What a Summer. Another complete overhaul of players, an unbeaten pre-season and not to mention the progressional demise of the Oyston regime. Admittedly a lot of things have changed this Summer and as many Pool fans look to off field matters, those on it give you many things to be positive about. What Gary Bowyer had done at this football club is nothing short of miraculous and to have a squad assembled that could go on and do well this season is absolutely outstanding. Bowyer, amid interest from other clubs like Sunderland, has kept his head down and has devoted time and effort into this club and this far it has reaped it's rewards. The biggest miracle of all though is that he is still here. I am sure that if he were to resign another club would come in for him before you knew it, but he had stayed true and loyal and maybe, just maybe, when new owners do materialize he will get what he deserves. Support from the fans, financial support from the owners and a team capable of going a long way in this division. We will just have to wait and see what he manages to conjure up this year.
So what has Pre-Season shown us?
Firstly, what you must remember is that Pre-Season is so often not actually a true representation of the hectic action packed football season, so even though Blackpool excelled in this time it could well, as is often the case, give unrealistic expectations. But, at the same time, Blackpool's Pre-Season was excellent and makes The Seasiders seem to be an exciting prospect for next year. Possibly most encouraging of all was their knack of scoring early goals, for example against Nantwich and Port Vale; this gave them the momentum instantaneously and helped them on their way to an unbeaten Pre-season. Not only this, but their ability to grab a result even over the course of a poor performance was also extremely impressive. Take Fylde as an example of this and even Port Vale to an extent. Without being too harsh it was clear against Fylde that something was not right in the dynamics of the team but, nevertheless, their determination once more shone through as Delfouneso managed to bundle home a cross to equalise late on. So yeah, Pre-Season was a success for Blackpool but you can never read too much into these games.
Those Outgoings? It's true, Blackpool have been hit very hard by the departures of a number of key players and this is bound to have an effect of the overall atmosphere around the club; especially with the sheer number that have gone. The first to go were Gnanduillet and Daniel, although Gnanduillet managed to find his way back to the seaside as one thing led to another. However Daniel was an every present part of Bowyer's team last year and even if it was a shame to see him go, honestly it wasn't the biggest loss. He was replaceable and arguably, despite his importance in the dressing room, an improvement could be found in his replacement. It was the next two departures that were the most hard hitting and would doubtlessly leave Blackpool wounded. Rotherham’s swoop for duo Robertson and Vassell didn't come as a shock for many Pool fans, but would certainly crush many of their hopes. Robertson’s 3 years at Blackpool were a rollercoaster ride to say the least, but he was essential in the centre of the Blackpool back line. He was a leader and helped to develop the likes of Will Aimson and Curtis Tilt into much better defenders during his time at Blackpool. As for Vassell, despite being injury prone, he was always too good for Blackpool and regrettably, with the current state of affairs at the club, the exit door was probably the best decision he could make. His goals were essential to help Blackpool get promoted from League 2 and sustain a mid-table position last year. Then there was the case of Mellor. Mellor's exit had been on the cards for some time and even if, at one point, there was a return to Blackpool being a possibility, he managed to force a move away from the seaside. Mellor's move to Bradford put Blackpool in a even more precarious position defensively as Curtis Tilt is seemingly set for a move to Ipswich or even Rangers. Mellor was extremely versatile and it would have been great to have him in board, but his mind was set on getting a move elsewhere. Another big loss. Realistically Blackpool fans can not expect anything else at the moment with the current situation behind the scenes, but this Summer had been tougher to take than most due to the teams success over the last two years.
Do the signings make up for the losses?
From statistics and Pre-Season it is often difficult to make direct comparisons between those that have gone and those that have come in but ,if I were to be honest, I would have to say yes. I know, I know, this could be seen as over optimism but I truly believe that the squad now is better than it was at this time last year. Howard is a much better keeper that Alsop, no questions asked there, and looking at the defence there are also encouraging signs. Bola has shown some class in Pre-Season and could well be the perfect replacement for Daniel and Turton has always been an excellent player to give him credit. The only question that remains is who on earth will be playing alongside Tilt in that centre of the defence? Maybe Nottingham, but I expect we will see at least one more centre back at the club before the summer is out.
The midfield is also an exciting outfit with Ryan and Spearing both staying put and the additions also packing a punch. Especially Pritchard, who I think could well be the signing of the summer for Blackpool, he's big and strong, scores goals and provides assists. Taylor is also a great signing as he is an experienced head who will provide calm to the midfield and wisdom to the dressing room.
Going forward last year it simply wasn’t good enough. Vassell, for all his flamboyance, got isolated and the quality of crossing wasn’t quite there. This year we could see a different formation and this is an exciting thing. The huge presence of Gnanduillet paired with the clinical nature of the returning Cullen could become unstoppable. Not to mention the signing of Doodo, a fantastic replacement for Solomon-Otabor, and the ever reliable Nathan Delfouneso.
But their real test comes in the League, and who knows how far this squad will truly take us?
And the predictions then…
I think all Blackpool need is one more central defender and this year could be a great one. If Tilt were to go especially, I think Blackpool’s defensive frailties may begin to show, so it is essential Bowyer does something about the centre of defence as quickly as possible. With the squad as it is at the moment I think 10th place would be more than realistic. I think the disjointed squad may struggle at the start of the year but, as time progresses and players gain confidence in each other's ability they will improve and, similarly to this year, give a late surge up the table.
As for Owen Oyston it is a formality that he will be gone once the season is out but as for the new owners, only time will tell. This will be a challenging year Pool fans, on and off the pitch, but the question to be answered is whether the club will change for the better or, indeed, for the worse.
UTP
Comments