Category Archives: Other

Moyes has more to lose than Coyle – Community Shield preview

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

The FA Community Shield

Dave Whelan is well known for supporting his managers and his comments during the week have already taken pressure off Owen Coyle ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield match at Wembley.

Whelan said that he regards the match as “a show game and a bit of a friendly game”. He downplayed its importance in comparison with league games adding that “It is the game in the football season that our boys can enjoy. Every league game is something where there is a lot at stake – three points – and we’ve got to fight for every single point.”

Coyle will be leading out a team that has his stamp on it. He has made ten new signings and at least half of those are likely to start the match.  He has already adapted the tactical system in an almost seamless transition. His players – new and old – are united in the aim of getting Wigan Athletic back into the Premier League. Moreover he has already won over the fans, many of whom were initially leery about his appointment.

For Moyes it is a “no-win”, no matter what the result. Manchester United have beaten Latics in 15 out of the 16 times they have met. Nothing short of an emphatic win is expected by their fans – any other result would be unacceptable. If United do win it will merely be a step forward to the start of the Premier League season. After all what is a win over  a Championship side worth to fans who are expecting their team to win at least one of the Premier League or Champions League?

Moyes has already been under intense media pressure and his progress in the transfer market is under scrutiny. He will be leading out Ferguson’s team at Wembley, not having made any major signings up to this point.

Wigan are likely to go into the match with the same starting lineup that played in the 4-0 win at Barnsley last week. With up to 6 substitutes allowed Coyle might well take the opportunity to give squad members a taste of the Wembley experience. Providing he is fit we can expect Callum McManaman to come on at some time and he will be anxious to impress. The occasion provides dynamic young players like McManaman and James McCarthy a stage upon which they can show their talents in front in front of a large TV audience.

Manchester United won the first Charity Shield – now known as the Community Shield – in 1908. They have won it 19 times – more than any other club.

Just like in the FA Cup Final the odds are stacked against Wigan Athletic and a win for the Reds is by far the most likely outcome.

But Latics fans will continue to “Believe”  –  Wigan have nothing to lose and an upset remains possible.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

Post Match Reaction: Barnsley 0 Wigan Athletic 4 – Coyle’s revolution takes a firm step forward

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

Barnsleyactionpic

 Owen Coyle’s revolution at Wigan Athletic took a firm step forward on Saturday with a rousing win at Barnsley. Not only was the result impressive, but Latics did it in such a style that it will send shockwaves to all teams in the Championship who consider themselves promotion contenders.

In a short amount of time Coyle has built on the style of play that was developed over a period of four years by his predecessor, Roberto Martinez. That silky approach is still very visible, but this Latics side can also mix its possession football  with a directness that adds an extra dimension to their play.

Latics lineup was a mixture of the old and the new, with five new signings starting. In contrast to the Martinez era only one of them was a player without links with the British Isles, that being Chilean winger Jean Beausejour.

The switch from Martinez’s tactical system based on a central defensive trio and wingbacks into a fluid 4-3-3 system has been smoothly implemented. Ben Watson played in front of the back four, giving James McArthur and James McCarthy the licence to push further forward.

Jean Beausejour – used as a wingback by Martinez – was able to play  a more attacking role on the left wing, not having to worry so much losing the ball and his defence being stretched as a result. Grant Holt is going to get a lot of goals from his sublime crosses this season.

Although best employed in a creative central midfield role, in the  hole behind the centre forward, Shaun Maloney can also operate wide on the right or left.

Latics latest signing, Leon Barnett, came out with flying colours after only joining the club in midweek and not having had a real pre-season under his belt. Barnett is another shrewd signing by Coyle, not only having Premier League experience, but having played the three Championship winning sides at West Bromwich, Norwich and Cardiff. To put the icing on the cake he was to score the third goal.

With quality target men like Grant Holt and Marc-Antoine Fortune to aim at, Latics are able to play the long ball forward when needed.  However, given the large number of matches ahead Coyle will surely continue to look towards acquiring a third central striker for his squad.

Looking at the starting lineups and the players on the bench for each team it was clear that Latics were going to be technically way ahead of Barnsley, who have struggled against relegation for the past couple of seasons.  The question was whether Wigan were able to put in the hard graft to withstand a physical Barnsley barrage.

One of the major criticisms of Martinez’s Latics teams over the years was that they were not always up for the physical side of the game. This game showed that Coyle has put together a squad that can battle and “get stuck in” when the going gets tough.

Both  James Perch and Leon Barnett in the centre of defence are strong tacklers, capable of ‘mixing it’ with opposing forwards. The starting midfield trio of Watson, McArthur and McCarthy are formidable at this level , not to mention Chris McCann, Roger Espinoza and Jordi Gomez who were on the bench. The highly promising Fraser Fyvie also awaits his opportunity in midfield.

Barnsley have another difficult season ahead. There will be much stronger opposition for Wigan to face, with a plethora of games to play over the course of the season.

However, it is not just the emphatic scoreline that will give Latics fans optimism for what is to come. More importantly, new players have already started to gel with those from last year’s squad . Moreover Wigan showed in this match that they have the necessary tenacity to blend with their technical ability. It is a mixture of the two that is needed to get out of a tough Championship division.

Owen Coyle’s revolution still has a long way to go, but it has already taken one further step forward.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

Barnsley v Wigan Athletic Preview – the Coyle revolution put to the test

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

How times have changed.

Less than a year ago Wigan Athletic were entertaining Chelsea in the opening match of last season’s Premier League campaign. On Saturday they travel to Barnsley to open their Championship season.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since that encounter with the London giants. Wigan’s eighth Premier League season was constantly punctuated by injuries to key players and the impact was a very tospy-turvy season. The finale came in a bizarre last week of the season with them  winning the FA Cup, but getting relegated just three days later.

Maybe winning the FA Cup was the defining factor in Roberto Martinez’s decision to seek new pastures. It was the highest of highs in Wigan Athletic’s  history and has left an indelible mark on the club. But the reality is that now Latics face the challenge of getting back into the Premier League.

The visit to Oakwell is the first of many challenges that Owen Coyle’s new side will face this year. Coyle has done a wonderful job in bringing in nine new players to complement the strong backbone of a squad left behind by Martinez. His challenge will be to keep what was good from Martinez’s legacy, but to motivate a competitive squad of players to combine flair with the ability to slug it out over a really long season.

Barnsley finished one point above the relegation zone last year, having stayed up the previous year due to Portsmouth being docked points through having to go into administration. However, they will be keen to start the new season on a positive note and Latics can expect a stern physical tussle at Oakwell, which has been Barnsley’s home since 1888.

Wigan’s lineup is likely to be close to that which started the Dundee United game last weekend.  The main questions will be who will line up next to James Perch in the centre of defence and whether Callum McManaman will be fit enough to start.

If Thomas Royne  recovers from the back injury sustained in the match with the Tangerines he will most likely partner Perch. If not then Coyle has the option of throwing his brand-new signing Leon Barnett into the fray.

McManaman  did not feature prominently in the pre-season and there are doubts as to whether he has fully overcome the ankle injury received at the end of last season. If he is unavailable then Coyle has the option of bringing in Jean Beausejour on the left or fielding twin strikers in Grant Holt and Marc-Antoine Fortune.

Latics will be hoping for a good start to the season. Providing they can match Barnsley physically,  their technical superiority should be sufficient to get a result. Owen Coyle’s revolution is in progress and we will see its fruits over these coming months.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

Wigan Athletic v Dundee United Preview

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

On Saturday,  Wigan Athletic play host to Dundee United at the DW Stadium. It will be their final warm-up fixture before the Championship season starts for the at Barnsley on August 3rd.

By the time it gets to the final pre-season game a manager tends to have a good idea of what his first choice lineup will be.

Owen Coyle has skillfully shuffled his pack in the previous four pre-season games, giving game time plus an opportunity to all his available squad players to show their mettle. However, we can expect the starting lineup for the United match to be pretty similar to the side which lines up at Oakwell.

Dundee United had a disappointing  season last year,  finishing sixth in the SPL  – but important to them  – they were six places above Dundee, who were relegated. The bitter rivalry between the two clubs – whose grounds are just 150 yards apart – continues after already spanning a century.

Dundee – the “True Blues” of the city – were formed in 1893 and have won the Scottish League once, in 1962-63.

Dundee United – originally known as Dundee Hibernian – were formed by the Irish Catholic community in the city in 1909. They changed their original green colours to tangerine in the 1960s. Like their close neighbours they have won the Scottish League once, that being in 1982-83. However, the Blues have had hard times over recent years and it is the Tangerines who have maintained their status in the highest level of Scottish football, as well as reaching the European Cup semi final in 1984 and the UEFA Cup final in 1987.

The last encounter between Wigan and United  was at Tannadice Park three years ago when Latics won 3-1 in a pre-season match, when Mauro Boselli scored two and set up a cracker for Victor Moses from 25 yards.

Owen Coyle will have fond memories of his time at Tannadice, playing for United from 1993-1995, having  joined them from Bolton. He was to return there briefly in 2003-2004.

A team which has finished in mid-table in the SPL is clearly going to offer Coyle’s side some degree of challenge. Results have gone well for Wigan in pre-season up to this point, although the opposition has been weak at times. Latics did well to beat Atromitos, only a day after returning from their US journey, with the associated jet lag. The Greeks have been their strongest opponents so far.

Coyle is still lacking mainline defenders and it looks like big Norwegian centre back Thomas Rogne is still not fit enough to play. If he is  not available the Coyle will have to choose between rookie Adam Buxton at right back or midfielder Chris McCann at centre back, the versatile Emmerson Boyce being able to switch as needed. James Perch, who has had an excellent pre-season at centre back, and the experienced and solid Stephen Crainey will make up the rest of the back four. If fully fit, Scott Carson wil start in goal.

Latics are blessed with a fine squad of midfield players. Coyle has lots of options available. However, Ben Watson is likely to start in the midfield holding role, just in front of the back four. James McCarthy  and James McArthur are favourites to take the other central midfield roles. Callum McManaman and Jean Beausejour are the natural wide players and Marc-Antoine Fortune has done enough to justify selection at centre forward ahead of Grant Holt, with fine displays capped by well taken goals so far.

Shaun Maloney has not appeared as much as he might have liked in the pre-season up to this point, due to a niggling injury. One wonders if Coyle will use him in the playmaker role – where he is most effective – or push him out wide. Maloney could play a key role in the promotion push.

Jordi Gomez and Roger Espinoza have looked lively in pre-season and will also be knocking on the door. Nouha Dicko is at hand to provide the unpredictable element if brought on.

It promises to be a fascinating encounter. It will certainly provide us with an insight into Owen Coyle’s thoughts about the formation of his team, with the new season coming up the following week.

In the meantime Coyle will continue to pursue his transfer targets – at least four more according to his own words – some of which will be on loan. The saga with the transfer of winger Albert Adomah from Bristol City continues to muddle on, but it is going to be defenders that will be the main priority.

Coyle has achieved so much up to this point, but he still has a lot of work to do in getting his squad ready to challenge for a return to the Premier League.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

Wigan Athletic 2 Atromitos 1 – a game of two halves

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

Leigh Sports Village

Wigan Athletic continued their run of pre-season victories with a win over  Atromitos at Leigh Sports Village. The Athens-based team, also competing in Europe, promised to give Wigan a  stern test and so it was to prove. Despite standing on a 2-0 lead at half time, Wigan must have been glad to hear the final whistle as the Greek team continued to press in the second half.

Wigan started the game with a patched-up defence, with midfield players Chris McCann and Jean Beausejour playing at left centre back and left full back. Adam Buxton started at right back, with James Perch in the middle. There was a packed midfield with Ben Watson anchored in front of the back four with Fraser Fyvie, Roger Espinoza and Jordi Gomez further forward. Callum McManaman and Marc-Antoine Fortune provided the threat upfront.

In an open and entertaining first half Wigan had their excellent young goalkeeper, Lee Nicholls, to thank for maintaining a clean sheet. Wigan had opened the scoring with a Gomez penalty after 6 minutes, after Fortune had been fouled. The big centre forward was to make it two in the 34th minute , when he turned and hit a rocket left foot shot into the right hand corner of the net. The Greeks had their fair share of chances, but Nicholls’ positioning and agility was to deny them.

Atromitos made a raft of changes at half time and the fresh legs of their substitutes challenged a Wigan side that had begun to look lethargic after that bright first half. The Greek team’s approach in the second half was over-physical for a friendly game, with McCarthy being the main recipient. Three yellow cards were handed out as a result, although more serious consequences would surely have resulted had this been a  match with more at stake.

Owen Coyle had tried to bring back some spark to Wigan by bringing on James McCarthy, James McArthur and Stephen Crainey after 54 minutes, but the midfield continued to be dominated by the Greek team. Bringing on two new front players – Nouha Dicko and Grant Holt – after 60 minutes also failed to wrest  the initiative from Atromitos.

Given their constant pressing, it was no surprise when Karamanous scored a well taken goal for Atromitos after 76 minutes.

In the end a tired Wigan held on to seal a 2-1 win.

The Good

Marc-Antoine Fortune is clearly enjoying playing in the lone centre forward role at Wigan. It suits him much more than the supporting striker role he has had to play at previous clubs. He is strong and has good technique, which he demonstrated through the 54 minutes he was on the pitch. Fortune is not a striker who has a good goalscoring record throughout his career, but he has scored in each of the last three games for Latics. Moreover each goal he has scored has been well taken.

It was revealing to see Lee Nicholls get the nod once more ahead of Scott Carson and Mike Pollitt in goal. Nicholls is a very accomplished young  keeper and has a bright future ahead. With Ali Al Habsi due to return in the near future, Wigan will have a surfeit of goalkeepers. There remains the possibility of Nicholls once again being sent off on loan, but the departure of Al Habsi would not be a surprise.

In the absence of experienced defenders,  James Perch once more stepped up to the plate and delivered. He has been an ever-present in the starting lineup and looks like he is going to be a real force in the centre of the defence this season.

The Bad

The starting lineup revealed the need for experienced, specialist defenders. Coyle might be able to get away with playing midfield players in defensive positions in friendly games but they are likely to get found out in the harsh reality of the Championship division.

This is surely something that Coyle is working on.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.