Category Archives: Reflections

Wigan Athletic: the case of the misfiring wingers

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

Dion Rankine had probably his best game so far for Latics against Mansfield. Photo courtesy of Wigan Athletic.

Wide players played an important role in Shaun Maloney’s Wigan Athletic team last season. Martial Godo, Steven Humphrys, Jordan Jones, Callum McManaman and Jonny Smith made a total of 162 league appearances (starting + off the bench) between them, scoring 21 goals.

Over the summer Godo went back to his parent club, Fulham. Humphrys and Jones were offered new contracts but terms could not be agreed. Despite budget restrictions Maloney was able to sign four new wingers over the summer: Maleace Asamoah and Dion Rankine on permanent contracts for relatively small fees, with Michael Olakigbe and Silko Thomas coming in on loan. The average age of the four of them was less than 20.8 years.

After 12 games played in League 1 this season Latics have scored a paltry 10 goals, only Stevenage having scored less (9). However, their defensive record of only 9 conceded is bettered only by Stockport and Wrexham (both 8). Maloney and his coaches have worked hard with the players on their performances “off the ball”. The wingers have certainly played their part in defending, but they have looked muted in attack.

Both Olakigbe and Smith missed several weeks in early season due to injury. Ironically it is the least experienced Thomas, without a previous first team appearance for any club, who has played the most minutes.

 AgeAppearancesStartsTotal minutes
Silko Thomas (on loan)201010726
Dion Rankine22119705
Michael Olakigbe (on loan)2062259
Callum McManaman3392253
Jonny Smith273084
Maleace Asamoah211019

Thomas was signed on loan from Leicester. A product of the Chelsea Academy he joined the Foxes in the summer of 2023 and played in their U21 side. An inverted winger he has been a regular starter on the left.  

Dion Rankine is also a product of the Chelsea Academy.  After making 33 appearances on loan at Exeter in League 1 last season, he signed for Latics for a fee reported to be around £300,000. Rankine has been a regular starter as a “natural” right winger.

Michael Olakigbe, born in Nigeria, is a former England youth international who passed through the Fulham and Queens Park Rangers academies. He signed for Brentford in July 2022. Olakigbe made 8 Premier League substitute appearances for the Bees last season before being loaned out to Peterborough in January. He made only two league starts with 8 appearances off the bench for The Posh, his opportunities being hampered by injuries and suspension.

Callum McManaman was a key player last season in his ability to stretch opposition defences in the second half of a game. So often he was able to energise a style of play that was flat, lacking in energy and incisive play. However, he had less impact on matches when he was in the starting lineup. He has only started in two league matches this season, being largely employed as a “impact sub”.  

Jonny Smith was dogged by injury last year and has made only three appearances this season. Still only 27, he had played at 7 different clubs before establishing himself at Burton Albion where he played for two and a half seasons, making 77 appearances, scoring 9 goals. At his best he shows lightning pace and can provide a goal threat cutting inside from the right to use his left foot.

Maleace Asamoah was signed from Fleetwood for a small fee. He is the son of former Ghana international Derek Asamoah. A product of the Reading Academy he was at Cheshunt before making a handful of appearances for Kalamata, Olimpiacos Velos and New Salamis in Greece. On his return to England last season, he made two League 1 appearances for Fleetwood before going to Waterford in the League of Ireland where he established himself as a regular starter. Asamoah was clearly signed on potential and has only made one league appearance for Latics this season as a substitute.                        

Apart from McManaman the other wingers have had less than auspicious starts to the season. In so many games they have seemed static and lacking in dynamism and the willingness to take on opposition defences. What has been the underlying reasons for that?

Maloney’s critics would say that his constant rotation of players between and during games has meant that only Sam Tickle and the two centre backs, Will Aimson and Jason Kerr, have played the regular 90+ minutes. Partnerships between individuals have not developed as they might have. The net result has been a conservative, static way of play where the ball is constantly played to feet rather than into space.

Silko Thomas is a young player who plays with enthusiasm and works hard for the team. In the Mansfield game he once again received the ball with a defender tightly marking him. The net result was Thomas making a 30-yard pass back to the defence which indirectly led to a Mansfield goal. Dion Rankine too has struggled to breach opposition defences. However, Rankine has his best game this season because the ball was more frequently placed into space for him to run on to. In previous games the norm was for him to receive the ball to feet or even behind him.

Of the six wingers in the senior squad only Jonny Smith is a natural left footer and he is employed as an inverted role. Over the course of the season so far it would not be ridiculous to suggest that Wigan’s most effective wide attacker has been the left full back, Luke Chambers. The injury to Chambers is a hammer blow for Maloney, having not only so often been the only left-footer on the pitch but in his all-round play.

The understanding between full backs and wingers is crucial in developing plays along the flanks. The interplay between the two can help unlock tight defences. Unlike Chambers, James Carragher does not have the range of attacking skills possessed by a specialist full back like Chambers. Playing Carragher at right back has certainly helped the defence. He is good in the air and reads the game well. Carragher has done so well overcoming injury and establishing himself as a senior squad player.  However, playing a natural central defender at full back is not helping the attack, the right winger in particular.

The bottom line is that Latics’ passing this season has so often been predictable with players making the easy pass to feet rather than playing “sin miedo” by putting it into space for a teammate to run on to. The ability to receive the ball in tight situations is a key part of the game, but in Wigan’s case it so infrequently has led to the ball moving forward, the necessary support play being lacking.  

Players have suffered from the lack of imagination and vision in the team’s passing. The wingers have been particularly hard done by. If they are to be more effective, they need to work in tandem with the full backs, both offensively and defensively. Up to this point they have been more successful in the latter area.

Stoke performance reveals strength in depth

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match reactions, Reflections, Specials and tagged with , ,
Wigan Athletic’s Gavin Massey (Photo by Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)

On paper the Wigan Athletic starting lineup at Stoke City looked good enough to compete with the Championship team on an even keel. This was despite the fact that only two players who had started the previous League 1 game against Oxford United were included, those being Gavin Massey and Max Power.

In reality Leam Richardson had used his squad to put together a team that looked well- balanced. But being so hastily cobbled together it was always going to struggle to show the cohesion needed to seriously threaten the home team. Jason Kerr’s slip was unfortunate, but it gave the home team an early lead that was going to be hard for Latics to pull back. Wigan held their own until a very well taken goal by Jacob Brown after 62 minutes was to seal Stoke’s victory.

Newcomers Ben Rea and Jamie McGrath made good starts to their Wigan careers. Rea worked hard in central midfield and certainly let Nick Powell know he was around. Since Sam Morsy’s departure Laics have not had a player of his ilk in their line-ups. McGrath slotted in comfortably and could well compete with Will Keane for the number 10 role, although he can also play in the wide positions.

Tom Bayliss has had a hard time since his arrival in Wigan but had one of his better games yesterday. Josh Magennis toiled with little end-result until being replaced by Stephen Humphrys after Stoke’s second goal.

Gavin Massey was excellent throughout, working hard, rarely wasting the ball and, most notably, showing the bursts of acceleration that were the hallmark of his game before he was dogged by a series of hamstring injuries. Richardson has faced criticism for his loyalty towards Massey, so often playing him ahead of others who were knocking on the door for selection. However, if Massey can display this kind of form, staying fit, he can play a key role in the bid for promotion.

Joe Bennett completed a full 90 minutes plus for the first time since playing for Cardiff City against Middlesbrough in late February last year. It has been a long recuperation for Bennett following the ACL injury that threatened his career. Yesterday he showed us glimpses of the player who made over 300 appearances in the two highest tiers of English football. However, it is going to take time before we see the player approach anything like his best.

The current squad is certainly well blessed with central defenders. Curtis Tilt and Jack Whatmough are the current first choice pairing. Jason Kerr (24) and Kell Watts (22) were a young centre back duo yesterday. With the full backs so often pushing forwards the centre backs can be stretched when the opposition counterattacks. That was the case for Stoke’s first goal, but both players have shown that they can be fine players in League 1 level and possibly at a level above. Given the quality of the centre backs he has at his disposal it is to be hoped that Richardson will more frequently go for a line-up of three central defenders with wing backs.

Latics have another 20 league games to play before the season ends on April 30. It is a tough and demanding schedule, but much will depend on how the manager utilises his full resources and adjust his tactics according to the situation. Richardson is not a manager known for his squad rotation, but if he does not rotate players, he runs the risk of injuries that will prove costly in the long run.

Richardson’s decision to reshape his team’s formation during the first half of the Oxford game was a welcome surprise. The changes he made had an immediate effect.

Promotion is in the air at Wigan, but much will depend on the manager’s ability to choose the right players at the right times, adjusting his tactical approach when needed. He has a very strong squad at his disposal.

Wigan Athletic DO have strength in depth, despite poor EFL trophy performances

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match reactions, Reflections and tagged with , , ,
Image courtesy of the EFL

“Physically, it’s better than training. The lads got some good minutes in there because they’ve gone weeks without match sharpness.”

So said Leam Richardson following a dull 2-0 defeat at Crewe in an EFL Trophy fixture on Tuesday. Crewe were so much better than Wigan, the scoreline not reflecting the superiority of the home team. A fine display by 19-year-old debutant goalkeeper Sam Tickle had helped keep the score down. Crewe had made 8 changes to their team, Latics making 11. The home team had looked cohesive, Wigan disjointed.

The EFL Trophy is not a priority for most managers these days. Richardson used the fixture to give seven of his first team squad a run-out with players from the U23 squad.

The EFL Trophy was launched as the “Associate Members’ Cup” in the 1983-84 season, when it was won by Bournemouth. The following season Bryan Hamilton’s Wigan Athletic won it (as the Freight Rover Trophy), beating Brentford 3-1 at Wembley in front of a crowd of 39,897.

In 1999 Latics won it again (as the Auto Windscreens Shield), with 55,349 spectators watching Ray Matthias’ side beat Millwall 1-0 at Wembley.

Despite constantly poor attendances in the early rounds the competition’s final has always drawn big crowds, the record being the massive 85,021 for the Portsmouth-Sunderland encounter in 2019.

The introduction of U21 teams to the competition has not gone down well with the fans of clubs in Leagues 1 and 2. Attendances reached an all time low on Tuesday and Latics’ game at Crewe was one of eight matches that night with less than 1,000 paying spectators. Some 185 Latics fans travelled to watch a game in which their team just did not show the kind of commitment that wins games. Wigan still have a chance of qualifying from if they win their last group game at Shrewsbury, but on the evidence of the commitment shown in the games against Wolves U21 and Crewe it would be a surprise.

Richardson’s prime goal this season is to secure promotion. The League Cup and EFL Trophy have been secondary considerations and there are few fans who would argue against that. However, the performances of the second string in the EFL Trophy games and in the Sunderland game in the League Cup have been so below par that some fans are questioning the quality of the first team squad players who were involved. If those games have provided an opportunity for fringe players to stake a claim for a place in the senior team starting line-up, then it has not happened. Wigan’s best player at Crewe was Tickle and Kieran Lloyd, Scott Smith and Chris Sze looked as comfortable as any of the senior players.

However, looking at the first team squad analytically there is lots of depth. There are experienced players who have already been successful at League 1 level or above. However, they may be lacking sharpness due to lack of playing time with the manager keeping faith in a group of players who have got the club off to a fine start to the campaign. In the old days those players would have been sent to get game time in the reserve team. Such entities no longer exist in the modern era, having been replaced by development squads, with the emphasis of grooming young players.

However, first team squad players are sometimes drafted into U23 games from time to time. Both Curtis Tilt and Thelo Aasgaard played against Charlton U23s on September 13. Adam Long and Luke Robinson have played in the last four U23 games. Up this point Richardson has used the cup games, rather than U23 games, to help senior players to keep up their match fitness. The next EFL trophy game is on November 9 at Shrewsbury.

Courtesy of bbc.co.uk

The indifferent performances of senior players in the recent cup games is hard to fathom. There was surely enough ability and experience in those line-ups to put up better performances against the second strings of Sunderland and Crewe and the Wolves U21s. One could not expect those Latics XI’s to gel, but despite the lack of cohesion we might have expected some more memorable individual performances.

But the bottom line is that Wigan do have considerable strength in depth. It can only be truly tested when those fringe players are given the opportunity to play in a first team which has already gelled, making it easy for replacements to slot in.

Stormclouds loom over Wigan Athletic’s fight to avoid relegation: time for changes?

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

The dedication and sheer hard work of the management team of Leam Richardson and Gregor Rioch has kept Wigan Athletic in with a fighting chance of avoiding relegation from League 1. That Latics are not totally adrift of the teams above them in the table is a testimony to their endeavours. The league table shows the task ahead of them.

Courtesy of SkySports.com

After Jamie Jones had somehow allowed an innocuous shot to go through him in the 27th minute on Wednesday evening it was always going to be an uphill struggle for Latics against high flying Hull City. Up to that point they had matched the visitors and had looked solid. However, with five losses in the previous six games Wigan’s confidence was bound to be brittle. Another goal five minutes later was no surprise and as the game continued, with their confidence shot, the Wigan team capitulated. Hull could have scored more than five.

Wigan’s starting line-up against Hull consisted of just one player, Chris Merrie, who had come through their academy. There were five players new to the club over the January transfer window. Much had been said earlier in the season of a young team giving away goals through a lack of experience. In the January window the club had done well to bring in new players who might provide an experienced backbone to the squad. But goals continue to be given away with more seasoned pros having taken the place of U23 players.

With so many new players arriving it was always going to take time for the new blend to gel. The comings and goings of so many players over the course of the season has made things extremely difficult for management. Moreover, the long-term injuries to Kyle Joseph and Tom Pearce have thrown another spanner in the works.

Following poor performances and results against relegation rivals Wimbledon and Swindon, Richardson switched to a back line of three central defenders for the next game at Northampton which was decided by an opportunist strike by Callum Lang. That backline had the experience of Scott Wootton and Curtis Tilt, both 29-years-old, with over 360 career league appearances between them, together with the very capable 22-year-old George Johnston. It looked like a combination that could provide solidity at the back with enough height and muscle to deal with the aerial threat posed by so many teams in the division.

Latics did not perform badly in the following game against an Oxford team in top form, another well taken goal from Lang putting them in front. Sadly they went on to lose the game through goals created by centres into the box.

It was a surprise to see that for the Hull game Richardson had ditched his back three in favour of an orthodox back four, with Johnston pushed to left back. But what was more puzzling was his advanced midfield trio with Viv Solomon-Otabor on the left and Dan Gardner and Will Keane in the centre and on the right. The new shape did not work and all three were taken off after 56 minutes, with Latics already four goals down.

Managers under pressure tend to rely on experienced players and that showed in Richardson’s team selection. Thelo Aasgaard was rested and not in the squad. Luke Robinson and Callum Lang were on the bench and brought on in the second half. Alex Perry, whose range of passing from the centre of the field can be a real asset, has been pushed out by the arrival of the more conservative Funso Ojo. The problem over recent games has been that too many of those senior professionals have been way off form. However, Richardson has stuck with them. Jones in particular has been fortunate to have kept his place despite poor goalkeeping that has cost Latics dearly.

If Latics are to lift themselves for the visit of top-placed Lincoln City tomorrow a shake-up is needed. Having a backbone of experienced players can be of great value in a relegation dog-fight, but some need a break to help them regain their form. There are lots of hungry, talented young players at the club who can step in.

Light at the end of the tunnel for Wigan Athletic

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

These have been dark and gloomy Covid-19 months for EFL clubs, especially those in the lower tiers who are so much more reliant on gate money. Some financial support is coming in via the EFL and Premier League, but rumour suggests that several clubs are already close to folding.

For Wigan Athletic it has been particularly tough. Going under administration is difficult enough in normal times, but the pandemic has made it so much harder. Why would anyone want to buy a football club with no certainty of when gate receipts will once again underpin the finances of clubs like Latics?

But within the last couple of weeks there has been light showing at the end of the tunnel.

During that time the team has gained two consecutive victories over clubs not far from the top of the League 1 table. The wins have lifted Latics off the bottom, giving hope for what comes next. Moreover, the ownership issues are moving ahead, with Jose Miguel Garrido dropping out of the picture and Felipe Moreno seemingly the potential future owner. Given Moreno’s excellent record as an owner of a club in Spain and that his bid is being supported by the administrators, it is surely a matter of time until the takeover is ratified by the EFL.

The social media and noticeboards have been awash with debate over the Spanish bid and why the administrators have not taken away exclusivity, allowing other parties to bid. Tony Frampton’s interviews with the PWU Podcast and Jay Whittle were certainly seductive in terms of him being a Wiganer who is a director in a multinational company that has a large financial base. Some conspiracy theorists suggested that Frampton was an ally of Ian Lenagan, trying to get control of the football club to hep the rugby. Others thought that some of Frampton’s ideas were pie in the sky.

In the meantime, fans have started to warm to the idea of a Moreno takeover. Simple internet searches reveal the degree of success he has had since taking over Leganes, a relatively small club in the south western suburbs of Madrid.

Miller’s tweet was certainly uplifting. It was soon followed by a quality interview on “The Full Time Whittle” with Madrid-based journalist Sam Leveridge, detailing the achievements of Moreno and his wife, Maria Victoria Pavon, at Leganes:

Administrator Paul Stanley has said that he hopes the EFL stamp of approval will be given before Christmas. The sooner the better for Wigan Athletic with the January transfer window approaching.

The loans of Tom James, Darnell Johnson, Matty Palmer and Curtis Tilt are due to expire as are the short-term contracts of Dan Gardner, Will Keane and Viv Solomon-Otabor. Moreover, there are four players from last season’s senior squad whose contracts expire in June. Reports suggest that Kal Naismith is already interesting a couple of Championship clubs.

The sooner the takeover is ratified the better opportunity the club has of making the right decisions regarding contracts. The aim will be to put together a squad which has a backbone of experienced professionals, with continued opportunities for the under-23 squad players who have made so much progress over these months after being thrown in at the deep end.

Although Latics are still in the relegation zone they are not so far away from safety. So much will depend on what happens in that January window. But after such a gloomy period there is certainly light showing at the end of the tunnel.