The Brett Ormerod column: I'm looking forward to seeing Blackpool next season ... and crowds!

Blackpool putting bids in for players as well? It’s unprecedented. In my time the only player they paid a fee for was Phil Barnes from Rotherham. Obviously there was Charlie Adam after that but that was a Valeri Belokon signing.

It’s not often Blackpool have behaved like this. Usually you went back for pre-season and there were only eight players, you had to put gaffer tape on everything and the grass hadn’t been cut.

The new manager is finding a club in a much better position off the field than a lot of Blackpool managers have before him. It’s encouraging to see.

I watched them against Tranmere before lockdown, and even though they lost it was a great game with a lot of encouraging signs.

It’s clear Neil Critchley wants Blackpool to attack and play on the front foot, and with the owner being ambitious it will hopefully make for a good season.

Critchley has a lot of contacts and worked under one of the best managers around, so I don’t blame the fans for getting excited. Hopefully there’s good things to come.

In other news, the Government announced on Friday that fans can return to stadiums in October all being well.

It’s really welcome news and the quicker we can get back to normality the better.

I just want everything to go back to normal. Football without fans is just not the same. I’ve done a few radio commentaries recently, and as much as people are trying to carry on as normal it’s just not football.

The fans are massive and this should show chairmen and owners how important they are and what they mean. They are everything.

Any player who has played in front of empty stands would tell you it’s not the same. Fans are 90 per cent of the game.

It’s difficult to say how the lack of fans has affected the players but it can change their approach.

There’s probably less pressure on them at home but if you miss a chance it’s seen all over the country.

When you’re a professional you adapt to it, you have to. It’s just like when you lose a manager – you have to get on with it because football never stands still.

I think the players have adapted well but I’m sure they’re looking forward to the time when fans are back.

I often played behind closed doors in reserve games when I was getting back to fitness but not in league games. That’s something I never experienced.

At Blackpool’s level, it’s so important to get the fans back because of the financial aspect too.

It’s the whole picture, though. When you’re a kid and you go to games, it’s that atmosphere that draws you in.

We all dream of being a footballer and we all dream of playing in a stadium with that atmosphere.

If you’re lucky enough to get there, you’ve got to savour the moment – it’s what it’s all about.

It’s hard to put it into words, but that’s why you want to be a footballer when you’re a kid. It’s the be-all and end-all.

Closer to home, I see AFC Fylde have admitted defeat in their bid to avoid relegation from the National League.

I was previously involved with them on a caretaker basis after Dave Challinor left last October, so I’m gutted for them. They’ve had a tough season for them.

I know they were looking at the possibility of taking legal action. It’s a bitter pill to swallow but you’ve got to draw the line somewhere.

At the end of the day, if you’ve spent the majority of the season in the bottom three, then you can’t really complain.

There are ifs, buts and maybes. Their results were picking up and they might have gone on a run and got themselves out of it. But we’ll never know.

I’m gutted for them obviously, but there are enough good players there to get them back up straight away.

I fully expect them to be flying and charge back.

I must also send my best wishes to Jim Bentley, who is taking a bit of time off at the moment for health reasons.

Football isn’t really important when you hear about things like that. He’s a great bloke and a great manager so hopefully he’s back on his feet as soon as possible.

It certainly puts everything else into perspective when you start talking about things like that.