There has been serious discord between Blackpool fans and the club’s owners, particularly since the Tangerines relegation from the Premier League.
Since their shock promotion to the Premier League under Ian Holloway back in 2010, Blackpool have been on a downward spiral which has seen them relegated three times, the last of which (last season) has seen them back in English football’s basement league for the first time since the 2000-2001 season.
From an average of 15,775 fans at home games in the 2010-11 season, Blackpool’s last home game saw an official figure of just 2,080 announced, with some claiming the actual figure to be far lower, such as former Seasiders midfielder Keith Southern, who claimed it was “probably about five or six hundred.”
It’s a sad and depressing situation for a club who won the 1953 FA Cup and have spent much of their history among the upper echelons of England’s footballing pyramid, boasting players such as Sir Stanley Matthews, Jimmy Armfield and Stan Mortensen.
Blackpool fan protesting against chairman Karl Oyston
In light of the Tangerines recent plight, HITC Sport spoke exclusively with former Blackpool forward Kevin Stonehouse. The 57-year-old is a man who knows all about getting out of the fourth tier with the club, having been top scorer in the 1984-85 season as Blackpool finished 2nd to secure promotion from the old Fourth Division.
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With regards to the club’s precarious ownership situation, Stonehouse said, “It’s similar to another one of my old club’s Blackburn. I went to the last game of last season. The fans are so angry, even more so than at Blackburn, and the communication from the owners doesn’t help the situation.”
“Upsetting fans is damaging the club’s revenue. You can’t lie to fans. They’ve got the stadium in place there now and it’s sad to see it empty.”
Attendances have been poor at Bloomfield Road
Now working as a scout for Newcastle United, Stonehouse scored a total of 19 goals in 56 games for Blackpool, and they were the last club where he played regular football.
Moving on from the club’s ownership situation to the management, Stonehouse said, “I think Gary Bowyer has turned things around. I expected them to keep dropping, but he seems to have steadied things a bit.”
When asked whether it would take a change of ownership for Blackpool to begin a serious climb back up the divisions, Stonehouse replied, “I don’t know if the ownership situation effects the players. I was never at a club in those circumstances during my career, but the players seem to be playing for Gary, who’s a good manager.”
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