Its that time of year again. Fans up and down the land are looking forward to the new football season. Saturday sees the first round of competitive fixtures across England and for most it’s one of the most anticipated dates on the calendar. Sadly, this isn’t the case at Blackpool.
No new Season Optimism for Blackpool Fans
Long suffering Blackpool fans have endured another summer of discontent. The ongoing battle between supporters and owners has rumbled on despite the FA handing out punishment to both the club and the Chairman, Karl Oyston. Oyston, still serving his six-week football ban, can officially have no input into the running of the club. Although, having put his wife in temporary charge he will have a fair idea of the comings and goings at Bloomfield road.
Incoming players is a problem for manager, Neil McDonald. McDonald admits that his squad is still short of numbers. With the bulk of his squad inexperienced at League One level and the new season only days away, it’s easy to see why even the most fanatic Blackpool supporters are pessimistic about the new campaign.
For many Blackpool fans, the football doesn’t matter anymore. The game has become secondary as the battle to remove the owners becomes the priority. The Circus at Bloomfield Road and its never ending saga has been well documented and according to a recent article in the Telegraph, Blackpool is the worst-run football club in the country. With a title like that it’s obvious why fans have had enough.
With football taking a back-seat at Blackpool, other clubs and their supporters could become collateral damage. The FA have issued the club with a £50,000 fine for the pitch invasion which saw the final game of last season abandoned. In conjunction with this the club have been warned should there be a similar incident, Blackpool will be forced to play the following home game behind closed doors. The chance of this happening seems increasingly high after a pre-season abandonment against Lancaster City.
In the midst of all the chaos at Blackpool, it is hard to understand how any supporter could be optimistic or even be excited about the prospect of a new season. With no real communication between club and supporters, any news regarding new players or even the day to day running of the club is watered down and comes mostly from the club’s media team. The local gazette has been banned from interviewing the manager and reporting from Bloomfield Road other than on match days. With so little information on offer how can supporters be expected to turn up and support the team? A team filled mostly with individuals they know very little about, whose only media appearances have been conducted by the club themselves who offer up what appears to be a familiar and scripted response.
Blackpool travel to Colchester on Saturday and then face Northampton in the League Cup. They then return to Bloomfield road for the visit of Rochdale the following Saturday. That first home game will likely set the tone for the season as regards how the players and staff are received by supporters. Whatever the outcome may be on the pitch, the focus for the vast majority will remain on removing the Oyston family from the football club and if you know a little about the last few years at Blackpool you will fully understand why.
That new season buzz seems a distant memory for Blackpool supporters. Thoughts of ‘this could be our year’ whilst scanning the fixture list for potential big games are gone. Dreaming about getting one over on your local rivals are in the past. A message, for clubs across the football league — you are the envy of Blackpool.
