“This could work well” – 46-year-old among final candidates for Blackpool FC managerial vacancy: The verdict

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Blackpool are considering Michael Appleton as Neil Critchley’s replacement.

As per reporter Alan Nixon, Appleton is among the final candidates for the job, with the 46-year-old currently without a club after parting ways with Lincoln City at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

Cheltenham‘s Michael Duff and Derby coach Liam Rosenior are also being considered for the vacancy, according to Nixon.

Former Blackpool boss Neil Critchley recently surprised many by leaving Bloomfield Road to become Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Aston Villa.

With that being said, we asked three of our writers here at FLW for their thoughts on Appleton potentially being hired to fill the vacancy in the dugout at Bloomfield Road.

This could work well for Blackpool.

Losing Neil Critchley was a massive and unexpected blow that threatens to undo all the progress they’ve made in recent years.

Michael Appleton is not dissimilar to the departed Tangerines boss as a coach that is well regarded for his development of young players.

He may have had a disappointing season at Lincoln City in 2021/22 but we shouldn’t forget he took them to the play-off final the year before and that campaign highlights how high his ceiling is.

Replacing Critchley won’t be easy but Appleton would be a good fit – not least because he’s currently out of a job.

I can certainly see the logic behind this one, with Michael Appleton playing a big role in the development of the likes of Brennan Johnson, Morgan Rogers and Anthony Scully.

In a similar mould to Steve Cooper, he is