Tag Archives: blackpool

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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Blackpool writer: Wigan are getting a Mr. Consistent in Stephen Crainey

Posted by Ned in News, Transfers and tagged with , ,

2013-crainey

As the Owen Coyle revolution continues so too does our coverage of Wigan Athletic’s new signings. This week’s guest writer is Dan Bennett of Vital Blackpool (http://blackpool.vitalfootball.co.uk/), who kindly shares his insight on Scottish left-back Stephen Crainey — a man he dubs Mr. Consistent:

Although not one of the most exciting footballers to admire, Stephen Crainey certainly is one thing — consistent.

In total he has made 295 club appearances and had played for four different clubs before joining Wigan. He started his career at Celtic where he was never really first choice left back, and made 58 appearances over five years at Celtic Park before moving on to Southampton.

Crainey never truly found his feet at Southampton and only made 5 appearances for the club before a swift transfer move to Leeds United. It’s fair to say he did well at Leeds, his solid performances at left back won him many fans and in the 2005-2006 season made a total of 30 appearances for the club. This was the season Crainey had made the most appearances for any of his clubs until that point. 

However this was soon set to change as Crainey made his move to Blackpool, a club where his talents were truly appreciated. His ability never looked in doubt, and in the first season he spent with the club he made 43 appearances. His excellent work ethic and fantastic defensive play pleased many Tangerine fans and he soon became a favourite.

Crainey was part of the famous team that secured promotion to the Premier League with Blackpool, and featured many times the following year in the top division. Blackpool’s defence often came under scrutiny whilst Ian Holloway was manager of the club, and although Crainey was not the ‘perfect defender’ he rarely performed badly in a Pool shirt.

He’s certainly a player that Blackpool fans wanted to see back at the club next season; he was offered a fresh deal at the club but took the opportunity to move on. If he features frequently for Wigan next season, he’ll be a player that will always give his all in every game he plays. Even if he’s used as a squad man, Crainey’s performances are still likely to impress Latics fans.

He is certainly the solid and decent championship standard player that many of the clubs in this league desire. Luring Crainey to the club away from other potential suitors was certainly a great bit of business on behalf of Wigan Athletic. Latics fans will surely hope his championship experience can help you bounce back first time of asking.

Many thanks to Dan for his insights and to Vital Blackpool editor Jon Pearcy for his help.

Moving up a tier? Wigan and the Premier League financial league table

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

Over the years, Wigan Athletic have delivered performances ranging from the majestic to the downright nightmarish — none more so than the 2010 season opener against Blackpool. A 4-0 home defeat to anyone would have been bad enough, but to a team who the pundits had already condemned to relegation even before a ball was kicked? It was to prove a difficult season for Latics, only securing safety on the final game of the season. It also went down to the final game for Blackpool, who put up an amazing fight before eventually succumbing to Manchester United.

An old Bob Dylan song reminds us that “Money doesn’t talk, it swears.” The primary reason the pundits had tipped Blackpool for relegation that year was the perception that they did not have enough players of Premier League quality. Their Chairman, Karl Oyston, was not willing to splash money around like confetti and put the club at risk of insolvency. Blackpool’s salary bill that season amounted to just £14 million. Wigan’s was almost £40 million. During that 2010-11 season Blackpool were to do the home and away double over a team with a salary bill almost 10 times that of their own. That was Liverpool, at £135 million.

In the end Blackpool couldn’t quite avoid that relegation trap-door in the jungle of the Premier League, where clubs regularly make huge losses in an effort to keep up with the Joneses. You could say Blackpool got it right. Their salaries amounted to only around 25% of their income – compared with the league average of around 69% – and this helped them gain a positive cashflow for the season. They continue to be run on a sound financial basis in the Championship. Manchester City actually spent more on salaries than the revenues they had coming in, and even Aston Villa were leaking 92% of their revenue on salaries. No wonder Villa have since cut back, putting the emphasis on youth rather than established big-earners. It could be argued, however, that they have gone too far as the lack of quality and experience in this year’s squad makes them candidates for relegation.

Statistics show that the Premier League is financially tiered. In the 2010-2011 season club salary levels published by the Daily Telegraph ranged from £14 million to an absurd £190 million. The top three clubs in the table paid in the £150-£190m range. The teams finishing 4th and 6th paid in the £120-150m range, Tottenham bucking the trend by finishing 5th on a budget of “only” £91m. Fulham and Everton, with budgets around £58m managed to finish ahead of Aston Villa, who spent £84m on salaries. Then followed a clump of clubs paying between £40 and £60m, which included West Ham who were to be relegated despite a wage bill of £56m. Wigan Athletic, Wolves and West Bromwich had salary totals between £37 and £40 million, with only Blackpool below. It would be interesting to see salary levels for the current season, when these become available.

According to the Guardian “ The Premier League’s 20 clubs collectively made a loss of £361m last year, after spending all of their record £2.3bn income. Of the clubs which were in the Premier League in 2010-11, the year of most clubs’ latest published accounts, eight made a profit, of £97.4m in total.”  Dave Whelan wrote off Latics debts for £48m in August 2011. He advocated financial fair play to ensure that debt is maintained at “reasonable and sustainable levels”.

According to Alan Switzer,  of accounting group Deloitte, clubs with salary to revenue ratios of 70% and above are not likely to make a profit. He suggests that levels should go down to the low 60s. In 2010-11, Wigan Athletic were around the 80% level, according to the Daily Telegraph stats, which indicates a negative cashflow of £0.1 m.

The Daily Telegraph statistics show a clear correlation between salary levels and success on the field, although there are some exceptions. So how does a team stay afloat in a tiered Premier League? Do Wigan Athletic have to significantly increase salary levels in order to move up a tier in the league table? Would doing so make them financially less stable?

Last season both Mohamed Diame and Hugo Rodallega left at the ends of their contracts. A rough estimate might suggest that Wigan Athletic lost maybe £10 million in potential transfer money for the two. Whelan rightly insists that Wigan Athletic keep a lid on their salary payments so it is unlikely that either player was given an offer he could not refuse to stay on at the club. This season we have Franco Di Santo and Maynor Figueroa in their final year of contract. Both are key players. Figueroa has developed into an excellent left of centre defender in Martinez’ tactical system. He could prove costly to replace. Di Santo has now added goal poaching to his repertoire and could be worth in the region of £20 million on the open market if he continues to improve at this rate. When Roberto Martinez took over at the club various higher wage earners were sent packing to bring down the wage bill. He is now facing a dilemma in how to keep his top players from leaving at the ends of their contracts, given the total salary cap imposed by his chairman.

Given the factors above, is it possible for Wigan Athletic to consistently reach a mid-table position? Could they defy the stats on an annual basis, keeping a nucleus of good players, allowing a couple of stars to go for premium transfer fees each summer? In this way, the budget could be balanced. The first step would be to already have the replacements for the stars ready and in place. The second would be  to find a way to offer top players longer contracts at competitive rates, whilst maintaining a reasonable total salary cap. Food for thought for Bob and Dave.