Blackpool's sporting director provides insight into Mick McCarthy appointment and club's longer-term vision

The Seasiders have steered away from their model by appointing veteran manager Mick McCarthy as their new boss, following the sacking of Michael Appleton.

Manchester United coach Eric Ramsay, someone in a similar mould to Neil Critchley, had previously been linked with the job, but given Blackpool’s perilous position the club felt a more senior head was required.

“We’re second from bottom in the league and haven’t won in 10, we need to start building momentum again now, that’s pretty clear,” Badlan told Tangerine TV.

“The one thing you can say about Mick and the character he is, he takes no nonsense. He wants to get teams working hard.

“You talk about Blackpool as a community, Mick almost represents that because he’s honest, he’s hard-working and he won’t take any rubbish.

“Where we are now, we need to stay in this league. That’s the fundamental thing. I didn’t want to come here and there’s a relegation on the CV straight away.

“To build what we want to build and where we want to go, you want to be in the best league possible and that’s the Championship.

“You need someone who can take the pressure away and put it onto themselves and that’s what Mick does. He will get the players going and hopefully he can get the supporters going, because that’s one of the most important things, as well as getting the team working hard and hopefully get some results on the board.

“He went into Cardiff when they were second from bottom, went on a run and they stayed in the league. He’s been promoted from the league, he knows the game, he’s an experienced head.

“Is it the right time to look at a young, up-and-coming coach when you’re second from bottom and are you going to get the person you want? It’s an unknown quantity from that end.

“We felt now for the short-term we needed someone who was going to come in, get the players going and get the place going, put some fight back into it and hopefully pick up some points to stay in this league.”

McCarthy is likely to be a stop-gap until the end of the campaign, where the club will be able to re-assess things – hopefully still as a Championship club – and look to build a more long-term vision.

“Mick will say himself, he’s as honest as they come and we will get to see that in time, but the most fundamental part is that we stay in the Championship this season,” Badlan added.

“With all the other people that were out there, all the other options, there was only one name that came to everyone’s lips because, along with Terry, they’ve been there and done it, they’ve got the blood on their shirts and the mud on their shorts.”

In an interview with The i, it was revealed McCarthy was only contacted by Blackpool on Wednesday, the same day as Appleton’s sacking.

The reporter who wrote the article, Mark Douglas, has also claimed McCarthy is bringing in Dave Bowman, an experienced chief scout and Ipswich Town’s former director of football, to help with recruitment.