Harvey Clare reports on more managerial upheaval at Charlton.
Charlton have confirmed the appointment of José Riga as head coach on an 18-month contract. The announcement came just 24 hours after the dismissal of Karel Fraeye.
In his second spell with the club Riga got off to a very poor start. The Addicks suffered a humiliating 6-0 loss away to Hull City.
The Belgium born Riga returns to the Addicks following a successful spell in 2013 where he helped steer the club away from relegation, finishing 18th place.
During this time, he oversaw 16 matches and was able to pick up 24 points along the way. Riga left the club in 2014 when his contract was not renewed.
Charlton are currently 23rd in the Championship table, three points better off than bottom-placed Bolton and the South Londoners are on an 11-game run without a win in all competitions.
When the re-appointment of Riga was made, Charlton owner Roland Duchâtelet said on the club’s website: “This has been a disappointing season for everyone connected with Charlton and the board take responsibility for that. Some things, like an unprecedented number of injuries, we could not have foreseen. But we have also made errors in recruitment, mistakes we have immediately tried to address in January”.
‘Popular’
“It was also crucial we dealt with the position of the Head Coach. José did an excellent job in his short period with Charlton two seasons ago. He was very popular with supporters and I believe that he will get us back on track. There are 20 matches of the season still to play and it’s vital that we battle for every point.”
After leaving Charlton in the summer of 2014, José Riga had short spells at Blackpool, French Ligue 2 side Football Club de Metz and Belgium’s Standard Liège where he helped guide the club into the Europa league last 16.
Charlton’s next game is at home to Blackburn on Saturday where a win would help the side climb the table and could shorten the gap to safety to one point.