Blackpool sack veteran boss Bruce after poor start

Blackpool have sacked veteran boss Steve Bruce after one year in charge following a poor start to the League One season.

The 64-year-old, who has managed over 1,000 games, replaced Neil Critchley at Bloomfield Road in September 2024.

He guided them to a ninth-placed finish last season and hopes were high for a promotion push this time around.

However, Saturday's home defeat by AFC Wimbledon was a seventh defeat in 11 league games and left them second from bottom.

Assistant head coach Steve Agnew and first-team coach Stephen Clemence have also left the club with coaches Stephen Dobbie and Steve Banks put in interim charge until a replacement is appointed.

Bruce said his side "were nowhere near what's required" as they were booed off following the 2-0 home defeat by AFC Wimbledon.

"I can try and make as many excuses as I want but it's not in my nature to do it," he told Bruce to BBC Radio Lancashire.

"Today we were nowhere near what's required of what we need to be and for that I need to take responsibility."

After being sacked as West Brom boss in October 2022, the former Manchester United defender had been out of the game for almost two years before taking over at the Seasiders.

His managerial career started with Sheffield United in 1998 and he won four promotions to the Premier League, as well as managing Sunderland, Wigan and Newcastle in the top flight.

Upon taking on the role at Blackpool, for his first spell in the third tier since his first stint with the Latics in 2001, he told BBC Radio Lancashire: "There was a time when I thought I'd done my stint but the enjoyment and the love of football has brought me back to work.

"You get to a certain age and you think, 'Am I on the scrap-heap?' But I hope I've got a lot to offer and I've got an abundance of experience."

Bruce enjoyed a strong start at Bloomfield Road, with four wins and a draw from his first five games.

He took a two-week leave of absence at the end of last October after his four-month-old grandson Madison died and released a statement thanking "the footballing world" for the support he received during that time.

Blackpool lost just five of their final 25 League One matches but 10 draws in that time put paid to any hopes of breaking into the top six places.

They recruited widely in the summer with experienced defenders Fraser Horsfall and Michael Ihiekwe and former Sunderland captain George Honeyman among the new arrivals.

The season began with a home defeat by Stevenage before a 4-1 reverse at Exeter City.

They then held on to beat much-fancied Huddersfield 3-2 for their first win in all competitions but subsequently lost three of their next four games.

Jordan Brown's last minute goal gave them a 1-0 win over Barnsley but one point from the next three games has brought the curtain down on Bruce's 13th managerial appointment.