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What Is Going On With This Football Club? - Notes for Wigan
Friday, 30th Jan 2015 13:44 by HarryFromBath

HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday’s game by delving into their forums.

“Looking at the table is frightening, bloody frightening”, “We need a miracle”, “We are not staring the abyss in the face. We are in the abyss”, “A disgrace with a catalogue of horrendous on and off-field decisions”, “I think I’ll write a book at the end of the season on how not to run a football club.”

“Relegation is a near certainty now.” Wigan have picked up just one win in 13 league games and Rotherham’s 4-2 win over Bolton on Tuesday night opened up an eight-point gap between the Latics and safety. The mood is quite defeatist. “Conor Sammon of all people could send us down.”

The air of instability pervading the club has been heightened by a frenetic January transfer window which has seen eight first-team players depart permanently or on loan.

The six-week ban imposed by the FA on owner Dave Whelan for inappropriate race comments and an ongoing FA investigation into manager Malky Mackay have added to the unstable mood.

“I have been so deflated this season. I simply cannot rationalise how we are in this mess. I can’t see anything to commend Mackay in these past weeks. Nothing”, “People just want respectability. Sinking like a stone without a trace of interest on and off the pitch is a bitter pill to swallow.”

“The remnant of the relegated side has lost interest and recent signings seem bewildered as to how they ended up here”, “We are in dire straits. We are getting relegated. There’s a fire sale on. We can’t attract good quality players to join us. We are sinking. If you can’t see that, you are deluded.”

The Fire Sale

“It’s time to prepare for League One, but I think they are preparing for that already”, “There’s a underlying suspicion that relegation has been accepted and the club are preparing for League One by selling off high wage-earners”, “There has to be a start somewhere.”

First-team regulars Shaun Maloney (to Chicago Fire), Ben Watson (to Watford), Callum McManaman (to West Brom), Adam Forshaw (to Middlesbrough) and Ivan Ramis (to Levante) have all left the club in the last week. Fans are still taking in both the swiftness and scale of these departures.

Additionally Roger Espinoza (to Sporting Kansas City) had left permanently at the beginning of the month, and Oriol Riera (to Deportivo La Coruna) and James Tavernier (to Bristol City) have been released on loan until the end of the season.

“It’s funny how it has worked out that we are losing the Man of the Match from the FA Cup final, the goalscorer and the player who assisted that goal within a few days of each other.” Of that day’s starting XI, only veteran centre-back Emmerson Boyce now remains at the club as a fringe player.

One Latic offered this analysis of the current chaos: “The managerial appointments since Roberto Martinez have been a disaster, as there has been no long-term strategy in terms of how we want to play. Our player recruitment strategy has been all over the place as a result.

“We went from Martinez’s ‘tippy-tappy’ style to Owen Coyle’s ‘direct-physical’ approach. Then we moved to Uwe Rosler’s ‘high-tempo pressure’ game and now Malky’s ‘difficult-to-beat’ philosophy”, “I have yet to see us being ‘difficult to beat’ under Mackay. I’d say we seem more ‘simple to beat’.”

Many Latics accept this inevitable final break-up of their top-flight side, but letting Forshaw go has perplexed them. “His sale signals an end to our ambition to get back into the Premier League in the near future. It also indicates that there is no room for players who are primarily technically gifted.”

Malky Mackay

“The decision to appoint Mackay was awful and we are living and dying by this awful choice. I wish Whelan would swallow his pride. We could feasibly stay up with the right man. With Malky at the helm we’ll be down by February at this rate with horrible fixtures like Ipswich away to come.”

“Mackay has somehow made us even worse since he took us over.” With one win in his first 11 games, the former Cardiff boss “has even been poorer than Chris Hutchings”, “Rip up Malky’s contract before he can do any more damage”.

“He has made a catalogue of bizarre selections, failed to motivate the team or formulate a system that suits our strengths.” A minority are urging patience. “Let him get rid of those players who don't want to fight and bring in players who want to play his way. Then we’ll see how good a coach he is.”

“Mackay is the right man for the job, but most supporters don’t realise what the job is. It is to clear the decks of any high earners, reduce the outgoings and start from scratch trying to build a side ready for use in a couple of years. It’s exactly the job he did at Watford.”

Formation

“Any absolute idiot can see that we should play 4-4-2”, “It’s strange how the move to 4-4-2 has now been made. It was totally puzzling as to why we have played the long punt and missed the midfield so often with only one man up there. You don’t have to be Mourinho to know that plan would fail.”

CarsonPerch (c)BarnettRidgewellTaylorKvistHuwsMcManamanMcCannMcCleanWaghorn

This was the starting XI for last week’s game against Huddersfield. The team have found some balance in recent games playing this system, even if men have been out of position and the quality of some has been questionable. Some think the team will migrate to a more direct style of football in the long term.

Wigan 0 — 1 Huddersfield

“Prepare for League One, for without doubt that is where we will be, come August.” “Sorry to say this, but we’re doomed now.” Wigan were undone by a late Conor Coady goal last Saturday. It was a game in which “Huddersfield had most of the play but we had been holding our own”.

“What worries me is that we are not playing poorly as we did under Coyle, misplacing passes and missing tackles. We are just like characters out of an LS Lowry painting, heads down and shuffling around with no zip or oomph.” The lack of confidence is a recurring theme among supporters.

“Huddersfield were a poor side who were positively underwhelming and yet we never looked like scoring from time to time. A 0-0 draw would have been a fairer reflection, but yet again 0-1 came as no real surprise”, “At times in the first half we were so deep our formation was almost 8-1-1.”

James McClean and Martyn Waghorn were paired up front last week, but midfield support was poor with McManaman out of form and McCann out of position. “The forward play and movement was too slow and obvious. We are crowded out by similar looking bearded defenders whoever we play.”

“We make poor teams look good. We are not unlucky. We don’t look like scoring at any time. We are a very poor team. It’s that simple”, “The way several players collapsed on the ground at the end suggests to me that they don’t believe they can stay up either.”

Wigan 1 — 1 Blackburn

Wigan broke a run of three defeats two weeks ago when a second-half McClean header cancelled out an earlier Corry Evans strike. “We were lethargic in the first half, passing aimlessly and too easy to shove off the ball”, “Too many long balls, wrong choices and inability to do simple things well.”


One positive was the balance given to the team by the return to the midfield of Denmark international William Kvist. “Kvist and Huws must be in the engine room. They steady the ship and protect the back four. Their positional sense and control is what we have been lacking.”

“Don’t read too much into this. The second half was about us chasing the game and Blackburn being as bad as we were”, “We created little against a team of cloggers”, “I worry because Blackburn are an out of form team. If we’re going to stay up, beating such teams is something we need to rely on.”

Birmingham 3 — 1 Wigan

“We held out gallantly for one minute 20 seconds. The first goal showed how feeble we are. There was a misplaced pass to them, a cross and header which went unchallenged from our defence and a static goalkeeper”, “We could have been six goals down before we scored with our only chance.”

Mackay experimented by playing three at the back in Wigan’s last away game, but poor defending and no natural striker saw them pulled apart in the first half by a City side for whom Clayton Donaldson scored a hat-trick. “Our first half was the worst I have seen in person. It was abysmal.”

CarsonPerch (c)RamisRidgewellTaylorKiernanCowieMaloneyMcCannMcCleanForshaw

“Can someone tell Mackay that it’s no good filling the bench with strikers if we don’t have one on the pitch?”, “Thirty minutes gone and no attempts from us”, “To be just one adrift at half-time is some sort of miracle. This is horrendous”, “There are some woeful performances out there.”

A switch to 4-4-2 with the introduction of Waghorn at half-time balanced the side. “Aside from having no striker, the rest of this team was so poor in the first half, like a bunch of pub players thrown together”, “I feel just sick to the stomach of watching us get beaten week after week.”

Defence

“Don’t let the goals against column fool anybody. It doesn’t matter how many the team have had scored against it. The only thing that is relevant is that the defence makes at least one catastrophic error in every game that leads to a goal. The opposition know this.”

“Our defence is prone to suicidal behaviour at times. It was rank awful defending which contributed to the Huddersfield goal”, “Good teams know our defence is a weakness and a goal will come at some stage”, “We have a defence that is constantly out of position.”

Scott Carson

“Scott Carson lacks the personality and presence to direct, berate and boss those in front of him.” The 29-year-old former West Brom keeper “has put us under the cosh more times than not with his kicking”, “He has total rocks for brains when he doesn’t think about where to kick.”

“If he came off his line every now and then we would have another 10 points”, “He is a strong solid keeper who has better positioning than Al Habsi and doesn’t need his athleticism and flair.” Some Latics back him. “He’s strong, solid and good with his hands”, “All in all he has been good this year.”

“Carson is a decent shot-stopper who is absolutely abysmal at commanding his area. My heart is in my mouth every time a cross or corner is whipped in. He appears bolted to the floor and is neither strong nor confident enough to get a glove on the ball when there is someone in the way.”

Former West Brom centre-back Liam Ridgewell is on a six-week loan from his parent club Portland Timbers. The 30-year-old struggled for fitness in his first outing at Birmingham, but has improved in the two subsequent fixtures. “He was our best defender against Huddersfield and did well.”

“Ridgewell is a big lad who is quite mobile”, “He’s an uncompromising left-sided defender with an eye for goal”, “He works hard, clearing well off the line”, “Isn’t that the second match running [last week] where his elbows have been the subject of ‘lucky bastard to be on the field’ headlines?”

Former Watford centre-back Rob Kiernan has not featured since the Birmingham defeat. The 24-year-old “has nothing about him that marks him out as a competent defender”, “He can’t seem to do much right”, “He’s a nervous wreck”, “Kiernan is on the ball — no idea who that was to.”

“Ridgewell doesn’t worry me so much, but Leon Barnett? Christ, he does.” The 29-year-old ex-Canary “is like a rabbit caught in the headlights when the ball is at his feet”, “He continues to struggle against pace”, “Don’t get me started”, “Leon Barnett is always on the edge of an accident.”

Barnett had an eventful game against Blackburn. “His distribution was shocking”, “He played like a pub team centre-back”, “Had one of his strangest games ever, making saving tackles, blocks and interceptions but making a hash of several situations. His passing was poor even by his standards.”

“We have a left-back who cannot tackle”, “Sean Scannell gave Andrew Taylor the sort of afternoon the left-back will have nightmares about”, “He was taken to the cleaners by Scannell, backing off at every opportunity when taken on. He has no pace, can’t pass a ball and gets bullied far too often.”

The 28-year-old former Cardiff man “is a terrible player. I don’t doubt Taylor’s commitment, but he’s dreadful and one of the worst left-backs in the league”, “He gets a nosebleed crossing the halfway line”, “He stands 10 feet away, turns his back and lifts one leg off the ground defending crosses.”

“James Perch was his usual solid self at right-back against the Terriers’ Jacob Butterfield, but he lacked forward momentum”, “It was another solid game from the skipper.” The 29-year-old former Newcastle defender “is a solid player who does what he should do”.

“Perch gives 100%, but he is not big or strong enough to play at centre-back”, “True, but I would rather have him playing there instead of Barnett or Kiernan”, “Although our best right-back, he has been needed in a central role which is far from ideal.”

Central Midfield

“To play one up front, you have to have an active, creative goalscoring midfielder, otherwise you are wasting your time. We don’t have anything close to that, and that has been the problem all season”, “We have a midfield seemingly unable to make a meaningful challenge.”

“We criticise the lack of support for the attack from midfield, yet get rid of Forshaw, Maloney and Espinoza”, “James McArthur, Jordi Gomez and Nick Powell were huge factors in our success. McArthur was the heartbeat of the side and the other two contributed hugely to our goal threat.”

“Playing Chris McCann out on the left flank does not work.” The 27-year-old former Burnley man “got forward but didn’t really support his man out wide against Huddersfield”, “He kept tucking in and didn’t provide width once”, “He offers some pace on the counter but failed to impose himself.”

“Since when has Don Cowie been a forward? Is this manager taking the piss?” Some fans were bemused when the former Cardiff was pushed forward at Birmingham. “He’s not a scorer and doesn’t do anything creative while covering all that ground, but he does have an engine on him.”

“Cowie is a holding player. We need at least one hard-running midfielder to play box-to-box and who won’t shirk a tackle in this league.” The 31-year-old “does run around a lot. It’s a pity it’s nowhere near the ball”, “It’s no good getting up and down the pitch if you can’t do anything in either place.”

“Emyr Huws needs games to grow. I fear he’ll have an average game or two and lose his place to the ‘only getting worse’ Cowie.” The 21-year-old Wales international come on from the bench for the Rovers game. “He was coming back from injury so will need a few games to get up to speed.”

Emyr Huws

“Huws will make central midfield his own”, “He’s a better prospect, but also a better and younger player than Forshaw”, “He continues to be a bit lightweight.” The former Manchester City youth player “is class, young, but class”, “He had a good box-to-box performance against Blackburn.”

William Kvist

“The Kvist absence is just one of many mysteries at the club this season. Quite frankly it’s inexcusable and unacceptable”, “To come back in after such a huge time out of favour and player in the manner he did [against Blackburn] tells me all I need to know about his quality. He’s a fighter.”

The 29-year-old Denmark international and former VfB Stuttgart holding player “is a little beacon of light in a massive sea of gloom. He breaks up so much and distributes the ball so well. He’s a class act who always seems to have so much time on the ball. I am baffled as to why he has been frozen out.”

“It’s amazing to hear him say that Malky only found out recently that he was capable of doing long throws. What was Malky looking at in training?”, “I would make him captain now that he is back hopefully for the rest of the season”, “Why he hasn’t been playing is a complete mystery.”

Wide Midfield

“Bloody wing play? McManaman did two runs all game last week and then looked uninterested and lazy”, “We have nobody on the field who will cross the ball with any dangerous intent”, “Our only glimpse of wing play has been when McClean has been forced back out left.”

James McClean

“James tries his hardest, but will never be a centre-forward. Get him on the wing.” The 25-year-old ex-Sunderland winger “has been playing more of a roaming attacking role rather than as an out-and-out striker. There’s nothing wrong with running from deep positions, as you are harder to pick up.”

“We need to refine the system, but you know defenders won’t want to come up against him with his pace, strength and general anger”, “Who plays on the left, bearing in mind our left-winger is playing up front?” Some Latics feel that solving a problem up front has created a different one out wide.

“Can we have 11 James McCleans?”, “Say what you want about James, but he’s the only one in that side with any heart and passion for the fight at the minute”, “He’s trying like mad”, “You cannot doubt his heart and desire”, “If we had 10 others the same, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Strikers

“We are a totally inept toothless side”, “We were too small up front against Huddersfield. The strikers put in a shift, but their defence was too strong and well-organised”, “Our problem, the same as on so many previous occasions, was our complete inability to pose an attacking threat.”

“We have gone from having a load of attacking options to having very few”, “I’m not sure Waghorn and McClean have enough quality to get us out of the relegation zone although I can’t fault their effort”, “Our forward play almost always results in our being crowded out by defenders.”

“No joke, someone wants Marc Antoine Fortune! Sky Sports are claiming that Charlton and Ipswich are interested. I genuinely couldn’t stop laughing for five minutes.” The 33-year-old former West Brom man “is a poor man’s Kone. He’ll hold the ball up but will never be a 20-goal-a-season striker”.

Marc Antoine Fortune

“No one is better at holding up the ball and bringing other into play than Fortune. Unfortunately, he is woeful as a goalscorer”, “How on earth will we miss a striker who doesn’t score?”, “Successive managers selecting him are precisely why we have become the goalless wonders of this division.”

“Andy Delort had a snapshot while tightly closed down against Rovers. It brought a save and caught the defender by surprise. He has the quick thinking we have missed from a striker. I would like to see him as part of a genuine front two”, “We just don’t play in a way that allows him in the team.”

The 23-year-old former Tours man has appeared from the bench in the last two games. “When Delort came on, he played on the centre-backs shoulder waiting for a pass to latch on to, which is his strength”, “He has looked slow with a poor touch and to most watching is out of his depth.”

“Martyn Waghorn runs his socks off but isn’t a natural striker who will attack crosses.” The 24-year-old former Leicester man “had little chance to influence the Huddersfield game but never stopped trying”, “He’s another who gives his all and makes himself a nuisance but not a prolific goal scorer.”

The Arrivals Hall

A number of players have been linked with a move to the DW Stadium, but only one definite loan signing has materialised at the time of writing. Players linked have included Inverness striker Billy McKay, Leeds men Jason Pearce and Rudi Austin, and Olympiakos left-back Gaetan Bong.

Australia international Chris Herd has joined on loan from Aston Villa until the end of the season. The 25-year-old is a utility player whose primary position is at right-back. “I don’t have a clue why we would be in for him if he is a right-back. Perch is a right-back and should stay as he is.”

Return of the Jeweller

“Time for the Jeweller to sparkle again”, “Paul Jewell is available if we want him. I’d have him back tomorrow”, “He has experience, motivation and Scouse humour. Let’s get him in”, “It would be a massive lift to the club but unfortunately I cannot see it happening.”

“Jewell put together a brilliant team as we moved up the leagues.” A number of fans have been wondering whether the former Ipswich boss could bring back happier times. “He could do a good job even with a reduced budget. We are in desperate times and all avenues need to be considered.”

Latics’ Views on ITFC and the Game

There is complete radio silence on Saturday’s game, save for two lonely Ipswich win predictions (3-0 and 2-0) on one forum. Latics are way more preoccupied with working out who will be in the building come Monday evening to give any thought to our match right now.

I will update the forum on Saturday morning, and link this to my twitter feed if there is any decent Latics analysis of the game. What fleeting comments there have been suggest that many fear the worst.

Websites

The busiest Latics message board is Vital Wigan .Two other forums worth noting are This Northern Soul and The Cockney Latic .


Photo: Action Images



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.



maxharrold added 13:51 - Jan 30
Another great article, Harry. Keep it up!
4

Samuelowen88 added 14:04 - Jan 30
Great read as per.

Do feel sorry for them, the fans that is
1

TheSelkirk added 14:18 - Jan 30
Genuinely look forward to reading these every week Harry - a fundamental part of the pre-match build up now! Thanks.

I do remember reading similar doom and gloom comments on the Brighton fans' forum before our match with them! We need to make sure we play our way and at our best, against Wigan or anyone else, if we want to avoid any more 'surprises / shocks'.



3

BlueandTruesince82 added 14:29 - Jan 30
Thanks Harry, tip top again.

Not sure I'd wish PJ on them, although he did a great job there in his 1st stint.

A word of caution, undoubtedly we should expect to win this, BUT we have reached that time of year where teams realise they are in a dog fight to avoid the drop and that often results in perceived easy games becoming quite difficult.

How many teams in recent seasons have thought it's only Ipswich only to be sent away thinking how the hell did that happen? Teams at the bottom of the division will scrap and fight for every precious point and a siege mentality can kick in

The upcoming run of "easy" games should not be seen as such, especially in this division and we must continue to work for each other, we are currently 1 point of top going into a period where the top teams should be taking points of one another, which in theory plays into our hands. Now is the time to collectively as a fan base get 100% behind team and manager, cheer every kick, completed pass, great tackle save and goal.

I know some people do not buy into Micks philosophy, or the boards for the matter but let us park that until the end of the season and then what ever happens either the pro or anti brigade can gloat.

If its pro then we can all rejoice together, if anti then then we can all mourn together but let us now park the petty crowing, focus on the task in hand, will the team victory, cheer the team to victory, become the 12th man home and away and make sure every team that faces us from now until the end of the season thinks $h*t its Ipswich, I don't fancy that.

Let us make FPR a real fortress and bring opposing teams onto the field with fear in their hearts and trepidation in their eyes. Let's drown out opposition support home and away and tear every set of fans a new one in the vocal stakes.

And if, IF we can all pull together in the same direction from now until the end of the season then I believe we can end the season drowned in glory and drunk on success.

Sir Alf, Sir Bobby, England and St George

COYB!
9

Surco72 added 14:41 - Jan 30
Blueandtrue.... I cannot think of many teams that have got promotion recently that came to Ipswich and went away thinking how did that happen ?
I know we like to say there are no easy games in the championship but home to Wigan is as easy as it gets at present and if we want promotion automatically this is a must win simple as .
Without Murph playing it will be interesting to see us keep the ball down more as I cannot see Sears and Dids winning much in the air , think the two could play very well together though with Bishop in behind
0

carlo88 added 15:15 - Jan 30
They really do seem to have imploded don't they, and I always thought Dave Whelan was one of the better chairman around; perhaps he's just losing interest now. My inlaws are all from Wigan but none of them give a stuff about the club, they're either Man Utd or Bolton fans.
0

BlueandTruesince82 added 15:33 - Jan 30
Surco, agree it is must win game in the context of our season but to say it will be easy is just not that true and is exactly thay kind of compancey we must guard against because that kind of complancency that costs titles and promotions
3

tractorgrl added 20:40 - Jan 30
Another great job Harry, thankyou. Agree with Blueandtrue just get behind everyone at the club and enjoy the moment we've waited for this for a long time. I have a feeling Sir Bobby is looking down and smiling on us this season.If you don't mind me asking Harry was this your idea tostart these blogs, do other forums do them? If they do these type of reviews after you you've started something beautiful.
1

tractorgrl added 20:44 - Jan 30
P.s does anyone else hope this is 'them up the road' next season!
1

RegencyBlue added 20:50 - Jan 30
Excellent analysis as usual Harry.

I do genuinely feel sorry for Wigan but there is no sentiment in this game. We need a win and must crush them!
0

HarryfromBath added 21:20 - Jan 30
Thank you all for chipping in with your comments and thoughts. I still have Mick's voice ringing in my head about no easy games in this division, but we will hopefully meet opposition similar to Millwall two weeks ago.

Tractorgrl - I have never seen anyone do anything similar to this, although some forums copy and paste half a dozen comments as a small sample. I take notes when constructing these and look for patterns of feedback - collective wisdom as opposed to one off opinions - and the quotes aim to reflect this.

When going to football matches, we tend to know everything (and more) about our own eleven, but are usually very little about the opposition. These notes aim to fill in this gap, as if you have met a friend who supports the opposition and they give you the low-down on how they are doing. Hopefully it adds to the enjoyment of the game if there are one or two things to look out for.

The level of tactical insight that Mick and the team have will be vastly greater, and much of that will be derived from data and sports science based analysis.
2

jeera added 22:28 - Jan 30
Thank you Harry.
0

algarvefan added 23:12 - Jan 30
Sad for Wigan, they were a good team a few years ago.

To all their fans I'd advise to keep well away from Paul Jewell, once a good man but just look at his recent record with ourselves and Derby!

Think the game will be tight tomorrow, lets hope we can find a breakthrough COYB !!
0

horsehollerer added 07:40 - Jan 31
"We'll be down by February at this rate with horrible fixtures like Ipswich away to come.”

... Isn't it great being a "horrible fixture"?!

Thanks for the brilliant work, as always, Harry.
0

BlueMachines added 08:15 - Jan 31
You know a team is poor when the fans are seeking the return of Paul Jewell!
1

mancblue78 added 11:04 - Jan 31
Many thanks Harry, as mentioned above, your blog is a most enjoyable and essential part of the whole match preparation and build up for me. Followed then by a pre-match pint in The Greyhound. Cheers!
0


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