Blackpool's Bob Malcolm Sent off for Striking Player Stephen Dobbie

Blackpool's 1-0 English League Championship loss to Burnley on Friday continued a nightmarish season for the Seasiders, but the biggest embarrassment occurred on the sidelines rather than the pitch. 

According to Nick Howson of International Business Times, Blackpool assistant manager Bob Malcolm was sent off after mixing it up with forward Stephen Dobbie:

As seen in this Vine courtesy of Neil Burgess, Malcolm appeared to slap his player in the face when he was confronted:

Blackpool have struggled all season long as they sit in 21st place in the standings with just 42 points. Dobbie has been one of their better players, but apparently he hasn't endeared himself to Malcolm.

It will certainly be interesting to hear the explanation behind the incident, but it could have very well been a case of months of frustration boiling over.

Whether Malcolm has a problem with Dobbie specifically or he was simply upset over Blackpool's misfortune is up for interpretation.

Blackpool fired manager Paul Ince in January, so this has been a tumultuous campaign to say the least.

Barry Ferguson has since taken over, and while he will likely be charged with cleaning up this mess for now, he may not be around for the 2014-15 season due to the fact that he is simply the interim manager.

Based upon how poorly the squad has performed all season long, it is difficult to imagine Ferguson or Malcolm sticking around for much longer. It is possible that Malcolm was already well aware of his fate, and maybe that is why he didn't hold back in the face of Dobbie.

Whatever the case, both Malcolm and Dobbie should have acted more professionally. If Blackpool weren't already the laughing stock of the league, it's fairly safe to assume they are now.

There are three games remaining in the season for Blackpool to avoid relegation to League One, but they are a team divided and will undoubtedly have a difficult time doing so.

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