Saturday 2 August 2014 18:52, UK
Blackpool defender Tony McMahon concedes the squad’s preparation for the new season has been far from ideal.
The Seasiders have been preparing for the majority of the close-season with just eight players following a clear out at the club in May.
New manager Jose Riga, who helped Charlton Athletic retain their Championship status, finishing two places above Blackpool, has seen his squad bolstered to 13 this week with five new arrivals.
Their fans protested on Saturday ahead of their friendly with Burnley as they watched their team field only 12 players with no recognised goalkeeper. They lost 1-0.
But the club will have to strengthen further for the start of the new campaign, which sees Blackpool kick off against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground next Saturday.
The manager asked us to report back in July and we’ve done that and we’ve worked hard every day and we just keep getting on with it, and hopefully we do see a few more new faces.
And the their squad is still without a goalkeeper as they prepare for that match.
“Obviously it hasn’t been ideal, but as footballers we can only do our job and that is to play football,” McMahon told Sky Sports News.
“The manager asked us to report back in July and we’ve done that and we’ve worked hard every day and we just keep getting on with it, and hopefully we do see a few more new faces.
“The manager’s got his own ideas of how he wants to play, and like I say, the quicker we get the players in and we all get used to each other and the manager cements how he wants to play then the sooner the better.
“We’ve got a small squad, to say the least, but we’re all together and once you keep adding to it one thing we will be is together, so then we can just move on.
“We brought five players in last week so hopefully we can bring a few more in before the start. We need players and everyone knows that, but everyone is talking about Blackpool for the wrong reasons at the minute but we’ll all stick together, we’re behind the manager we’ll be ready hopefully at the start of the season.
“We can surprise a lot of people this year. Obviously the way the manager wants to play, and everyone knows he done a really good job at Charlton, so if he can get his style across and get his players in then hopefully we can do well.”
