This time a year ago Wigan Athletic sank to a 2-1 home defeat to Bury in the League Cup, just three days after losing their opening League 1 match at Coventry. They had been up 1-0 but their legs seemed to go two thirds of the way through the match and the Shakers took full advantage.
There was a suspicion of lack of fitness on Saturday too at Bristol, with Latics being sharp and positive in the first half, but abject in the second, unable to stem the flow of the home team’s attacks. Most supporters there put it down to Caldwell’s team being negative, trying to defend a 1-0 lead through a rearguard action. But were the majority of the players really prepared for 90 minutes of hard toil?
The League Cup tie at Oldham will give us more insight. Will the players who turn out be able to play full-on for 90 minutes? What kind of lineup and tactical formation will Gary Caldwell use?
The League Cup will surely be low in Caldwell’s priorities. But typically such occasions can provide opportunities for the fringe players. Tim Chow, Ryan Colclough, Donervon Daniels, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Michael Jacobs and Sam Morsy were on the bench at Bristol so we can expect them to start this evening. Jack Hendry will surely take a central defensive role, together with at least one of the three who started on Saturday. Jordan Flores can be expected to start too. Left back remains a problem position, given Reece James’ continued absence and Stephen Warnock’s pre-season injury, although he played at the weekend.
For the trip to the West Country, Caldwell could not call on Craig Davies, Emyr Huws, Reece James, Andy Kellett and Nick Powell because of injury. Should most of those continue to be unavailable will the manager give further opportunities to young talent developed within the club?
Caldwell deserves credit for giving the talented 18 year old full back, Luke Burke, his competitive match debut on Saturday. He could have played another senior squad player at wing back, even if it were not their best position. Burke responded by giving a fine display, showing remarkable composure when facing wave after wave of opposition attacks in the second half. Hats off to the manager for having faith in the player.
However, Caldwell missed the opportunity to give a young striker an opportunity on Saturday. Knowing that Will Grigg could not last the full game he put in Michael Jacobs, later replacing Yanic Wildschut with Ryan Colclough. Neither was effective. Both are wide players or creative midfielders who can be effective in the hole behind the centre forward. But strikers they are not.
Strikers are hot property and cost a lot. Rumour continues to suggest that Latics are willing to splash out money to sign Lee Gregory from Millwall. A very positive prospect. However, speculation persists regarding the 29 year old free agent, Ishmael Miller, who has a career goalscoring record akin to that of Marc Antoine Fortune. Caldwell could have used a big man like Miller on Saturday, someone to hold the ball up, to draw a foul, take pressure of his defence. But would a signing like that be better than giving home grown talent an opportunity?
The 18 year old James Barrigan is likely to be the next former youth team player to make his senior team debut, after being on the bench at Bristol. Development squad central striker Sam Cosgrove, 19, will probably make the squad tonight, although Nick Powell could be the starter assuming he has shaken off his groin injury. Development squad winger Danny O’Brien, 20, who has had loan spells at Chester and Wrexham could also make the squad.
Caldwell will look for a blend of youth and experience in his lineup tonight. Given his wont for shuffling between 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 it could be the latter formation, with Colclough, Powell and Barrigan the front three and Morsy, Chow and Flores in midfield.
Oldham were defeated 3-0 at Millwall at the weekend, but will be keen to renew their rivalry with Wigan. Latics v Latics is a Lancashire derby and we can expect some passion. Let’s hope Wigan Latics can not only play with commitment and pride, but do so for the full 90 minutes.
Latics go off for half time to a deserved ovation from the visiting support.
“We had the ball in some good positions and kept the ball well up until half-time, but then in the second-half we didn’t come out, we didn’t pass the ball and we didn’t do anything that we’d mentioned at half-time, so I felt it was only a matter of time before the goal was coming because we couldn’t stem the flow of the game.”
Gary Caldwell was right about that. After a fine first half performance Latics visibly flagged. The earlier intensity and running off the ball that had made them the marginally better team up to the interval seemed to disappear as soon as the second half commenced. City used the tactic so often employed in the Championship: that of bombarding the visiting defence with a barrage of crosses. With Latics unable to stop the flow of the crosses it seemed but a matter of time before the goals would materialize for the home side.
It was a beautiful day in the west of England and some 1,200 fans had made the journey down despite the handicaps imposed by the M5 motorway. Ashton Gate is a fine venue these days, following the construction of two new stands. Not only were the spectator facilities in good condition, but also the pitch, which is shared by Bristol RUFC. But comparisons with the pitch at the DW were hard to make as the rugby union season has not yet started, whereas the Warriors’ rugby league season is nearing its conclusion.
Caldwell made two changes from the starting lineup he had put out at Fleetwood, with Adam Bogdan coming in for Jussi Jaaskelainen and Stephen Warnock for Sam Morsy. It was a 3-5-2 formation with Will Grigg and Yanic Wildschut up front and Alex Gilbey playing a little further forward in central midfield than David Perkins and Max Power.
Wigan soon settled into the game, with the midfield trio linking up well and Grigg and Wildschut looking lively up front. Their movement caused problems for the home team defence. The Latics defence looked solid. Wigan were to get a beautifully worked goal after 32 minutes when Wildschut pulled the ball back for a beautifully struck shot from Gilbey from just outside penalty box. The home team’s main threat came from set pieces, particularly when the 6 ft 6 in central defender Aden Flint came forward.
The half time whistle saw Latics a goal up, having contained the home team and caused danger on the counterattack. One wondered if they could keep it up in the second half, with the home team playing towards a packed home support behind the goal in the rebuilt Wedlock Stand. Grigg’s inclusion in the team had been a surprise after not being able to train for a week. How long could he last?
As soon as the referee blew his whistle for the start of the second half the pattern of the game was to instantly change. City were to focus on flooding the flanks and pumping over crosses. It was to work to great effect. Latics were quickly penned back in their own half, unable to string passes together. The movement that had characterized their performance in the first half was sadly lacking. The crosses continued to ping into the box and it seemed a matter of time for the Latics defence to crack. Wigan’s central midfield just did not seem to have the legs to get into space to receive the ball and the opposition was dominating the centre of the pitch. Surely Caldwell would bring on Sam Morsy to stem the flow and provide some much needed steel in that midfield?
However, the first substitution was made by City manager, Lee Johnson. It was a double change after 67 minutes, with midfielder Bobby Reid and, crucially, the 6 ft 5 in central striker Tammy Abraham coming on to heighten the aerial threat. Grigg’s legs could cope no longer and he went off on the 70th minute to be replaced by Michael Jacobs.
The departure of Grigg meant that Wigan no longer had a centre forward capable of holding the ball up and giving his midfield and defence much needed respite. Their attack had almost completely fizzled out. The crosses continued to rain in and somehow the Latics defence held out. However, the inevitable was to happen in the 81st minute with Abraham bundling home a cross. Bogdan had been having a good debut and he was to make more fine saves and interceptions in the final 10 minutes.
The departure of Wildschut on 85 minutes was a further nail in the coffin for Latics, who were now able to offer zero in terms of attacking options. It was therefore no surprise when Reid scored following a deflection on 90 minutes. Donervon Daniels had been brought on for the injured Luke Burke after 77 minutes, but the man from the Leeward Islands was way out of touch, as was Ryan Colclough who had come on for Grigg. Five minutes added time would normally have provided a window for Latics to at least try to get back into the game, but their efforts were inept. They could hardly string passes together, their heavy legs probably taking toll.
City proved to be worthy winners. A legless Latics side was unable to both stop the crosses coming in and to retain the ball for any period of time.
Although it was not an excuse for a disappointing performance, Latics had not been helped by a referee who was lenient towards the home team in the whole game, giving Latics four yellow cards in the process. After some appalling arbitrage in League 1 last season one would have hoped for better in the Championship.
The Good
Luke Burke is an exciting young talent. The 18 year old former youth team captain made an excellent debut. Reminiscent of Leighton Baines in his younger days, Burke is a complete full back. He is sound in his positioning, thoughtful in his distribution and rugged in the tackle. There were times when he was overrun as City poured players over to their left flank, but he did not panic and made some crucial tackles and interceptions.
Alex Gilbey too made a promising debut, scoring a fine goal. Gilbey looks classy on the ball and can tackle too, although he still has some way to go in that department. Although he has never played above League 1 level before he looked comfortable.
Adam Bogdan had a fine debut in goal. He was assertive in his box, punching away dangerous crosses, making some excellent stops. It is to be hoped that he can put the nightmare of his time at Liverpool behind him and regain the brilliant form he had shown at Bolton before that.
The other debutants, Jake Buxton and Dan Burn, had solid games, keeping their calm in a back three peppered with crosses coming in, especially during the second half. There were lots of teams in League 1 last season who could test the Wigan defence with high balls, but in the Championship it is likely to be more of a threat, given the quality of the wide men putting in the crosses. City put in some wicked ones in this match and Wigan’s defence did well to keep them out for so long.
The Bad
Lee Johnson got the better of Gary Caldwell yesterday. The Bristol City manager made the right substitutions at the right time, both goal scorers having come off the bench. This time around Caldwell did not show the imagination or vision to change the tactical situation with his team under the cosh.
Faced with a midfield overrun by the opposition in the second half, the manager stuck with a midfield trio that was not able to cope. Given Sam Morsy’s combative qualities it was baffling that Caldwell did not choose to introduce him. Is the player out of favour or was it that the manager simply wanted to give the three central midfielders a full 90 minutes?
Moreover in the past Caldwell has shown initiative in changing the shape of his team. Seeing his team creaking in its foundations, with the midfield overrun, was it not time to switch to four at the back, with a strengthened midfield? Or was he once again, looking more long term, giving the new central defensive trio of Buxton, Morgan and Burn a full match to play together?
Last season the wealth of Wigan’s bench was the envy of many other managers in League 1. Yesterday it looked less impressive and the absence of a front man to replace Grigg stood out like a sore thumb. Neither was there a player of the ilk of Conor McAleny or Haris Vuckic to provide more options. Given the injury problems that both Craig Davies and Nick Powell have had over the past couple of years, Caldwell surely be looking at bringing in another central striker.
Michael Jacobs was a key player for Caldwell in League 1, but found himself on the bench yesterday. If Caldwell is going to operate 3-5-2 (or 5-3-2 as it morphed into during the second half yesterday) then the main position for Jacobs is going to be in the role occupied by Gilbey at Bristol. The manager might well be tempted to use Jacobs in that role in home games, but will be looking for more defensive cover when playing away. However, the 4-3-3 system that Caldwell also employs is one which Jacobs can be effectively slotted into, whether in the hole behind the central striker or wide.
Player Ratings
Adam Bogdan: 8 – a promising debut from the big Hungarian.
Luke Burke: 7 – played with composure and determination.
Jake Buxton: 6.5 – a calm influence on the right side of defence.
Craig Morgan: 7 – a gritty performance under pressure.
Dan Burn: 6.5 – kept his composure and made a useful contribution.
Stephen Warnock: 5 – way from his best. Is he fully fit?
David Perkins: 5.5 – as industrious as ever, but is he going to be as effective in the Championship as he was in League 1?
Max Power: 5.5 – below par.
Alex Gilbey: 5.5 – scored a beautifully taken goal, but needs to work on the defensive side of his game.
Will Grigg: 6– effective in the first half, anonymous in the second. Was he really fit to play?
Yanic Wildschut: 6 – a good first half but lost in the second with no service coming through.
Substitutes
Michael Jacobs – came on for Grigg after 70 minutes. Could not impose himself on the game.
Donervon Daniels – came on for Burke after 77 minutes. Looked out of touch. How fit is he?
Ryan Colclough – on after 85 minutes for Wildschut. Looked confused as to his role.
“We’re probably looking at bringing in four or five new players”
So said Gary Caldwell at the end of May.
The manager has since brought in Adam Bogdan, Jake Buxton, Dan Burn, Alex Gilbey, Kyle Knoyle and Nick Powell, in addition to signing Stephen Warnock on a permanent contract. He also has Emyr Huws and Andrew Taylor back from season-long loans.
Yesterday Caldwell was quoted as saying that:
“I think you can see we still need certain players to come into certain positions”. Hopefully before next Saturday we can add not just one but a few new faces to the group.”
So why has the manager changed his mind about how many new players he needs? Is he saying it to rouse those players who have failed to impress during the close season? Or does he feel that there are not enough players in his squad up to challenging the best in the Championship? Given the club’s short-term financial situation is he going to be able to be able to offer the salaries necessary to recruit players of such quality?
The pre-season has been less than impressive. There are worrying parallels between it and that of two years ago under Uwe Rosler. In the latter case too many players came out of the pre-season injured and others were palpably unfit to play a full ninety minutes of Championship football. There have been a number of injuries in this pre-season too, although managers tend to err on the side of caution by leaving out players who have niggling injuries who would otherwise have played if it were a league game.
In the past we had come to expect managers to play their first choice players as close as possible to a full 90 minutes in the final game of the pre-season. But last summer Caldwell used 20 players in the game at Blackburn, with only Craig Morgan, David Perkins and Max Power playing the full 90. For the Fleetwood game last Friday he used only 15 players, with 7 playing the whole game.
Latics announced the players’ squad numbers today. The name of Andrew Taylor did not appear in the list of 25 senior squad players. The squad includes four goalkeepers, one of whom will be leaving, on loan or by permanent transfer, within the coming weeks. The most likely is Lee Nicholls and rumour suggests that MK Dons will bid for him. Speculation surrounds the future of Emyr Huws, who has once again has picked up an ankle injury, making him unavailable for the last three warm up matches. Latics are reputed to be looking to offload the player for a fee of around £2m, with Leeds United being the latest suitors. Jason Pearce is almost certainly on his way, probably to Charlton.
Should those four players depart, Latics will be down to a squad of 21, hence making room for at least three new players. Given the excellent form of the 18 year old Luke Burke in the pre-season, Caldwell could take up the option of bringing him up to the senior squad. .
Caldwell has pinpointed the need to bring in players in “certain positions”. One of those will be at right back, following Kyle Knoyle’s long term injury. Another will be in midfield, given Huws’ expected departure. Latics have been linked with Sheffield United full back, John Brayford, although the Yorkshire club would expect a sizeable fee. Rumours persist that they are seeking the services of Leon Osman, born locally, who made over 350 appearances for Everton over 16 seasons. The midfielder is 35 years old and is accustomed to a Premier League salary. However, a one year contract might well be in the offing.
There are reports that Caldwell is also chasing Millwall centre forward Lee Gregory, who was a major force in the London club reaching the League 1 playoff final last season. The 6 ft 2 in ex-Halifax Town player is pacey and scored 27 goals last season. However, strikers don’t come cheap and Millwall will ask for a fee of around £1.5 m.
But if Latics were to sign Gregory how would it affect Will Grigg? Caldwell is loath to play with twin strikers and some fans see the hunt for Gregory as the prelude to the departure of Grigg for a hefty transfer fee. Interestingly Craig Davies’ squad number has been changed from number 10 to number 21. It may be of minor significance, but could it signify a new player coming in to take the number 10 shirt? Moreover is Davies’ stay at Wigan nearing a close? Would Caldwell be looking at Grigg and Gregory alternating in the central striker position?
The signings of players of the quality of Brayford, Osman and Gregory would add to the squad. David Sharpe is certainly not averse to putting up money for key transfers, but will want to keep tabs on what will be happening to the wage bill one year from now when parachute payments cease. Given that proviso the arrivals of the three players would be a distinct possibility.
Caldwell has certainly changed his mind over the quality of the squad that won League 1. He now recognises the need to reinforce it more profoundly than he was thinking at the end of May. He needs a squad strong enough to establish itself in the Championship, with a mid-table position by the end of the season being a likely goal.
There are likely to be at least three new faces coming in, but there could be more, depending on outgoings.
Wigan boss denies defender set for Charlton switch said a headline yesterday. Headlines are meant to draw attention to an article. This one certainly drew mine. But did Gary Caldwell really deny that Jason Pearce might be heading for Charlton?
The Latics manager had said that he had not yet received any offers for the central defender and quoted that that “The arrival of Jake [Buxton] has given me options that I need going forwards. If anything changes, we’ll let you know.”
It could be argued that the headline was misleading, but it has got fans debating as to whether a defender who was pivotal in the League 1 title winning triumph should be allowed to leave. Would Caldwell be willing to lose Pearce? It appears that the door has already been opened, given the absence of a comment from Caldwell saying that the player is staying at the club.
The 28 year old Jason Pearce was signed by Malky Mackay in January 2015. Impressing in a struggling team was never going to be easy, but Pearce held his own and formed a solid partnership with Harry Maguire in the centre of defence. He went on to make 15 appearances from February until the end of the season on May 2.
Then came a massive summer clear out by Caldwell, but Pearce was to become a rock upon which a League 1 title winning team was built. Pearce was to miss the start of the 2015-16 through injury, appearing in his first game in a home match against Crewe at the end of August. He partnered Donervon Daniels and Craig Morgan in a backline of three. Given Caldwell’s predilection to switch between three at the back and an orthodox back four, Pearce had to be flexible in his positioning, but was to be inevitably found on the left side of the central defence.
His wealth of experience in the lower divisions made him invaluable defensively in Caldwell’s set up, particularly when playing in tandem with Morgan. Moreover Pearce had worked on his passing skills out of defence, rarely wasting the ball. Given the player’s willingness to totally commit him to the cause, putting his body on the line so often, it was perhaps inevitable that injuries would result. In fact he went on to make 33 appearances. It was a reflection on the effectiveness of the Pearce-Morgan combination that Latics did not lose a single game when the two appeared together in the starting lineup until the final match of the season against Barnsley.
It could be that injury has once again intervened, preventing Pearce playing in the final two pre-season matches at Oldham and Fleetwood. If that is the case he will be among more than half a dozen of the squad currently suffering from pre-season injuries. However, rumours persist that the player wants to move back down south; moreover that Caldwell has already signed Buxton as his replacement. Could it be that Caldwell does not see him as effective a player in the Championship as he was in League 1?
Jake Buxton’s arrival appears to be an indicator that Pearce is on his way out of the club. Buxton is a physical, combative player in the mould of Pearce and will fans are hoping he can reproduce the same kind of form at Wigan as he did during his prime at Derby, where he spent seven years, an idol of the fans. It can be seen as an indication of Caldwell’s regard for Buxton that he gave the player a three year contract at the age of 31. Pearce remains only 28. Is there not room in the defence for the two?
Should Pearce move on Caldwell will be left with just one player in his senior squad recruited prior to his appointment as manager. That is Lee Nicholls, who faces competition from Adam Bogdan, Jussi Jaaskelainen and Dan Lavercombe for the goalkeeping position.
Jason Pearce has earned the respect of Wigan Athletic supporters due to his commitment and willingness to put his body on the line for his team. Whether he will be at Wigan at the start of the 2016-17 season next weekend remains uncertain.
No sooner had Jake Buxton signed for Wigan Athletic but he made his debut last night at Oldham. The 31 year old central defender, who is 5 ft 11in tall, has joined Latics on a three year contract.
On acquiring Buxton’s services Gary Caldwell said that: “Jake adds great experience and competition to our defence and I am delighted to be able to bring him here, Not only will he be an asset to us on the field, but Jake will also add to the great character within our dressing room and I feel he will fit into our group perfectly. He’s a top professional with over 300 Football League games to his name and he’s chomping at the bit to add to his tally.”
Jake Buxton was born in Sutton-in-Ashfield, a Nottinghamshire market town. He started his career four miles away in Mansfield coming through the youth ranks, making his first team debut as a 17 year old in a Football League Trophy game against Crewe in October 2002. Buxton was to made captain at the age of 21 in the 2006-07 season and was to spend 6 years at Mansfield Town, making over 160 appearances. However, on the club’s relegation to the Football Conference in 2008 he left by mutual consent.
Following a trail at Crewe, Buxton joined Burton Albion and they went on to win the Football Conference title under Nigel Clough. Buxton was voted Player of the Year for the Brewers in that 2008-09 season, after making 40 appearances.
Clough was to join Derby County the following season, taking the out-of-contract Buxton with him. Buxton went on to make 139 appearances over 7 seasons for the Rams, scoring 11 goals.
In order to learn more about Buxton’s time at Derby we contacted the Ollie Wright at the @derbycountyblog.
Here’s over to Ollie:
Jake Buxton arrived at Derby County from Burton Albion in 2009, following his manager Nigel Clough in transferring from the Brewers to the Rams. Given that Derby had not long been relegated from the Premier League and Burton had only just been promoted to the Football League, the signing was met with widespread incredulity – but Clough had faith in Buxton to make the jump, based on his work ethic and character. –
Clough was big on character. In the same way that his father would have no truck with ‘sh..houses’, Nigel prioritised and was loyal to men that he could trust. Buxton proved to be worthy of Clough’s faith.
He is not tall for a centre back, nor is he particularly quick. He is, however, rabidly competitive, blessed with a street fighter’s determination and not above using a few of the ‘dark arts’, at times. Raised in the lower leagues, he loves to fight for every ball. It would be unfair to write him off as a rudimentary clogger, because he can pass, but it’s undeniable that his game is based on the simple core virtues of ‘heading and kicking it’, to quote Clough.
Buxton continued to play regularly under Steve McClaren, who also extended Buxton’s contract. He was a key member of the side which reached the play-off final in 2013/4, but that season proved to be his peak at Derby, with injuries and the arrival of Jason Shackell reducing him to the role of bit-part player in the past two seasons.
This is the right time for Buxton to move on from Derby, but at 31, he has plenty of time left. And a cursory scan of Twitter will reveal the real affection most Rams fans have for ‘Bucko’, who will be missed by all of us.
LOS THREE AMIGOS 