Blackpool captain Norburn has alternate view on "difficult" international break
While players from the Premier League and the Championship often jet off for international duty without a care in the world, it's usually a different scenario the players below the second tier.
Just four fixtures will go ahead in League One this weekend with the vast majority postponed in the wake of international call-ups, but Ollie Norburn will be one of the few players taking to the field on Saturday afternoon.
The Blackpool captain, 30, represents Grenada through his paternal grandfather but turned down an international date with Jamaica to lead the Tangerines against fourth-placed Stevenage at Bloomfield Road.
And he feels that international breaks often put players below Championship level in an awkward position. When he's asked by Mirror Football if the EFL should consider extending the international break to clubs in Leagues One and Two, Norburn replies: "It's a funny one, especially with only four games going ahead. I think it puts a lot of players in difficult positions.
"From a biased situation, I could have gone and played international football this weekend, but I put my club first. When it became clear our game wasn't going to be off, I made the decision to stay here.
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"I've always made it clear to Grenada that I want to represent them whenever I can, but playing for Blackpool will always come first. It's my bread and butter and I've made it clear I won't miss games here.
"In situations like that it's difficult because going away with your international team could have a negative effect; you could lose your place in the team after missing a game when you actually come back.
"I think it should become a mandatory thing that all games don't go ahead given the small numbers, but that's down to someone else to make those decisions."
Norburn joined Blackpool from Peterborough in the summer (PAUL OBRIEN/PPAUK/REX/Shutterstock)Domestically, Norburn is eager to get Blackpool airborne between now and May. Neither he nor the Seasiders harboured aspirations of playing League One football this term. Blackpool dropped out of the Championship last year, while Norburn's former club, Peterborough, failed in their bid to make an instant return to the second tier.
But while neither necessarily wanted to find themselves at this level, both wanted Norburn at Bloomfield Road. Neil Critchley was a big factor in said move: the Blackpool chief previously showed interest in the midfielder during his first stint at the club.
Critchley made the decision to depart the club just months after signing a four-year contract extension to join Steven Gerrard's coaching staff at Aston Villa. Following Gerrard's sacking, Critchley had a brief stint as head coach of Queens Park Rangers. He was relived of his duties after just three months as a result of winning only one game.
A return to Blackpool following their relegation is one of those rare moves which feels shrewd for both parties. And for Norburn, working with Critchley - who blends his meticulous approach with old-school man-management skills - has been worth the wait.
He adds of Critchley: "He's been brilliant. He's very detailed. He likes working on the grass and he's very honest, which I like. He's black and white. I just hope we can have some kind of success to go with it because he leaves no stone unturned tactically in terms of setting up a team.
"If I'm not doing something he'll tell me, which is what I like. I know everyone's different, but that's how I like to work. I do think the game has changed a bit and managers tend to work differently to 10, 12 years ago, but it works for me.
"It's about creating a culture and setting standards. I think in any successful environment, not just football, that's what good managers do. I think that's what's needed, but there are different ways of doing that now. I think when things click - because there's a lot of new faces - we'll hopefully see that work come to fruition."
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The fact that Norburn was swiftly installed as the club's new captain after his arrival speaks volumes as to how highly Critchley rates the midfielder.
Norburn has established himself in that role at previous clubs and exudes authority. But does he operate in the same black and white style as Critchley in his day-to-day role of running the Blackpool dressing room?
"People lead in different ways; some people can lead without communicating and lead with their behaviours and the way they are away in the place, others lead with their voice on the pitch or with how they're playing. I'd like to say I'm vocal and I take on that added responsibility. I enjoy it, managing a changing room day to day."
Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley tried to sign Norburn during his first stint at Bloomfield Road (David Rogers)In a division littered with fallen giants, Blackpool are far from alone in having grand aspirations. While those expectations can drag players down, unsurprisingly, Norburn is relishing the responsibility in his role as figurehead of a club which should be at a higher level.
The Tangerines have made a steady if unspectacular start to life back in League One, where they currently sit four points off the play-off places. A win on Saturday with the majority of teams around them not playing would propel Blackpool up to seventh.
And while Norburn concedes that nobody has been satisfied by the club's start to the season, the ultimate goal has not - and will not - change.
"It's probably been slower than we would have liked. There's been a lot of positives but also stuff to work on. We need to build a consistent run of results together so we can build some momentum. But there's enough ability [in this squad] and we've been showing good signs in games.
Norburn and Peterborough missed out in the League One play-offs last year (Stephen White/CameraSport)"That was the message upon signing - [promotion] is the expectation around the club and it's what the fans expect. That comes with the expectation that we put on ourselves as a group, too. We've got to deal with that pressure and hopefully deliver. It's a long season, there'll be twists and turns and as players we've got to keep level-headed and stick to that end goal.
"I think you'd be silly to not want to get back [to the Championship], it's probably one of the best leagues in the world. You're playing in bigger stadiums with bigger crowds, there's more coverage around it, so it's only positive and beneficial to be at that level. There'd be nothing better than getting back there. That's what we all want.
"I think even if we were right up there at this point, we'd still be wanting to improve; that's the culture the manager has created here and the standards of us as players. Nothing's won in October. It's a marathon not a sprint."
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