Kenny Dougall, in this January transfer window, has completed a move to Thai League One club Buriram United for an undisclosed fee.
Dougall has enjoyed a fruitful spell at Blackpool, guiding the club to a successful promotion campaign in League One, scoring both goals in the playoff final, whilst also helping the club secure survival in their first season back in The Championship.
Despite impressing early in his Blackpool career, Dougall’s game time has been cut short recently, with the arrivals of Norburn and Albie Morgan edging him out of the squad.
The defensive midfielder will be sorely missed by the Blackpool faithful, and he will live long in the memory of the fans. We take a look back at his career at Blackpool, and how this will impact Blackpool’s current squad.
Early Days
Dougall joined Blackpool on transfer deadline day, on October 16th 2020, with the club sitting in 22nd, following four defeats in their first five games.
Dougall had to wait for his first appearance however, as he was not included in the games against Crewe, Charlton, MK Dons or AFC Wimbledon.
After watching The Seasiders struggle from the sidelines, and following Ethan Robson’s dismissal in the game against AFC Wimbledon, Dougall finally got the nod to start in Blackpool’s next away game against Burton Albion.
Dougall put in an inspired performance as Blackpool came out 2-1 victors, following two Jerry Yates goals, either side of a Grétarsson own goal.
He then started the next two fixtures, at home against Wigan, and away against Peterborough, where he oversaw another two wins.
After three appearances and three wins, it was hard to find any reason to drop Dougall from there on out, as the Australian cemented his place in the starting 11 for the rest of the season.
Very rarely did Dougall miss any games either. That season, despite him getting his first appearance in October, he managed 37 games, averaging 87 minutes per appearance, racking up over 3000 minutes of game time in those games.
Something Missing
As the season continued, it was clear that there was one thing missing from Dougall’s game. His passing ability was second to none, he never shied away from a tackle, and he loved to control the game in the middle of the park.
But the one thing Dougall could not seem to do was have a hand in goals, whether that be through goals or assists.
Whilst a defensive midfielder would not be expected to have a hand in many goals throughout the season, Dougall did, on occasion, get forward.
Over the course of the whole season, Dougall only managed three goals and two assists.
It was something that Blackpool were lacking throughout the entire season, a goal-scoring, or creative midfielder, so it is unfair to pin any blame entirely on Dougall.
He did come up with the goods when it mattered the most, however. After orchestrating a fine finish to the season, which saw Blackpool finish third, they dominated in the first leg of the playoffs against Oxford, earning themselves a 3-0 lead on aggregate, with a home game to come.
In the home fixture, Matty Taylor gave the away side some hope, finding the back of the net after seven minutes, with Elliot Embleton equalising just a few moments later.
Two minutes after Embleton made it 1-1 on the night, Blackpool sent a corner in, deep towards the back post, which Arsenal loanee Dan Ballard headed back across goal, where Kenny Dougall acrobatically volleyed it into the back of the net, giving Blackpool the lead.
The game ended 3-3 on the night, as Blackpool progressed to the playoff final 6-3 on aggregate, but Dougall’s goal helped Blackpool settle into the game after a nervy start.
Dougall did not stop there, however, as he wanted to write himself into Blackpool folklore, and he certainly did.
A terrible start against Lincoln at Wembley in the final saw Ollie Turton put the ball into his own net within the first 60 seconds of the game, which is the quickest goal ever scored in a League One playoff final.
Despite the early setback, Blackpool put on a brilliant display, restricting Lincoln to no shots on target throughout the 90 minutes, whilst creating seven of their own.
Just after the half-hour mark, Jerry Yates won the ball back higher up into the Lincoln half, and after some good linkup play between Embleton and Yates, the former laid the ball off to Dougall, who arrowed one into the bottom left corner, levelling the scores.
After a strong first-half showing, Blackpool continued this into the second half and it did not take them long to get themselves ahead.
A ball into the box was brilliantly controlled by Jerry Yates, who laid Dougall off again just outside of the area and rifled one into the bottom left corner of the net again.
It was almost a carbon copy finish of his first goal earlier in the game, but it gave Blackpool the lead, and ultimately, earned them promotion to The Championship.
It was such a fine performance from Dougall, that the Blackpool owner, Simon Sadler, named his dog Kenny.
Making The Step Up, Then Stepping Down
It was always going to be a big ask for Blackpool to stay in The Championship. The majority of the teams in the league could spend 10 times more than what Blackpool could.
They needed strong performances week in week out from key players, and Dougall was certainly one that stood up and took charge on multiple occasions.
Whilst Blackpool brought players in, in both transfer windows, Dougall remained a core part of the team.
Throughout the two seasons Blackpool spent back in The Championship, Dougall featured in 76 games, taking part in some memorable wins against Preston, Fulham and Sheffield United.
His goal-scoring feats did not last after he visited Wembley however, as he only scored four goals in those 76 games, throughout two seasons.
Whilst he was not scoring, he was, attempting, to be an anchor for Blackpool. Protecting the back line, and trying to control and manipulate the game against higher opposition.
He was one of the standout performers in Blackpool’s first season and then started to lose his place over young Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino in the second season.
Despite Blackpool’s relegation, Dougall decided to stay with the club, but Blackpool invested heavily into their midfield this time around, bringing in long-term target Ollie Norburn, and Albie Morgan from Charlton.
The pair have featured more heavily this season, and whilst Dougall has impressed with his performances in League One, he could not quite keep hold of a place in the starting 11.
With his game time becoming limited, King Kenny ended his time on the seaside, with a move to Buriram United on the cards.
Will Blackpool Cope Without Him?
As mentioned, Blackpool have heavily invested in their midfield this season, with Ollie Norburn and Albie Morgan being the main men in midfield.
Even outside of this, Blackpool are well stocked in the midfield department, with Sonny Carey being rotated in and out of the squad, with Matty Virtue sharing a similar role.
Even Callum Connolly could fill one of the midfield roles, despite Critchley preferring to play him on the right side of the back three.
The quality Dougall brought to the squad will be sorely missed. There is nobody in the Blackpool squad, currently, that is quite like him.
Norburn loves to control the game, but Dougall was more protective over the back line.
Blackpool are seemingly in the market for a new midfielder, however, with Sheffield Wednesday man George Byers being recently linked with The Seasiders, as has Portsmouth target and Carlisle United man Owen Moxen.
Whether Blackpool sign another midfielder or not, they have the numbers in their ranks, and they have the cover available. They will feel more comfortable with someone else at the club, but only time will tell.
It is a sad time to see any football player leave a club, let alone a fan favourite, or a player who single-handedly won the playoff final.
But it was time for Dougall’s time on the seaside to end. He was slowly being pushed out of the team, being replaced by midfielders that Critchley preferred, and that suit his system better.
No matter what happens to Dougall from here on out, he will always be remembered at Bloomfield Road for his contributions over the years, and he has certainly earned a place in Blackpool history. Good luck Kenny!