Why Blackpool should only be looking upwards ahead of the final run-in

Blackpool’s objective between now and the end of the campaign appears to vary depending on who you speak to.

Some are still adamant this season is all about survival, so it’s about reaching that magic 50-point mark as soon as possible.

As a journalist I’m as cynical as they come, but come on…

If current trends continue, none of the sides in the bottom three are predicted to finish above 38 points. Blackpool are already on 45.

Saying that, you’d expect at least one of Barnsley, Derby County and Peterborough United to put some sort of run together the more desperate they become.

But even then, there’s more chance of Boris Johnson showing inspired leadership than Blackpool going down. So they’ve got to be looking upwards.

How far upwards, though? Blackpool are 14th at the moment, nine points adrift of the play-offs.

That’s not an insurmountable gap to the top six, but it’s a big ask. It doesn’t help that there’s so many teams in-between them.

If Blackpool are going to challenge, the likelihood is they’re going to require around 73 or 74 points to squeeze in. Can Neil Critchley’s side claim 29 or 30 points in 12 games?

You’d be foolish to write off the Seasiders but again, if we’re being realistically it looks incredibly tough.

Instead, you’re looking at forcing your way into the top half and the top 10, which would still represent a remarkable return.

It of course goes without saying that the Seasiders will be desperate to finish above that lot down the M55, too. The gap currently stands at two points, with Blackpool still having a game in hand to play.

Blackpool’s fate will largely be decided in April, rather than this month, considering Critchley’s men only play three times in March.

The Seasiders play Swansea City and Sheffield United after this weekend’s trip to Stoke City - that’s a lot of S’s, isn’t it? - before the division breaks temporarily for two weeks due to the international break.

April, on the other hand, looks to be manic with eight games to cram in.

It was a similar story last season when Critchley’s men steam-rolled their way into the top six with four wins and two draws. Let’s hope they’re able to repeat a similar sort of run this season.

This weekend they face a Stoke side that have drifted away from the top six in recent weeks following no win in four and back-to-back defeats.

If I was a Stoke fan I’d also be alarmed by the club’s latest financial accounts, which showed eye-watering losses of £55m, which were actually down from £87m the previous year.

It makes Blackpool’s own losses of £4.8m look miniscule in comparison.

How Stoke haven’t already fallen foul on Financial Fair Play regulations, I’ve absolutely no idea. But you’d imagine they’ll be close, because that’s no way to run a football club at all.

On one hand, it gives you an idea of what the Seasiders are up against in this division. On the other, it should make us all more thankful for Simon Sadler, who continues to invest but invest in a sensible and sustainable manner.