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Next Blackpool Manager Odds: Five candidates to replace Steve Bruce

Gab Sutton
8 months ago

Blackpool are on the hunt for a new manager following the departure of Steve Bruce, who was sacked after one year in charge of the club.

Below, I’ve run through five contenders for the new vacancy.

Ian Evatt: 8/13

Although Ian Evatt’s tenure at Bolton didn’t end especially well, as relations with fans grew strained, his stint overall has to be considered a success: one promotion, two top-six finishes in League One, and improvement every season for four years.

The former centre-back might be perceived to have a somewhat abrasive personality, in a professional setting at least, but that can also be part of what drives his teams on – and he’d have some goodwill at Bloomfield Road from the start, based on his achievements in his playing days on the Fylde Coast.

Blackpool haven’t established a clear style of play, at least not since Neil Critchley’s first stint in charge, and Evatt would provide that – a staunch, possession-based 3-1-4-2 disciple.

Whether that approach would get the best out of existing personnel is another question: can Michael Ihiekwe and Fraser Horsfall play out from the back?

Verdict: Evatt has shown ability and consistency at this level, but needs to convince the board that he’s reflected a lot during his time out of work, both in terms of in-game management, and showing he has a softer side when needed.

Richie Wellens: 5/4

Experienced enough at these levels to be considered a safe bet, and young enough to have plenty of potential as a manger, Richie Wellens is the dream appointment.

The Leyton Orient boss has gone on record, though, in praise of David Gandler, citing the new owner’s impression as a key reason for him to sign a new contract this summer, and while the Mancunian has roots up north, he’s recently relocated his family as a sign of long-term commitment to his current employers.

While Blackpool are a bigger club than the O’s, they don’t necessarily have more money, at least not enough for it to be worth it for Wellens to leave a club where he’s loved in order to prove himself all over again.

Verdict: The best option, but also the least likely.

Jon Brady: 25/1

In his four-year stint at Northampton, Jon Brady did more than enough to earn himself an opportunity at a sizeable, upward-looking League One club.

Helped by experienced figures like Martin Foyle and Colin Calderwood, Brady nearly kept the Cobblers in League One via a late surge in 2020-21 with form that would have seen them finish 16^th over a full campaign, before taking them back to that level at the second attempt – via final day and Play-Off heartache in between.

In that time, the Aussie implemented a rigid solidity to the team and a powerful set piece threat, along with some strong cultural values that enabled them to overcome injury crises, before evolving the style by introducing better ball-players in defence and midfield that made the difference.

Promotion in 2022-23 was followed by the club’s highest finish in 16 years the following season, on a bottom four budget.

Standard logic would say that if Brady can get to 60 points with those resources, there should be little stopping his teams from getting to 70-80 points with a midtable budget.

The 50-year-old is widely admired in management circles for his out-of-possession work, and plans to recruit a specialist in-possession coach to assist him, with an elite developmental background.

Verdict: Appoint Brady, and Blackpool could strike the perfect blend of efficiency and aesthetics.

Matt Bloomfield: 16/1

Matt Bloomfield would point to the fantastic form his Wycombe side delivered in the first half of last season, and the dynamic, incisive team he built before leaving amid suggestions of feeling undervalued by CFO Dan Rice.

His detractors, on the other hand, would argue his stock has fallen since then, suffering relegation from the Championship with Luton, who have looked disjointed and imbalanced at the start of their League One campaign – injuries only account for some of that when considering the vast resources that come with Premier League parachute payments at that level.

Nonetheless, there’s enough evidence to suggest that with the right cultural foundations, Bloomfield can build a top-end team at this level – and if he does well, Blackpool already have their stadium named after him…

Verdict: The last year has been a bit of a whirlwind for Bloomfield, and after three years in management, I wonder if he could do with a rest before his next challenge.

Ruben Selles: 16/1

Ruben Selles was clearly a bad fit for Sheffield United. Taking a radically different direction with a group of players that had accumulated 92 points the year before, without sufficient incomings to support that transition, was always going to be a risk.

Nonetheless, five bad games shouldn’t outweigh a 26-year coaching journey that led him from coaching local teams on the streets of Valencia, to the task of delivering promotion to the Premier League.

When a coach has got to the top level, which Sellés did, assisting Ralph Hasenhüttl at Southampton, and temporarily replacing him, with no playing career to speak of, it’s probably because they’re good at what they do.

The 42-year-old is very much a pressing coach, who likes a 4-3-3 with an aggressive front-line all high-up against the ball, a tenaciously dynamic midfield, and a quick defence that can hold a high line, with an emphasis on quick, slick, one-touch passing and combinations to open teams up.

Meanwhile, he’s shown an aptitude for development, working with a youthful Reading team in extremely challenging circumstances, and leading them into Play-Off contention in his second season.

Verdict: A top coach who needs the correct personnel to implement his ideas. So, he could be brilliant for Blackpool, but that would require both the club going all in on him, and him being able to what he has in the initial phase.