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Sorry this one is a bit late. It was an epic virtual weekender in Brighton and I've only just recovered. Hope you enjoy the blog. It features a pubdog, a pubcat, dogfish - and my plans for Preston station. Also, my quest to find decent gravy in The Extreme South.
BREAKING: Blackpool have returned FIVE positive Covid-19 tests following the club's latest round of mandatory testing of players and staff. The rest of the squad are unaffected and today's game goes ahead as planned.
Blackpool boss Neil Critchley says defenders Teddy Howe and Jordan Thorniley can leave club
Neil Critchley says Teddy Howe and Jordan Thorniley are both free to leave Blackpool.
Neither defender has made a single league appearance for the Seasiders this season, though they have had outings in the EFL Trophy.
Blackpool’s head coach insists there’s no problem with either player but concedes they are free to move on should another club come in for them.
Critchley told The Gazette: “They’ve played some games for us in the EFL Trophy and I’ve got to say there are no issues with them. But they know the situation as well.
“If an offer came in for them to go and play somewhere else on a regular basis ,then I think it’s something we’d be open to and they’d want to do because they’re not playing football at the moment.
“All footballers will tell you they want to play at 3pm on a Saturday. They want to have that chance to compete for three points, which they’re not doing at the moment.
“If that situation arose and everyone was happy with it, then we would be.”
Both Howe and Thorniley arrived at Bloomfield Road last January under the management of Simon Grayson but have barely featured under Critchley.
Howe’s move followed two impressive performances against Blackpool in the FA Cup for Reading.
Thorniley, meanwhile, arrived to rave reviews from supporters of his old club Sheffield Wednesday but the centre-back has failed to make an impact on the Fylde coast.
One man who has already departed the club this month is Jamie Devitt, who had his contract cancelled by mutual consent, paving the way for his permanent switch to League Two side Barrow.
The 30-year-old leaves Bloomfield Road without making a competitive appearance for the Seasiders.
Critchley said: “Dev was at Newport during the first half of the season after I worked with him during pre-season.
“He’s now got a chance to go and get regular football with Barrow.
“He’s living back up here as well, so that helps. It’s a contract until the end of next season as well, which secures his future a little bit with his family.
“I wish Dev all the best and I hope he goes on to do really well at Barrow.
“I think he was a victim of circumstance a little bit – everything is not always in your control.
“He’s obviously had some injuries as well, which hasn’t helped him.
“But he’s fully fit now and he’s contributed a little bit at Newport, who are doing well.
“Now he’s going to a manager in Michael Jolley who I know and I know he rates him highly.
“That’s the reason why he’s pursued getting Dev in, and I’m sure he’ll go there and show what a good player he is.”
Jane and I were contacted by the BBC on Monday to see if we would give an interview for Football Focus today prior to the FA Cup game this Saturday.
They wanted to know about the Glory days of the Matthews era, the battle with the O's and how we are feeling about our new owner.
I decided I would try and make a behind the scenes video to show you any of you that are interested in that sort of thing.🙂
However, the storm came in really strong midway through our interview! I managed to have a little chat with the crew under shelter of a tram stop, which you can see but, we had to call it a day as a second wave of icy rain came in, my hands had turned to blocks of ice and Jane had totally had enough.
Anyway for those of you who would like to see a bit of the behind the scenes stuff hope you enjoy it.
Neil Critchley has revealed Blackpool have a couple of “irons in the fire” in the January transfer window.
The Seasiders’ boss has previously admitted the club is unlikely to be too busy in the market this month, although he conceded there may be one or two players coming in and one or two leaving.
However, with Keshi Anderson now out for the season after undergoing surgery, CJ Hamilton also sidelined with a hamstring injury and former loanee Dan Kemp departing, that leaves Blackpool short in the attacking third of the pitch.
When asked if there’s now more urgency to make additions, Critchley told The Gazette: “We’re looking. It doesn’t take Einstein to work out where we might be short, so we’re looking.
“January is notoriously difficult to do business, but we’ve got a couple of irons in the fire.
“We’re looking all the time and something could happen.If it does, great. Hopefully it’s soon.”
Kemp, who was due to spend the entirety of the season on loan with Pool, was recalled by his parent club West Ham United last week.
It paved the way for the 22-year-old to make a permanent switch to League Two side Leyton Orient, who handed the winger his debut off the bench in their 2-0 win against Morecambe on Saturday.
Kemp, who scored two goals in 15 appearances during his loan spell at Bloomfield Road, left with Critchley’s best wishes.
“Kempy had a really good offer from Leyton Orient and at this moment in time, a two-and-a-half-year contract with the situation we’re in was too good to turn down,” Pool’s head coach said.
“It’s obviously back down south, near where he’s living as well.
“I was delighted to work with Kempy, he’s a top boy, a really good kid. He was great to coach and great to work with and I hope he shows what he’s capable of in the future.”
The Seasiders will now need to make a decision over the future of Ben Woodburn, whose loan spell from Liverpool came to an end yesterday.
The Welshman performed well off the bench in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Hull City but has struggled to make an impact since joining the club at the start of the season.
Pool, however, might need to keep hold of the 21-year-old and extend his loan until the end of the season given their lack of options in the forward areas.
“That’s a discussion we’re going to have now. We wanted to get through this game and see where we’re at,” Critchley said on Saturday.
“I thought Ben came on and did really well, he made a real difference. He looked bright and burst in behind to get the lad (Reece Burke) sent off. He also produced some good crosses and deliveries.
“That’s a discussion we’re going to have now and we’ll see what happens with him.”
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