Championship: Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston explains Jose Riga sacking
Tuesday 28 October 2014 15:15, UK
Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston has expanded on his decision to sack Jose Riga, claiming the Belgian was simply not suited to the situation at Bloomfield Road.
Riga was finally axed on Monday night after a tumultuous 15-game stint at the helm, during which time he won just one game, leaving the Seasiders at the foot of the Sky Bet Championship table.
The writing had been on the wall for Riga even back in the summer when he and Oyston appeared at loggerheads over player recruitment, and there appeared to be no way back when then-Burton boss Gary Rowett was offered the job in September.
Riga somehow survived that ludicrous series of events, though, and his side rallied to record their first victory in six months over Cardiff prior to the last international break, with Oyston even expressing his commitment to keeping the Belgian in the post.
Yet a surge up the table never occurred and with Riga constantly bemoaning the lack of additions to his squad, Oyston eventually pulled the trigger after Saturday's loss to Reading.
"I'm not really happy to comment on the reasons it didn't work out with Jose, we've done that to death in the past," Oyston told the Blackpool Gazette.
"What I will say is every player brought to the club was the manager's choice, which he had the opportunity to look at ahead of bringing them in.
"I'm sure Jose will reappear somewhere in football in the future and I'm sure in the right structure he may flourish.
"I don't think our club was the right structure for him, I think he's used to a different role and we are used to a different type of manager.
"It wasn't a good fit, anything which isn't working, it's better to change."
Oyston expects to have Riga's successor in place in the coming days, with former Birmingham boss Lee Clark the heavily-touted favourite as he looks to make a swift return to management.
Clark would certainly tick plenty of boxes for Oyston, and he added: "Clearly we are looking for someone with plenty of Championship experience and someone with good experience of the English transfer market.
"It's important we find a manager with good contacts in the game as our recruitment hasn't been as good as it should be.
"We need to make sure there is very little, if any, gap or delay in making an appointment."
