Riga: Managing Blackpool was 'quite impossible'

The Belgian’s tenure at Bloomfield Road was blighted with constant rows with his chairman and their relationship soured before he was eventually sacked in October 2014.

Riga won just one of his 15 games in charge after starting the 2013/14 season with just 13 players on the opening day.

He left Blackpool bottom of the Championship on six points from a possible 42.

Lee Clark replaced Riga but was unable to keep Blackpool in the division, as they finished bottom of the table on just 26 points.

Riga inherited a side that had released 17 players during the off-season, but he had fallen in love with English football and didn’t hesitate to take on the mammoth task.

"I accepted the challenge because I loved English football, but it wasn’t possible to do what I wanted to do there,” he said in an interview with Planet Football.

"I was told it was a very difficult club but what I would do there would be a hundred times more valuable than what I could in another club.

“From the beginning it was really difficult.

“I came with my ideas, but if you want to put them into play you need the players. It became immediately a difficult relationship with the chairman.

“I explained we had to find the right balance between money and players. We weren’t Man City or Man Utd. I tried very hard, but it was quite impossible.

“It’s a pity because the fans were good and the players were good.

“I liked the atmosphere during the game because it was a small stadium and the supporters could push the team.

“It was difficult to leave and let the fans down, they were really amazing, but day-by-day it became more difficult."

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