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:''This is a history of Blackpool Football Club from 1962 to the present. For their history between 1887 and 1962, see History of Blackpool F.C. (1887–1962). For the club's season-by-season stats, see Blackpool F.C. seasons.'' History of Blackpool Football Club between 1962 and the present day covers the periods of relative decline after their successful first half of the 20th century. Blackpool spent the years between 1962 and 1967 in Division One, before being relegated to the second tier of English football for the first time since 1936–37. After three seasons in Division Two, the club returned to the top flight, but only for one season. In the decade between 1972 and 1982, Blackpool dropped down two more divisions, to Division Four, and in 1982–83 hit their lowest finishing point: 89th out of the total 92 League clubs. In the years since, Blackpool managed to climb into the upper reaches of the pyramid again. After five promotions and one relegation, the club reached the Premier League, the top tier of English football, in 2010–11; from 2013–14 onwards, however, another decline has occurred. As of 24 January 2015, the club has won just fourteen League games out of the last 73 (or 42 points out of a possible 219). ==The post-Matthews era== With the maximum wage now abolished, Blackpool, like many other clubs, found it difficult to attract the top players to their club, and, indeed, keep the ones they had. In 1962–63, Ray Charnley scored 22 goals, and a hard-tackling defender, John McPhee, made his debut. In addition, a young Alan Ball came onto the scene. Another chapter ended, however, when Bill Perry ended his thirteen-year association with club. He was transfer-listed the previous summer, and Southport came in for his services. During pre-season, Blackpool were invited to partake in the international Costa del Sol tournament at the Estadio La Rosaleda in Málaga. Along with the hosts, Málaga CF, AS Monaco and Real Madrid, they made up the four-team competition. ''The Seasiders'' were defeated 4–1 by Real Madrid, but they beat Monaco in the third/fourth place play-off the following day. Another flirtation with relegation in 1963–64 fed the flames of Ron Suart's critics, and attendances dropped accordingly. Ball was the top scorer with thirteen goals. There was little improvement in 1964–65, with a finishing position of seventeenth. There was a mid-season period where the team went fifteen games without victory, including eight consecutive defeats, which equalled the club record set in 1898–99. Charnley returned to the top of the goalscoring charts, with 21 strikes, but already the bigger clubs were keeping a very close eye on Alan Ball.〔Calley, Roy (1992). ''Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992'', p.39〕 Newcomers included Ian Moir and Jimmy Robson, but Roy Gratrix left the club after eleven years of service, and goalkeeper Gordon West joined Everton. Blackpool's debut on ''Match of the Day'' occurred with their visit to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on 21 November 1964. The match finished 3-3, with the visitors' Alan Ball netting a hat-trick.〔 In May and June 1965, Blackpool and Sheffield United were invited to tour New Zealand as a pre-season warm-up. As a result of an unsuccessful tour by the New Zealand national team the previous year, it was decided not to have any local sides involved in the tour. Consequently, the only matches played were between the two visiting clubs. Sheffield United won the ten-game series 6–4.〔(Blackpool FC v Sheffield United B.O.A.C. Trophy Series (in New Zealand) 1965 - RSSSF.com )〕 At the end of the 1965–66 season and after England's victory in the 1966 World Cup Final, during which he played, Alan Ball was sold to Everton for £112,000,〔 Blackpool's record transfer fee receipt at that point, and so started a trend that would become increasingly familiar. Prior to his departure, Ball, along with Jimmy Armfield, was honoured by Blackpool's mayor councillor, Robert Brierley, JP, in a civic reception at Town Hall. Armfield stated: "It is a great privilege to be so honoured by the town and something I have hitherto only dreamed of. As far as the World Cup is concerned, it was a disappointment to me that I didn't get a game. But Blackpool Football Club's colours were kept flying for both of us by Alan, particularly in the Final."〔 New names Hugh Fisher, Ronnie Brown, goalkeeper and local boy Alan Taylor, and – for the final game of the season – Emlyn Hughes all made their debuts. Hughes, however, only made 33 appearances for Blackpool before Liverpool manager Bill Shankly bought him for £65,000.〔 Ray Charnley and Alan Ball shared the goalscoring spoils, with sixteen in the League apiece, although Charnley edged the overall accolade with nineteen strikes in all competitions. The team finished thirteenth in the League, but exited the FA Cup at the first hurdle and the League Cup at the second. After so many near escapes over the years, Blackpool were finally relegated to Division Two at the end of the 1966–67 campaign after picking up only seven points (including one victory) at Bloomfield Road. On the road, however, Blackpool managed to beat both Liverpool and Everton, who went on to finish fifth and sixth, respectively. They also returned from a New Year's Eve trip to Southampton with both points after a 5–1 victory, including a hat-trick by Ray Charnley. This was all achieved with the help of two new forwards: Alan Skirton from Arsenal and Alan Suddick from Newcastle United for a Blackpool then-club-record outlay of £63,000.〔Calley, Roy (1992). ''Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992'', p.40〕 In February 1967, Ron Suart, who had been under pressure for several seasons, was finally forced to resign after nine years in the hotseat. He was replaced by one of the club's most popular figures, Stan Mortensen. ''Morty'' immediately began to dismantle the team, and was not afraid of making unpopular decisions, as evidenced by the sale of Ray Charnley to Preston North End after a heavy home defeat to Millwall. He brought in Gerry Ingram, a tall centre-forward, from Hull City; Tom White from Crystal Palace; the tricky Tommy Hutchison from Alloa Athletic; and the discovery of them all,〔 Tony Green from Albion Rovers, who went on to fill the gap left by Alan Ball's departure twelve months earlier. Blackpool spent the 1967–68 season challenging hard for promotion, and after six consecutive victories they went into the final game, at Huddersfield Town, knowing that two points would likely secure a return to the First Division. They ''did'' win, 6–3, but after the premature celebrations had died down, there came the news that their nearest rivals, Queens Park Rangers, had won at Villa Park by virtue of a last-minute own-goal. Q.P.R.'s 0.21 better goal-difference meant they were promoted alongside champions Ipswich Town. For the following season, Stan Mortensen continued his rebuilding scheme in preparation for another push at promotion. Leslie Lea was sold to Cardiff City, Ian Moir to Chester City, Gerry Ingram to Preston North End, Graham Oates to Grimsby Town, and Alan Skirton to Bristol City. In addition to leaving room for new blood, the sales helped the rather shaky financial situation, something which had now become commonplace at Bloomfield Road.〔Calley, Roy (1992). ''Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992'', p.41〕 Bill Bentley was signed from Stoke City, and he took over the left-back position, while Terry Alcock, signed one year earlier from Port Vale, had now broken into the first team. After the previous season's finish, eighth this time around was looked upon as a disappointment amongst the fans.〔 The board, perhaps panicked into action by a lack of immediate success and disturbed by rumours of player indiscipline, sacked Mortensen. Their decision was met with a mixture of shock and anger by the Blackpool faithful, as Mortensen was as popular a manager as he was a player.〔 Former ''Seasiders'' skipper Harry Johnston stepped in for the few remaining games of the campaign. Les Shannon was appointed as Mortensen's successor on 1 May 1969, and the Liverpudlian succeeded in taking the club back to the First Division in his first season. Shannon brought in players such as Mickey Burns, who had cost nothing from Skelmersdale United, Dave Hatton and the veteran Fred Pickering, with Harry Thomson becoming the latest in Blackpool's line of Scottish goalkeepers. Promotion was gained on an emotional night at Preston North End's Deepdale stadium in the West Lancashire derby, when a Fred Pickering hat-trick gave Blackpool a 3–0 victory.〔("Caught in Time: Blackpool win promotion to the First Division, 1970" – TimesOnline )〕 The capacity 34,000 attendance included some 20,000 Blackpool fans who had made that short trip,〔Calley, Roy (1992). ''Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992'', p.42〕 and their joy was enhanced by the fact that the result had placed their arch-rivals in even deeper trouble at the foot of the table; indeed, Preston were relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history not long afterwards. The 1970–71 season was simply disastrous for Blackpool.〔 The same team that had achieved success the previous season found life in Division One remarkably difficult. Only four victories were achieved, and at the end of the season they were relegated, along with Lancashire neighbours Burnley, whence they came. Even the return of Tony Green after a long injury lay-off failed to inspire the team. The fact that 28 players were used illustrates that there was no consistency to Shannon's starting-eleven selections. On 24 October 1970, in a 4–3 home defeat by Chelsea, Blackpool had led 3–0 at half-time. Shannon made the inexplicable decision to substitute the most effective man on the pitch, Fred Pickering.〔 Shannon had little option but to resign from his brief-but-eventful career at Bloomfield Road.〔 Shannon was replaced temporarily by Jimmy Meadows in a caretaker-manager capacity. In December 1970, the board appointed Bob Stokoe, a man who the club had tried to lure away from Carlisle United a year earlier,〔 as the new full-time manager. Stokoe's arrival was too late to save the club, and Blackpool would play host to Second Division football once more. During the summer of 1971, Blackpool had a chance to regain some pride when they entered the Anglo-Italian Cup. The competition involved twelve teams – six from England and six from Italy – with the winners from each group meeting in the final. Blackpool finished top of the English group by winning twice, drawing once and losing the other, and scored far more goals than any other team in their four qualifying matches.〔Calley, Roy (1992). ''Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992'', p.43〕 The final, against Bologna at their Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, was played in front of 40,000 fans who saw Blackpool win 2–1 after extra time. The victory gave the club a morale-boost for the forthcoming League season, and the next day thousands of ecstatic Blackpool fans lined the promenade and gathered outside the town hall to welcome them home.〔 For the 1971–72 season, Bob Stokoe began player clearout, with a view to trimming a large playing staff. Amongst those leaving were Fred Pickering, Fred Kemp, Alan Taylor, Graham Rowe and Jimmy Armfield. The latter had retired from playing after the final game of the previous season, against Manchester United at Bloomfield Road, after giving seventeen years of service to the club. His 569 Football League appearances for the club remains a record. New faces included goalkeepers John "Budgie" Burridge and George Wood, Chris Simpkin and Dave Lennard, and finally Keith Dyson. Dyson came in a part-exchange deal that took Tony Green to Tyneside and boosted Blackpool's finances to the tune of ₤150,000.〔 On the field, a sixth-placed finish was achieved, and there was a run to the quarter-finals of the League Cup, where Blackpool were beaten by eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur. In the summer of 1972, Blackpool attempted to defend their hold on the Anglo-Italian Cup, and they made it to the final once again. En route they won all of their group matches, including a 10–0 home victory over Lanerossi Vicenza, which remains their record victory. In the final, however, they met far stiffer competition in the form of A.S. Roma and were soundly beaten 3–1 in front of 70,000 fans at the Stadio Olimpico. In the 1972–73 season, seventh place was achieved, as well as another appearance in the League Cup quarter-finals, in which a late goal in the replay gave Wolves victory. The season's main transfer dealing involved Tommy Hutchison, who left for Coventry City, with Billy Rafferty going in the opposite direction. The biggest change, however, came in the manager's office when Bob Stokoe left in November for Sunderland in his native North-East. Harry Potts, who was chased by Blackpool as a player in the 1950s, was appointed as manager in the new year. In Potts' first season, 1973–74, Blackpool finished fifth. If they had won at Stokoe's Sunderland on the final day of the season, they would have edged out Carlisle United on goal-difference for promotion. As it was, Carlisle won and Blackpool lost 2–1. The squad had been strengthened with the additions of veteran Wyn Davies, future prolific scorer Mickey Walsh, and promising defender Paul Hart. At the end of the 1973–74 campaign, in May, Blackpool travelled to Casale Monferrato in northern Italy to partake in the "Caligaris" International Tournament, an under-21 knockout tournament named after local legend Umberto Caligaris.〔("The Forgotten Italian Job of 1974" ) - Blackpool-mad.co.uk〕 Tour manager Eddie Quigley and coach Ray Pointer, along with athletics coach Jack Chapman, were in charge of the seventeen young Blackpool players who made the trip. The tournament was structured along the lines of the World Cup Finals, with each team appearing in a group of four. Blackpool's opening game in the tournament was a goalless draw with Napoli. This was followed by a 2–0 victory over Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia and a 5–0 win against A.C. Milan. Had Milan beaten ''the Seasiders'', they would have topped their group, with Blackpool not even finishing in second place.〔 Blackpool faced Lanerossi Vicenza once more in the semi-finals. The score was tied 1–1 at the end of normal time. To penalties it went, and the English side won 4–3. '' Napoli were Blackpool's opponents in the final. A double from Stuart Parker and one from David Tong gave ''the Tangerines'' a 3–1 victory. Blackpool had become the first English club to win the tournament.〔 Over the next two seasons, Blackpool goals were scarce, with only 38 and 40 scored, respectively. Final positions of seventh and twelfth were also frowned upon by the board, and Potts left Bloomfield Road in May 1976. Although there had been little ''on-field'' success, Potts had succeeded in the transfer market, buying frugally but effectively and selling star players for large profits. Mickey Burns went to Newcastle United for ₤175,000,〔Calley, Roy (1992). ''Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992'', p.44〕 and goalkeeper John Burridge also left for Aston Villa for a large fee. Allan Brown, another former Blackpool player, returned to manage the club for the 1976–77 season. He immediately made some shrewd signings, notably that of Bob Hatton, who teamed up with Mickey Walsh for an effective strike partnership. Also joining was Iain Hesford, another goalkeeper who would go on to make his name at Bloomfield Road. Blackpool finished fifth in Brown's first season – indeed if they had obtained two more points, they would have pipped Nottingham Forest for promotion to Division One. The team also seemed to have rediscovered their goalscoring touch, with Walsh netting 28 goals overall. The 1977–78 season, however, proved to be one that the club would prefer to forget. From what seemed like a safe mid-table position in March, Blackpool won only one of their final sixteen games and were relegated to Division Three, by one point, for the first time in their 91-year history. Brown had been sacked in February, with the club in ninth place and having scored ten goals in their previous two home games, and it was left to Jimmy Meadows once more to pick up the pieces for the remaining three months of the campaign. The reasons for Brown's departure were never fully disclosed,〔 but it started a downward spiral that continued for many years; indeed, Blackpool went on to spend the next 29 years in the lower two divisions of the Football League. The 1978 close season brought death of 29-year-old player Alan Groves from a heart attack.〔()〕 It was also at this time that several players left Bloomfield Road in their droves, including Mickey Walsh and Bob Hatton, who had scored 36 goals between them the previous season. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of Blackpool F.C. (1962–present)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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