Category Archives: Match Previews

Leeds Preview – time for Latics’ players to step forward

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

I cannot remember a time when a departing Wigan Athletic manager has been subject to such a torrent of abuse on leaving the club. Owen Coyle’s  name has been vilified from all corners of social and fan media. Few of those who supported him less than a week ago seem able or willing to stand up for him now.

So much as changed in such a short amount of time.

Coyle has been condemned for having poor team selection skills, not having a tactical plan, for playing people out of position and for the sagging of players’ energy levels during the 90 minutes.

But now Coyle has gone there are no more excuses for poor individual player performances. Now is the time for the players to step forward and show what they are capable of.

Players such as Ali Al-Habsi, Jean Beausejour, Roger Espinoza and Fraser Fyvie (still on loan at Yeovil), will surely have breathed a sigh of relief when hearing of Coyle’s departure.

The big goalkeeper is back in training now and when fully fit is sure to pose a big challenge to Scott Carson and Lee Nicholls between the posts. The two Latinos – Beausejour and Espinoza – clearly did not receive any favours from Coyle, but both have previously proven themselves to be players of Premier League quality. The classy young Fyvie was one to be nurtured for the future, rather than to be snubbed and sent off to another club.

It appears that Graham Barrow has been given temporary responsibility for the senior squad, although Sandy Stewart is still in the picture.

One of the main problems in the Coyle reign was the absence of an “identity” in terms of the way the team were to play their football.Barrow needs to stamp some kind of identity upon the team immediately, so that players know exactly what is expected of them.

Under Coyle it was too easy for players to opt out by making hopeful (or hopeless?) long passes. Now it is the time for the players show their skill and demonstrate to Leeds tomorrow night that they are a cut above their Yorkshire opposition.

It is a tall order for Barrow.

As first team coach he would surely have been involved in developing a style of play, but he might well have been overruled by Coyle or Stewart. Who knows whether his hands were tied or whether he too was part of the problem?

One thing is for sure. Not one of Latics’ players recruited by Martinez has performed at the level we expected when they dropped down a division.

Barrow knows those players and what they can do and his task will be to get them performing at their optimal level. He could do worse than have a core of Martinez players as the spine of the team, with the best of Coyle’s recruits joining them.

It is going to take some time before a new manager is appointed so Barrow needs to act fast and decisively. It is going to be interesting to see the style in which Latics play tomorrow night.

It looks like the excellent Scott Carson will come in for that fine prospect Lee Nicholls in goal. The remaining places are up for grabs.

Under Coyle Latics took one step forward and two steps back.

It is now time for this squad to reveal their true potential.

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Derby Preview – a chance for a youthful strikeforce?

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

Will Keane could make his debut today against Derby County. Thanks to the FA for photo.

Will Keane could make his debut today against Derby County.
Thanks to the FA for photo.


It has been a difficult week for Wigan Athletic and Owen Coyle. There has been a torrent of anger vented towards the manager following consecutive home defeats, with fans getting frustrated by a mediocre league position and a probable exit from Europe.

Coyle will be looking for an emphatic performance against Derby County this afternoon to halt the slide.

Derby stand just 3 points above Wigan in 8th place, Latics having a game in hand. A win for Latics is a distinct possibility providing they show the kind of movement and cohesion that was evident in the first half of the Zulte Waregem match on Thursday.

Derby will be no pushovers. They have an excellent away record of W5 D1 L2, winning at Watford and Bournemouth in their last two games on the road. The arrival of Steve McLaren in October has turned Derby’s season around. After the first 9 games they had only 11 points, but they have since picked up 14 points from the last 7.

It will be an opportunity for Latics supporters to watch the elegant 18 year old Derby playmaker, Will Hughes.  Hughes is likely to go to a big club in the January sales, giving McLaren the resources to bolster weaker areas of his squad.

Latics might well go into this match with a youthful front line. The 20 year old Will Keane has been signed on a short term loan from Manchester United and he could go straight in at centre forward with the excellent Nick Powell playing just behind him. Wingers Callum McManaman and James McClean were a real force in the first half on Thursday and offer a potent threat.

Ryan Shotton will almost certainly come back in. It remains to be seen whether Emmerson Boyce will be rested. If so he could be replaced by Shotton, but the possibility exists for James Perch to move to right back with Stephen Crainey retaining his place on the left.

Ben Watson is likely to return in central midfield to be partnered by one of James McArthur, Chris McCann or Roger Espinoza. Given Coyle’s previous preferences it will probably be the tall Irishman McCann who once again gets the call.

Although unlikely there is an outside chance that Ivan Ramis might make a surprise return following a ten month absence through injury. Having someone who can pass the ball out of defence would make a big difference for the midfield, given the tendency of the centre backs to launch hopeful long balls or to pass the buck with a ball back to the ‘keeper.

It promises to be an interesting encounter. A win for Wigan will push them back into contention. They are only 5 points away from the play-off zone with a match in hand.

Hopefully they can shake off the disappointments of the past week and play with spirit and determination.

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Zulte Waregem Preview – Coyle Needs a Win

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

Tomorrow’s home tie with Zulte Waregem is an historic occasion.

A win for Wigan Athletic will put them into the round of 32 of the Europa League, providing Rubin Kazan do their duty by dispatching Maribor.

But a failure to win would put mounting pressure on manager Owen Coyle.

It is not the best time to play Zulte Waregem.

Despite their indifferent form in the Europa League they have moved up to second place in the Belgian Jupiler League, losing only one game in the sixteen they have played. They are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions.

The storm clouds were gathering at the DW Stadium on Saturday when Latics lost their unbeaten home record to Brighton.

It was a particularly frustrating afternoon, Grant Holt’s miss being the straw that broke the camel’s back for many fans. The marquee signing just was not able to put away a one-on-one chance against the keeper in the 71st minute.

The fact that Brighton broke away to the other end and scored within a minute was hard to bear, particularly as the Wigan defence casually watched as Lee Crofts headed in. That Holt was not able to put away a header from an excellent James McClean cross in the 90th minute merely rubbed it in.

Holt’s miss was not the worst we have seen this season. It was through his own efforts that he got the goal scoring opportunity, dispossessing Brighton defender Greer and getting himself into exactly the right position to score.

Holt’s second opportunity was a rarity – a cross from the wing that reached him and gave him at least an even chance to score. Latics wingers just have not done that enough this season. Holt may look clumsy and slow at times, but where has his service been?

It was refreshing to see Latics playing some good football in the first half, with their movement causing Brighton problems. It was that final touch that eluded them.

The further it went into the second half that movement got less and less.  Latics started to revert to that ‘Coylesque’ approach – hopeful long balls from defence, with Holt being expected to outjump the two central defenders each of whom was taller than him.

What happened to the approach of crossing from the flanks?

There were more than just murmurings of “Coyle Out!” this time around. The Latics faithful have been more than patient, realising that Coyle had a hill to climb in rebuilding a squad that had been decimated at the end of least season. In that respect he has surpassed expectations.

It is the poor quality of football the team has produced and Coyle’s perceived loyalty to players he has brought in that has made many supporters’ blood boil. Most supporters will even tolerate a less attractive style of play providing it brings results. An early exit from the Europa League would not go down well with them.

Once again Coyle has the opportunity to shuffle his pack. Saturday’s line up is probably his first choice, but with the strong squad he has built he has players on the bench who are more than adequate replacements. But then again, on Saturday the players looked like strangers to each other at times, so bringing in another set is hardly going to help the “chemistry”.

Jean Beausejour,  Stephen Crainey, Jordi Gomez,  James McArthur and Thomas Rogne are due to come back into the rotation. Given the indifferent form of both of his experienced central strikers against Brighton, Coyle might be tempted to start with Nick Powell at centre forward. 

Wins at Wigan and at home to Rubin Kazan will put Zulte Waregem through to the next round. Latics can therefore expect a very difficult game tomorrow night.

Much will depend on Coyle’s tactics. One hopes we will not see the woeful stuff that was served up in Kazan.

Latics fans deserve better than Route One football.

There is enough talent in this Wigan Athletic side to overcome the Belgian visitors.

Let’s hope Coyle gets it right.

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A Brighton Fan’s View

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews and tagged with , , , ,
Photo courtesy of Visit Brighton

Photo courtesy of Visit Brighton

Less than a year ago Brighton and Hove Albion were playing a style of football akin to that of Wigan Athletic under Roberto Martinez.

A lot has happened since then.

Both clubs lost their managers at the end of the season. Brighton sought a replacement who would build upon the style of play established by Gus Poyet, bringing in ex-Barcelona youth coach and ex-player Oscar Garcia. Latics chose a manager who prefers a more direct approach.

The two clubs are neck and neck in the Championship, with Latics in tenth place, one point and one position above Brighton. Both clubs have had bad luck with injuries so far this season. Both come into the match with two consecutive league victories under their belts.

Let’s get up to date with Brighton through the eyes of one of their keenest supporters.

Tim Attree’s love of the club dates back to when he was a kid and he would help his father sell jackpot tickets on matchdays outside the old Goldstone Ground. His father had watched Brighton from an early age and for decades would volunteer to help out selling programmes and jackpot tickets. Tim has kept up his father’s love of the club and hardly misses a single Brighton match.

Tim first came to Wigan in the mid 1970s, when I invited him to join me at Springfield Park to watch a Northern Premier League game with Stafford Rangers. Since then he paid repeated visits to Wigan to Springfield Park and the JJB/DW Stadium.

Over to Tim to answer some questions.

Does anybody know why Gus Poyet was pushed out after taking his team to the playoffs ?

Nobody seems to know or wants to say anything about it, but he told chairman Tony Bloom that he wanted to leave just before we beat Crystal  Palace back in March. According to Bloom at ‘Fans Forum’ things deteriorated after that.

 Did Albion’s fans like the tiki-taka style that your team played last year?

 Yes we loved the way they played. Some of us think it’s the best we’ve ever seen!

 How is the team performing? Has the style changed from last year?

Injuries have hit us hard, but we try to close down teams very quickly after losing the ball within 5-10 seconds – a bit like Barcelona. Oscar Garcia  was at Barca and has brought that philosophy with him.

In addition there is the feeling that we do not keep the ball as long as we did with Gus and try and cross the ball a bit earlier. If we lose it we press high to get it back whereas with Gus we would all have gone back to defence as quickly as possible.

 Latics made a decision to replace Roberto Martinez with a manager whose football is ‘more direct’. There are mixed feelings among fans about Coyle’s appointment. What do the Brighton fans think about Garcia?

The jury is still out on Garcia, but most fans think he is doing OK particularly having had so many injuries.

 Who are the players in the Brighton team Latics will have to watch?

 Goalie Tomas Kuszczak is very good. Liam Bridcutt (ex Chelsea youngster) is a strong holding midfielder and last week played his first 30 minutes or so after being out through injury. Will Buckley (ex -Watford) is a fast player who plays out wide, mainly on the right wing.

In defence we have Gordon Greer who has just won his first Scotland cap and Matthew Upson. We miss Wayne Bridge at left back but now have Stephen Ward on loan from Wolves who has just got back into the Irish team.

 Who   is going to finish higher in the table at the end of the season – Brighton or Wigan?

 Don’t know! Suspect it will be close if both clubs can get all their players fit for the New Year!

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YEOVIL PREVIEW – will the tide turn?

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews, Other and tagged with , , , ,
Yeovil's Huish Park ground.

Yeovil’s Huish Park ground.

You can say what you like about Owen Coyle and his ‘Bolton-style football’, but you can’t deny that he is building a team that is growing match-by-match into a highly competitive outfit.

They are physically and mentally determined and have the ability to grind out results . It is not pretty, but if it gets the results Latics need to get back up into the Premier League then few supporters will complain.

Last year Latics conceded fifteen headed goals – more than any other in the Premier League. But that will not happen this year with big central defenders like Leon Barnett, Thomas Rogne and Ryan Shotton around.

Moreover the trio pose a danger in the opposition penalty box – Barnett has already scored three, Shotton also has one too and Rogne has been unlucky to be denied by the woodwork. Add to them good headers of the ball like Emmerson Boyce, Grant Holt and Chris McCann and you can see why Latics are dangerous from set pieces.

Wigan Athletic  have never played Yeovil before and now is a good time to play them as they are bottom of the Championship table. What better chance for Latics to pick up three points?

Coyle will rotate his squad following the defeat at Kazan. Thankfully Emmerson Boyce will return at right back. His passing skills were missed in Russia where Ryan Shotton had a miserable 57% pass completion rate. Shotton is much better at centre back and he will compete with Thomas Rogne for a place in today’s lineup.

James Perch will move back into the back four, where he has provided defensive stability in the problematic  left back position. Midfield is not his best position. Coyle will have another difficult decision in who to play in midfield. Roger Espinoza was the ‘Man of the Match’ in Kazan and deserves another outing. He will have to compete with James McArthur, Chris McCann and Ben Watson for a place.

Up front Coyle might well choose the more mobile Marc-Antoine Fortune to start, with Grant Holt coming on later as an impact player.

This being an away  match that is very ‘winnable’ he could well go for two wingers, rather than use Jordi Gomez on the right. Marc Albrighton is on loan for 28 days and Coyle will need to give him ample opportunity soon if he is to assess the young Brummie with a  view to permanent signing. Albrighton could line up on the right, with Callum McManaman on the left.

Latics have so far been unlucky with shots and headers hitting the woodwork on too many occasions.

The tide is due to turn some time. It could well happen today.

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