Football Season Review

Blackpool are coming from a season that ended in their second successive relegation, which means that the Tangarines needed only five years to complete a fall from the heights of the Premier League to the mires of League Two. It cannot be said that the writing was not on the wall for them from the start, as they had an unproven manager in charge in Neil McDonald and a squad made up mostly of rather mediocre players. It was an up and down campaign for McDonald and his side, as the Tangarines had lengthy spells during which it seemed that they would be just fine, but also spells during which they seemed like being certain to go down. For a while, it seemed that they might just have enough in the tank to stay up, but their relegation was confirmed on the final day of the season, when they were hammered by Peterborough with a 5:1 scoreline, but would have gone down even had they won, due to Fleetwood's win over Crewe. As strange as it may seem, the Tangarines currently have far bigger problems than on-field ones, as the fans' protests against the club's owners have been intensifying over the recent months, and there does not seem to be a clear willingness for funds to be made available for squad strengthening, as Blackpool seem set to continue with their failing policy of loaning in players and signing exclusively free agents, most of who are of questionable quality and form. McDonald has lasted the entire season without losing his job, but the board opted to part ways with him after the relegation was confirmed. All in all, the Tangarines are in a period of great turmoil and the great question regarding them at the moment is whether or not their slide will continue. With the way things are at the moment, it is arguably easier to imagine them losing their Football League status altogether in the near future rather than bounce straight back up.

Player of the Season: Brad Potts