Future of Blackpool striker discussed after absence in Stockport County defeat
The 27-year-old wasn’t involved in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Stockport County, after featuring in the two games prior against Crawley Town and Burton Albion.
Neil Critchley opted to start Ashley Fletcher and Kyle Joseph up front against the Hatters, while Jordan Rhodes named on the bench alongside Dom Ballard – who made the move to the Fylde Coast on loan from Southampton last week.
Since joining the Seasiders from Rochdale in 2022, Beesley has scored 14 goals in 51 appearances, and was the club’s second-top scorer in all competitions last season.
Discussing the absence of the ex-Chesterfield and Salford City man, Critchley said: “I’ve had a conversation with Jake this week and he knows my thoughts, he understands where he’s at.You can read in between the lines, he wasn’t in the squad, so draw your own conclusions from that.
“He’s a great guy and a fantastic person. He trains really well, but you’ve got to make tough decisions as a head coach sometimes. You’ve got to do what you think is right for the team sometimes.”
The Seasiders have endured a poor start to the League One season, with their 2-1 defeat away to Crawley Town on the opening weekend being followed by a 3-0 loss at home against Stockport County.
Critchley’s struggled to find a way through their opponents on Saturday, and lost control of the fixture after Hatters’ first goal of the afternoon through Louie Barry, with substitutes Jayden Fevrier and Tanto Olaofe adding their names to the scoresheet soon after.
“It’s how you play the system. When you watch a lot of the Premier League teams, and I’m not saying we’re like that, but a lot of them defend one way and roll into a back three, putting five on the backline.
“We put six on the backline sometimes, with our two attacking midfield players, our two wing-backs and our two centre forwards – it’s then what you do within that system and how you play it.
“At the moment we’re not playing it well enough. It’s my responsibility to help the players to improve.
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