Author Archives: JJ (Tony)

Youngsters to get their chance

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews and tagged with , ,

What is the point of tonight’s match at the Etihad Stadium? Is there anything Wigan Athletic can gain from it, other than a share of gate revenue?

The League Cup meeting between Wigan Athletic and Manchester City was being built up as a repeat of the FA Cup final. Could David once again kill Goliath?

The media have now come to their senses. They now realize that Latics will be playing their third game in six days, let alone having been hit by injuries to both of their mainline central strikers and their playmaker.

The Citizens’ fan site Vital Manchester City reckons that Nick Powell will be the man to watch in the Latics side. The reality is that of all the players who might make the lineup tonight, Powell is one of the least likely. He played a full match against Ipswich on Sunday after playing for 83 minutes on his debut in Bruges last Thursday. To be fair to the fan site they do qualify their comments by stating that Powell “will need some shackling, if selected”.

Owen Coyle has rightly criticized the powers that be for their scheduling of the match. He has also said he will have to make “umpteen” changes, with a chance for some of the young players from the fringes of his squad.

In terms of the senior players, Coyle will not want to risk injuries with a difficult Championship fixture at Watford coming up on Saturday. On the other hand he will not want to run the risk of annihilation by putting out a team too short on experience.

His best option will be to look at putting in senior players who have not played major roles in the last two games. That rules out Scott Carson, Ryan Shotton, James Perch, James McArthur, James McClean, Nick Powell and Callum McManaman.

Even then Coyle will need to take a look at other players who made the lineup on Sunday, having to make a decision whether he is willing to risk them for another match only two days later. Emmerson Boyce was given a partial rest on Sunday, coming on as a substitute after 75 minutes. Ben Watson came on after 66 minutes in Belgium and played a full game on Sunday.

Senior players who clearly stand a chance of making the starting lineup include Stephen Crainey, Roger Espinoza, Fraser Fyvie, Jordi Gomez and Chris McCann. Juan Carlos Garcia is still adapting to his move from Honduras, but could be thrust in tonight at either left or centre back.

The names of “youngsters”  Lee Nicholls, Adam Buxton and Nouha Dicko have already been mentioned as possibilities for the lineup tonight. Nicholls is likely to replace Scott Carson in goal, with Buxton coming in at right back. Given the likely absence of other challengers Dicko could even end up in the centre forward position, where he has played before for the under-21 team.

Rob Kiernan is a promising young central defender, but Coyle might not want to expose him to dealing with the outstanding strikers that City can field. Jordan Mustoe deserves a chance at full back, as does Danny Redmond in midfield.

The emergence of the talented 19 year old Ross Barkley at Everton has had journalists praising Roberto Martinez for giving youth a chance. However, that was not always the case while he was at Wigan. The “youngsters” mentioned above are 21 to 22 years old. Their appearances with the senior side have been confined to cup matches against lower league opposition.

Coyle has a difficult task in putting together a team that can give Manchester City a contest tonight. At least three of the senior players he puts in the starting lineup are likely to be replaced in the second half, providing he does not have to make substitutions earlier due to injuries.

In the grander scheme of things the result of tonight’s match is of minor importance to Latics. The priorities are to get promotion out of the Championship and to put up a good show in the Europa League. However, Coyle will not want a whitewash that might damage morale within the club.

The most positive aspect is that opportunities will be given to young players – at long last!

Zulte Waregem 0 Wigan Athletic 0 – an historic point gained

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Other and tagged with , ,

A gritty display helped Wigan Athletic gain a valuable point away from home in their first Europa League match.

Owen Coyle made seven changes to the lineup that faced Leicester last weekend. Latics started the game without a recognized centre forward and with a couple of centre backs – James Perch and Ryan Shotton – who had never played together before.

Stephen Crainey returned at left back. In midfield James McArthur played in the holding role in front of the back four, with Jordi Gomez to the right and Chris McCann to the left. Nick Powell was thrust into the unfamiliar role of centre forward, with Callum McManaman and James McClean on the wings.

Latics had made a bright start, with a rasping drive from James McArthur hitting the post in the 3rd minute. For the first 20 minutes they had their fair share of the ball, but from then on the home side asserted themselves in midfield. The Wigan defence had to work hard as Zulte Waregem pressed in the remainder of the first half.

Latics had a scare on 35 minutes when McClean headed on to his own crossbar. Soon after McCann was dispossessed outside the penalty box and Carson had to make a fine save from Conte.

The home team dominated the second half with over 70% of the possession. However, Wigan kept their shape, with the midfield dropping back to make a solid line in front of the penalty area.

Latics finally announced their attacking intentions by bringing on Marc-Antoine Fortune after  66 minutes, together with Ben Watson. Gomez and McManaman went off. Fortune was to have few opportunities as the home side continued in the ascendancy.

There were several close calls around the Wigan goal before James Perch had a snap shot well saved by goalkeeper Sammy Bossut.  Zulte Waregem continued to press throwing everything they could at the Latics defence, which somehow kept them out.

Nouha Dicko replaced Nick Powell after 82 minutes, only to have a penalty claim against him not long after. The Polish referee, who had been excellent all night, ignored the home team claims.

In the 86th minute McCann threw his body in the way of a shot that had ‘goal’ written all over it – a remarkable block. Somehow Latics survived the 90 minutes plus 3 minutes of time added on.

Zulte Waregem were disappointed with the result, but Coyle was clearly delighted. His patched-up team had played with real endeavour and worked so hard to get this historic result.

The Good

Following the shambles of the Leicester match Coyle changed his tactical system, playing with two wingers. This time around every player knew his role and was 100% involved in the game.

The new look centre of defence held up well, no doubt helped by a midfield that dropped back to shield them as needed. The two starting  wingers worked hard and covered a lot of ground. Only once was one of them able to  get behind the opposition defence – Callum McManaman putting in a dangerous cross in the first half – but both did more than their fair share of defensive duties.

It is rumoured that Coyle is close to getting a third central striker on loan. It was not an easy debut for Nick Powell, having to play in the centre, then later being pushed wide on the right. His natural position is the same as that of Shaun Maloney, in the hole between the midfield and the central striker. We may well see them alternate in that position as the season progresses.

The Bad

Rubin Kazan announced themselves with a 5-2 win at Maribor. Two of the five goals were scored in time added on, but the Russian team remains favourite to win the group.

Player ratings

Scott Carson: 7 – once again an important player. Very solid defensively and his distribution was much better than in previous games.

Emmerson Boyce: 6 – solid.

James Perch: 6 – restored to the centre back position and staked his claim.

Ryan Shotton: 6 – a solid debut.

Stephen Crainey: 6 – his distribution was much better. Still adjusting to the change from being at Blackpool.

James McArthur: 7 – fitted in well to the ‘McCarthy role’. Full of endeavour and unlucky with a superb shot early on.

Jordi Gomez: 6 – a few passes went astray but showed a lot of commitment and covered a lot of ground.

Chris McCann: 6 – gradually adjusting to Latics’ style of play. Some nice touches and solid in defence in the second half especially.

Callum McManaman: 6 – worked hard and played for the team. His more spectacular moments will come.

Nick Powell: 5 – played out of position and clearly not match fit. His best is yet to come.

James McClean: 6 – industrious and involved. With time his final pass should improve.

Substitutes:

Ben Watson: – pegged back into his own half most of the time. Worked hard.

Marc-Antoine Fortune:- isolated as Latics were pegged back in defence.

Nouha Dicko: – given a chance at last, albeit brief.

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Dreaming of the Europa League

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Other and tagged with , ,

uefa-europa-league-logo-vector-01

Jordi Gomez gets the ball on the edge of the box and puts through an exquisite pass for Callum McManaman. The young winger dribbles past the Millwall goalkeeper and slides the ball into the net. It is the middle of April and Wigan Athletic supporters are already starting to dream of their club playing in European competition.

Tomorrow that dream will come true as Latics play their first Europa League match against Zulte Waregem in Bruges.

It would have happened earlier if Latics had not gone on to beat Manchester City in the FA Cup Final. Had they lost they would have had to go through the qualifying rounds in order to reach the group stage.

If Latics had figured in the qualifying rounds they would have received €100,000 per round from UEFA . However, being in a qualifying round offers a minimum of two matches – but the group stage offers at least six.

The group stage also brings more financial incentives from UEFA. Through simply being there Latics will receive around €1.3m. Moreover they will receive €200,000 for every win and €100,000 for every draw. Winning the group would bring in a further €400,000, and being runners-up €200,000.

So if  Latics were to finish in the top two in their group they would receive well over €2 m in prize money, let alone their share of gate receipts.

Is it likely that a club now in the second tier of English football can finish in the top two of a Europa League group? Moreover what kinds of attendances can they expect compared for the group stage games compared with those of the Championship?

The past experience of Birmingham City provides food for thought.

In the 2011-12 season Birmingham competed in the Europa League after being relegated from the Premier League.

In February 2011 Birmingham qualified for the Europa League by winning the League Cup, beating Arsenal 2-1 at Wembley. Three months later they were to lose their final Premier League fixture at Tottenham, condemning them to relegation.

Despite their descent into the second tier of English football Birmingham were to perform well in the Europa League. After beating Nacional of Portugal in the play-off round they faced strong opposition in the group stage. The group was won by Club Brugge, on goal difference ahead of Braga, who qualified in second place. Birmingham were unlucky to finish a point behind in third place, after winning 3, drawing 1 and losing  2 matches. Maribor were the disappointing team in the group with only one point from their six games played.

Birmingham’s gates averaged 24,431 in the four Europa League games played at St Andrews, compared with 16,451 in the Championship division (where they were to finish in fourth place).

Birmingham’s experience suggests that Latics have a pretty decent chance of going beyond the group stage, into the round of 32. Moreover the attendances for the home matches should significantly exceed their average in the Championship, which currently stands at 14,969.

Some fans say that Wigan Athletic should focus on promotion from the Championship, that the Europa League should take a back seat. However, most cannot wait to see the games.

The Europa League offers Latics not only prestige, but also significant financial rewards.

It is another challenge for a club that has come so far. Who would bet against them going a stage further?

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Europa or Championship for Latics?

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Other, Reflections and tagged with , , ,

When Ben Watson scored that wonderful last minute header at Wembley he changed the face of Wigan Athletic FC, as we had known it.

Latics had announced themselves on the global map.

For so many years Latics had to put up with the “little club” tag, seemingly doomed to the lower reaches of the Football League. Outsiders viewed Wigan as a rugby town, a view more than supported by Maurice Lindsay in an infamous television interview in the 1980’s. His stance was symptomatic of the condescending attitude of rugby league followers of the time. It made Latics supporters’  blood boil. Was the club ever going to rid itself of that image?

How times have changed. After eight years in the Premier League and winning the FA Cup, the name of Wigan Athletic is now known worldwide. Although the rugby club remain a big fish in a small pond their football counterpart has moved on.

Latics now have an opportunity to gain further prestige through their participation in the Europa League.

In the days prior to the FA Cup final so many Latics fans were saying that, if they had the choice of staying in the Premier League or winning the FA Cup, they would choose the former. One wonders how many were to think differently when the Cup came to Wigan.

So what would be the priority this time around – promotion out of the Championship or progression in the Europa League?

It could be argued that Latics’ FA Cup run had an adverse effect on their league position in the last campaign. The end of season fixture congestion that resulted in them having to play a make-or-break match at Highbury only three days after the Cup Final victory was cruel and merciless.

However, if anything put Latics out of the Premier League last season it was injuries. The result was a lack of continuity in team selection and a cruel decimation of playing resources at the end of the season when all those fixtures came raining in.

Owen Coyle has worked wonders in the transfer market by bringing in 12 new players since he started in July. It leaves him with a squad of 30 players – marginally bigger than that of Roberto Martinez last season – but containing  Ali Al-Habsi, Gary Caldwell and Ivan Ramis who are still out of action due to long term injuries.

Much will depend on his deployment of the young professionals contained therein. Last year Callum McManaman and Roman Golobart were the ones who made the starting lineup in the league. We will have to wait to see if Coyle will include the other young pros – Adam Buxton, Nouha Dicko, Rob Kiernan, Jordan Mustoe, Lee Nicholls and Danny Redmond – in the rotations.

If Coyle’s squad has a weakness then it is in the area of attack, with only two central strikers available. With Grant Holt already out until October Latics fans will pray that Marc-Antoine Fortune avoids injury.  Coyle continues to look for forwards through the loan market. Speculation suggests that he wants to bring Jordan Rhodes from Blackburn initially on loan with a view to a £9 m permanent move in January. But, however cash-strapped Blackburn might be, they are unlikely to want to lose their most prized asset to local rivals. Moreover Dave Whelan is going to think twice about spending so much on a player who has never played at the highest level of English football.

It will be interesting to see what kind of lineup Coyle chooses for the Zulte Waregem tie on Thursday. It will be an indication of how important he sees the Europa League compared with the Championship.

Latics fans will hope they give a good account of themselves in both.

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Leicester City 2 Wigan Athletic 0 – Shapeless Latics go down

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Reports and tagged with , , ,

A woeful performance from shapeless Wigan. They handed Leicester a gift after 15 minutes when big central defender Liam Moore headed in a corner with ease, nobody having marked him. The goal gave the home team the impetus and they never looked back. The result was sealed with a soft penalty in the last 10 minutes.

Owen Coyle had used the same starting lineup that he used in the previous match against Nottingham Forest, except that James Perch came in for the departed James McCarthy. It was like replacing a thorough-bred with a pit pony.

Wigan struggled to get to grips with the game in the first half. Their packed midfield looked sluggish and ceded control to Leicester . When Latics tried to attack they had no width, except for when Jean Beausejour moved up from his full back position. There was nothing happening on the right hand side. There was a distinct lack of purpose in their play.

The overworked central defenders – Thomas Rogne and Leon Barnett – struggled to cope with the movement of Leicester strikers Jamie Vardy and David Nugent.  Marc-Antoine Fortune was a truly lone centre forward, although when for once he got away he went down in the penalty box following a push, only for the referee to wave play on.

Wigan’s best chance came just before half time from a fine effort from Barnett, whose rocket shot could have gone anywhere, but went to keeper Kasper Schmeichel.

The second half started in the same pattern and one was expecting Coyle to make wholesale substitutions at any minute. Jordi Gomez  and  Roger Espinoza were replaced by Callum McManaman and debutant Nick Powell after 55 minutes, but it made no noticeable difference.  It was followed by another change after 61 minutes with James McClean coming on for Shaun Maloney.

Despite now having two wide players there continued to be no pattern to Wigan’s play. It was no surprise when Leicester added a well-deserved  second goal, albeit through a generous refereeing decision. Latics fans could argue that Vardy ‘s fall after colliding with Beausejour was less of a penalty than in the first half when Fortune hit the ground after being pushed. Scott Carson almost saved Nugent’s penalty, but the power of the shot beat him.

However, the referee cannot be blamed for Wigan’s defeat. Leicester are a well organized team with a solid defence. They more than merited their victory.

The Good

Once again Scott Carson looked reliable in goal and the centre backs had to work hard due to  the lack of shielding from midfield. Thomas Rogne and Leon  Barnett need to continue to play together and develop that mutual understanding that centre back pairs need. One hopes that Coyle will resist the opportunity to tamper once again.

The Bad

Coyle was quoted as saying that if he could have made seven substitutions he would have done so.  He also criticised refereeing decisons. However, the manager needs to take more responsibility for a poor team performance.

Roberto Martinez’s tactical approach at Wigan could be rigid and Latics were criticized for passing the ball across the field rather than being direct. However, Martinez managed to instill a system in which each player knew his role.

That is not the case with Coyle’s teams. There has been no consistent tactical pattern up to this point and changes have been reactive, rather than proactive.  The end result is the whole adding up to less than the sum of its parts. Players don’t seem to be able to read each others’ games. Part of this is down to having so many new faces, but much is also due to the lack of structure in the tactical approach.

With a host of quality midfield players available Coyle chose to put the limited James Perch in front of the back four. With two specialist left backs in the squad he chose to play Beausejour – a wing back maybe –  but never a full back,  in that position.

Wigan tried to keep the ball on the ground in the first half but every time the goalkeeper got the ball his long kicks went straight back into opposition hands. It was a revelation around halfway through the second half when Carson threw a great pass to the half way line to start a Wigan move. This is not to criticize Carson himself, who is probably playing under orders. The big goalkeeper has been Latics best player so far this season.

One mistake that Martinez habitually made was to play Jordi Gomez in a forward role. Coyle is falling in to the same trap. Supposedly Gomez was playing some way forward on the right. The Spaniard never has been and never will be a wide player. He looked lost most of the time and it was no surprise when he was substituted. Gomez’s natural role is as a creator in the centre of midfield, but last season he really improved in the midfield holding role. A forward he is not.

Player Ratings

Scott Carson: 7 – alert and solid. Unlucky not to save the penalty.

Emmerson Boyce: 5 – poor. His lack of pace was exposed by winger Lloyd Dyer.

Thomas Rogne: 6 – a disciplined performance;  he never gave up trying  despite being under constant pressure.

Leon Barnett: 6 – with a little more poise and composure he could be a top central defender. Lucky not to concede an own goal in the second half when he headed back to Carson who was not where he thought.

Jean Beausejour: 5 – covered acres of ground in the first half trying to get Latics’ attack going. Made some errors but played with commitment. Unlucky to have another dubious penalty against him.

James Perch: 4 – poor.

Ben Watson: 5 – unable to stamp his class on the game.

Roger Espinoza: 5 – not as involved as usual. Probably jaded from World Cup qualifying matches with Honduras.

Shaun Maloney: 5 – ineffective. Maybe also jaded from matches for his country.

Jordi Gomez: 4 – lost.

Marc-Antoine Fortune: 6 – sacrificed to the robust Leicester central defenders who constantly surrounded him. Worked hard without support.

Substitutes

Callum McManaman: – unable to prise open a tight Leicester defence.

Nick Powell: – not able to make much impact.

James McClean: – ineffective.

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