How does Michael Appleton evaluate his relationship with Blackpool fans?

Pool’s head coach is the first to acknowledge he wasn’t a universally popular choice when he replaced Neil Critchley during the summer.

Many held his previous short stint in the Bloomfield Road hotseat against him, while others were concerned about his style of play and his previous links with rivals Preston North End.

But the 46-year-old appears to have won over a large section of the fanbase, despite the Seasiders sitting in 19th place ahead of tonight’s pivotal clash against struggling Hull City.

The vast majority of Blackpool’s performances this season have been competitive and there seems to be an acceptance that Appleton’s style of football is more pleasing on the eye than what came before.

Supporters will certainly have been impressed with the way Appleton’s side have gone toe-to-toe with the likes of Norwich City, Sunderland, Watford and Sheffield United in recent weeks.

When asked about his relationship with the fanbase, Appleton said: “I hope we’ve managed to build a good one.

“I know there were certain parts of our fanbase I wasn’t very popular with at the start.

“But I’ve come here to try and continue the success the club has had over the last two years and I’m enjoying it so far.

“I’d like to think anyone coming to the games sees we’re giving everything we can for the football club. We’re trying to improve our brand and our style of play along the way little by little, step by step.

“We’re still a work in progress, we’re improving all the time. We’ve got an honest group that wants to come in every day and improve.

“As long as that continues then I’d like to think the connection between the fans and players, fans and myself will grow and grow.

“They want something to cheer about. They want to get off their seats and sing and be happy and be grateful for what they’re watching.“At the minute, the lads are answering all the questions and we’ve got an opportunity over the next couple of days to continue that.”