Category Archives: Match Reports

Charlton Athletic 0 Wigan Athletic 0 – losing run away from home halted

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

Chris McCann’s header on its way to rebounding off the crossbar in front of the visiting supporters.

A tired-looking Wigan Athletic rode the waves of Charlton pressure in the first half to come back with a better performance after the interval. Although it was a goalless draw both sides had opportunities to win the game. In the end a draw was a fair result.

Owen Coyle lost Scott Carson injured  in the warmup, with Lee Nicholls stepping up. Latics took the field without a substitute goalkeeper on the bench.

As expected Thomas Rogne, James Perch and James McArthur returned to the starting lineup. Ben Watson and Chris McCann occupied the central midfield positions with McArthur pushed across to the right. Nick Powell and Grant Holt made up the strike force, with James McClean on the left.

Charlton were the better team in the first half. That Latics went into the dressing room at the interval without conceding a goal was largely down to a confident performance by Nicholls. He had shown his confidence and technique with his handling early on. His reaction save just before half time to defy big defender Richard Wood’s point blank header was top-drawer. Latics produced little of note in the first half and it looked like another away defeat was on its way.

With no wide player on the right Latics’ play had been skewed and the link up play between Perch and McClean had been poor. Neither seemed to have the close control or passing ability to deal with a crowded zone on Latics’ left.

Ben Watson made some uncharacteristic passing errors in midfield and McArthur’s influence was marginalized in that wider position. There was little ‘running off the ball’ so that when a defender was ready to pass the ball forward there were options open. The passing in general was poor.

Latics came back after half time showing more resolve. They clawed their way back into the game and made Charlton look vulnerable in a way that did not seem possible in the first half. A rocket shot from Dale Stephens went narrowly wide, but soon after McCann’s header from a corner crashed against the crossbar.

McCann was the focal point of most of Latics’ better football, before they reverted to the ‘Bolton mode’ in the final third of the game. Wigan put on the pressure but Charlton were dangerous through their pace on the wings. Latics defence had to be on their toes to keep them out.

Coyle had taken off an ineffective McClean for Callum McManaman after 66 minutes, then at last relieved the jaded Watson after 72 minutes. The substitute was Roger Espinoza, who provided a lift to the game with his energetic approach, although being played out of position in left midfield. Marc-Antoine Fortune replaced Holt after 76 minutes.

Latics spurned  the chances they had in the second half and in the end Charlton were probably grateful for a point.

The Good

The run of four consecutive away defeats has been halted although the goalless streak on the road now stretches to five matches.

The second half display was full of effort and endeavour and Latics pushed forward creating opportunities.

Thomas Rogne and Leon Barnett controlled the aerial side of Charlton’s game and they continue to look like a strong partnership at the heart of the defence.  They dealt well with the danger coming in from the wings.

Chris McCann followed on from his fine performance against Rubin with another good display, tireless in defence and creative in attack.

Around the 70th minute Coyle had both Espinoza and Fortune warming up on the sidelines, close to where we were sitting.

Coyle  was soon to point the finger to beckon at least one of them on. Espinoza’s body language  said “Who me?”, probably assuming it was the big forward who was to go on. The Honduran did go on, with Fortune following four minutes later.

Espinoza was given a chance at last, if not in his best position.

The Bad

Once more we had a tactical change from Coyle. This time he chose to play with one wide player, McClean.  Key central midfielder McArthur was pushed out to the right, like a fish out of water. A  better option would have been to rest the jaded Watson and play the Scot in his normal role, with the deserving McCann alongside.

The left  flank play between Perch and McClean in the first half was inept. The full back’s passing was dire and the winger’s control poor.

In the final third  of the match it once again it looked like we were watching a Bolton game. A waste of the talent in midfield and in Nick Powell who received poor service. It is becoming a depressing trend.

Coyle deserves to be commended for the spirit he has imbibed in his players.

However, question marks remain about his tactical approach.

Player Ratings

Lee Nicholls: 7 – a composed performance from the rookie. Has a bright future ahead.

Emmerson Boyce: 7 – played a captain’s role. Solid in defence and provided good support for the attack.

Leon Barnett: 8 – a powerhouse performance. Plays well with Rogne.

Thomas Rogne: 8 – negated the home team’s aerial approach. Totally dominant in the air and calm and calculating in his covering.

James Perch: 4 – woeful in  his passing and found wanting in defence.

Chris McCann: 7 – another good  performance from the cultured Irishman.

Ben Watson: 5 – not up to his usual level.

James McArthur: 5 – clearly did not enjoy being played out of position.

Grant Holt: 5 – ineffective, although to be fair he received not one decent cross during the whole game.

Nick Powell: 7 – cannot be faulted for effort. Spent too much time jumping for high balls. What a waste of such a talented player.

James McClean: 4 – poor. Taken off after 66 minutes.

Substitutes

Marc-Antoine Fortune: – showed a better touch when coming on for Holt. Should he be the starter and Holt the impact substitute?

Callum McManaman: – unable to breach the opposition defence.

Roger Espinoza: – not at his best in left midfield, but at least provided some much needed energy into the play. Had a lot of support from Latics’ traveling fans.

Two Amigos at Charlton. Photo courtesy of Nathan Peters.

Two Amigos at Charlton.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Peters.

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Wigan Athletic 1 Rubin Kazan 1 – a point gained

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

Fortunemiss

Wigan Athletic were denied a memorable victory against a strong Rubin Kazan side in the dying seconds of the match.  Marc-Antoine Fortune’s close range shot had ‘goal’ written all over it but Russian goalkeeper Sergei Ryzhikov made an outstanding save to keep the scores level.

Rubin would have counted themselves unlucky had Fortune’s shot gone in as they were the more accomplished side, with players of superior technical ability. It was through sheer determination that Latics managed to claw their way back into the game and almost win it at the end.

Owen Coyle left regular league starters Thomas Rogne, James Perch and James McArthur on the bench, bringing in Ryan Shotton, Stephen Crainey and Chris McCann. Jordi Gomez was pushed into a right sided midfield forward role, with Jean Beausejour on the left. Grant Holt and Nick Powell played as a striking duo.

The opening minutes saw Latics controlling midfield but creating little danger. They received a wake-up call after 15 minutes when Alexander Prudnikov evaded Leon Barnett’s attempt to play him offside and slotted the ball past Scott Carson with aplomb.

The goal knocked the stuffing out of Wigan and the crowd were getting frustrated and were on their backs. Prudnikov seemed to have the freedom of the park at times, roaming around without anyone picking him up. However, a flowing move from Latics saw Holt square the ball across the box but Gomez fired high and wide from a great opportunity.

The equaliser in the 39th minute when Ben Watson’s backheel gave Powell the chance to rifle in a fine opportunist low shot from the edge of the penalty area. The goal lifted Latics and they began to more than hold their own through a mixture of skill and resilience.

The second half saw neither side dominant as Wigan started to adopt a more direct approach the their play. Ryan Shotton was fortunate to receive only a yellow card in the 49th minute after a scything tackle on the edge of the box.

Holt was replaced by Fortune who did well to get past three defenders but could not get enough power behind his shot after 70 minutes. A couple of minutes before Latics had breathed a sigh of relief as Roman Eremenko’s sliding shot was blocked on its way to the net.

James McClean had replaced Beausejour after 68 minutes, but the pattern of the game continued. Callum McManaman replaced Gomez in the 75th minute and had a near post shot blocked near the end.

Latics continued their aerial bombardment, but Rubin’s big Spanish defenders, Ivan Marcano and the 6’4″  Cesar Navas who was brought on after 67 minutes, were able to repel most of the long balls.

In the end it was a point well won by Latics, against the team that will surely win the group.

Maribor’s shock 3-1 victory against Zulte Waregem in Belgium has opened up the group and Latics will need at least one  good result in the  games in Russia and Slovenia and at home to Zulte Waregem to continue to hol second place.

The Good

Latics could not be faulted for effort. The midfield holding players – Watson and McCann – put in a hard shift, helping to protect their defence, building up attacks.

This Latics side does not give up easily and they still stand a good chance of qualifying for the next round.

The Bad

Once more we had a tactical change from Coyle. This time the wide players were more withdrawn towards midfield and Powell was paired with Holt as a central striker, albeit playing a little deeper.

Powell is best employed running at the defence from midfield, in the kind of role Shaun Maloney used to play. He is not suited to the long ball game that Latics played too often in the second half. Given Maloney’s absence, possibly for the rest of the season, Powell is going to be a key player at such a young age.

Once again we saw Coyle put Gomez in a midfield attacking role on the right. The Spaniard had a nightmare game, slowing down attacks and passing the ball backwards far too often. His lack of defensive cover on the right hand side, put Emmerson Boyce under pressure, especially in the second half when Rubin brought on the speedy Ghanaian Mubarak Wakaso on the left wing.

Playing Gomez in that position is not doing him any favours. He can play a useful role in the centre of midfield, either in a holding role or playing in the hole behind the central striker.

Once again Latics adopted a long ball game in the latter part of the match. One hopes that Coyle can develop another ‘Plan B’ as the season continues. At times it looked like we were watching a Bolton game.

Player Ratings

Scott Carson: 6 – only had a couple of saves to make.

Emmerson Boyce: 6 – once again played with great heart. His pace is not what it was and he was troubled by Wakaso in the second half.

Leon Barnett: 6 – together with Ryan Shotton he forms a physically intimidating centre of defence. However, at times he looked disorientated with the movement of opposition forwards and midfield players.

Ryan Shotton: 6 – ditto

Stephen Crainey: 6 – made a cautious, steady return. Looked solid enough in defence and is clearly working on improving his distribution.

Chris McCann: 8 – an excellent performance from the cultured Irishman. Provided good cover for hs defence and put in some nice passes with his educated left foot.

Ben Watson: 7.5 – was involved in Wigan’s two best moves of the first half and worked very hard to hold Rubin back. His set piece deliveries were not up to his usual high standard.

Jordi Gomez: 3 – poor.

Nick Powell: 7 – took his goal really well. A quality player who needs the ball to his feet, rather  than in the air.

Grant Holt: 5 – looked clumsy and short of pace. Not long back from injury he probably needs more time to get in top shape.

Jean Beausejour: 5 – starved of possession and could not get in the game.

Substitutes

Marc-Antoine Fortune: – looked more mobile than Holt, but was too often outnumbered by opposition defenders. A pity his last gasp effort did not go in.

Callum McManaman: – showed a little more than in recent games when coming on for the last 15 minutes. Let’s hope he can rekindle last season’s form over the coming weeks.

James McClean: – worked hard and put in a good defensive stint.

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Blackpool 1 Wigan Athletic 0 – Maloney sadly missed

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

A Tom Ince penalty in the 24th minute was enough to win the points for Blackpool, as Wigan’s poor away form continued. The record now reads won one, lost four on the road. The inaccuracy of Latics’ finishing in the match was reflected in the stats revealing they had 20 shots on goal, with only one on target.

A well organized Blackpool, with a tight and rugged defence, proved strong opposition for Latics. Carson’s reckless intervention allowed Gosling to go to ground to give the Seasiders a lead that Wigan were unable to overcome. The big Latics goalkeeper was lucky not to receive a red card.

Latics made two changes from their lineup against Blackburn, bringing in Emmerson Boyce for Ryan Shotton and Callum McManaman for Jean Beausejour. Nick Powell was named ahead of Grant Holt and Marc Antoine Fortune at centre forward.

Apart from the penalty there were few clear cut goal opportunities for either side until the last 15 minutes when the action started.

Powell had an early chance for Wigan but headed wide at point blank range. Ben Watson and James McArthur were winning the midfield battle, but there was little penetration in Wigan’s play. Jordi Gomez was unable to put through incisive passes to unlock a strong defence and the wingers McManaman and McClean could not provide quality crosses into the penalty box.

Coyle decided a more direct approach was needed after 58 minutes when he brought on Holt and Fortune for Powell and Gomez. Given the two big central strikers’ recent injury problems it was a risky choice to bring them both on so early.  With two attacking wingers and two central strikers it was akin to an old 4-2-4 formation. Coyle added to the risk factor by bringing on Beausejour for McManaman just 7 minutes later.

In those hectic final 15 minutes the game could have gone either way. The changes meant that Latics had more attacking thrust, but the defence was vulnerable to counter-attacks. Big Jamaican forward Ricardo Fuller burst through for Blackpool but chipped over the bar. Leon Barnett and Grant Holt soon after had headers that hit the woodwork. Barnett had a powerful shot well saved by Gilkes and Boyce had an effort kicked off the line.

In the final minutes Wigan’s defence was repeatedly exposed, but poor finishing and good goalkeeping by Carson kept Blackpool out.

James McClean capped a frustrating display by getting a straight red card in the dying moments. The Irishman had been booked for bad tackle in the first half, berating the referee for his decision. This time he felt that the corpulent Blackpool central defender Gary MacKenzie had stamped on him. Then McClean lost his self control and it took a considerable effort from teammates to hold him back from confronting the opposition and referee. Why McClean actually got sent off remains a mystery – he certainly had not retaliated in any serious way against MacKenzie.

The Good

Latics played with spirit in the final period, even if the quality of their football was not top notch. If one of those chances had gone in they might well have gone on to win the game.

Ben Watson and James McArthur continue to play well together in central midfield, although in this game they did not get as far forward as one would have liked. Although Thomas Rogne could not keep up the high level of recent performances the defence continues to look more solid. Barnett is a dominant presence and James Perch has helped provide more defensive stability at left back, if limited in his attacking abilities.

Blackpool are one of the better sides in the division and Latics certainly matched them. A draw would way have been a fair result, although the Seasiders could have walked away with a wider victory had they taken their chances on the counter attack.

The Bad

Without Shaun Maloney Latics lack someone who can put through a defence-splitting pass. Gomez did not have the best of days, but his record on providing assists has always been found wanting. Maloney is also missed in the taking of free kicks. Latics had set piece opportunities in good positions for shots on goal, but never looked like converting them.

Coyle rode his luck in putting on all three substitutes with 25 minutes remaining. He was lucky there were no injuries. His risk of changing to 4-2-4 can be praised as bold or condemned as foolhardy. It helped Latics create more goalscoring opportunities, but left the defence badly exposed.

Player Ratings:

Scott Carson: 7 – despite the penalty he was once again one of the better performers.

Emmerson Boyce: 6 – unlucky with his effort in the closing minutes. Worked hard, if not at his best.

Thomas Rogne: 5 – the young central defender had a bit of an off day. He made errors in his passing and did not look on top of his game.

Leon Barnett: 8 – a powerhouse in defence and dangerous in the opposition box. He made an amazing and brave goal line clearance to deny  Blackpool near the end.

James Perch: 6 – solid.

Ben Watson: 7 – continues to look a class act in this division. Good in tacking and intercepting, intelligent with his passing.

James McArthur: 8 – forms an excellent midfield duo with Watson. A complete midfield player who runs himself into the ground for his team.

Jordi Gomez: 5 – poor. Taken off after 58 minutes.

Callum McManaman: 5 – unable to trouble the Blackpool defence. Taken off after 65 minutes.

Nick Powell: 5 – ineffective. Taken off after 58 minutes.

James McClean: 5 – worked hard, but so often ran into blind alleys. Needs to control his temperament.

Substitutes:

Grant Holt:  – made a difference when he came on. Dangerous in the box.

Marc Antoine Fortune: – looked rusty. Ineffective.

Jean Beausejour: – could not impose himself on the game.

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Wigan Athletic 3 Maribor 1 – champagne then flat beer

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

Ben Watson is congratulated after Latics’ second goal

Wigan Athletic put in a Jekyll and Hyde performance in beating Maribor.  At times we were reminded of that brand of champagne football that Roberto Martinez’s teams could sometimes conjure up.  But then again we saw that lethargic side of this current team’s make-up. Champagne it wasn’t – flat beer maybe.

Both teams had gone into the game knowing that Rubin Kazan had thrashed Zulte Waregem 4-0. The most important thing for Wigan was to get the three points, although Owen Coyle had been suggesting they might go further and produce a footballing feast. At times they did.

Unlike the first match in Belgium, Coyle put out his first choice players. Emmerson Boyce came in, pushing Ryan Shotton to centre back. Jean Beausejour replaced James McClean who was not fully fit, but made the bench.

Coyle’s starting line-up and formation was spot-on. James McArthur and Ben Watson played the midfield holding roles, with Jordi Gomez in his best position in the attacking midfield role. Callum McManaman and Jean Beausejour played wide, with Nick Powell in the lone centre forward role.

Latics dominated the first half playing calm, controlled possession football reminiscent of times gone by. Nick Powell ran through the Maribor defence in the 7th minute following a poor back pass, but goalkeeper Jasmin Handanovic made a good save.

Wigan took the lead after 22 minutes when an almost comic punch by Handanovic went backwards, allowing Powell an easy chance to head home. McArthur and Watson were controlling the game from central midfield, with Gomez and Beausejour linking up very well. Although well marked, Callum McManaman was a danger on the other wing,

Wigan’s second goal in the 34th  minute came from a fantastic curving cross from Beausejour, headed in by Ben Watson, who had made a great run from midfield.

Powell squandered a chance in the 36th minute when clean through, putting in an audacious chip that went wide. Roberto Martinez was sat there in the stands and would surely have loved that kind of arrogance that Powell had shown, even if the effort was unsuccessful.

In the 38th minute McManaman made a surging run with a good cross for Beausejour who could not control the bobbling ball and scuffed his shot. The same player went through again in the 44th minute and was unlucky with a cross shot that went wide of the far post.

After going in with a 2-0 lead at half time, with Maribor on the ropes, Latics could have won by a landslide. However, once again  they defended deeper and allowed the away team more possession. After 61 minutes the dangerous Jean-Philippe Mendy outpaced and outmuscled Shotton and Magno Tavares scored from the chaos that followed the Frenchman’s cut back.

The whole feel of the game had changed. Latics were edgy, although they were still creating chances at the other end. In the 61st minute a pass from McArthur found Beausejour whose superb low cross just needed a touch with an open goal ahead. Powell stretched but could only manage to hit the post with the ball being cleared.

In the 89th minute it took a spectacular save by Scott Carson to deny a powerful drive from Tavares as he pushed the powerful effort over the bar. Latics were living dangerously.

However, in the 91st minute, Powell who had been a real handful for the Slovenian team all night, got a deserved second goal dribbling through the defence before slotting home with his left foot.

The Good

The well balanced team that Coyle put out provided Latics with the width that they used to stretch Maribor’s defence. They started with six of last year’s squad in the lineup and the understanding between those players was the key to Wigan’s dominance of the match.

Wingers McManaman and Beausejour constantly threatened, until the former was taken off after 67 minutes. In the first half we saw calm, patient build ups with the ball passing through a very capable midfield trio. Even goalkeeper Carson played his part, making short passes, rather than hoofing the ball upfield as has been his wont on previous occasions.

With better finishing Latics could have won the match by at least five clear goals. Powell was guilty of wasting several chances, but his effort and technique cannot be faulted. He is already starting to look like a top quality centre forward, although it is not his natural position. There is no question that he is a future England player.

The Bad

Once more Latics took their feet off the gas in the second half, allowing the visitors back into the game. It has happened so many times this season. Some say that the root of the problem is a lack of fitness.

However, it is nothing new and happened under Martinez too. Apart from the epic cup run, Latics have not had a winning mentality. Constantly struggling against the elite clubs of the Premier League is not good for a team’s psyche. It is going to take some time for Latics to get back that winning mentality and not pay overdue respect to the opposition.

Maribor’s goal should have been avoided. Tavares was the only opposition player within yards of Mendy’s cutback, but nobody marked him.

Player Ratings

Scott Carson: 8 – not overworked but inspired confidence when he made interventions. His superb save in the closing moments kept Latics ahead.

Emmerson Boyce: 7 – solid in defence and linked up well with McManaman.

Ryan Shotton: 6 – exposed for the Maribor goal and not at his best.

Leon Barnett: 6 –  needs to build up more of an understanding with Shotton to be at his best.

James Perch: 6 – solid, but limited in attack.

Ben Watson: 8 – getting back to his best. Hardworking and cultured in his passing. It was good to see him getting into the penalty box for his well taken goal. Substituted after 77 minutes.

James McArthur: 9 – covered every blade of grass on the pitch, a midfield dynamo. It has not been an easy season for the Scot, adjusting to the Championship, but he is back to his best.

Jordi Gomez: 7 – much more effective in his natural role as the midfield playmaker. However, he will need to fight to keep that position with Shaun Maloney and Nick Powell also in the frame.

Callum McManaman: 7 – gradually getting back to form. Looked dangerous at times, although well policed by the Maribor defence. Substituted after 67 minutes.

Nick Powell: 8 – dangerous throughout. Spurned some chances but was a real headache for Maribor’s defence.

Jean Beausejour: 8 – a cultured attacking display from the Chilean. Set up great opportunities with his sublime crossing. Made an outstanding defensive intervention in his own penalty near the end with his defence all at sea.

Substitutes

James McClean: – poor. His lack of close control let him down on too many occasions.

Chris McCann: – came on for Watson after 77 minutes. A cultured midfield player who has received few opportunities so far.

Nouha Dicko: – brought on in stoppage time at the end of the match.

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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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