The Blackpool manager, Ian Holloway, was reported to be in dispute with his chairman, Karl Oyston, over transfer funds and the Seasiders had been forced to act swiftly to stop the 47-year-old from walking out on the newly promoted Premier League club.
Holloway was reported to have missed training and returned home to Bristol after Blackpool were in danger of missing out on Marlon Harewood, who was offered more money by the League One club Huddersfield, according to the Daily Mail. The club's salary ceiling of £10,000 a week has meant that the Ipswich striker Jon Stead and Rob Hulse of Derby have rejected Blackpool's advances.
Oyston attempted to soothe the waters by calling a press conference at Bloomfield Road for today and expected the former QPR manager to attend. "Ian can be a bit volatile but I am very calm and together we can get along," he was quoted as saying.
Oyston also insisted that the players had now been paid their promotion bonuses. "I don't know if it caused dissent [not being paid] but we didn't get the first chunk of Premier League money until Thursday.
"The players have received it. I'm delighted. Maybe one or two of them thought we'd be handing them a bagful of money as they walked off the pitch after the play-off final. I hope they earn another £5m this year by keeping us in the Premier League."