Tag Archives: Callum McManaman

Callum for England

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

Manchester City v Wigan Athletic - FA Cup Final

It has been a difficult season so  far for Callum McManaman, recovering from injury and dealing with illness.

Although there have been signs in recent matches that he is getting back to form he just has not been the exciting player we saw cut Manchester City’s defence apart in May.

His season has needed a ‘kick start’ and now it has come.

The Daily Star quotes Roy Hodgson saying that  he has been following McManaman’s progress and he has a chance of going to the World Cup  finals in Brazil.

McManaman has already played for England at under-20 level. A step up to the full national team is a distinct possibility if he can get back to form. England just don’t have another wide player with his qualities.

This is good news for Owen Coyle and his Wigan Athletic squad that is progressing in Europe and steadily moving up the Championship table.

According to the media it looks like young Manchester United striker Will Keane will be joining Latics on loan. Keane is 20 years old,  6’2” tall and is part of the England under-21 squad with Nick Powell.

Keane has now recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him out of action all of  last season. The injury took place in May 2012 when he was playing for the England under-19 team against Switzerland. His twin brother, Michael, who is a defender, is also at Old Trafford.

The season is looking bright for Wigan Athletic.

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No need for a fire sale, Dave

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

firesale

Just over four years ago a Wigan Athletic team that was to finish in 11th place in the Premier League was gradually dismantled. The books were not being balanced, so the prized assets were cashed in and the wage bill slashed.

In the January transfer window Wilson Palacios left for Tottenham and Emile Heskey for Aston Villa for good money.  At the end of the season Antonio Valencia was sold to Manchester United for serious cash, but then Lee Cattermole followed Steve Bruce to Sunderland at a discount fee. Michael Brown was to start a couple of league games under the new manager before being released to join Portsmouth.

Roberto Martinez started his reign at Wigan under a blanket of austerity. It was to continue for his four year tenure at the club.

Will the same happen again? Are we going to see another fire sale and the selling of prized assets?

We are told that the club is in a good state financially and does not need to sell off its assets. Players had it written in their contracts that were the club to be relegated their salaries would be adjusted accordingly. Given the considerable  parachute payments due to be received would it be possible for Latics to keep all their players who remain under contract and challenge for an immediate  return to the Premier League?

Dave Whelan has consistently said that he will not stand in the way of a player who wants to go to a big club, providing the price is right. The joint sales of Palacios and Valencia in 2009 realised somewhere in the region of £30 million. Do Latics have assets of that kind of stature in the current squad?

James McCarthy stands out as Wigan’s most prized asset. Although only 22 years old he has made over 100 Premier League appearances and is a complete player, with a good temperament. There is already a lot of big club interest in him and Latics might well benefit from a bidding war between them. A fee in excess of £15 million is realistic.

Callum McManaman caught the eyes of the big clubs near the end of the season with some dynamic displays. However, he remains unproven over a Premier League season and has suffered a serious injury. Latics would be wise to hang on to him for the moment. He will be a handful for Championship defenders and could develop into a top player over the coming season. If he continues to progress he is going to be worth big money a year from now. However, if a ridiculous offer were to come in over the next couple of months he might well be released.

Arouna Kone is an excellent centre forward who scored 11 goals and made 5 assists in his first Premier League season. It is rumoured that Swansea are willing to pay £5 million for him. It is not big money for a player of his quality, but he is 29 years old and that is a factor. Kone has a release clause in his contract that sets a £6.5 million maximum fee. Kone could terrorise teams in the Championship and one hopes that Latics will be loath to let him go for a relatively small financial gain.

The press continues to buzz about Latics players who want to stay in the Premier League, with its inflated salaries. However, those same players signed contracts with the relegation clause included.

This columnist urges Dave Whelan to send an unequivocal message to those players that they are expected to stay and get the club back into the Premier League. Only if a ridiculously high offer comes in should it be considered.

Players like Ali Al Habsi, Shaun Maloney, Ben Watson and James McArthur will not fetch the same level of transfer fee of those players aforementioned. To let them go for a few million would be a backwards step. They are the kinds of players who could form the backbone of a promotion-winning team.

Let’s have no fire sale at Wigan!

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Towards Europe and Survival

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

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Roberto Martinez is indeed a brave and unusual man. Who else would turn down lucrative offers to manage Aston Villa or Liverpool to stay with a club that is continually fighting relegation? Who else stays calm and optimistic in the darkest of times when it just does not seem possible for Wigan Athletic to succeed?

The 4-0 home defeat to Liverpool was hard to bear for Wigan Athletic supporters. It was not only the result but the manner in which the team had performed, or one might say, not performed. Then a week later Martinez puts out the most attacking starting lineup we have seen during his tenure, with only one genuine holding midfielder in James McCarthy. The resulting 3-0 victory at ‘Fortress Goodison’ was a revelation. The Everton players must have been shell shocked by not only the result, but in Wigan’s command of the game. A match that will be remembered by Latics fans for years to come.

Sometimes a team struggling in the league does well in a cup competition. So it was to prove on Saturday, when Roberto Martinez took a gamble by putting in most of his first choice players for an FA Cup tie at Goodison Park. Some would say that he risked injury to his senior players at a crucial time and that the FA Cup is an unnecessary diversion in Wigan’s fight against relegation from the Premier League. Better to concentrate on the league and let the second string side deal with Everton. In the event Callum McManaman limped off after 40 minutes and Ryo Miyaichi is now out for the rest for the season, following a tough challenge from Kevin Mirallas.

Whether Martinez was right or wrong to take that risk is a question that would be best answered at the end of the season. The 3-0 win has created a huge amount of interest among Latics followers and has sent shock waves to the other teams embroiled in the relegation battle. Latics face a potential banana skin in the semi final against Championship rivals, but if they can play to their potential then they will not only reach the final, but will probably also qualify for the Europa League.

It is only two years ago since Birmingham City qualified for the Europa League by beating Arsenal in the League Cup final. Three months later they were to lose their final Premier League fixture at Tottenham, condemning them to relegation. They had only won 2 of their final 12 league matches after lifting the cup.

Despite now being in the second tier of English football Birmingham were to perform well in the Europa League, being unlucky to be eliminated in the group stage after winning four, drawing two and losing two matches in the tournament. Their gates averaged 24,431 in the four Europa League games played at St Andrews, compared with 16,451 in the Championship division where they finished in 4th place.

The possibility of Wigan playing in the Europa League is mouth-watering to their loyal fans who have stuck with their club through thick or thin. It would represent the next level of achievement for a club that has come so far since joining the Football League in 1978. At this stage it is only a possibility, depending largely on beating Millwall, but also on whether the other team that reaches the final also qualifies for the Champions League. Given that the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea are the candidates it looks a strong possibility.

In that same 2010-2011 season Bolton Wanderers reached the FA Cup semi final, only to be undone 5-0 by Stoke City. Following that defeat Bolton slid down the table, losing 5 out of their last 6 games.

The experiences of Birmingham and Bolton following big cup ties serve to highlight the knife edge that Wigan Athletic are currently perched on. The main priority has to be Premier League survival, but a win in the FA Cup semi final would provide some icing for the cake and push Wigan into new pastures. The worst case scenario of achieving neither would be a hammer blow for the club.

Roberto Martinez is a shrewd manager and if anyone can guide Latics through the coming weeks it is he. The win at Everton showed the talent he has at his disposal. Despite their lowly league placing Wigan Athletic have the best quality squad they have ever had. Martinez’ main task will be to ensure that such quality continues to shine through consistently in the matches that remain.

A place in the Europa League would be fantastic. But avoiding relegation is what Martinez will have in mind above anything else.

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Everton v Wigan Athletic – Nothing to Lose

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

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Only the brightest of optimists could expect a second string Wigan Athletic team to go to Goodison Park tomorrow and get a good result. The Wigan team will be largely composed of players who have spent most of their time on the bench or on the treatment table in recent months. In contrast Everton are likely to put out a strong lineup.

Everton are a formidable team at Goodison, where they have lost only one of 14 league games this year. It is going to be a tall order for Wigan, but who knows what might happen?

There are players in the Wigan squad who will be anxious to impress in this game, none more so than ex-Everton youth player, Callum McManaman. The 21 year old forward has excelled in cup matches this year and has been unlucky not to have appeared more in the Premier League. He will be joined up front by either Angelo Henqriquez or Nouha Dicko, although Ryo Miyaichi is fit again and will probably appear at some stage during the game. Jordi Gomez will be charged with the creative role for the strikers.

Fraser Fyvie, a 19 year old with more than 50 senior games prior experience under his belt for Aberdeen, is another who has waited patiently for his chance. He is likely to lineup in the centre of midfield alongside the committed American/Honduran, Roger Espinoza, who continues to adapt to the pace of English football.

Roman Golobart, at 20 years of age, is another fine prospect. He made his debut in the starting lineup in the Premier League game against Stoke in January. His extra height in the centre of defence will be useful against an Everton side which always poses a strong aerial threat. He will almost certainly be joined by Antolin Alcaraz, back from long term injury. Adrian Lopez is also back to fitness and will probably take up Gary Caldwell’s position in the centre of defence.

Ronnie Stam will take the right wing back position, but Martinez might have to throw in Maynor Figueroa or Jean Beausejour on the left. With David Jones and Jordan Mustoe out on loan he lacks alternatives in that position. Young Spanish goalkeeper, Joel Robles, faces an acid test where he will have the chance to show that he can compete with Ali Al Habsi for the first team spot.

Likely starting lineup: Robles – Alcaraz, Lopez, Golobart – Stam, Fyvie, Espinoza, Figueroa or Beausejour – Gomez, McManaman, Henriquez or Dicko.

However, in previous rounds Martinez has surprised us by including a smattering of first choice players. At this stage of the season he is less likely to do so. If he were to choose between the FA Cup and Premier League survival, the latter would be his most likely option.

A second string Wigan Athletic is still strong enough to give Everton a run for their money – they have nothing to lose!

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Huddersfield Town 1 Wigan Athletic 4 – A Difference in Class

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

McManaman

A mixed Wigan Athletic team was far too strong for a mediocre home side and the scoreline reflected the difference in class between the two sides.

Despite the importance of next week’s game at Reading, Roberto Martinez decided to risk putting in a handful of his first choice players. Latics started with a flat back four, with Arouna Kone in the lone centre forward role and Callum McManaman on the left wing. The  central midfield players – Fyvie, McArthur, Espinoza and Gomez – were the key to dominating possession and putting Huddersfield under pressure from the get-go.

Despite a pitch churned up by a rugby match between teams from the same towns the previous day, Wigan were still able to display their usual brand of possession football. The directness and pace of Callum McManaman provided a cutting edge and he took his chance brilliantly when put through by James McArthur in the 31st minute. The young winger tormented the Terriers defence, particularly in the first hour.  It was no surprise when Kone added a second after 40 minutes, after McManaman had put in a low cross for Gomez’s blocked shot. In the 56th minute he was to combine with James McArthur, for the Scot to hit the target with a screamer from the edge of the box.

Huddersfield’s main form of attack was to pump high balls into the box, but Wigan’s two tallest central defenders – Roman Golobart and Paul Scharner – held firm. However, the ploy worked when substitute Lee Novak managed to outjump Maynor Figueroa to put the home team back in the game after 62 minutes.

Arouna Kone’s opportunist goal in the closing minutes, following a defensive mix up from the home side, put extra gloss on the scoreline for Wigan.

The Good

This result means that Wigan Athletic have made the last eight of the FA Cup for the second time in their history. However, an away trip in the next round to Everton or Oldham, is not going to be easy, particularly if it is to Merseyside.

Roberto Martinez made a brave move by putting in a higher proportion of first team regulars than expected. He had to make a conscious decision whether to risk his mainline players with a key relegation match looming. However, the positive scoreline from this match will surely help boost morale at a key time within the club. The  tactic of packing the midfield worked in this match.

The Bad

Huddersfield’s churned-up pitch – a reminder of what can happen when you share a ground with the local rugby team.

Interestingly the attendance for the Giants-Warriors rugby encounter was 8,023 and that for the FA Cup match was 12,117.

Player Ratings

Joel Robles: 6 – looked comfortable. Although he was rarely called into action,  he made a good save early in the second half  as Huddersfield threatened.

Ronnie Stam: 6 – one of his better games in an orthodox right back position. Has clearly been working hard on the defensive side of his game.

Roman Golobart: 7 – teamed up well with Scharner in the centre of defence.

Paul Scharner: 7 – calm and composed in the centre of defence.

Maynor Figueroa: 6 – captain for the day. Still clearly enjoys the left back position, which allows him the chance to go forward. Needs to work on challenging for aerial balls in the penalty box – it is not the first time this season he has been outjumped for a goal.

Fraser Fyvie: 7 – looked the part. Hardworking and did not waste the ball.

James McArthur: 8 – looked a class above his Huddersfield counterparts. His rocket shot for the third goal is one to be remembered.

Roger Espinoza: 6 –worked as hard as always, until taken off after 57 minutes.

Jordi Gomez: 6 – put in a useful stint, proving a link between midfield and attack.

Arouna Kone: 6 – worked hard as usual. His first goal was scored from an offside position, but he took his second goal well, blasting the ball past the keeper from just inside the box.

Callum McManaman: 8 – dangerous throughout. Took his goal really well and looked the part on the left wing. How much longer can he fail to make the starting lineup in the Premier League?

Substitutes:

Shaun Maloney – a capable replacement for Espinoza early in the second half.  Was his usual effervescent self, working hard, putting through nice passes.

Jean Beausejour – came on for Gomez after 74 minutes. Solid.

James McCarthy – came on in the last minute.

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