Joey Barton could rethink Fleetwood Town tactics for away games

Joey Barton admits he must look at himself after defeat at Blackpool

Lewie Coyle visits Blackpool ball boy with an apology and gifts

Although Town headed down the coast on the back of five straight wins in all competitions, this was their third successive away defeat in League One.

And Barton, whose usual tactic is to take the game to Town’s hosts in away matches, admits it could be time for a change of approach.

The Town head coach said of Saturday’s game: “The team selected was a team we felt was capable of winning the game.

“Jordan (Rossiter, knee ligaments) being out for the season is a big blow for us but there’s no point worrying about that or thinking what could have been had he been in there. You’re always going to miss a player of that calibre but we’ve still got enough players on the pitch to take care of it.

“I need to go back and have a look at myself as a coach. I need to go back and have an examination of my policy away from home.

“I don’t really change for teams. I just see it as – we’re a good team and we’ll play anybody, anywhere, anytime. Maybe our group aren’t ready for that.

“When you lose you’re disappointed, when you lose a local derby you’re really disappointed.

“The only way to respond is working harder, working smarter, coming back with different strategies and different solutions.”

Barton is in only his second season in management and says he has to show what he’s capable of at Fleetwood in order to progress. He added: “If I’m serious about being in the game a long time and being a top-level manger, then there are going to be points where you don’t get a positive result and you need to learn.

“The nirvana of winning every week, like Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola – it takes a period to get there. You’ve got to be fortunate to get to that position and you’ve got to work hard enough. For the rest of us, you need a slightly different profile to your group.

“I’m still only 18 months into a job. I think I’m the youngest manager in all four divisions at 37 (Russell Martin at MK Dons and Mark Sampson at Stevenage are actually younger) and I’ve got learning to do.

“I’ve got to improve and try to find a better solution for my players to help them perform to the best of their abilities.”