A Rangers fan’s view of Josh Windass

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Fan Views and tagged with , , ,

On transfer deadline day Wigan Athletic announced the signing of Josh Windass from Rangers on a three-year contract. The fee is reported to be around £2.5 m plus add-ons.

 

On signing the 24-year-old Paul Cook stated: “Josh is an exciting player with an eye for a goal and he gives us further strength in attacking positions.”

The 5 ft 10 in tall Windass was born in Hull. He spent ten years at Huddersfield Town until being released as an 18-year-old. After an unsuccessful trial at Bradford City he joined Northern Counties East club, Harrogate Railway Athletic, in December 2012 on a semi-professional basis. In July 2013 Windass joined Accrington Stanley in League 2. He made his debut against Tranmere Rovers in an FA Cup tie in November 2013, alongside new teammate Kal Naismith. Windass went on to make 77 appearances for Stanley, scoring 22 goals over three seasons.

Windass turned down the offer of a new contract at Accrington in November 2015, reportedly on the advice of his father Dean, who is well known to many Latics fans. On the termination of his contract he joined Rangers, with Stanley receiving £60,000 as compensation.

Windass went on to make 57 starts for Rangers, with 14 appearances off the bench, scoring 19 goals.

To learn more about Windass’ time at Rangers we contacted Stewart Franklin of Gers Net (https://www.gersnet.co.uk/).

Here’s over to Stewart:

First and foremost, Josh is a talented footballer. He’s quick, he can score goals, he can find space and he’s very good at being the link between midfield and attack, especially on the counter.

The problem at Rangers was his inconsistency. In his first season he kept picking up niggling injuries so he never really got going until his second season. Unfortunately, despite the impressive stats (13 goals and 6 assists in the league), his overall contribution split fan opinion. He’d go missing in games, he’d shirk out of tackles and he never really looked entirely comfortable in any position.

We used him deeper, we used him as a second striker and he played mainly right across the three attacking roles in our preferred 4-2-3-1 but he was unable to persuade our fans he could be relied upon. It seems Steven Gerrard was equally unconvinced as despite already playing two Europa League ties and our first league game, Windass struggled to stay a first pick ahead of Thursday’s transfer.

In closing, I’d imagine most Rangers fans will miss the undoubted threat the lad brought but we won’t miss his social media gaffes and we won’t miss his old man poking his nose in where it usually wasn’t wanted. Nevertheless, we wish Josh all the very best for the future and the same goes for Wigan!

 

 

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

The transfer deadline day unfolds for Latics’ fans through the social media

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Social Media and tagged with , , , , ,

We trawled the social media on the 2018 Transfer Deadline Day to get fan reactions on the comings and goings of players at Wigan Athletic.

Once again our thanks go to the Cockney Latic Forum, the Vital Wigan – Latics Speyk Forum, The Boulevard of Broken Dreams on Facebook,  and also Twitter for providing the media for the posts below to happen. Thanks go to all whose contributions are identified below.

Let’s take a look at how the deadline day unfolded for Latics’ fans:

Adam O’Neill @adamONeillio tweeted:

Dan Burn been a brilliant player for us over last few seasons. Will be a huge miss but deserves a crack at the Premier League. Wish him all the best #wafc

Victor Moses on Latics Speyk commented:

Since we signed Kipre i’m not too fussed about losing Burn. Would rather we gained more money, but i think overall we will have a better player whos more suited to our system with far greater potential. Burn is suited to a deep defensive line that is focused on defending within the box. If we played that way he would be the better choice.

But it seems cook wants to play a high defensive line, which would suit Kipre far more. Dan lacks awareness, also gets caught out up the field with his positioning and lacks strength to dominate aerially. He’s better at attacking the ball with his head with forward momentum rather than being pinned 1v1 vs another player.

With a high defensive line the defenders will be exposed to a lot of 1v1 battles this season. The benefit is that our players will be higher up the pitch with the press and it will improve our general attacking play with players starting off higher up the pitch.

I like Burn, he’s been a quality player for us and wish him all the best, if he’s to come back here on loan i would expect him to be a backup unless an injury to Dunkley or Kipre. Watching Kipre gave me a lot of confidence in him, he stopped 4 or 5 1v1’s with the ball at the opponents feet and dominated a very high % of 1v1 aerial plays against Nuhiu and Joao. Two of the bigger forwards in this league.

Matt Jones @WafcMatt3 tweeted:

I absolutely adore Dan Burn and he deserves this move to the prem and I could see it coming but £3.5M surely it should be at least 5 need a replacement in summer considering he’s on loan to us this season #wafc

Peter Millward @PeteMillward79 tweeted:

Really puzzled Dan Burn’s loan back. I wonder if he’s going to be out injured until Nov and the loan from #bhafc point of view is that he’ll stay to get fit and playing before a Jan move. From #wafc point of view, we get a player for 2 months or so and the deal calms fan concerns

Studds40 on Latics Speyk added:

It’s a good deal for us. Good fee, good terms, if he returns on loan.

Personally, I don’t think he’s Premier League quality, so don’t understand what Brighton get out of the deal. Unless he’s a back-up for injuries or potential relegation.

Kipre still young and has a lot to prove. But it shows what kind of player you can pick-up around the £1m mark. Be interesting to see what moves we make in the next few hours.

Hindley Blue on the Cockney Latic Forum commented:

Good luck to the lad and I wish him every success as he was great for us and always gave 100%. I’m just really shocked a Prem team wants him, milk turns quicker and imo he’ll get found out.

Chris Stafford on The Boulevard of Broken Dreams commented:

Is it just me that thinks this Dan burn deal is a fantastic deal ?? He’s leaving at end of season anyway by the looks of it so would probably go for nothing but instead we are getting around £4 million for him and he’s being loaned back to us by all accounts ? We can now go and spend a bit of money today if needed

Duncan Holder responded:

 If anyone thinks we can survive financially without selling players each season they need to give their heads a wobble!! Got him on a free and sell him for decent profit.

Peter Millward @PeteMillward79 tweeted:

I’d be gutted if @mp_1825 left us. I really like the lad. Infectious enthusiasm. Seems so important to us he squad #wafc

Alan Farrimond @AlanFarrimond tweeted:

I also like him as a lad and there’s no doubt he likes us, but I do have concerns as to whether he can hack it in Championship. Also we have an abundance of CM players and we can’t keep them all happy, so good luck to the lad.

WillJones89210 on Latics Speyk commented:

I love max he’s my favorite player and I’ll be sad to see him go because of his passion and style of play. That said he has never been a fit for cooks system. His strengths are not as a holding midfielder never will be. He may be good enough for the championship but I don’t think he is in cooks system. With Connolly Gibson Morsy Macdonald and lopes we have pleenty of options 3 of which are probably as good if not better. From a footballing perspective purely it makes sense to sell if we get a decent fee.

Stuart Glover @StuartGlover tweeted:

Don’t forget Power wanted to leave last season and wasn’t all that effective in Championship year before (though few were). McDonald is better and may allow Morsy to get a little further forward.

C_Latic on Latics Speyk commented

Got no problem losing Power if the fee is right. We’ve upgraded in Connolly. The only worry I have is that Max is a great character and I’m guessing a key figure in the dressing room. Very much a Bullard type. It’s vital we don’t lose that togetherness as that group of players who have been with us since around 2015 start to dwindle.

MightyTics on Latics Speyk commented:

WIGAN. SHEFF U. Evans deal is on. Truly stunned by that.

 Martin @_MartinWAFC tweeted:

Very happy with midfield options of Morsy, Gibson, Evans and MacDonald #wafc

KingdeZeeuw06 on Latics Speyk commented:

I’m absolutely made up if we get Evans back – it was a huge mistake to not sign him when he went Sheff U. I’ll be over the moon if we do that deal. Wow!

Greg Farrimond @GregFarrimond tweeted:

Not sure who Joe Garner is but reading both the #wafc and #bwfc hashtags he may be about to become my favourite player.

HudWiganFan on Latics Speyk commented:

Kept all but one of the key players (even he’s returning on loan), signed some excellent players for our level and splashed some cash in the process as some had demanded – this window couldn’t have gone much better IMO.

Alan Nixon @reluctantnicko tweeted: 

WIGAN. Garner deal done at around 1m. BOLTON seen off in end. Evans deals should happen later on buy to loan basis. Power to SUNDERLAND the same basis as it only moved close too late.

Dudestalker on Latics Speyk said:

 Twitter saying Garner signed £1.2 million…suppose we’ll see at 9am.

Bramall Lane HQ @bramalllanehq tweeted:

Lee Evans move to Wigan Athletic is back ON. The Blades will only allow the midfielder to leave if they are to receive a fee, with the Latics willing to commit to a loan-to-buy purchase in January. [Alan Nixon] #sufc #wafc #twitterblades

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

Latics fans react to recent events on the social media

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Social Media and tagged with , , , , , ,

The social media and message boards have been particularly busy recently following a trio of signings the day before the first game of the season, each doing well in a wonderfully entertaining win over Sheffield Wednesday. But a lot more could happen before the transfer window closes on Thursday, with speculation abounding in the media. Moreover there has also been a rumour that the takeover will be announced on Thursday too.

Once again we trawled the social media following Saturday’s game. Our thanks go to the Cockney Latic Forum, the Vital Wigan – Latics Speyk Forum, The Boulevard of Broken Dreams on Facebook,  and also Twitter for providing the media for the posts below to happen. Thanks go to all whose contributions are identified below.

Will Jones picked up Alan Nixon’s tweet about who was sitting behind Dave Whelan in the directors’ box on Saturday:

Studds40 on Latics Speyk commented:

If that’s not Cheng it’s his spitting image.

If it is him, and his family still own a minority stake in IEC, it can only be a positive to see him taking in a Latics game. Better still by all accounts he enjoyed it. Whether it’s direct involvement, or a passing interest, these things can lead to other business associations such as sponsorships and what have you.

It was also good to see all of the current owners and board members sat with the prospective owners. At the very least it suggest a cordial working relationship. Same goes with seeing Royal and his son in the directors box. Better to have a smooth transition.

Hampton on Latics Speyk stated:

It was Cheng (straight fm the owners suite horses mouth) he is not fronting up the transaction but is underwriting it hence some of the corporate validation delays. How much he will lump on tics is of course open to question.

Pemblue1932 on the Cockney Latic Forum commented:

Been in wigan all week, and at the training ground, already paid for the new pitch (6 million), moved the worriers out of the offices and into Robin Park, initially investigating 80 million to get us in the prem, was behind Cook signing new contract.

Horc responded to Pemblue:

Nobody will shoot the messenger pemblue, I just hope you are right on the third part.
BTW, I heard it will be announced before the deadline and there could be further additions to the squad.

Trent_Wigan on the Cockney Latic Forum commented on player performances on Saturday:

Gibson was MoM for me today. His 1st touch passes were excellent. Always made himself available for the ball.

Robinson gave him a run for MoM. If he carries on like that he will be the best left back we have had since Baines. Not only can he cross a ball he can do it with both feet.

HudWiganFan on Latics Speyk commended the players:

Excellent performance – its great to see players like Jacobs and Massey proving their critics wrong and showcasing their skills to great effect.

A fast-paced, enthralling attacking performance that produced countless chances against sturdy championship opposition and easily warranted more goals than the three scored.

Not bad for a team filled with ‘League One players’ that allegedly lack the quality to play at the level above!!

Bigroy on the Cockney Latic Forum commented:

Lots of reasons to be optimistic. For his first professional game Reece James was fearless and settled well despite the odd mishit pass, Kipre was a revelation and like a rock at the back, Robinson looked quick on the break, set up the first goal and has bags of potential whilst Gibson controlled the midfield, played some great balls, broke up play and made a terrific goal saving block in the second half. Jacobs was MOTM, scored two good goals, hit the bar with a cracking effort and got an assist for the third and you couldn’t say any of the players didn’t play well. All round a great game and thought the scoreline flattered the opposition given the chances we created. If we keep that level this season should be a cracker.

GazLatic on Latics Speyk opined:

Kipre is only 21, a million is a snip of he develops. It’s a good example of the business plan buying young players to look at selling on for a profit.

Studds40 on Latics Speyk expects further turnover:

I imagine 4 or 5 will be on the way out to streamline the squad and make room on the wage bill. Even if we are flush with cash you don’t want established players never in with a chance of making the bench. Cole, Colclough, Walker, MacDonald, plus Flores & Lang, maybe on the market.

Apparently we’ve left the No.10 squad number free. So that could be for an outright striker or someone to sit just behind. At this time all clubs are open to in’s and out’s. Quality players may become available we weren’t in for that we take an interest in.

———————————————————————————————————————————

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

WafcHarvey on Latics Speyk revealed:

I was chatting with Walkers family in Glasgow. They was saying that Jamie wasn’t happy with his involvement and had asked his agent to speak with the club. He was told that he was too small and weak when he arrived which he has been working on. I can only imagine Cook has been miffed by his agents involvement and decided to freeze him out. His Instagram showed him at the training ground Saturday and he has removed Wigan Athletic from his Instagram and changed his picture to him in a Hearts top. Shame as I thought he would do well this season, but I also said Gilbey would be one of our best players last season and he left on deadline day so what do I know!

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

A Motherwell fan’s view of Cedric Kipre

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Fan Views and tagged with , , , ,

 

On Friday Wigan Athletic announced the signing of Cedric Kipre from Motherwell on a three-year contract. The fee was not disclosed but reports suggest it could reach £1m including add-ons. The 21-year-old is the third Motherwell player to sign for Latics in the last 20 years following on from Lee McCulloch and Steve McMillan.

On signing the 6 ft 3 in tall player Paul Cook commented: “Cedric is a strong, powerful and athletic defender, who we have been monitoring some time. He is at a great age to develop his game after a really good season with Motherwell and I am looking forward to working with him.”

Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson opined: “Although it’s with a heavy heart that we lose Cédric, his progress over the last year has been remarkable and it’s little wonder English Championship clubs have been circling. He has the potential to go all the way to the top in my opinion and we very much wish him well in his future career. He will always be welcome back at Fir Park.”

Kipre went on to make his Latics debut against Sheffield Wednesday the following day, looking calm and assured at the centre of defence.

Cedric Kipre was born in Paris of Ivorian parents and played youth football at Paris St Germain. At the age of 17 he joined Leicester City, playing for their U18 and U21 teams in his first season. He next played for the U23 side but could not break into the senior squad. In September 2015 Kipre went on a month’s loan to Corby Town in the National League North, making an impressive debut against Boston United. Manager Tommy Wright commented “Cedric looked the real deal. He was strong, powerful, very good technically on the ball and he was a breath of fresh air.”  Kipre went on to play two more games for the Steelmen.

In the summer of 2017 after being released from Leicester Kipre went to Motherwell for a trial, impressing enough to be offered a one-year contract. He became a regular starter for his new club, which had a successful season in finishing in 7th place and reaching the finals of the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup. Kipre made 49 appearances for the Steelmen, together with a debut for Ivory Coast U-23 side in March 2018 against Togo.

In order to learn more about Kipre’s time at Motherwell we contacted Andrew Paterson of the Steelmen Online site (https://www.steelmenonline.co.uk).

Here’s over to Andrew:

We knew it would happen.  We knew he would go.  We just hoped we’d have him with us for a little bit longer.

 If that reads almost obituary like it kind of feels like it is.  Our Cédric. Gone!  If only to pastures new thankfully rather than the big fitba pitch in the sky.

 So what can I can tell you about Cédric? 

 Well, in truth when he lined up on trial in pre-season last summer it was his compatriot Bira Dembele who actually impressed more and there was a tinge of disappointment when he elected to return to France rather than join us.

 How much truth there was in Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson’s claim some months later that he was always going to sign Cédric I don’t know, but there’s more than one of our support who think back and breathe a sigh of relief that Motherwell couldn’t meet Dembele’s financial demands.

 It would be fair to say that Kipré’s rise in prominence was rapid. 

 The thought was that he would settle into life in Scotland in Motherwell’s U20 side and perhaps as the season progressed he might breakthrough with the odd appearance here and there. In fact he played more minutes in domestic games in Scotland than any other top flight player.

 Initially signing on a one year contract it was immediately apparent that the club had to tie him down on a longer deal and just weeks into the 2017’18 season he had signed an extension on better terms.  It would be extended again in April 2018.

 But why?

 Cédric settled into Scottish football instantly.  From the minute he was given his opportunity against Queen’s Park at Hampden in the League Cup he never looked back.

 His stature meant he wouldn’t be outmuscled by anybody but there is more to his game than just physicality and bodying opponents.  He has pace too and applied it occasionally to get himself and his team-mates out of trouble and also when demonstrating his willingness to bring the ball forward whenever an opportunity arose. 

 At just twenty-one there are still flaws in his game of course. He was on occasion susceptible to a losing track of a long aerial ball hit over the top but over the piece it was incredible to think we were watching a player that hadn’t played a single first team game before signing for us.

 It was more than just his footballing ability that endeared Kipré to the Motherwell support though.  We are fortunate that the media team at Fir Park are absolutely terrific in bringing us insights about our team.  Over the course of the season we warmed to a young guy who was quiet, unassuming and humble. A boy who could laugh at himself and was never slow in getting involved in team bonding activities.

 He quickly became a huge fans favourite and it’s sad to think that never again are the Motherwell Bois likely to launch into a rendition of the Kipré, Kipré” war cry. A chant he even sang himself when he featured on “Up the ‘Well” a club song reproduced by local band The Banter Thiefs to mark Motherwell reaching the Scottish Cup Final.

 Memories?  Plenty.  It remains a travesty he was red-carded in the League Cup Final against Celtic and his further red-card against the same opposition was equally ridiculous.  We’ll remember fondly his single goal for the club against Dundee where the celebrations amongst supporters were going on a good few minutes after the game had re-started. He had threatened to score a few times so when he did everyone was just ecstatic to see him finally do it.

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

Five talking points arising from the Sheffield Wednesday game

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

Wigan Athletic 3 Sheffield Wednesday 2

Wigan Athletic rarely start the season with a victory, but this one was an exception. Not only did Latics pick up the three points, but they did it in style.

There were concerns about the back four, with three debutants starting alongside Chey Dunkley. Other than that Paul Cook had kept faith in the players who had performed with success last season, with the exception of Darron Gibson who was preferred to Max Power.

Entertainment returns to the DW Stadium

After last season when so many teams tried to “park the bus” at the DW this was refreshing. Wednesday had come to play an attacking game and Wigan more than matched them.

Latics had been 3-1 up when the Argentinian, Fernando Forestieri, finished off a slick move in the 67th minute. But rather than close the game down by packing their defence Latics continued to attack. There were some nervy moments for the Wigan defence with the 6 ft 3 in Wednesday substitute Lucas Joao causing problems after he joined the combative 6 ft 5 in Kosovan battering-ram Atdhe Nuhui up front. But at the other end Latics’ enterprising football caused constant problems for the Sheffield defence.

As the clock counted down one wondered whether we would see Cook’s team hold the ball in the corners, time-waste and keep possession in the manner that is so prevalent in the modern game. But to the manager’s great credit they did not do that, but continued to hone in on the Wednesday goal at every opportunity.

How many managers are there in the modern game who would do that?

Gibson silences his critics

Darron Gibson has had a frustrating career after starting at a young age for Manchester United. Niggling injuries and off the field issues have led to him not being able to realize his full potential. He had his critics among Latics fans even before he signed a short term contract with the club. But yesterday he surely silenced his critics.

The 30 year old played a key role in holding midfield, his vision and the precision of his passing adding an extra dimension to Latics’ play.

Jacobs and Massey excel

Michael Jacobs scored two opportunist goals, hit the woodwork with a cracking shot and played a key role in the third goal. Moreover he worked hard on the defensive side of his game, tireless in his harrying of the opposition.

There have been questions about the player’s ability to truly succeed in the second tier.  He was not an automatic choice at Derby or Wolves.  Although he was one of the first names on the team sheet under Gary Caldwell and Warren Joyce he struggled to dominate Championship defences in the 2016-17 season. But so often under Joyce he was chained to defensive duties at the expense of his attacking forte.

Yesterday he played at probably his highest level since he has been at Wigan. His intelligent movement and ability to find space made him a constant threat to the visiting defence. When he came on after the interval he received a great ovation from the crowd in the east stand following a sparkling first half. He looked like a player on a mission to show us that he can be a force in the Championship division. He went a long way towards proving that yesterday.

Gavin Massey too has had his doubters, but yesterday he looked a class act, showing blistering pace and a fine touch on the ball. Perhaps the second tier will be more to his liking, away from the up and tumble of League 1?

Two Dunkleys in defence?

The signing of Cedric Kipre from Motherwell was a surprise to most of us who had never heard of him before. On first sight some wag in the crowd suggested we have two Chey Dunkleys playing, likening the two players not only in their physique, but in their rugged defending. Another likened him to Arouna Kone who sported a similar hair style.

When Dunkley was signed from Oxford United he had only played one full season in league football. Dunkley proved himself to be a very capable player at League 1 level, although there were questions as to how he would cope in a higher division. He had a fine game yesterday dealing with Nuhui who has been a thorn in the side for previous Latics teams.

Kipre too has only had one season of league football, that being in the SPL.  But he looked a force to be reckoned with yesterday, with not only an imposing physique, but pace to match.

Is Dan Burn leaving?

The signing of Kipre raised concerns among fans that Dan Burn might be leaving. This was backed up today by reports suggesting that Brighton have offered £3m for him.

Once again it may be mere speculation but Latics fans will be hoping there is no truth in it. Burn is a prize asset with a wealth of experience in the Championship, a key player in Cook’s team.

However, Burn is not the only one who could be gone in the coming week, with the club still having not tied down contracts with so many of its top players.

The uplifting start to the season could soon fall flat if Burn or other such pivotal players depart. But we have become accustomed to the wheeler-dealing that happens as the transfer deadline approaches. If one of more of those players does leave we can surely expect more new arrivals.

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