Tag Archives: brighton

Wigan Athletic 0 Brighton 1 – insipid Latics go down

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

Crofts beats Watson and Shotton to head Brighton’s goal
Thanks to Daily Express for photo

A lacklustre display from Wigan Athletic saw them lose their unbeaten home record. Over the past weeks performances like this have been largely excused by the tiredness factor, having had to play too many games in a short period of time. After a two week pause for the international break such excuses cannot apply.

In the 71st minute of a closely matched contest Grant Holt dispossessed Brighton defender Gordon Greer and got into a one on one with goalkeeper Tomas Kuszczak.  A goal looked certain. However, the big centre forward put the ball wide.

Within a minute Brighton’s movement once again troubled a disorientated Latics defence. Lee Nicholls made a fantastic save from Jake Forster-Caskey’s header, but the 5’9” Andrew Crofts got in there before  Ben Watson and Ryan Shotton to head home the rebound.

Owen Coyle had put out the same starting lineup that won the previous league match at Yeovil.

Latics started the game positively, playing the ball patiently through midfield. They went close several times but the finishing was not accurate enough to seriously trouble Kuszczak.

Brighton right back Bruno Saltor came close for Brighton with a volley in the 8th minute which was well saved by Nicholls. The same player was booked after 27 minutes for pulling down Nick Powell and soon after committed a foul against Callum McManaman. It looked like Bruno was treading on thin ice.

Brighton came out more boldly in the second half with their movement causing problems for a static and ponderous Latics defence. Ashley Barnes’ cross found the head of the unmarked Forster-Caskey who somehow managed to head the ball straight at Nicholls. The previously subdued McManaman put in a powerful long range shot in the 52nd minute, which was well saved by Kuszczak.

The giant Rohan Ince started to boss the midfield, Barnes was giving Shotton a hard time and left winger Craig Conway started to look dangerous.

After 60 minutes Coyle took off an ineffective Marc-Antoine Fortune to bring on Grant Holt, who soon got himself in trouble with referee, Iain Williamson. James McClean came on for Marc Albrighton five minutes later. Soon after Holt earned himself a yellow card after backing under Ince for a high ball, the Brighton midfielder being fortunate to avoid injury as he hit the ground.  Once Holt had come on Latics had started to use more of the long ball.

Following Brighton’s goal Latics look shell-shocked and clueless. Conway almost added a second a few minutes later with a powerful right foot shot that Nicholls parried away superbly.

The crowd started to get restless and seeing Latics players arguing with each other on the field did not help. Jordi Gomez was brought on for McManaman after 76 minutes, with Nick Powell being pushed towards the right.

James McClean tried hard to attack the vulnerable Bruno and to inject some life into Wigan.  The Irishman put in a good cross in the 90th minute but Holt’s header was saved by Kuszczak.

It just was not Holt’s day.

In the end Latics were beaten by a better team on the day. Brighton had 56% of the possession and had played the better football. Latics committed 22 fouls, way above their normal level.

The Good

Coyle had put out a team that had an attacking look about it, with two wide players and two strikers. They played some good football in the first half and were only let down by their wayward finishing.

James McClean gave probably his best performance to date, running at the defence, but more importantly managing to deliver dangerous centres. So often since his arrival the player had flattered to deceive, running up blind alleys and not getting the ball across. If McClean can play like this on a regular basis he will be a threat to any opposition.

The Bad

Not long after the kickoff  a fan sat next to me opined that Latics had played better football in the Northern Premier League than most of what he has seen this season.

Early in the second half he said that it looked like Latics were playing a training match.

He had a point. They were insipid, short of flair, short of ideas. The long ball game had started once Holt had entered the fray and the level of football was dropping by the minute.

The job of a football manager is to make the whole add up to at least the sum of its parts. This is not happening at Wigan.

With one of the best squads in the division Latics look no better than a mid-table team. The chemistry that is missing. This group of players play like they are strangers to each other on the pitch.

In the second half Coyle had the opportunity to energize a central midfield which looked one-paced and sluggish, with quality players on the bench ready to come on and add much needed energy.

In the event he brought on the hapless Holt who is sadly becoming the butt of the crowd’s frustration. Coyle did bring a midfield player on, but it happened to be the one-paced Gomez, who ended up playing too far forward to be effective. Bringing on Gomez to provide constructive passes from midfield is one thing, but he is never a central striker and is not good at leaping for high balls.

It was worrying to see Latics’ central defence once more struggle to cope with the opposition’s movement, like they had in the home game against Rubin. Barnett and Shotton are very effective coping with aerial bombardments but struggle against more mobile forwards who drag them out of position.

Left back remains a problem position. The link-up play on the left hand side is a key element on the tactical side, but it is inhibited by James Perch’s limited passing skills on his “wrong side”.  Maynor Figueroa still has not been replaced and Juan Carlos Garcia does not even make the bench.

Player Ratings

Lee Nicholls: 8 – easily the Man of the Match. A fine performance.

Emmerson Boyce: 6 – not at his best.

Ryan Shotton: 5- shaky at times in the second half.

Leon Barnett: 5 – good in one to one challenges, but looked uncertain in his positioning.

James Perch: 5 – poor.

Ben Watson: 6 – tried hard, but it was not his best day.

Chris McCann: 6 – did a lot of good defensive work, but could not put his stamp on the game.

Marc Albrighton: 6 – looked lively in the first half.

Nick Powell: 6 – tried hard and put in some nice touches, but things did not come off for him.

Marc-Antoine Fortune: 5 – not up to his usual level.

Callum McManaman: 5 – largely anonymous, apart from one cracking shot.

Substitutes

Grant Holt: – poor.

James McClean: – the best attacker in the second half.

Jordi Gomez: – ineffective.

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A Brighton Fan’s View

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews and tagged with , , , ,
Photo courtesy of Visit Brighton

Photo courtesy of Visit Brighton

Less than a year ago Brighton and Hove Albion were playing a style of football akin to that of Wigan Athletic under Roberto Martinez.

A lot has happened since then.

Both clubs lost their managers at the end of the season. Brighton sought a replacement who would build upon the style of play established by Gus Poyet, bringing in ex-Barcelona youth coach and ex-player Oscar Garcia. Latics chose a manager who prefers a more direct approach.

The two clubs are neck and neck in the Championship, with Latics in tenth place, one point and one position above Brighton. Both clubs have had bad luck with injuries so far this season. Both come into the match with two consecutive league victories under their belts.

Let’s get up to date with Brighton through the eyes of one of their keenest supporters.

Tim Attree’s love of the club dates back to when he was a kid and he would help his father sell jackpot tickets on matchdays outside the old Goldstone Ground. His father had watched Brighton from an early age and for decades would volunteer to help out selling programmes and jackpot tickets. Tim has kept up his father’s love of the club and hardly misses a single Brighton match.

Tim first came to Wigan in the mid 1970s, when I invited him to join me at Springfield Park to watch a Northern Premier League game with Stafford Rangers. Since then he paid repeated visits to Wigan to Springfield Park and the JJB/DW Stadium.

Over to Tim to answer some questions.

Does anybody know why Gus Poyet was pushed out after taking his team to the playoffs ?

Nobody seems to know or wants to say anything about it, but he told chairman Tony Bloom that he wanted to leave just before we beat Crystal  Palace back in March. According to Bloom at ‘Fans Forum’ things deteriorated after that.

 Did Albion’s fans like the tiki-taka style that your team played last year?

 Yes we loved the way they played. Some of us think it’s the best we’ve ever seen!

 How is the team performing? Has the style changed from last year?

Injuries have hit us hard, but we try to close down teams very quickly after losing the ball within 5-10 seconds – a bit like Barcelona. Oscar Garcia  was at Barca and has brought that philosophy with him.

In addition there is the feeling that we do not keep the ball as long as we did with Gus and try and cross the ball a bit earlier. If we lose it we press high to get it back whereas with Gus we would all have gone back to defence as quickly as possible.

 Latics made a decision to replace Roberto Martinez with a manager whose football is ‘more direct’. There are mixed feelings among fans about Coyle’s appointment. What do the Brighton fans think about Garcia?

The jury is still out on Garcia, but most fans think he is doing OK particularly having had so many injuries.

 Who are the players in the Brighton team Latics will have to watch?

 Goalie Tomas Kuszczak is very good. Liam Bridcutt (ex Chelsea youngster) is a strong holding midfielder and last week played his first 30 minutes or so after being out through injury. Will Buckley (ex -Watford) is a fast player who plays out wide, mainly on the right wing.

In defence we have Gordon Greer who has just won his first Scotland cap and Matthew Upson. We miss Wayne Bridge at left back but now have Stephen Ward on loan from Wolves who has just got back into the Irish team.

 Who   is going to finish higher in the table at the end of the season – Brighton or Wigan?

 Don’t know! Suspect it will be close if both clubs can get all their players fit for the New Year!

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Poyet and Wigan

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

The rumours are that Gus Poyet is lined up for the vacant position of Sunderland manager.

A few months ago Dave Whelan was looking for a new manager, but Poyet was still involved in wranglings over his controversial dismissal at Brighton. Where would Wigan Athletic be now if Poyet had taken over at the DW?

Poyet’s Brighton last season had been playing a kind of football akin to that of Wigan Athletic under Roberto Martinez. If Whelan had wanted to carry on the footballing tradition put in place by Martinez, Poyet was the most obvious choice.

Poyet had joined Brighton, struggling in League 1, in November 2009. Within no time the style of play had changed to something unseen before at the south coast club.  Moreover it brought excellent results. Poyet steered the club to safety in that first season, then to the League 1 title in 2010-11, when he was named ‘Manager of the Year’ in the division. Last year Brighton adjusted well and made a late run to reach the playoffs in the Championship, but were thwarted by Crystal Palace.

Why Poyet was sacked soon after remains a mystery, but his record was undeniably good. He had transformed a disjointed, struggling League 1 team into a formidable side who played with an emphasis on skill. Moves built up from the back, with the ball on the ground – not a common sight in the frantic Championship, let alone League 1.

Poyet’s name was one of many banded about by the media to replace Martinez,  but in the end it came down to either Owen Coyle or Steve McClaren, both experienced and capable managers who could do a job for the club. However, once their candidacy was made public the writing was already on the wall for Latics’ playing style, which had been developed over a period of four years at all levels within the club.

Latics were to choose a manager diametrically opposed to the previous one in terms of football philosophy and tactical approach. In contrast, Brighton sought to find someone who could continue to build on the work of Poyet. Oscar Garcia was to be their new appointment.

On his appointment Garcia said that “My obsession is to attack, to attack the opposition, to keep the ball and to have the ball as many times as possible”. They could have been the words of Roberto Martinez or Gus Poyet.

Looking at Garcia’s background it is not surprising that he espouses that philosophy. He was an attacking midfielder for Barcelona in the 1990’s, winning no fewer than 11 trophies in his time with them as a player. From 2010-12 he was in charge of Barcelona’s famous youth academy at La Masia, before going on to take Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Israeli title for the first time in ten years. Maccabi’s owner had wanted to change their philosophy to develop a more attractive style of football.

Neither Garcia at Brighton nor Coyle at Wigan has had an easy start to the season. Brighton and Latics  stand neck-and-neck just below mid-table at this point. Both clubs have had injury problems and have not yet  performed at their best.

It will be interesting to see who is higher in the table at the end of the season. Will it be the club who appointed someone to build on past success by maintaining a certain style of football or will it be the one for which the style is secondary to good results and promotion back to the Premier League?

It seems a long time since Roberto Martinez left Wigan. His Everton team are currently unbeaten and in fourth place in the Premier League. Moreover the quality of their football has noticeably improved in his short tenure there.

Martinez certainly had his up and downs at Wigan, but he proved that a club of relatively modest means can win the FA Cup – on merit, through playing attractive football.

Whether Martinez can maintain the good results at Everton remains to be seen. The Goodison club just don’t have the financial resources to consistently challenge the elite. However, he has certainly confounded his critics and made a good start.

Football would be boring if all teams played in the same way. People like Guardiola and Allardyce have widely different philosophies, but both have produced results out of what they have had available.

The question is not of choosing one style over another, but how to provide progression within a club. Surely Coyle would be wise to build on the good things that Martinez put in place, working on the weaknesses, rather than throwing out the baby with the bathwater. A better defence and a more direct and urgent approach in attack would help.

Only time will tell if Coyle is willing or able to do that. Who knows what would have happened had Poyet been appointed at Wigan in July?

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