of this season and poor recruitment is squarely the responsibility of the owner. Perhaps the budget is one of the highest in the division, we don’t really know, but if so, where the money is going does not represent value. To remedy the situation, again remembering that the club expect in less than three years time to be challenging in the top half of the Championship, Simon Sadler is going to have to spend more money than he perhaps comfortable with. I understand that Financial Fair Play must come into the equation, but money through the turnstiles will markedly drop unless the product on the pitch dramatically improves. In this instance, it is a ‘spend money to make money’ scenario that is not exactly, and quite understandably, a course readily endorsed by many club owners. Otherwise, there is a real danger of Blackpool slipping into obscurity with 6-8,000 crowds which will not fund much if any improvements, thus making unfeasible conditions for greater inward investment, with spending on wages not allowed to go above 60% of turnover.

There will obviously be many players who leave the seaside in the summer, whose wages will be off the books. The issue is not just though how many leave, but who. The players who I believe should move on may not necessarily do so, whilst those deserving of fresh deals or that are still under contract may not want another season of turgid League One football. The integration of Ryan Finnigan, Rob Apter, and maybe Jake Daniels could be akin to three new signings, but only Critchley knows if the aforementioned trio are up to the task. With no respect intended, the coach may be left with no choice but to ‘play the kids’, but I would say that Wigan Athletic, for example, albeit through necessity, have a greater chance of flourishing using younger players than Blackpool.

With a churn of anything between 10-15 players possible, and that’s not including the four loanees, the level of work to be done at the club may be beyond what Sadler wishes to undertake. It is all well and good pursuing a player acquisition strategy of developing and selling for a profit, but there are no guarantees that young players will become what the club hopes, in other words, realisable assets that can be sold for a healthy profit.

Finally, it looks likely this week that Blackpool will gain permission to build a training complex on a designated Green Belt site in neighbouring Wyre Borough, costing a reputed £40 million. Quite aside from my disgust that Wyre’s Green Belt will be further denuded, this time by a scheme which does not satisfy any of the exceptional criteria for building on Green Belt land, does the club, in League One, need such a large facility that is rumoured to cost in the region, or even a figure north of the figure quoted?

As an internet wag might say: can the new training ground play in midfield?

Rinse and Repeat: Blackpool’s latest supine surrender on the road, part 623

Eight days on, if Blackpool were still at Wigan Athletic’s DW Stadium but Shaun Maloney’s men had long since gone home, the Seasiders would still have failed to score. Indeed, for all the Seasiders’ second half possession and huff and puff, the ‘tics quite comfortably had out the deckchairs and cigars.

Yet another winnable away game sailed by, with only increased dissatisfaction to show for it. A recurring theme, characterised by a lack of guile and a plan B against resolute opposition has seen the ‘pool draw frustrating blanks against the likes of Burton Albion, Port Vale, Cheltenham Town, Exeter City, Leyton Orient, ad infinitum.

By mid-March you would hope/assume that this had been addressed by Neil Critchley, but an obsession with slow possession and build up play allows the opposition to remain in/get back into their defensive shape without being pulled about the park in a way that moving the ball more rapidly can precipitate. In games like this, and many others beside during what has been a stop-start, frustrating, and often unacceptable campaign, Blackpool have carried about as much menace and attacking threat as a disorientated hedgehog emerging from hibernation.

Most clubs’ supporters will complain during disappointing results of their team’s inability to do x, y, and z, but on this occasion Wigan should be given some credit. Each half showed a different style within their locker, with the first 45 minutes highlighting how possession play should be executed. The second half saw a more defensive, rear-guard action with few forays upfield, with Maloney’s men retaining their shape and discipline to repel what admittedly was a labouring, and ultimately toothless Blackpool attack. Whilst Shayne Lavery and ex-Latic Kyle Joseph both spurned decent chances, I don’t think anyone can say that Wigan’s endeavours, ranging from a young, vibrant and forward thinking midfield to resolute defending didn’t deserve victory.

A lot of Blackpool supporters said that the team didn’t turn up, didn’t try, and so on. This isn’t a squad containing rotten apples, or those with an attitude problem. It is quite simply a case of the team, and peripheral players, being not quite of the standard which many expected them to be. The issue of our best players – Karamoko Dembele, Hayden Coulson, Jordan Rhodes, and George Byers – not belonging to the club cannot be ignored, nor can the fact that Blackpool does not own a proven goalscorer. A lot of poor decisions have been made, and/or assumptions on certain players, the budget, and indeed Critchley himself, have ultimately failed to hold water.

The reduced atmosphere compared to our last visit to the DW, in November 2022, was also evident. That game turned into a barrage of toxicity towards then manager Michael Appleton, when even after Marvin Ekpiteta’s early red card, Blackpool should have won had Appleton not stood on the touchline like a mannequin, refusing to make the changes needed until after Curtis Tilt’s late winner. Nevertheless, there were 4,000 Blackpool supporters in attendance that day, just over a thousand more than this time around.

Arguments why there was such a reduced following for an event 40 minutes down the road ranged from it being £30 to attend a third-tier match, it being a League One fixture rather than last season’s Championship fayre, Blackpool’s appalling away form and performances, and Neil Critchley’s brand of boring football. There is credence to all of the above, but whilst most football fans are predominantly clueless about the game, preferring to shout things like “snap him” and “shoot” than study formations, tactics, and a game’s nuances, people quite rightly wish to be entertained for their hard-earned money. That we are not goes a long way to explain why crowds both home and away have in the main not been what they should be. Otherwise, we should be able to take 4-5,000 to Wigan, just as the opposition would be able to bring a similar amount to the seaside if we gave a sensible ticket allocation to them and the likes of Derby County, Carlisle United, and Bolton Wanderers.

If Blackpool win their last seven games, they’ll extend their season into the play offs. They won’t. It doesn’t matter if we are playing Barnsley, Derby, Fleetwood Town, or Carlisle, the side has failed all season to build up a head of steam because the squad lacks the ability to be able to build upon big results, the 4-0 drubbing of champions-elect Portsmouth being a prime example. Disproportionate faith has been placed in the likes of CJ Hamilton, Sonny Carey, Kyle Joseph, Owen Dale(now at Oxford) and Shayne Lavery, whilst the relative big hitters of recent times – Kenny Dougall, Dujon Sterling, Kevin Stewart, Gary Madine, Jerry Yates, Keshi Anderson, and Josh Bowler – have not been adequately replaced, or have been so by loanees. Coupled with a lack of nous and steel to play poorly but win(or draw) in many of the dire away days already lost this season, once more proves that the league table does not lie at this stage of the campaign.

There is much to prune, and ponder, during pre-season. Another seismic churn of personnel seems likely, although at this time it is impossible to predict which out of contract players will be released, offered new deals, or decide that their futures lie elsewhere. It is difficult to imagine that Daniel Grimshaw, Jordan Gabriel, and Marvin Ekpiteta will want to play another season of third division football. Retaining Albie Morgan, Matt Pennington, Ollie Casey, and Rob Apter is mandatory, but who else really would fans’ be devastated to lose? I don’t think any sleep would be lost if CJ Hamilton, Ollie Norburn, Sonny Carey, Matt Virtue, Jake Beesley, and Callum Connolly decided to move on to pastures new.

Off to Pride Park we go, where a heroic, positive result is just as likely as a drubbing. Will the real Blackpool FC please stand up? I don’t think anyone would recognise it if it did.

Blackpool FC: A Season of Disappointment Reaches its Tipping Point

I say a season of disappointment: on what do I base that? Well, a needless relegation from the Championship certainly put the club’s hierarchy in the dock for some abject decision-making. Yes, we all make mistakes, but it’s best not to make a habit of it.

Subsequent investment in the team has been insufficient for the challenges posed by third tier football. The return of Neil Critchley certainly polarised opinions; it also ensured that players not good enough but who were Critchley’s signings the first time around – Callum Connolly, CJ Hamilton, Matt Virtue, Sonny Carey – have been given far too much rope. Hamilton even snared a scarcely believable contract extension, despite a palpable lack of footballing intelligence.

As has now become an unwelcome habit, many of Blackpool’s best players have been replaced by loans. It is all well and good lauding the superior skills of George Byers, Karamoko Dembele, Jordan Rhodes, and Hayden Coulson, but the reality is that we are likely keeping them warm before their parent clubs offload in the summer. Maybe Jordan Rhodes will sign a permanent deal, but I’m not sure he’s a medium term investment that screams of viability.

Neil Critchley has stuck with a style of play which the lesser lights of League One have learned how to play against. For a club, but not necessarily a squad, that should be challenging for the bare minimum of a top six place, to lose so abjectly to Cheltenham Town, Port Vale, Burton Albion, and Cambridge United, and Wycombe Wanderers is wholly unacceptable. Where Blackpool differ from the likes of Peterborough United, Barnsley, and Portsmouth is that they cannot play poorly yet grind out results away from home. It is just as well that Shrewsbury were as poor as they were last Saturday.

Away day blues have to some extent occurred during a midweek. A resounding 4-0 trouncing of runaway leaders Portsmouth, today’s opposition at headquarters, was followed up with a supine showing three days later against the Cobblers. It would not surprise me if Blackpool today beat John Mousinho’s men, but then meekly surrender on Tuesday at Sixfields, followed up by a win next Saturday at the DW Stadium. The only consistency this season has been an utter commitment to baffling, and maddening, inconsistency, particularly away from home.

Am I though missing the point? If the players can raise themselves to win at Peterborough and trounce Horwich at Bloomfield Road, but to then wave the white flag at Whaddon and Brisbane Roads, is it purely down to the fact that they are good, sometimes very good, but ultimately just not good enough to consistently ride roughshod over the rest of the division? Many, most, if not all of the players are in League One for a reason, which suggests that Critchley is either over coaching his charges, or trying to extract from them what simply isn’t there, all set within a backdrop of make do and mend recruitment. This can in theory be traced back to the budget at the club’s disposal; it should be remembered that the club does not actually own a proven striker.

The loss of Kenny Dougall, Kevin Stewart, Richard Keogh, Keshi Anderson, Josh Bowler, Gary Madine, Dujon Sterling, Jerry Yates, Curtis Nelson, and Ryan Wintle has not been offset by the recruitment of Ollie Norburn, Dominic Thompson, Kylian Kouassi, and Kyle Joseph, although the acquisition of Albie Morgan and Matt Pennington represent two good pieces of business. It is fortunate that the club, for the time being at least, still has Jordan Gabriel, Daniel Grimshaw, Marvin Ekpiteta, and a resurgent Ollie Casey to call upon, but will all of the above wish to play another season of League One football? There are high hopes for Ryan Finnigan and Rob Apter, but the churn of personnel in the summer could be to such an extent that Blackpool are no better off next season than the current campaign.

Supporters have voted with their feet. The club has never got serious about attracting new supporters, tempting back those lapsed, as well as making games affordable for perhaps thousands in the town who live in to say the very least, modest circumstances. Last time out at Bloomfield Road, against Bolton Wanderers, opposition ranked only behind Preston as the club’s rivals, draw a meagre crowd of 12,200 – probably half of what such a game should be able to attract. This isn’t helped by the club insisting on leaving large banks of seats completely empty:

Furthermore, last weekend’s trip to Shrewsbury was seen by just 835 ‘pool fans – again probably half the number of who should be attracted to what is a pleasant away day. If Blackpool were challenging in the top six, and therefore minus a parlous record against the division’s also rans, then the Croud Meadow’s away end would surely have been sold out. The club didn’t even put on coaches for travelling supporters.

An improbable seven wins and a draw from ten remaining games will garner Blackpool 78 points, and quite likely sixth place. With the striking department short, very short, of goals, plus the way better sides than Shrewsbury can scythe through a midfield shorn of the injured Morgan, a hapless Hamilton(albeit being used as a wing back when he so obviously is not) and unreplaced Stewart and Dougall, I predict that Blackpool will fall short of snaring a play off place, but finish high up enough to save Neil Critchley from the chop. This suggests another season beckons of being stuck in a holding pattern, flirting with promise but ultimately dancing with disappointment. I hope I’m wrong, but as we approach Mid-March mistakes are still yet to be learned from and after all, the league table does not lie after 36 matches.

OPINION: Blackpool Football Club’s Half-Term Report Makes for Grim Reading

Supporters of Blackpool Football Club will be forever grateful that current owner Simon Sadler wrested control of the club from the Oystons, and in doing so quite likely saved it from almost certain oblivion, but five years on, there has to more to hang one’s hat on that the fact that Sadler isn’t an Oyston. Whilst the club is in financially safe hands, where is it actually going?

There are many things the club should be far better at, some of which are glaring, others less so. Whilst some of what is to follow should only be considered subjective, there is little to debate when it comes to morality.

In this correspondent’s opinion, Blackpool Football Club can and should be doing far better, and where applicable taking a moral lead, regarding the following:

STADIUM CONFIGURATION: Bloomfield Road does not work, both inside and out. These are of course legacy issues, in part due to the redevelopment of the stadium during the Oyston years. Blackpool can and should accommodate 4,000 away fans, but ticket sales are now restricted, for reasons oft-debated but still to be clarified, to just over 2,100. This obviously deprives the club of a significant amount of money, when for instance Bolton Wanderers, Carlisle United, and Wigan Athletic come to town. In an ideal world, away fans would not occupy a stand that runs the full length of the ground, but if half of it is going to remain empty, then at least (try to) sell those remaining seats to home fans.

Limiting away support could be due to the poorly thought out way fans are shepherded out of the ground at full time. Of course, it is easy to direct supporters to coaches on Central Drive, but not all visitors arrive using this mode of transport. In recent times, I have narrowly avoided confrontations with supporters of Peterborough United and the aforementioned Horwich, due to the infinite ‘wisdom’ of the local constabulary which opts to direct away fans into the path of Blackpool supporters who had exited the west and south stands. There seems to be a culture of the authorities failing to learn from past failings, instead placing the blame squarely on home supporters. Plus ca change.

SELLING OUT THE LOCAL AREA: Anyone who has visited FY1 will know what a poor area of a poor town it is. Despite often hypocritical and ironic, the favourite ditty of away supporters opining that ‘Blackpool’s a sh1t hole, I want to go home’ is not too far from the truth. The town is though not alone in the UK for being on its knees, representing the bottom(or top) of various negative indices. Therefore, what does the club do but jump into bed with such egregiously unsuitable sponsors as Leo Vegas, Moretti, and Heineken? I know that there’s money to made out of these and their like, but at what human cost? Where does that money come from? What about the incalculable harm of individuals and families? Drinking and betting will always go hand in hand with football, but to in effect propel the easily swayed and those who don’t need any persuasion whatsoever into the immoral arms of addictive pasttimes, is utterly unconscionable. Furthermore, children are not permitted to wear a Blackpool ‘Leo Vegas’ replica shirt, but as a lot of younger people now wear adult sized clothes, such an embargo is as specious as it is pointless, what with the visual exposure at the ground to all that is unhealthy, and potentially ruinous.

TRAINING GROUND PLANS: Blackpool FC are currently awaiting the decision of Wyre Borough Council’s Planning Committee on whether they can develop a GREEN BELT site in Poulton le Fylde to become their new training ground. I vehemently objected to this proposal, on the grounds of it not only being a green field site but it is on designated Green Belt land, not to mention within a neighbouring borough on a site where there is a Biological Heritage Site and a habitat rich for wildlife, but also represents a lazy choice precipitated by cheaper redevelopment costs attendant with green field sites. The regeneration within Blackpool’s own borough, of a brownfield site, affording greater geographical connection to the club, should have been one of Sadler’s priorities. I sincerely hope government legislation that recently came into force that demands a ‘brownfield first’ attitude to planning, along with biodiversity net gains will scupper the application. In its current form it is, in my view, totally unethical and indefensible.

FAILURE TO GROW THE FAN BASE: Instead of thousands of empty seats, make football more affordable for those who support the club but cannot financially justify attending. I guarantee there will be thousands of such people in Blackpool alone, many of whom illegally watch games on cheap firesticks. A large proportion of supporters live in the wealthy/wealthier areas of Poulton le Fylde, Lytham St. Annes, Thornton, Over Wyre, and completely out of the areas, but there is undoubtedly a disconnect between the club and lapsed/potential supporters in FY1-4.

Blackpool have never exploited their potential support, and don’t look to be any rush to do so now. This includes the tourist market, with many ‘walk ups’ being unable to acquire tickets due to a lack of a previous purchase history. There must be, surely, a way around this. If much smaller, and far less storied clubs such as AFC Fylde and Fleetwood Town can aggressively go after acquiring fans, then why cannot Blackpool get out of this frustrating holding pattern?

SQUAD INVESTMENT: Over the last few seasons, Blackpool have lost Gary Madine, Jerry Yates, Josh Bowler, Keshi Anderson, Richard Keogh, Kevin Stewart, and Kenny Dougall, along with high-quality loan players Ryan Wintle, Dujon Sterling, Ian Poveda, Morgan Rogers, and Lewis Fiorini. These, with a few exceptions, have been replaced with inferior signings and yet more loanees, the latter which now represent the best available in the current squad: Karamoko Dembele, Jordan Rhodes, George Byers, and arguably Hayden Coulson. In effect, loans have and are replacing the cream who’ve been moved on, in some cases for big money. When the aforementioned quartet leave at the end of the season, it is also quite likely that Marvin Ekpiteta, Daniel Grimshaw, and Jordan Gabriel will depart if, as seems highly likely, Blackpool fail to get promotion back to the Championship. Those remaining, for example Jake Beesley, Matt Virtue, CJ Hamilton, Oliver Norburn, Andy Lyons et al are not going to get the side promoted, which leaves a huge undertaking for the mandarins upstairs to get the club to where they want it to be in three years time: challenging in the top half of the Championship.

NEIL CRITCHLEY: Are Blackpool underachieving with their current squad, or are they simply not good enough? At/in the hands of Critchley, it is not easy to be categorically certain. The swashbuckling days of Ian Holloway now seem about as distant as can be, with the life being strangled out of the current side, with acrimony and discord in part replacing Blackpool’s famous atmosphere. Too much faith has been put in several players whose development has stalled, and in my view are never going to get any better. Are they being over-coached, by a coach who is, after all, on paper one of the best qualified in Europe? Yes, you read that correctly. In my view, Critchley should never have re-entered the building; over the last few years, the club could instead of attracted John Eustace, Tony Mowbray, Richie Wellens, Ian Evatt, Liam Rosenior, or Michael Duff…

PLASTIC SEASON TICKETS: If season ticket holders do not wish, or are unable, to use a smart phone to hold their season ticket, a fee of £20 is levied – just to carry a piece of credit card-sized plastic. It is outrageous, and autocratic.

RECRUITMENT: Results (and performances) of late have been shocking, but that goes hand in hand with some of the players who are not ones you would want to be in the trenches with. Furthermore, without a proven, experienced striker on the books – Jordan Rhodes is on loan from Huddersfield Town and in any case is injured – and Blackpool’s best two midfielders, George Byers and Karamoko Dembele, belonging elsewhere, there is little surprise that the team is going backwards. Throw in the appalling failures of Callum Wright and Dominic Thompson, two players who arrived for decent money and with impressive reputations, I really do wonder how a recruitment department that on the face of it exudes bona fide credibility has arrived at such a disjointed, imbalanced squad? Has Critchley been given too much rope? Is the budget given by Sadler insufficient? Has the owner been mugged off, or is he complicit? I suspect we’ll never know.

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: The commercial arm of the club has made great strides since the Oyston era. The club shop offering is excellent, not only compared to the previous era but in reality. There will always be things it doesn’t have – you cannot keep everyone happy all of the time – but credit where it is due.

On the pitch any current positives are thin on the ground. The emergence of Rob Apter, currently on loan at Tranmere Rovers and having recently signed a long term deal, offers hope for the coming seasons. Furthermore, the signing of Ryan Finnigan from Southampton is the type of acquisition which COULD offer optimism for the future. Are though these two players able, with the help of many others who are not even at the club, to get the club back to the Championship, albeit at the culmination of the 2024/25 season?

As the current season stands on a precipice, and in real danger of petering out, the club, again, has much soul searching to undertake.

Blackpool’s defeat at Burton really took the biscuit, but shocked few

Instead of recovering from a hectic Christmas Day, I opted to drive the 120 miles to Burton-upon-Trent to watch Blackpool at the Pirelli Stadium, what was a new ground for me. In a post that will be replete with puns and especially cliché, I am now becoming t(y)ired of the deflating performances being witnessed from the away end. Worse was to follow three days later in Burlsem, where Blackpool continued to go to pot, but that might be for another day.

A nothing goal settled the tie. Wing back CJ Hamilton, a player shoehorned into a system which Blackpool’s squad is ill-equipped to deal with, proved his lack of defensive credentials by showing inside Burton’s attacking left-sided player, whose cross-shot seemed to elude everyone, including goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw. It was a shabby outcome that proved to be a fitting leitmotif for the whole afternoon.

Aside from a scare straight after the second half resumption, Burton put everyone behind the ball, to a point where for prolonged periods of the latter stages there were twenty one players in the opposition’s half. For all their sideways play and intricate probing, including attempts to get Hamilton and Andy Lyons into advantageous wide areas, Blackpool could not unlock a very limited but extremely resolute opponent. Deja vu, all over again.

When a rare clear sight of goal was espied, the otherwise sharpshooter Jordan Rhodes found the crowd, as did James Husband, whilst Oliver Norburn probably struck Willington Power Station or Uttoxeter Race Course with one particularly poorly aimed effort. Blackpool couldn’t score in the proverbial.

The response from manager Neil Critchley was to keep plugging away with the same approach time and again, albeit using like for like substitutions, whilst expecting a different outcome that never transpired. Big unit Ryan Sweeney had Blackpool’s forwards in his pocket all afternoon, although if crosses that did on occasion beat the first man were of the hit and hope variety, they’d rarely if ever land at the feet or on the head of a man in white (the away kit was in use). It seemed highly appropriate in an area of the world known for its beer, that those in the travelling contingent, many of whom were becoming increasingly bitter, recognised that Blackpool’s management at that point couldn’t organise the time-honoured in a brewery.

Full time drew boos from a good number of the 1,000 or so who travelled. What I cannot fathom is why Critchley persists with a system that the squad he has mainly inherited are ill-equipped to carry out. Or, are these players, with a few notable exceptions, not of the ability we think they are? Notwithstanding the points deductions suffered by Wigan Athletic and Reading, I would say that the League One table does not lie at this time of the season. With a squad severely weakened over the last few years by the loss of Dujon Sterling, Keshi Anderson, Josh Bowler, Gary Madine, Kevin Stewart, Richard Keogh, Ryan Wintle, and Jerry Yates, plus what looks to be the imminent departure of Kenny Dougall and Marvin Ekpiteta, it is hardly surprising that Critchley is making do and mending in his own way with players such as Matt Virtue, Sonny Carey, Hamilton, Dominic Thompson, Jake Beesley, Callum Connolly, and Tashan Oakley-Boothe – none of whom are of the standard required to get ‘pool back to the Championship.

Blackpool lack Keogh and Madine-style leadership and experience, with their respective qualities being conspicuous by their absence in both boxes. Rumour has it that Madine may be re-signing once his ACL injury has healed, and whilst I would welcome his return, it needs to be just one of several incomings within the forthcoming January transfer window.

A whole raft of mistakes have been made by the club since current owner Simon Sadler took the helm, no more so than succession planning(or a lack of it) and having so many players out of contract at any one time, something we are again seeing as eleven players’ deals wind down towards their likely departures in the summer.

I would never accuse the players of not publicly caring, but do those who know they are leaving care enough? I don’t otherwise know how to explain the disparity between home and away form, although we have little idea how to counter opponents who park the bus, and have every right to do so, be that at Bloomfield Road or on the road. Mixing up the play, going long where necessary, and being flexible with systems are all proactive if somewhat pragmatic approaches, all of which seem to be lost on Critchley. It can though be argued that Blackpool do not have anyone to lump it long to, with a lack of steel and dare I say it sh!thousery being at the heart of not being able to fight fire with opposition fire.

I have personally written off the rest of this season as a bad job. There will have to be an incredible turnaround in performances and tactics, along with a raft of intuitive signings in January for Blackpool to go on a spellbinding run to the play offs. What with many players obviously seeking pastures new in the summer, the club must get in the right personnel on 2/3 years plus 1 contracts to grow together as a team, thereby increasing stability and unity whilst cutting out the damaging churn of permanent and loan signings. Realistically, there are few younger players at the club or those out on loan who are likely to get in the first team, but Rob Apter’s performances at Tranmere suggest that he should be given a lengthy opportunity either this season, or next time around. Otherwise, aside from the likes of Kylian Kouassi, Oliver Casey, Jordan Gabriel, Shayne Lavery(if ever fit), and perhaps Kyle Joseph and Owen Dale, I would say all other squad and first team places are up for grabs for the start of the 2024/25 season.

What of Critchley? It is pure speculation that he returned to the seaside wearing a hair shirt, in effect taking his medicine after unceremoniously ditching the club to be Steven Gerrard’s cone collector at Aston Villa, but I would be surprised if he continually tolerates not having the necessary tools at his disposal. Perhaps he believes he already does, and is living in a disturbing fantasy land where by only injustice is preventing Blackpool putting all before them to the sword. He publicly laments poor decision-making and a lack of quality, but persists with playing those who are the most culpable. Do the links with the managerial vacancy at Plymouth Argyle carry any credence? Would he currently be an attractive proposition after failure at Queens Park Rangers, and on the back of a current campaign that’s rapidly disintegrating?

Many of the mistakes of the past have been ironed out since Mr. Sadler took control from the Oystons, but several on field decisions and the appointments of Michael Appleton and Mick McCarthy have stymied the growth of the club. Whether the reappointment of Critchley will ultimately prove to be a mistake may be influenced by factors not made party to the average supporter, but many would agree that there is more amiss at the club than meets the eye. Social Media is alight with rumour, speculation, and utter drivel, but in the absence of candid communication from the club, such tittle tattle, some of which may be closer to the truth than anyone realises, will continue to do the rounds.

A defeat at the Pirelli Stadium would not be complete without reference to Blackpool’s season going for a Burton, but there is surely a significant amount of truth in an expression which few know the actual meaning and root of, which on Boxing Day gained pertinent symbolic and literal meaning. A recent interview with CEO Julian Winter suggested that the club expects a top six finish. If that is the case, there will need to be decisive and immediate action to arrest what appears to be a terminal slide into midtable mediocrity. Nothing is ever straightforward in FY1.

Blackpool’s recurring weaknesses exposed as Christmas comes early for Cambridge United

In one of the world’s foremost seats of learning, Blackpool once more proved to be slow on the uptake. When lessons are there to be learned but those in need of instruction keep making the same mistakes time and time again whilst expecting a different outcome, there can be no surprise that continued underachievement is reflected by a ‘going nowhere’ position in the third tier of English football.

Perhaps it is semantics, but I don’t subscribe to the ‘we should be beating a team like…'(in this case Cambridge United) but am convinced that Blackpool’s squad, whilst still imbalanced, should be putting those to the sword who are or recently have been struggling in League One. It was though Neil Harris, the new manager at the Abbey Stadium, who took Neil Critchley to school, by identifying and changing what wasn’t working for his limited but spirited side in the way they addressed the game. This is something Critchley seems loathed to do, resulting in a more and more predictable way of playing that the opposition can get the full measure of.

How though can Blackpool hammer Champions-elect Portsmouth, at Fratton, but deservedly lose at home to Northampton Town, and at Cambridge, albeit punctuated by a routine defeat of a dreadful Carlisle United? The best teams, whatever division they are in, grind out draws or aesthetically displeasing wins when playing poorly, something until very recent times that Bolton Wanderers had become experts at. If though teams do their homework on the ‘pool, something you would expect them to do, a soft underbelly is invariably exposed.

Despite the pace at Blackpool’s disposal, we rarely if ever seem to put balls behind a high press for the likes of CJ Hamilton to run on to. The side is set up for the former Mansfield man and his fellow wing back of the day to run with the ball, rather than on to it. A well-placed pass over the top to complement a perfectly timed diagonal run would put Hamilton in, and whilst the above over-simplifies what could be done that isn’t, Blackpool seem to overcomplicate their approach in a division not exactly synonymous with finesse, and guile.

When teams play in Blackpool’s faces, we simply cannot play to the tactics laid out by Critchley. It is perhaps odd that all sides do not approach games against the Seasiders in this manner, but the personnel has to be able to execute such a strategy which many simply cannot. The alternative is to sit in and hit on the brake, something Derby County, Peterborough United, and even Cheltenham Town have done with varying degrees of success. It is in such circumstances that Blackpool miss Gary Madine – an obvious focal point in the penalty area when they run out of all ideas bar the one to lump it long to a big man.

That Cambridge played the last fifteen minutes of the game with only ten men, during when Blackpool failed to lay a glove on them, is as unacceptable as the misplaced passes, inability to deal with pace, and failure to beat the first man when in advantageous positions. A midfield replete with very average, samey options is not a midfield that can crack open rightly stubborn opposition who have no obligation to roll over against one of the so-called bigger clubs in the divisions.

It remains to be seen if Kenny Dougall will be leaving in January, which his continued ‘rested’ absence would suggest. Otherwise, the Australian is an automatic choice – something I would not have said last season. Also, with Blackpool’s best two players, Karamoko Dembele and Jordan Rhodes, not actually belonging to the club, there is the potential for Critchley to lose all three when the transfer window reopens.

Regardless of Rhodes remaining at FY1, Blackpool need a clinical striker – which club doesn’t – and a midfielder who can be the difference in tight games. It can be argued that Dominic Thompson, Doug Tharme, Tashan Oakley-Boothe and loanee Jensen Weir could leave in January, but Blackpool’s continued involvement in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy – I cannot believe I typed that – ensures further game time for those out of favour, or on the fringes. Although Rob Apter is enjoying life on loan at Tranmere Rovers, it would serve the player better if he continued his footballing education at Prenton than returning to sit on the bench. There is though the issue of the player being out of contract in the summer, and whether he would want to remain at the seaside.

I for one feel that Blackpool will fall short of the play offs, despite having a squad that broadly, with several exceptions, should be challenging for a top six spot. That the club should never have been relegated last season from the Championship after what was an absolute shambles of epic proportions on and off the pitch still rankles with many, although it is hardly surprising when considering that players who cannot be consistent in 7-8 games out of every 10 in League One struggled in what is an unforgiving Championship.

Investment in the squad has consisted of purchasing Kyle Joseph, on whom the jury is vey much out, with big money sales of Jerry Yates and Josh Bowler. Furthermore, the respective qualities of Gary Madine, Keshi Anderson, Kevin Stewart, Dujon Sterling, and Richard Keogh have arguably, or perhaps unequivocally, not been replaced. A continued reliance on Hamilton, Owen Dale, Jake Beesley, and Sonny Carey will result in the ongoing, and maddening inconsistencies that have so characterised the current campaign.

Festive fixtures against Bristol Rovers, Burton Albion, Port Vale, and Lincoln City, before an F A Cup date with Nottingham Forest, should yield a minimum of ten points but as this is Blackpool, it is never that simple. Nevertheless, if lessons continue to not be heeded, the club will remain in a holding pattern that will in the end place pressure on Critchley, and once more bring into question the judgment of owner Simon Sadler.