Former Hearts and Hibs pair named interim Blackpool management duo after Steve Bruce sacked
A former Hearts and Hibs pair have been thrust into the dugout after a sacking in England’s League One
A pair of former Hearts and Hibs stars have been put in charge of Blackpool after Steve Bruce was sacked as head coach.
Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to AFC Wimbledon was enough to bring an end to the reign of the former Newcastle United and Sunderland boss at Bloomfield Road. The League One outfit had been managed by ex-Hearts boss Neil Critchley and the man with over 1,000 games at the helm of clubs in England took charge in September 2024.
Bruce clinched a ninth-placed finish last season and with promotion hopes high heading into this campaign, the home defeat by AFC Wimbledon was a seventh defeat in 11 league matches and 23rd in a 24-team division. It has now been left to Stephen Dobbie and Steven Banks to man the ship.
Who is the manager of Blackpool?
Dobbie kickstarted his senior playing career at Hibs between 2003-2005 after time with Rangers, going on to feature for Blackpool as a player as well as Crystal Palace, Brighton, Swansea City and more. He has previously been the interim leader at Blackpool in 2023, moving into Bruce’s inner sanctum last year after time in the academy.
Banks also featured for Blackpool as a player but headed north towards the home stretch of his time as a goalkeeper. He moved to Hearts in 2005 and stayed for four years before spells at Dundee United and St Johnstone prior to retiring, with both now tasked with guiding Blackpool forward until a new manager can be found.
A statement read: “Blackpool Football Club can announce the departure of Head Coach Steve Bruce, Assistant Head Coach Steve Agnew and First-Team Coach Stephen Clemence. The Club would like to thank them for their efforts, and wishes them the very best for the future. Stephen Dobbie and Steve Banks will take charge of first-team matters until a permanent appointment is confirmed.”
What did Steve Bruce say after final Blackpool match?
Speaking after the Wimbledon defeat, Bruce said: “I’ve seen signs over the last month; not great, not hitting the standards of where we were last year, but okay. I can’t defend anyone, particularly myself. I’ll take the responsibility. Maybe it wasn’t the right game to try something new, but I believe they needed a new toy, and that obviously backfired so I take full responsibility.
“The table doesn’t lie. It’s simply not good enough for a club that wants to be at the other end of the league, I fully get it. I don’t quit because my team has been awful, I would like to think I’m better than that, but when I watched the performance - I have to take the criticism that comes my way.
“I’ve been in it long enough to know that kind of performance was nowhere near good enough. It was easily the worst performance of my 12 months here. I’ve never seen such a poor performance, and to be honest, I didn’t see it coming either. You can make excuses about the conditions, but we were nowhere near it.”