Blackpool sack Critchley after back-to-back losses

Neil Critchley oversaw defeats by newly promoted Crawley Town and Stockport County in their opening two League One games of this season

Blackpool have sacked head coach Neil Critchley after they began their 2024-25 League One campaign with back-to-back defeats.

Critchley, 45, arrived for a second spell at the club in May 2023 having led them to promotion to the Championship two years previously.

The Seasiders missed out on a play-off spot by three points last season, finishing the campaign in eighth position.

The club confirmed that first-team coach Richard Keogh will take over as interim head coach, starting with Saturday's trip to Cambridge United.

"Despite his best efforts over the past 12 months, there have been a number of disappointing results and performances which means that a change is needed to give the club every possible chance of competing at the top end of the division this season," owner Simon Sadler said.

"I will always be thankful for Neil's wonderful efforts in guiding the club to promotion to the Championship in 2021, and then comfortably keeping us in the division the following season.

"I and all at the club wish Neil and [assistant head coach] Mike [Garrity] the very best for the future."

Following Blackpool's League One play-off victory in 2021, Critchley kept the club in the second tier the following season but went on to join Steven Gerrard's staff at Aston Villa in 2022.

He later had a 12-game stint in charge of QPR, during which time the Rs won just once, before he was sacked in February 2023.

Critchley returned to Bloomfield Road following the club's relegation back to League One at the end of the 2022-23 season but the team fell short of a top-six spot last term.

The club were defeated by newly promoted Crawley Town and Stockport County in their opening two games of this season prior to Critchley's departure.

Defensive frailties shown in defeats this term

Simon Sadler has owned Blackpool since 2019

BBC Radio Lancashire's Andy Bayes

Saturday's home defeat by Stockport led to a great deal of criticism from the stands as well as message boards and social media.

Blackpool have lost both League One matches so far to newly-promoted sides with defensive frailties showing in both. Their only goal at the other end was due to a striker closing down a goalkeeper and forcing him into a mistake.

Neil Critchley's return to Blackpool in the summer of 2023 wasn't met with widespread enthusiasm. The reaction was pretty mixed and Critchley fully accepted that would be the case, having left a year earlier to join Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa.

Until Saturday's loss to the Hatters, the Seasiders' last home defeat in the league was back in November of last year.

Only the top three in League One won more on home soil last season, but Blackpool's away form has been nowhere the level required.

Twelve defeats on the road last season was comfortably the worst in the top half of the table and ultimately cost them a play-off spot. They missed out by three points, reaching the semi-final of the EFL Trophy and exiting both other cup competitions to Premier League opposition.

Critchley's chosen formation of three centre-backs also brought widespread criticism, many feeling that he had to be more flexible in a bid to change their fortunes, particularly on the road.

His departure two games in to a league season begs the question, that if the owner Simon Sadler wasn't happy with the way things were going, why did he not make a change in the summer?

Players who had been told they can leave will now be wondering where their future lies with nine days to go until the transfer window closes.

Sadler is now looking for his sixth permanent manager in just over five years since taking control at Bloomfield Road.