Blackpool hitting form at the right time

Everyone knows how tough the Championship can be for a team who have just earned promotion from League One, and it’s fair to say that Blackpool found the going tough in the opening part of the 2020-21 campaign. They suffered some chastening defeats in the first few weeks of the season, but since then, the Tangerines have gained a foothold and are now sitting pretty in 10^th place in the Championship table.

After no wins in their opening five games this season, it was important that Blackpool found a way to avoid negative momentum build against them. An impressive win against Fulham in September set them on the right course, and victories over Middlesbrough, Barnsley, Blackburn Rovers, Reading, Preston North End and Sheffield United have since followed, putting Blackpool in a great position with more than a third of the Championship season gone.

Huge credit must go to Neil Critchley, who has been sensational since joining the club after coaching Liverpool’s academy sides. The 43-year-old masterminded Blackpool’s promotion to the Championship via the League One play-offs last season, and this year he is proving his coaching mettle once again with some impressive displays in the Championship. Liverpool’s loss has certainly been Blackpool’s gain.

It will be interesting to see whether the Tangerines can keep up this good run. The overarching aim, of course, is to avoid relegation, but you can forgive Blackpool fans for dreaming of promotion given how tight the Championship table is. They’re something of an outside bet to reach the Premier League according to the EFL Championship betting odds, but with just a solitary point separating Blackpool from sixth-placed Queens Park Rangers, you just never know.

The next challenge will be navigating the demanding festive period, which sees fixtures coming thick and fast. Often, this is where the narrative of the season can be decided, with a clearer picture of who will challenge for promotion and who will be battling to avoid relegation emerging. Indeed, sometimes this is where newly promoted sides can struggle most, as their squads are not necessarily as well equipped for the demands of Championship football as other clubs.

But you can bet that Critchley has a plan. He is a manager who becomes more and more impressive as the weeks go by. Blackpool will be well aware that bigger clubs may come sniffing for his services, with managerial sackings coming thick and fast as we get into the meat of the season, but if they can hang onto their talented coach then there could be a very bright future ahead for the Bloomfield Road faithful.

Everyone remembers Blackpool’s stint in the Premier League under Ian Holloway, and it’s hard to believe that it’s been over 10 years since they narrowly missed out on survival. There have been some really difficult days for the club since, and supporters have been forced to endure numerous relegations and frustrating times in terms of the club’s hierarchy.

Now, they are in a position to start dreaming. Critchley’s task will be to reach Championship safety as soon as possible, but in a division that has never looked tighter, Blackpool may well fancy their chances of pulling off the unthinkable.