Blackpool have appointed Michael Appleton as their new manager on a four-year contract until June 2026.
Appleton’s move to Bloomfield Road comes almost two months since he quit as manager of Lincoln City after three seasons, following discussions about the Imps’ future direction moving forward.
This decision also means that Blackpool and Appleton have reunited following a difficult two-month spell between November 2012 – January 2013, in which he won just two of 12 matches despite avoiding defeat in ten matches overall.
Speaking about his decision to return to the Tangerines almost a decade later to replace Neil Critchley who resigned earlier this month to join Aston Villa, Appleton said: “I am absolutely delighted to be here.
“To be able to come back to the Club, with where the Club is at during this moment in time, after two really successful seasons, I can’t wait to get started.”
Appleton also praised owner, Simon Sadler and the rest of the board for providing an “energy in the room,” when they met up for his interview which he believes that they also felt from him in return.
Addressing fans on what they can expect next season, Appleton added: “The fans will certainly have seen glimpses of what I tried to do in my days at Lincoln.
“I want to play aggressive, forward-thinking football and we have certain things that we want from the players when we’re playing, dependent on opposition clearly. We just want to be exciting and get people off their seats.”
Sadler meanwhile is delighted to welcome Appleton back to the club but iterated that “success cannot be guaranteed”, although he is hopeful that the 46 year-old manager will be the ideal person to help Blackpool progress forward in the Championship.
On the quality of the other candidates who were in contention for the job, Sadler described them as “strong” but felt that Appleton was the right manager to hire, following serious conversations with each of their shortlisted contenders and assessing various pros and cons to each candidate.
Appleton and Blackpool will discover their Championship fixture list on Thursday 23 June at 9am BST, followed by First Round opposition in 2022-23 Carabao Cup at 2:30pm BST on the same date,
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