Oyston admits transfer policy was wrong

Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston had admitted the club got their transfer policy wrong last summer.

In an interview with the official site, Oyston said manager Ian Holloway was looking at 'five or six' new faces capable of immediately impacting the squad. That comes as a stark contrast to the scatter gun approach taken following relegation from the Premier League.

The signings of Bojan Djordjic, Matt Hill, Paul Bignot, Craig Sutherland, Gerardo Bruna and Miguel Llera mustered just six league starts between them after being signed at low cost by the Seasiders. Oyston stated that this would not be the case this time around as Pool battle for promotion.

'We both think that we need five or six that will affect the squad, rather than some of the ones that we took last summer that probably didn't affect the squad at all. I see little point in bringing in anymore that fit that category,' Oyston said.

'It's a case of making sure that we get one or two of the players that we're really after and that we really need in certain positions. There are two or three players that Ian is particularly keen on so we'll see where we get.'

One of those players could be recently released Nottingham Forest winger Paul Anderson. Holloway has tried to land the former Liverpool man before. Contrary to popular believe, it is an area of the squad that perhaps needs bolstering, and those who are wary of Anderson's record at the City Ground should note that he has been deployed in a more defensive role than when he came to prominence on loan at Swansea City.

It should also be acknowledged that the previous way of dealing with transfers can bear fruit. Bob Harris, signed on a free transfer from Queen of the South, has provided stiff competition for Stephen Crainey in the left-back berth and has seen his stock rise significantly since the turn of the year.

Crucially, it doesn't look as if the chairman's stance on wages will need an overhaul, as he claimed: 'From what I've seen so far players are very keen to sign longer-term deals at lower rates, which shows that some players and advisors realise the situation.'

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