Jose Riga's future at Blackpool shrouded in doubt

Jose Riga's future at Blackpool continues to be up in the air, with the recent departure of his right-hand man, assistant boss Bart De Roover, only adding fuel to the fire that he is set to leave Bloomfield Road. Ever since his surprise appointment back in June Riga has been constantly linked with the exit door, and the latest set-back could prove to be the final straw for the Belgian, whose seaside strugglers have lost six successive games since the dawn of the 2014/15 season.

The negativity surrounding the club is almost unbearable, with Seasiders supporters infuriated with the immensely unpopular Tangerines chairman Karl Oyston, who is under an avalanche of pressure. Oyston has been remarkably stingy in terms of investing in new players, to the extent that at one point during the summer Riga had only eight players (no goalkeepers) at his disposal, a dire and frankly embarrassing situation which forced the club to cancel their pre-season tour of Spain.

The Tangerines have, perhaps unsurprisingly, endured their worst ever start to a season, having suffered five defeats in their opening five Championship fixtures, which leaves the confidence depleted side rooted to the bottom of the table without so much of a point to their name. Back in early August they were also dumped out of the Capital One Cup by League Two side Shrewsbury.

Deadline Day was supposed to bring a new lease of life to the club in the form of new recruits, however it couldn’t have been more futile and depressing, with the sorry Seasiders failing to lure in a single player. As things currently stand the future is bleak, and it is now surely a matter of when, not if, Riga departs.