Blackpool FC massively hit the jackpot with £500k star and these 5 others | OneFootball

Blackpools's rise to the top-flight earlier this century came on the back of some shrewd recruitment. Here are 6 of their best signings in that time

Blackpool FC have had highs and lows over the past two decades, with promotion and relegation thrown into the mix in equal measure, but the three years spent under the stewardship of Ian Holloway between 2009 and 2012 were particularly memorable, with the Bristolian making some top signings in that time.

The Tangerines currently reside in League One and have spent much of their recent history at this level and the one above.

That changed briefly during the modern-time halcyon days 15 years ago, as Holloway, who is currently manager of League Two Swindon Town, put together an exciting, attacking unit through shrewd recruitment and a culture of togetherness and identity.

The former QPR boss guided the club to the Premier League in 2010, after just one season on the West Coast, and while their stay in the top flight was short-lived, they generally competed well against English football's elite.

A huge part of that success was down to Holloway's success in the transfer market, and here we take a look at what could be viewed as Blackpool's best six signings of the past 20 years.

Charlie Adam

It's possibly fair to say Scottish midfielder Charlie Adam is Blackpool's best signing in living memory.

Joining from Glasgow giants Rangers for just £500k after a successful initial loan spell, Adam became the go-to man for Holloway at Bloomfield Road, who installed him as captain and relied upon his play-making and goalscoring abilities from the middle of the park.

Adam, who scored in the Championship Play-Off Final success over Cardiff City, was an integral part of the Tangerines side that won promotion in 2010 and almost survived against the odds in the Premier League a year later.

Adam, now manager of League Two Fleetwood Town, made 98 appearances for Blackpool in total, scoring 34 goals and providing 22 assists, before making the club a huge profit as he joined Liverpool for a reported £8.5m in 2011

DJ Campbell

Well-travelled striker DJ Campbell is another signing from the Holloway era that really paid dividends for the Tangerines, with the attacker playing a big role in their rise to the Premier League.

Spending two separate loan spells at Bloomfield Road, with a similar temporary stay at Derby County sandwiched in between, Campbell helped his side to play-off glory against Cardiff City, before going on to be a real nuisance for top-flight defenders the following campaign after joining on a permanent basis in 2010.

All told, the pacy poacher scored 33 goals in 69 Blackpool appearances, before moving on to QPR in 2011.

Ian Evatt

Centre-back Ian Evatt became a modern-day Blackpool legend following his seven-year stay at Bloomfield Road, which coincided with the club's most successful period in living memory.

Initially joining on loan from QPR in 2006, Evatt impressed enough for the move to be made permanent in January 2007.

By the end of that campaign, the battling defender had helped his teammates win promotion to the Championship via a play-off victory over Yeovil Town.

Quickly consolidating their position in the second-tier, Evatt was a vital part of a defence comfortable in possession, one which Holloway built the foundations on upon his arrival in 2009.

The defender was a key part of the promotion-winning side a year later and acquitted himself well at the highest level.

Ultimately, playing 254 times for the club between 2006 and 2013 before making a return to Chesterfield, Evatt is without doubt one of Blackpool's best signings this century.

Brett Ormerod

Wily forward Brett Ormerod had two successful spells with Blackpool, the first coming towards the start of his career in 1997 and the second as part of Holloway's Premier League promotion winners.

After starting out at Accrington Stanley as a youngster, Ormerod's initial stint at Bloomfield Road was followed up by moves to the likes of Southampton, Preston North End, and Nottingham Forest, before he returned to the Tangerines as a 32-year-old free transfer in 2009.

The veteran initially helped Blackpool survive in the Championship, before becoming a reliable, versatile member of Holloway's swashbuckling side that reached the Premier League.

Ormerod was an intelligent, hardworking player, who popped up with vital goals, such as the winner in the 2010 Play-Off Final victory over Cardiff City.

Gary Taylor-Fletcher

Burly forward Gary Taylor Fletcher had a somewhat nomadic, though at times very successful, career in the game before finally retiring in 2109.

Three clubs with which he really excelled were Lincoln City, Huddersfield Town, and Blackpool, who signed the 26-year-old from the Terriers for just £70k following their promotion to the Championship in 2007.

Taylor-Fletcher was, perhaps, different from many wide forwards in stature, with the barrel-chested Widnes-born attacker standing around six feet tall with a bustling, rather than technical, approach.

That unique style was hugely successful, however, as Taylor-Fletcher's physicality helped create a great blend that saw him and his teammates reach the unthinkable heights of top-flight football.

The forward, who eventually departed for Leicester City in 2013, made 234 appearances in total for the Tangerines, both scoring and assisting 37 times in the process, and given the modest fee paid for his services, will be remembered as a very shrewd acquisition.

David Vaughan

Former Welsh international David Vaughan had a very solid, lengthy career in the EFL with the likes of Crewe Alexandra, Nottingham Forest, and, perhaps most notably, Blackpool, whom he also reached the top-flight with in 2010.

A calm, assuring presence who was comfortable in possession, Vaughan, who is perhaps best described as a holding midfielder, is one of those players whose work rarely attracted the headlines but was absolutely vital in allowing his more forward-thinking teammates the platform and freedom to perform.

Vaughan, who joined Blackpool in 2008 for around £200k following a brief spell in Spain with Real Sociedad, was responsible for keeping things ticking over, a role he performed superbly as he and the Tangerines achieved a place at English football's top table.

The Welshman, who went on to play for the club 116 times, eventually left Blackpool for Sunderland in 2011, but had done more than enough in those three years at Bloomfield Road to be considered among the Tangerines' best signings of the past 20 years.