Jose Riga: 'My players did well under the circumstances'

Blackpool manager Jose Riga has praised the attitude of his players following their 2-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest.

The Tangerines had just two men remaining from the side that ended last season's Championship campaign, while matters were made worse when seven players missed out on today's squad due to injuries and paperwork issues.

"Commitment, behaviour, team spirit, some of the players have only known each other for a few days. Even at the end physically and mentally is quite difficult. They did well," Riga told Sky Sports News. "I cannot feel happy because we got no points.

"My ambition is to build a competitive team. If I'm here of course we want a better future with more players, better players. My only focus is Blackpool, to get some players, to be consistent, efficient, to give to fans what they deserve. I cannot do a good job if I have something else in my mind.

"The news this morning was that we have only nine players. I was expecting to have more players than today. I try to do my job as manager and not solve administrative issues. For sure I cannot stay in this kind of situation a long time."

Blackpool turn their attention to the Capital One Cup next and a visit to Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday night.