Jose Riga: Championship strugglers Blackpool sack manager

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Old Master
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Jose Riga: Championship strugglers Blackpool sack manager

Post by Old Master »

Jose Riga: Championship strugglers Blackpool sack manager

Blackpool have sacked manager Jose Riga, with the club bottom of the Championship table on six points.

The Belgian, 57, was appointed in June but has won just one of 15 games in all competitions, with 11 defeats.

"We couldn't leave the decision any longer to give someone else the opportunity to help us work our way out of the position we are currently in," said chairman Karl Oyston.

First-team coach Noel Blake will take charge of training on Tuesday.

The sacking ends a tumultuous spell for Riga, who took over a Seasiders squad that had just six first-team players when he arrived in early pre-season.
Recent Blackpool managers

Jose Riga 11 June 2014 - 27 October 2014

Barry Ferguson 21 January 2014 - 11 June 2014

Paul Ince 18 February 2013 - 21 January 2014

Steve Thompson 12 January 2013 - 18 February 2013

Michael Appleton 7 November 2012 - 12 January 2013

Steve Thompson 3 November 2012 - 7 November 2012

Ian Holloway 21 May 2009 - 3 November 2012

Despite assembling a new-look squad, Riga was unable to establish a settled side and questioned his chairman's commitment to signing new players.

Rumours regarding Riga's future at Bloomfield surrounded the club in recent weeks, with recently appointed Birmingham boss Gary Rowett among those interviewed by Oyston during Riga's reign.

Coincidentally the man Rowett replaced, Lee Clark, has also been suggested as a possible appointment.

Formerly with Charlton, whose Championship status he assured last term, Riga's tenure at Blackpool was overshadowed by a shortage of available players.

Only eight professionals were under contract two weeks before their first league game at Nottingham Forest, and despite signing 12 players in 12 days, they only had nine men eligible on the morning of the game.

The Seasiders eventually managed to name four substitutes for the City Ground trip, which they lost 2-0.

Victory against Cardiff and a draw with promotion chasers Middlesbrough and Wolves were rare highlights in an otherwise difficult campaign, while Saturday's 3-0 defeat by Reading left the club eight points adrift in the relegation places.

As well as their poor league start, Blackpool were also dumped out of the League Cup by League Two side Shrewsbury.

The Lancashire club, who were in the Premier League four seasons ago, are now searching for a fifth manager since Ian Holloway left for Crystal Palace in November 2012.
Also related to this story

Reading 3 - 0 Blackpool 25 Oct 2014 Championship
Riga questions Blackpool recruitment 22 Oct 2014 Blackpool
Football's most impatient chairmen 27 Oct 2014 Football
Blackpool 'had nine players eligible' 09 Aug 2014 Blackpool
Blackpool to decide Riga's future 17 Jul 2014 Blackpool
The club with eight players and no goalkeeper 14 Jul 2014 Championship
Blackpool appoint Riga as manager 11 Jun 2014 Blackpool


You can hardly blame Jose for the position of the club given that the only two players he wanted were signed - the rest were signed by the club's owner/chairman, Karl Oyston and were the only players desperate enough to sign for the lowest wages in the Championship.
They were only signed on one season contracts with a clause stating they could be resigned at the start of pre-season training next season if the club desired.
This was so he wouldn't have to pay them wages during the off-season.
:cry:
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Re: Jose Riga: Championship strugglers Blackpool sack manage

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Lee Clark: Blackpool appoint ex-Birmingham City manager


Blackpool have appointed former Birmingham City boss Lee Clark as their new manager on a one-year rolling deal.

The 42-year-old was sacked by Blues just 10 days ago, and takes over the only side below his old club in the Championship table.

The ex-Huddersfield boss replaces Belgian Jose Riga, who was fired after his four-month spell at the Seasiders.

"The main objective is to try and keep the club in the Championship and build from there," said Clark.

"It is a big challenge because of our position in the league, but it's a challenge that can be overcome.

"I'm very confident with the players I've got here, in what we can do going forward, that we can achieve those goals."
Lee Clark

Lee Clark (far right) celebrates after keeping Birmingham in the Championship on the final day of last season

A former midfielder at Newcastle, Sunderland and Fulham, Clark started his coaching career at Newcastle as first-team coach.

He moved to Norwich with Glenn Roeder to become assistant manager at Carrow Road, but a year later took his first managerial appointment at Huddersfield in November 2008.

Clark was sacked after just over three years with the Terriers, but was back in work four months later when he took over at Birmingham.

He led the Blues to 12th in his first season in charge, before they avoided relegation on the final day last term, but a poor start to this campaign saw him lose his job at St Andrew's.

"We needed someone with experience of the Championship and that's what Lee brings to the club," chairman Karl Oyston told the club website.

"Lee's done remarkably well in a difficult background at Birmingham.

"We needed someone to come in and organise us properly and bring in the structure, approach and positivity that we've been lacking."

Clark's first game in charge will be Saturday's Championship clash with Ipswich.


I can't see Clark doing any better than Riga with the squad Blackpool have, particularly since he couldn't do anything with the much higher quality squad he had at Birmingham.
:( :( :(
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Re: Jose Riga: Championship strugglers Blackpool sack manage

Post by swannsong »

same old names thrown around...time to think outside the square (or rectangle).
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Re: Jose Riga: Championship strugglers Blackpool sack manage

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swannsong wrote:same old names thrown around...time to think outside the square (or rectangle).

That's what the owners claimed they were doing in appointing Riga but then thay went back to their penny pinching ways when it came to recruiting players.

Jose ended up with squad of never were's and never would be's.
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