That is the view of manager Lee Clark after their 22nd loss of the season to Sheffield Wednesday yesterday.
The Tangerines, who have endured a year of turmoil, have only won four times all season. Clark, who was appointed in October after the short reign of Jose Riga, is already planning for life in League One. He explained that he dropped number one goalkeeper and loanee Joe Lewis as he will not be at the club next year.
After the loss to Wigan Athletic in the important relegation six-pointer all but confirmed a nightmare end to a nightmare season, striker Steven Davis also left Lancashire as pundits such as Leory Rosenior emphasised the need for looking ahead to life after the Championship.
With the fans’ protests against chairman Karl Oyston ongoing and the playing surface at Bloomfield Road widely regarded as the worst in the Championship, Blackpool and Clark are resigned to third tier football next year.
It is a sorry state of affairs for a club that was playing Premier League football as recently as 2011. Fans believe that Oyston has not invested the Premier League earnings, the case for which was evident during the disastrous summer when only eight players were contracted to the club at the start of the season after a mass exodus.
However Clark, who has only won twice during his time at the Tangerines, is ready for a revamp next season as he plans to bring the club back up at the first attempt. He told BBC Sport:
“It’s getting a bigger miracle by the week that needs to happen for us to stay up. There will be huge changes in playing personnel and how we structure everything. I want a young vibrant squad that are athletic, with power and pace on a brand new pitch where we can play high tempo football and I want a proper pre-season with a full squad.”
Blackpool face promotion chasing AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, hoping what would be one of the greatest ever escapes can begin.
