Blackpool lost Neil Critchley to Aston Villa yesterday, with the Seasiders now tasked with finding his successor.
Blackpool would not have been expecting Critchley to depart this summer. Following on from his and the Seasiders’ promotion from League One last year, the club made a strong return to the second tier.
Critchley even signed a new long-term contract with the club last season, which should’ve kept him at the club until at least 2026.
But Villa now have him as their no.2 after seeing Michael Beale leave Villa Park to take on the QPR job this week. And it’s a former R’s manager that could yet be an ideal successor for Critchley.
The Bread Man…
Mark Warburton, affectionately known as ‘The Bread Man’ among QPR supporters, took charge in 2019 and lasted three years.
His contract was out this summer and the club felt time to make a change. In his three seasons, Warburton delivered steady Championship finishes and almost guided the R’s to a top-six finish last time round – all of which on a tight budget – and many were sad to see him leave.
He also helped to develop some really promising young players, whilst helping to better some existing names at the QPR.
His football was entertaining – Warburton favoured attacking football but one main criticism of him at QPR was that his side were always defensive leaky. That could be down to a lack of funding in the transfer market, however.
All of the above then; Warburton’s ability to deliver steady Championship finishes on a tight budget, his ability to work with, and better younger footballers, and his eye for entertaining football, could make him the perfect fit for he Bloomfield Road vacancy.
What kind of manager the club will look for this summer remains to be seen. But Warburton is on the market and proven, and so this could yet prove to be a really shrewd appointment for Blackpool.
