Category Archives: Other

Latics and Height

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

tall&short
Do you need height to win matches in the Championship?

Doncaster Rovers were already 1-0 up in the 43rd minute at the DW Stadium on Tuesday when the 6’2” Bonjani Khumalo crossed the ball to the 6’7” Rob Jones. Jones headed the ball into the path of 6’1” Chris Brown who headed home. Soon after half time Khumalo saw his header strike the post. Then after Wigan’s last minute equalizer a header from 6’1” substitute Billy Painter hit the crossbar in time added on.

To be fair Doncaster’s football is not only about aerial power. Their first goal came from 5’9” striker Theo Robinson who turned and slotted the ball home in style. On the other hand when a team has a defence as tall as Doncaster’s they are less likely to concede headed goals from crosses or set pieces.Latics please take note.

Wigan Athletic’s tallest defender in that match was Leon Barnett, at 6’2’. Both Emmerson Boyce and James Perch are 5’11”, while Stephen Crainey is 5’9”. This is not to say that Wigan didn’t have tall players in their squad. Chris McCann is 6’1”, although not  well known for his heading ability. Central strikers Grant Holt and Marc-Antoine Fortune are both 6’.

Surely the best way to unlock a defence like Doncaster’s is to run at them and not to loft the ball in the air. In order to do that Wigan need to win those 50-50 balls in midfield and use the ball intelligently. The central striker needs support from the flanks and the midfield.

It needs a lot of graft and hard work to overcome teams like Doncaster who can be uncompromising, well organized and industrious. An interesting statistic was that no Latics player received a card, while Doncaster got three yellows.

The Bournemouth and Doncaster games have given Wigan Athletic a wakeup call. Latics are in a period of transition and are struggling to find a consistent style of play. Ideally they should be able to switch from the possession-mode to the direct-mode as required, but this is still a work in progress.

In that final Premier League season the opposition had started to realize that the stylish football played by Roberto Martinez’s teams could be disrupted by “high pressing”, preventing them from stroking the ball around in their own half.

Championship teams will surely follow suit with Owen Coyle’s teams. When this happens Wigan are going to need more ‘off the ball’ movement from players further forward, allowing defenders to bypass the press. This is a different matter to what we have seen so far when defenders have too often put in hopeful punts which have been gratefully received by the opposition defence.

Not all teams in the Championship will pose an aerial threat like Doncaster and the understanding between Leon Barnett and James Perch in the centre of defence will surely grow as the season moves on. But there will be competition for defensive positions.

The Honduran, Juan Carlos Garcia,  6’2” , can play left back or centre back and is likely to be pushing for a place. The 6’4’ Thomas Royne and 6’2” Ivan Ramis remain on the injury list, but their aerial power is going to be useful once they get back to full fitness. If Gary Caldwell can fully recover from hip surgery he will be a real force at this level.

Let’s hope that the last two games have been a learning experience for Latics. The squad is laden with players with the quality to excel at Championship level, but they need to be physically and mentally tougher if they are to regularly beat teams like Doncaster.

The aerial threat of the opposition is minimised when you cut off their supply lines. Doing so requires hard work and commitment.

Only time will tell if this talented Latics squad has the steel to match its skill. The Middlesbrough game on Saturday will give Latics the opportunity to show that they can learn from adversity.

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A Sunderland fan’s view on James McClean

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

McCleanAs the Owen Coyle revolution continues so too does our coverage of Wigan Athletic’s new signings. This week’s insight comes thanks to Martyn McFadden and Matthew Wear of Sunderland fan site “A Love Supreme”.

Matthew shares his views on most recent signing James McClean. He likens the player with Marmite- an interesting comparison!

Here is Matthew’s article:

In his time with Sunderland, there was a lot of side-taking for the Irish International. He was a little like marmite, either you love him or you hate him. He signed for us for a mere £300,000 from League of Ireland side Derry City, and under Steve Bruce it was seemingly a signing for the future.

However, due to his impressive performances in the reserve side he was placed on the bench but didn’t appear till Martin O’Neill’s first game in charge, which wasn’t until December, and many credited McClean for changing the game around in our favour.

For the rest of the 2011-12 season, McClean was in fantastic form as it seemed he had no fear taking on defenders from the top teams in the land and not being put off by them. Many SAFC fans believed we had unearthed a gem in McClean who would shine for us for years to come.

 In his first half-season he played 29 games, scoring 6 goals and putting in some fantastic displays. With a great season behind him McClean was called up to the Republic of Ireland squad for Euro 2012 but only making a substitute appearance against champions Spain. Many fans criticised Giovanni Trapattoni as they felt McClean warranted more game time than what he actually got during the tournament.

As the 2012-13 season rolled about fans were expecting as good as, if not better performances from McClean. But throughout the season, his off-field antics overshadowed his time on the pitch. The controversy surrounding the poppy situation lead to death threats from many fans across the country as he refused to wear the Sunderland shirt with a poppy sewn into the kit and instead chose not to. A lot of our fans then turned their backs on the Irishman, which subsequently lead to a loss of confidence on the pitch.

However it was later revealed that 6 people from the estate he grew up on, were shot by the British Military in 1972. But despite this he was unable to shrug off the booing, which despite what he has done, wasn’t warranted in my opinion.

This all culminated with a very, very poor season by the whole of the SAFC  team, but the majority of the blame fell onto McClean as he was in the middle of the controversy with the poppy. However, his form did drop dramatically in comparison to his debut season as he was labelled a ‘one trick pony’ by many fans and in 41 games he scored 5 goals. Lots of SAFC fans believed he had been found out and his success in the previous season was only because no one knew who he was or how to defend against him.

But despite all this, personally I wish all the best to the lad as I feel that in a new club like Wigan, who themselves still have some quality players who have played in the Premiership, he will thrive and possibly help them push for a place back in the top flight.

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Bournemouth 1 Wigan Athletic 0 – the end of the Honeymoon Period

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Reports, Other and tagged with , ,
Scott Carson was Wigan's best player in a disappointing performance.

Scott Carson was Wigan’s best player in a disappointing team performance.

The honeymoon period for Owen Coyle and the FA Cup winners came to an end at Dean Court.

Latics were brought back to reality as a nervy, but resolute, Bournemouth team proved strong opposition. A succession of errors by Wigan handed the initiative to the home side who took full advantage of a weak performance from referee Graham Scott.

Wigan had brought back Jean Beausejour in place of James McClean on the left wing. Shaun Maloney was to operate in central midfield together with James McCarthy, James McArthur and Ben Watson. By packing his midfield Coyle had to sacrifice width, the result being that Latics rarely looked dangerous in open play in the first half.

The game opened with an error from Wigan in the first minute. McArthur’s slack pass allowed the home side to set up a clear chance for Lewis Grabban but Scott Carson blocked his shot. Latics had to work hard to contain a lively home team but it looked like they were heading to half time with a clean sheet. That was not to be as James Perch lost his concentration and sent a back pass directly to Grabban who took his goal well.

Wigan started the second half with another major error as Beausejour’s clumsy challenge on Brett Pitman resulted in a penalty.  The same player was to see his penalty kick saved by Carson diving to his left. Beausejour was substituted after 56 minutes, together with McArthur. The result was a much more attacking shape for Latics as Coyle brought on wingers Callum McManaman and James McClean.

However, three minutes later McManaman was sent off after the Bournemouth players, staff and crowd put pressure on the referee. In a match where a number of rough challenges had been ignored by the referee, he nevertheless decided that McManaman’s tackle on Pitman merited a straight red card.It hardly looked even a foul.

Ten man Wigan took the game to Bournemouth but could not find a way through. The nearest was a header from Leon Barnett cleared off the line.

The Good

Scott Carson kept Latics in the game with a series of fine saves, including a penalty stop. The big Cumbrian looks like a bargain signing.

It was good to see Coyle throw caution to the wind when he switched to an attacking 4-3-3 formation with McManaman and McClean on the wings, Grant Holt leading the attack and Maloney in an advanced midfield role. It is an option that he may well choose to employ during the course of the season.

The Bad

In their eight years in the Premier League Latics suffered a host of bad refereeing decisions. When they faced the top clubs it was almost an expectation that they would receive no favours from the referee.

This is less likely to be the case in the more egalitarian Championship. However, referees are going to be influenced by the crowd and the pressure of home players. This was certainly the case in this match where the referee and his team made some poor decisions to Bournemouth’s benefit.

Latics’ midfield disappointed: they were unable to provide the central strikers with clear chances for goal and they did not get in the area enough to trouble the Cherries defence. Too often the final pass was a hopeful centre. Moreover the lack of width stifled Wigan’s play.

Although it would be easy to blame the referee for Latics’ woes it was their own errors that handed the initiative to the Cherries.

Player ratings

Scott Carson: 8 – showed his experience and technique with his shot-stopping. His distribution still needs improvement, his long punts being easily dealt with by the opposing defence.

Emmerson Boyce: 6 – solid in defence.

Leon Barnett: 7 – continues to play well. Made a number of timely interceptions.

James Perch: 5 – strangely off-key, not only with the back pass that led Bournemouth’s goal.

Stephen Crainey: 5 – worked hard defensively, but his passing needs a lot of improvement.

Ben Watson: 5 – worked hard, but to no avail. His long diagonal passes continue to go astray.

James McCarthy: 5 – disappointing. Still adjusting to his more attacking role.

James McArthur: 5 – not at his sharpest. Taken off after 56 minutes.

Shaun Maloney: 5 – busy as always, but not at his best. Did not produce the kinds of incisive passes that are his trademark.

Grant Holt: 6 – worked hard as always and showed his skill with some nice passes in the first half. Substituted after 65 minutes.

Jean Beausejour: 5 – out of sorts and careless in giving away the penalty. Taken off after 56 minutes.

Substitutes

Callum McManaman: – is the so called “horror tackle” of last season going to haunt him and influence referees against him? Let’s hope that referees will give him a fair crack of the whip this season.

James McClean: – petulant and ineffective.

Marc-Antoine Fortune: – came on after 61 minutes for Holt.  He too was to be starved of decent service from the midfield.

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Bournemouth Preview

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

 

Wigan Athletic travel to the south coast on Saturday to take on newly promoted Bournemouth.

The two clubs have a significant history of encounters, of which Bournemouth have won 13 times and Wigan 14, with 10 draws.

Last season’s FA Cup run started with a 1-1 draw against the Cherries at the DW Stadium, Latics being saved by a Jordi Gomez penalty. A Mauro Boselli goal helped Latics to a narrow 1-0 win in the replay at Dean Court. League 1 Bournemouth provided stiff opposition to the mixed lineups that Wigan put forward in those games. They were to go on to reach second place in their division, getting back into the second tier of English football for the first time in 23 years. Bournemouth’s  league attendances averaged 6,852 last season, in a ground with a capacity of 9,300.

Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic – trade name Bournemouth AFC – was formed in 1899. They have played at Dean Court – currently called Goldsands Stadium after their sponsor – since 1910. In 2001 the stadium was completely remodeled, with the original pitch being turned by 90 degrees.  In 2008 debt forced them into administration, a subsequent 10 point deduction dragging them into relegation to League 2.

Both clubs suffered defeat in their previous match.  Latics went down 2-0 to Manchester United in the Community Shield. The Cherries’ run of 11 matches without defeat came to an abrupt end when they lost 6-1 at Watford. They had won their first league match, beating Charlton 2-1 at Dean Court. Wigan will be hoping to keep up the form they showed in their first league game, when they had an emphatic 4-0 win at Barnsley.

Owen Coyle is likely to name the same lineup that started at Wembley last week. Jean Beausejour was ruled out of the Community Shield match with a thigh injury, but is likely to return to the squad. The winger scored two goals in midweek for Chile in a 6-0 routing of Iraq , the match being played in Denmark. There have been rumours of an impending departure of the Chilean – with Everton and Bordeaux being mentioned  – but this may well prove to be mere media speculation.

Latics are going to need players of Beausejour’s calibre if they are going to push for promotion. James McClean excited Latics supporters at Wembley with his willingness to run at defenders. This is not Beausejour’s style – his key strengths are in his excellent control when receiving the ball in wide positions and in his ability to put in inch-perfect crosses. Both McClean and Beausejour have important roles to play this season and if the two remain available it will allow Coyle to vary his approach.

In midweek James McCarthy completed 90 minutes for Ireland in their 0-0 draw with Wales, James McClean also making a second half appearance for the Irish. Shaun Maloney played 86 minutes for Scotland at Wembley. This season Latics players are going to have to get used to playing three matches in a week and it is expected that McCarthy and Maloney will complete close to the full 90 minutes at Bournemouth.

In the Martinez era so many players would come back jaded and jet-lagged from long journeys during international breaks and performances would dip. Latics now have a minimum of overseas players likely to go off on such journeys.

Getting back into the Premier League is the expectation for Wigan Athletic. The bookmakers currently rate QPR and Watford as being the favourites for winning the Championship this year. Wigan and Reading currently vie for third place at odds at and around 8/1. Owen Coyle will be looking at a positive result at Dean Court in an effort to build up momentum for the promotion push.

If Coyle’s squad has a clear competitive advantage over those of promotion rivals then it is in the area of central midfield. The current trio of James McArthur, James McCarthy and Ben Watson is as good as you will get in the Championship. The likes of Roger Espinoza, Fraser Fyvie, Jordi Gomez and Chris McCann are also competing for places. However, none of them are going to be potential match winners unless they have the ball.

During the Steve Bruce era one recalls Denny Landzaat making a comment to the effect that it was hard to do his job as a central midfielder when the ball so often flew over his head. Landzaat was a class act, but we rarely saw the best of him at Wigan.

Coyle’s team is capable of varying its approach as needed. They have a high quality midfield that can dominate the game through possession football, but then they have central strikers who are adept at chasing long balls and holding them up.

Bournemouth will be keen to win this match. They will be backed by a vocal crowd in a small ground and Latics can expect an initial barrage from the home side. Wigan will need to win the physical tussles in order to play the kind of football that can destroy teams like the Cherries.

Providing Wigan show sufficient resolve for the physical side of play there is no reason why they should not come away with three points.

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Manchester United 2 Wigan Athletic 0 – Latics go down

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

James Perch was unlucky in deflecting Van Persie’s shot into his own goal.

Two goals from Robin Van Persie – a spectacular header after 6 minutes and a lucky deflection in the 59th minute – were enough to give United victory.

Scott Carson in the Wigan goal had no chance with either goal. Despite the bad start Wigan gradually clawed themselves back into the game and Scott Carson was underemployed most of the match, apart from a fine save from a Welbeck shot as half time approached.

Wigan started the game with six new players on the field, including James McClean who joined them in midweek. In contrast United fielded only one new face, that of Wilfried Zaha.

Dave Whelan had pronounced in the week that it was a game for Wigan players to enjoy, without the pressure of having to fight for league points. Maybe that would explain the distinct lack of competitive edge from Wigan in the first 20 minutes as United were allowed to caress the ball round in midfield without physical challenges coming in.

If Roberto Martinez were still manager he would have been enraged by the way Wigan defenders wasted the ball with hopeful long punts which were meat and drink for the Reds defence.

However, as the second half wore on Wigan started to pass the ball around from the back, denying United possession and looking a much better team. Had McClean shown a cool head when put through by a long ball from Stephen Crainey, Wigan could have equalised. However, instead of pushing the ball back to Grant Holt who could have slid the ball in, he shot from the narrowest of angles and it went wide.

A few minutes later Emmerson Boyce had a good opportunity from a free kick, but he headed across the box when a direct header on goal would have produced better results.

Grant Holt and Nemandja Vidic were involved in a series of physical tussles, with the big Serb not coming out on top. It was revealing to see him apparently appealing to referee Mark Clattenberg as the teams were going off for half time.

Wigan started the second half quite well but the deflection off James Perch from Van Persie’s shot left them an uphill task. Owen Coyle wisely made a raft of substititions in the final half hour, saving key players for the more important immediate task of a league match next weekend.

Dave Whelan’s quote that he saw it as “a show game, a bit of a friendly game” was reflected in the tempo of play. There was a real pre-season feel to the match and Wigan really did not too seem too worried about the score.

The Good

Up until the second goal Wigan were in with a chance of leveling the match. After the initial United onslaught they held firm and did not fall apart in the way that they have too often done in the past against the Manchester team.

With so many new players in the lineup it is going to take time for the team to gel. However, the defence looked firm and when they built up moves from the back Latics looked a much better team.

The Bad

Wigan were awful in the first 20 minutes. You simply cannot allow a team of the quality of United so much possession of the ball.

Three out of the back four are new to the team and are adjusting to the concept of passing the ball out of defence, rather than playing a long ball. The goalkeeper Scott Carson was also guilty of kicking too many long balls, when he could have passed to a defender in space.

Player ratings

Scott Carson: 6 – could not be faulted for either goal. Needs to work on his distribution

Emmerson Boyce: 5 – not at his best. Patrice Evra gave him problems in the second half.

Leon Barnett: 8- excellent throughout. Made a memorable sliding clearance from a dangerous low cross from Evra in the second half.

James Perch: 7.5 – so unlucky with the deflection for the second goal. Otherwise played well.

Stephen Crainey: 6 – very involved with a lot of touches on the ball. Needs to work on his distribution.

Ben Watson: 5 – worked hard to stem the flow of United attacks, but not at his best. Substituted after 71 minutes.

James McCarthy: 5 – not at his best. Substituted after 86 minutes.

James McArthur: 5 – together with Watson and McCarthy could not wrestle the midfield out of United’s grasp. Substituted after 60 minutes.

Shaun Maloney: 5 – worked hard to no avail. Substituted after 71 minutes.

Grant Holt: 6 – gave Vidic a torrid time, but had no opportunities for goals. Substituted after 60 minutes.

James McClean: 6 – fast and skillful, but lacking in judgment, not only when clear through on goal. Substituted after 60 minutes.

Substitutes:

After 60 minutes – Chris McCann, Callum McManaman, Marc-Antoine Fortune.

After 71 minutes – Roger Espinoiza, Jordi Gomez.

After 86 minutes – Nouha Dicko.

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