Blackpool Football Club is an English football club currently in Football League One. Their home ground is Bloomfield Road in the seaside resort of Blackpool in north-west England and they are known as "The Seasiders" or "The Tangerines", the latter stemming from their home colour.
| Full name | Blackpool Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Seasiders, The Tangerines | ||
| Founded | 1877 | ||
| Ground | Bloomfield Road, Blackpool, England | ||
| Capacity | 9,000 | ||
| Chairman |  Karl S. Oyston | ||
| Manager | Simon Grayson | ||
| League | League One | ||
| 2005-06 | League One, 19th | ||
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The club's most famous achievement is winning the FA Cup in 1953 (in the so-called "Matthews Final"), when they beat Bolton Wanderers 4-3, overturning a 1-3 deficit in the closing stages of the game.
Although the main entrance to the ground (via the now demolished South stand) used to be on Bloomfield Road, since the re-development of the North and West stands, it is now from Seasiders Way.
The club's owners, the Oyston family, announced in December 2005 that they were considering three bids for the club.
Blackpool have been outside the top division since 1971, and are currently in League One (third tier of the English league).
In 1982-83, Blackpool endured the worst season in their history. They finished second from bottom in the Fourth Division and were only saved from relegation to the Alliance Premier League (now the Conference) because the re-election system voted in their favour. The club recovered two years later to win promotion to the Third Division, only to go down again in 1990.
Under the management of Billy Ayre, Blackpool reached the Fourth Division playoff final in 1991 but lost to Torquay on penalties, only to win the following year's final in the same manner against Scunthorpe.
Blackpool narrowly avoided relegation from Division Two in 1994. Ayre was sacked, to be replaced by his assistant, Sam Allardyce, who guided them to third place in 1996; however, he too was sacked after they lost to Bradford in the playoffs.
Nigel Worthington was appointed manager for the 1997-98 season, replacing Stockport-bound Gary Megson, but was relieved of his position two years later with Blackpool heading for relegation to Division Three. His successor, Steve McMahon, was unable to save the Seasiders from relegation, but brought them back at the first attempt via the playoffs. He was replaced by Colin Hendry three years later. Hendry lasted little over a year before being replaced by Simon Grayson.
Grayson had previously briefly teamed up with Mike Flynn for the final game of the 2003-04 season (after McMahon's departure). With assistance from experienced coaches Tony Parkes and Asa Hartford, Grayson was able to guide the team to 19th place and safety in his first managerial job. In early May 2006, it appeared that Valeri Belokon, a Latvian businessman with connections in both banking and beer, was poised to make a considerable investment in the club, possibly even taking over the chairmanship from Karl Oyston. On May 19, it was announced that Belokon had agreed to invest £5 million into the club, which will be spread over several years.
History
- 1889-90: Founder member of Lancashire League
- 1890-91: Lancashire League runners-up
- 1891-92: Lancashire League runners-up
- 1892-93: Lancashire League runners-up (lost on goal average)
- 1893-94: Lancashire League champions
- 1894-95: Lancashire League runners-up
- 1896: Elected to the Football League
- 1899: Not re-elected to the Football League
- 1899-00: Re-joined Lancashire League. South Shore amalgamated during the season
- 1900: Re-elected back into Football League
- 1929-30: Division Two champions; promoted to Division One.
- 1933: Relegated to Division Two
- 1936-37: Division Two runners-up; promoted to Division One
- 1939-40: League programme abandoned due to outbreak of World War II
- 1947-48: F.A. Cup runners-up
- 1950-51: F.A. Cup runners-up
- 1952-53: F.A. Cup winners
- 1955-56: Division One runners-up (on goal average)
- 1961-62: League Cup semi-finalists
- 1967: Relegated to Division Two
- 1967-68: Missed runners-up spot and promotion on goal average
- 1969-70: Division Two runners-up; promoted to Division One
- 1971: Relegated to Division Two; winner of the Anglo-Italian Cup
- 1978: Relegated to Division Three
- 1982-83: Two points deducted for fielding an ineligible player
- 1984-85: Division Four runners-up; promoted to Division Three
- 1990: Relegated to Division Four
- 1990-91: Division Four play-off runners-up (Blackpool 2-2 Torquay United, at Wembley; Torquay won 5-4 on penalties)
- 1991-92: Division Four play-off winners; promoted to Division Three (Blackpool 1-1 Scunthorpe United, at Wembley; Blackpool won 4-3 on penalties)
- 1992-93: Division Three re-designated Division Two upon formation of the F.A. Premier League
- 1995-96: Division Two play-off semi-finalists (Bradford City 0-2 Blackpool (first leg), Blackpool 0-3 Bradford City (second leg; 2-3 on aggregate)
- 2000: Relegated to Division Three
- 2000-01: Division Two play-off winners; promoted to Division One (Blackpool 4-2 Leyton Orient, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
- 2001-02: League Trophy Winners
- 2003-04: League Trophy Winners
Source: Blackpool at the Football Club History Database
Managers
There have been 27 different Blackpool managers:
- Simon Grayson (November 11, 2005 to date)
- Colin Hendry (June 7, 2004 to November 10, 2005)
- Steve McMahon (January 7, 2000 to June 6, 2004)
- Nigel Worthington (July 8, 1997 to December 23, 1999)
- Gary Megson (July 5, 1996 to July 1, 1997)
- Sam Allardyce (July 19, 1994 to May 29, 1996)
- Billy Ayre (November 30, 1990 to June 10, 1994)
- Graham Carr (June 11, 1990 to November 30, 1990)
- Jimmy Mullen (May 20, 1989 to April 30, 1990)
- Sam Ellis (June 1, 1982 to April 30, 1989)
- Allan Brown (March 1, 1981 to May 31, 1982) (second time)
- Alan Ball (July 7, 1980 to February 28, 1981)
- Stan Ternent (September 19, 1979 to February 1, 1980)
- Bob Stokoe (May 20, 1978 to August 17, 1979) (second time)
- Jimmy Meadows (March 7, 1978 to May 20, 1978) (second time)
- Allan Brown (May 5, 1976 to February 6, 1978)
- Harry Potts (January 1, 1972 to May 5, 1976)
- Bob Stokoe (December 20, 1970 to November 23, 1972)
- Jimmy Meadows (October 26, 1970 to December 20, 1970)
- Les Shannon (May 1, 1969 to October 26, 1970)
- Stan Mortensen (February 1, 1967 to April 30, 1969)
- Ron Suart (May 1, 1958 to February 1, 1967)
- Joe Smith (August 1, 1935 to April 30, 1958) (Blackpool's longest-serving manager at 23 years)
- Alex 'Sandy' MacFarlane (July 1, 1933 to July 31, 1935)
- Harry Evans (August 1, 1928 to May 31, 1933)
- Sydney Beaumont (August 1, 1927 to May 31, 1928)
- Major Frank Buckley (July 1, 1923 to May 31, 1927)
- Bill Norman (August 1, 1919 to May 31, 1923)
- John Cox (August 1, 1909 to December 31, 1911)
- Tom Barcroft (August 1, 1903 to May 31, 1909)
Squad
There are currently 20 players in the first-team squad (players out on loan not included in total): Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Source : SoccerBase
Non-playing staff
Honours
Club records
Ground historyBlackpool have called the following grounds home during their existence:
External links |