Blackpool’s difficult League One season hit new lows on Saturday afternoon, as they were hammered 4-0 by Plymouth Argyle.
With just one victory in 2026, head coach Ian Evatt is under increasing pressure in light of the Tangerines’ difficult form.
Their fortunes appeared to be improving last Saturday as they led Huddersfield Town 2-0 after 31 minutes. But the Terriers responded in the second period to draw.
Coupled with their most recent defeat, the Seasiders are now four matches without a win.
Reaction From The Blackpool Camp
When Steve Bruce was dismissed in October, the hope was that Blackpool would start looking up the table. But the picture is the complete opposite, with only a point separating the Tangerines from the relegation places in the third tier. And due to FA Cup commitments, none of the five sides below them in the division played a league match last weekend. That means that Evatt’s side have now played at least a game more than their relegation rivals.
Relegation is something that those at Blackpool will be trying their hardest to avoid. But CEO Julian Winter reveals that nothing is off the table just yet.
“There are things we will have to do, so we’re not naïve. We don’t spend every day being preoccupied with what that looks like, but we’ve got an awareness of what will need to happen.
“It’s not a result that we want, but we’re not naïve enough to think it’s impossible to happen.”
Ambitions Higher Up The Table
Since their solitary Premier League campaign in 2010/11, the Seasiders have flipped between all three divisions in the EFL. Just five years after tasting top-flight football, Blackpool were down in League Two after successive relegations. They were back up in the Championship as recently as 2023, but are now staring at another drop into the bottom tier of professional football in the English pyramid.
And yet, in their first two seasons back in the third tier, a return to the Championship appeared likely. That is an ambition that Winter believed would be possible again this campaign.
“In my first two years here, I think we’ve had a real opportunity to be in the play-offs on both occasions. We all thought the same this summer.
“It’s been disappointing, but it’s not all bad, and people have to appreciate there’s a lot of good stuff going on at the club, and good stuff going on with the training ground work.
“We’ve got to learn from the three seasons we’ve had here, and make sure we have a really good go at it the year after.”
Latest Loss Spells Real Danger
There’s no getting away from Blackpool’s most recent loss and how damaging that could be going forward. Not only was the scoreline extremely one-sided, but it was a completely fair reflection of the game. While the possession stats were even, Plymouth had a staggering 22 shots, compared to just five for the home side.
Even though the first half an hour of the game was relatively even, the Pilgrims went in at the break three up, thanks to two goals in first-half stoppage time. After Caleb Watts added a fourth on the hour, their misery was compounded when James Husband was sent off for the second time in 2026.
Tomorrow’s match against Mansfield Town has been selected as Sky Sports’ main pick, heaping further pressure on the Seasiders. With games against promotion-chasing Bolton Wanderers and Lincoln City to follow this month, it is imperative they pick up a result tomorrow evening.
Failing that, ending the month in the relegation zone feels a very realistic possibility.
