What Gary Bowyer’s appointment means for Blackpool

Well, it seems Keith Southern must have read my last blog!

The Blackpool legend held talks with the Oyston family over the vacant manager’s position, but only a few days later, the club announced Gary Bowyer as their sixth manager in just three years.

Bowyer was not mentioned as a candidate, so it came as a shock to many Pool supporters when he put pen to paper on a one-year rolling contract (Although the one-year rolling contract didn’t come as a shock, Blackpool fans are very familiar with these!).

So, what does his appointment mean for Blackpool?

Blackpool appointed former Blackburn Rovers boss Gary Bowyer as their new manager on June 1 – Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

Well – firstly, they are getting a manager who has experience of working under very difficult constraints. Bowyer’s first full-time managerial job was at Blackburn Rovers, owned by the infamous Venky’s family.

Bowyer’s time at Blackburn was blighted by financial restraints and the well documented issues which arose from the Venky owners. This will stand him in good stead for the Blackpool job.

Pool are now cost cutting following successive relegations, so an already tight budget is set to be made even smaller, during a time when supporter unrest is at an all-time high.

On the whole; Bowyer did a sterling job at Rovers under the circumstances, so for a side which has suffered double relegations, his appointment must be seen as a coup.

There is no doubt that clubs at a higher level would have been talking to Bowyer and considering him for their sides after he left Blackburn last November, so for a League Two side to capture him certainly shows signs of positivity.

He seems a much more humble and approachable person than Neil McDonald ever was. Bowyer’s early interviews are encouraging and he comes across as having a good personality.

Blackpool Gazette writer Will Watt has been tweeting that his first impressions of Bowyer are good. McDonald and the club made rods for their own backs last season when they banned The Gazette from certain press conferences, which infuriated Pool fans because the majority seek club related news via the local press, and Will is held in high regard by us supporters because we appreciate his honesty and solid reporting.

However, my overriding feeling of this latest managerial change is the same that has greeted all these unfortunate souls over the years – they are all much of a muchness.

It doesn’t matter who is appointed because the real problems lie in the boardroom, and until those issues are resolved, Blackpool will continue on their journey into the footballing abyss.

Ultimately, the Blackpool manager’s job is one of the most difficult in the entire Football League. It defines poisoned chalice. Once they left, both Lee Clark and McDonald described it as being “impossible”.

I wish Gary Bowyer all the best, but I fear he is yet another manager unaware of just how challenging the next 12 months will be.