Tag Archives: Chesterfield

Can we “Believe” again after Chesterfield?

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

Photo courtesy of fansonline.net

I would have loved to have gone to Chesterfield and been part of the Wigan contingent that was so deliriously happy after that stunning finale.

But it would have been a long trip from Boston to get there and I would have been shirking my family responsibilities. However, I thought I could at least settle for second best, by listening to the Neill Rimmer and Ashley Houghton commentary on WISH FM. But when it was decided by family consensus that we were leaving for an overnight stay in Rhode Island around kick-off time in the UK it seemed that my hopes were dashed.

However, son Ned and 3G technology came to the rescue. As we were being driven along the I-95 interstate highway we were able to listen to Latics Player through Ned’s phone. The score was 0-0 at halftime, when he closed his phone down to conserve the battery’s charge. It sounded like the game could go either way, both sides having had their chances.

But the second half started and Chesterfield were  to score a spectacular goal a quarter of an hour later. However, hope remained that Latics could pull one back. It was a little hard to hear the phone so when we heard that Leon Barnett had scored a goal, Ned and I started to celebrate. But then came the realization that then goal was for Chesterfield, not Wigan. In an instant I suggested to Ned that he turn the commentary off to save the battery.

When we arrived at our destination I realized what I had done. I have watched Wigan Athletic since 1961 through thick and thin. I have prided myself on never having left a match before the end, no matter how dire the performance. I have always tried to see the bright side. I believed in “Believe”.

But in this case I was “he of little faith”, giving upon a game before it had finished. Fortunately Ned had more faith than me and by the time he got the commentary back the game was in its last three minutes and Latics had scored twice. When Hiwula scored in the 90th minute we were ecstatic.

Watching Latics over the past twelve months has tested the mettle of even the most fervant supporters. Being two goals behind with less than a third of the match remaining there would have been no way that last year’s team could have clawed their way back in.

In the first half of last season the team had the talent, but not the commitment. The reverse was the case in the second half. Malky Mackay was no tactical genius, but the asset-stripping that happened in the January transfer window had left him with a squad short on quality, with the few remaining players from previous eras seemingly shell-shocked by the sequence of events. Put simply, it was very hard  for us to “Believe” in the  Mackay era.

But under Caldwell I can at least rekindle some belief. Caldwell is viewed as a disciple of Roberto Martinez, who was a man brimming in belief. His infectious belief was always evident – he truly believed that his multicultural squad of bargain signings could beat the best in the country without resorting to dubious methods. Moreover he succeeded and his team’s league wins over Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United and the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City will be etched in our minds for years to come.

The journey was by no means easy. At times Latics looked out of their depth, characterized by a porous defence and a tactical system where the term “lone centre forward” became a reality. Martinez could be frustrating for all of us, playing seemingly one-paced football, never seeming to have a plan B. But he believed in his players and they so often played out of their skin against some of the best players in the world. He defied the odds and kept Latics up in the Premier League for three seasons before the seemingly inevitable happened in the loss against Arsenal. With Martinez one always sensed that he had a long term plan and that he believed it would come into effect.

Caldwell rightly claims he has been influenced by all the managers he worked under. But many would say that it was Martinez who influenced him most. One wonders if he is still in regular contact with the Catalan, who has provided him with two quality loan players in Jonjoe Kenny and Francisco Junior. Moreover the way he is pushing his wing backs so far up the field is reminiscent of what Martinez did with Coleman and Baines in his early days at Everton. But does Caldwell have that sheer determination that his mentor had?

As a player Caldwell was certainly determined. Joining Latics relatively late in his career, and despite with his hips failing, he was always there to be called upon. Latics had their greatest successes under his captaincy. He was the marshall of a back line, which was playing against the odds as it faced household name strikers on a regular basis. Caldwell certainly made mistakes as a player, but his commitment could never be questioned.

The “New Era”, heralded by Caldwell and young chairman, David Sharpe is now the order of the day. Largely through poor choices made by Sharpe’s grandfather, Dave Whelan, Latics have fallen down two divisions since winning football’s oldest competition.

However, nobody who has watched the club’s rise over the past two decades can doubt the wonderful achievements under Whelan. The “Believe” motto did not exist when DW told people that a struggling club in the fourth tier would be in the Premier League within a decade. It was not only Whelan’s financial backing, but his “belief” and sound management of the club that propelled things along. Now it is the era of a rookie manager and a rookie chairman, both of whom have nevertheless started their jobs in impressive fashion.

Caldwell clearly believes in the kind of football that he practiced under the auspices of Martinez. However, Caldwell has already shown his flexibility and willingness to change a tactical system if it appears not to be working. His teams have already played in a variety of “shapes” , something Martinez was loath to do. Put in a nutshell, Caldwell adheres to the Martinez notion of style, but is more pragmatic about adapting his tactical formations to get results. However, being a broad adherent of the Maritinez brand he will broadly insist on a slow build up from the back, coupled with a possession-style football.

In the days of Martinez his players were faced with the enormous physical task of containing the talents of teams they played in the Premier League. Maintaining possession gave his players the breathing space to hold their own physically against opposition that was so often technically superior.

The noticeboards of football fan sites provide a conduit for supporters to air their views. That can go both ways. I always enjoy trawling Vital Wigan’s Latics Speyk, where some really high quality stuff so often comes through, together with posts where the ventings of fans who have reached the limits of their patience are plentiful. On Saturday we heard from charlz54 who posted:

“This is pathetic Wigan……..Caldwell is too naive about tactics. For goodness sake, what are our coaching staff doing? We need to attack teams, not just sit back and what’s this over use of playing the ball out from the back? Sorry Gary, but your lack of experience is showing at the moment……..just listening to the commentary…..we are too slow!!” 

Clearly a level of frustration from a fan not happy with Caldwell’s approach of patiently playing the ball out from the back. However, this fan was apparently not at the game. If he had been maybe he would have thought of joining the others who left the Proact Stadium prematurely and missed out on the last ten minutes. Up to that point it looked like Latics were heading for another 2-0 away defeat, something hard to bear for a fan base that has stayed loyal despite the awful football that they have had to endure over the past year.

Interestingly Caldwell has made every effort to play attacking football, pushing his wing backs high up the pitch. Moreover at Chesterfield he had both Michael Jacobs and Haris Vuckic supporting centre forward Craig Davies from attacking midfield positions. The wing backs tend not to tuck inside to support the central midfield, their main role being as outlets on the flanks The end result can be the two central “holding” midfielders being outnumbered by the opposition, unless the attacking midfielder drops back.

Fan frustration was certainly present during the Martinez era, especially at the beginning when the players would often struggle to translate the manager’s ideas into effect. It has been a similar case for Caldwell so far. His is a work in progress, with bad moments interspersed with glimpses of the sublime. A group of strangers on the field is gradually melding into a cohesive force. But not only is it a matter of new players “bedding in”. The club is still on its way out of a trough of depression, where not winning was the order of the day. That amazing rally at Chesterfield will surely lift the club and its players. Confidence is the key to success for Caldwell’s team.

Despite the frustrations of some fans Caldwell will persevere with a style of play he believes in. He has already shown himself to be more tactically flexible than Martinez was at Wigan, but will  insist on his footballing principles.

Self-belief is a key quality in a football manager. If Caldwell can continue to inculcate his footballing philosophy into his players they will surely respond. The current season has had its ups and downs – and there are surely more of the latter still to come – but there is purpose in the way his team is playing. Caldwell is fortunate in having very few players from prior regimes at the club still present. It is much easier to set the tone of a new philosophy with a new group of players rather than with those who were entrenched through longevity and working under previous managers.

There are lots of fans who consider that it is time to leave behind the “Believe” motto of yesteryear. The days of “I’m a Believer” beaming out from the loudspeakers at the DW Stadium might soon be over. “Believe” sadly became overused for political purposes within the town.

Whether “Believe” as a motto  will become a thing of the past is hard to predict. But what is crucial is that Caldwell continues to hold by his footballing principles and shows the kind of belief in his players that Martinez showed.

Over the past couple of seasons too many potentially good players have been dumped before their time was due. The time has come for a group of committed, talented players to be given a genuine chance at the club.

Caldwell and his recruitment team have done an amazing job in bringing twenty new players to Wigan. He now needs to give them the support they need to produce their best.

There has been far too much upheaval. Now is the time for consolidation. Put simply, the manager needs to “Believe” in the players he has brought in.

 

 

 

Is Caldwell’s squad too young?

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

Can Gary Caldwell and his coaching staff get the best out of young players like Haris Vuckic?

Walking down the street in the suburbs of Boston with my son and one year old grandson, a stranger asked “Are you from Wigan?” Given the fact that the three of us were wearing Latics shirts the question was perhaps no surprise. But his next comment was. “Do you know they have just signed a guy from Newcastle?”

Coincidentally we had heard of Haris Vuckic’s signing less than five minutes before. This young American who we had bumped into surely knew his stuff – “Looks like a good signing” he said “My name’s Vince by the way. See you around.”

It was more evidence of Wigan Athletic’s global visibility. Eight years in the Premier League and winning the FA Cup helped that to happen. But will Wigan still be a name known on the streets of Massachusetts ten years from now? Can they get back up there with the big boys, within the media spotlight?

Curiously enough the signing of Vuckic could provide the kind of impetus Latics need to meet their more immediate goal, that of getting out of League 1. The big Slovenian has a lot of skill and a rocket shot with his left foot. A leftie was very much needed in an attack laden with right footed players. Moreover Vuckic can play in any role up front or in midfield. He will give Gary Caldwell extra options.

However, Vuckic is 23 years old and has still not established himself at Newcastle, despite being there for seven years. There had been rumors that Newcastle would release him, but they decided to give him a contact extension. Some of the pundits suggested they were doing that so they could sell him. His market value is reported to be around £450,000.

Will Vuckic make it at Wigan? Up to this point his main success has been a loan spell at Rangers, where he made the starting lineup and scored goals on a regular basis. But is the standard in the Scottish Championship akin to that of League 1? One doubts it.

Gary Caldwell and his recruitment team have done a fantastic job in signing no less than twenty new players up to this point. They have also shed players – seven free agents have left, three players have been sent out on season-long loans and nine have been sold at “give away” prices.

But Caldwell suggests that the intake of new players is coming to a close, acknowledging  a massive turnover of players, and that everyone who had wanted to go had gone, together with the exits of those that the club did not want.

The currently active senior squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers – Richard O’Donnell (26), Lee Nicholls (22), Jussi Jääskeläinen (40)

Full backs/wing backs –  Reece James (21), Jonjoe Kenny (18), Andy Kellett (21), Kevin McNaughton (32).

Centre backs – Leon Barnett (29), Donervon Daniels (21), Jack Hendry (20), Craig Morgan (30), Jason Pearce (27).

Midfielders – Tim Chow (21), Don Cowie (32), Jordan Flores (19), Ryan Jennings (21), Francisco Junior (23), Chris McCann (28), Sean Murray (21), Max Power (21), David Perkins (33).

Attacking players – Craig Davies (29), Will Grigg (24), Jordi Hiwula (20), Grant Holt (34), Michael Jacobs (23), Sanmi Odelusi (22), Haris Vuckic (23).

Of these twenty eight  players no less than sixteen are 23 years old or younger. Only three are in the age range of 24-27 which was put forward as a recruitment guideline by chairman, David Sharpe.

The younger players could be placed into two broad categories – “up and coming” and “not yet achieved their potential”. The old adage tells us that young players need time to develop. Caldwell’s challenge is to develop those young players under the pressure of  the challenge for promotion so actively sought by the chairman.

Haris Vuckic is a typical example in the second category. Will Caldwell and his coaches be able to get the best out of the 23 year old?Or will he fall by the wayside as have so many other young players at the club over the past couple of years?

It appears that Caldwell’s quest for Huddersfield’s James Vaughan is over. Given the player’s history of injury problems it was certainly going to be a gamble. He had already gambled by taking on Craig Davies and Kevin McNaughton, given their injury issues at Bolton last year.

Sadly McNaughton is injured again, together with Don Cowie. Grant Holt continues his rehabiliation from an anterior cruciate knee injury, but will he be able to reach the levels of fitness needed to make his mark this season? Caldwell’s latest headache involves an injury to captain and defensive lynchpin, Craig Morgan, who will be out for 3-4 weeks.

Caldwell will largely depend on his more experienced players, but the younger ones will clearly have a role to play. The question is whether the younger players can mature quickly enough to command regular first team places. For the moment Caldwell is depending on an 18 year old, on-loan right back in Jonjoe Kelly with McNaughton out for a matter of months.

Moreover Caldwell is faced with Kenny’s absence on England under-21 duty for the visit to Chesterfield tomorrow. Tim Chow has played in that position for the development squad, but has only just come back from injury and may not be match fit. Caldwell has already talked about changing the shape for tomorrow, but he will be forced to play a midfield player – possibly Max Power – or a central defender at right back.

Caldwell’s squad is brimming with young players with lots of potential. It is the time of reckoning for the coaching staff at the club. The development of the younger players is largely in their hands and they need to step up to the plate. The demise of the likes of Delort, Forshaw, Kiernan, Tavernier and Taylor-Sinclair last season put the club back when it should have been moving forward. There is a new batch of players of similar ages who must not be allowed to fall between the cracks.

It is the emergence of young players such as Haris Vuckic that can make the difference. But can Caldwell and the coaching staff do it, given the pressure of promotion weighing so heavily upon them?

Craig Davies – journeyman or saviour?

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Player profiles and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Davies

“He’s a big, strong boy who is also quick. He is different to what we’ve got and he’ll certainly cause defences some problems.”

The words of Mickey Adams, who certainly had some belief in Craig Davies as a footballer. He had signed the big man for Brighton in February 2009. Some 11 months later, after scoring just one goal in 10 league starts and 11 appearances off the bench, Davies was dispatched on loan to Port Vale, where once again he would be under the tutelage of Adams. Davies made an instant impression at Vale Park and ended his goal drought in his fourth game for his new club.

When Davies came on after 78 minutes against Bury on Tuesday night he did not receive an overwarm welcome from the crowd. Being an ex-Bolton player and the replacement for Grigg did not help his case. Moreover he had not impressed in the 35 minutes he was given as a substitute at Coventry. Some fans condemned him as being lazy. Another categorised him as a “journeyman” who has had as many clubs as Leon Clarke.

But on signing the big Welshman Gary Caldwell had said that “Craig’s a powerful striker who has a proven track record in this division. He’s an experienced player who will inspire those around him and we are absolutely delighted he has chosen to be with us.” Moreover he had later enthused about a Davies-Grigg striking partnership.

So who is the real Craig Davies – the inspirational central striker who can make a real difference to Wigan Athletic this season – or the journeyman who does not make enough effort on the pitch? Is he the 23 goal striker who was instrumental in helping Chesterfield win League 2 or the player who struggled for goals at Brighton?

Davies had begun his Wigan Athletic career as a 77th minute substitute in the pre-season match with Partick Thistle at Firhill. He immediately added a physical presence, although playing wide on the left. Gary Caldwell was being cautious in bringing Davies into play, given the constant injury problems he had last season.

It was therefore a surprise to see Davies start up front with Will Grigg in the match at Dundee just three days later. This time Davies played in the right hand twin striker role and was a real handful for the Dundee defence. He only played for the first 30 minutes, but during that time he had formed a positive impression, his interchange of passes with Grigg provoking a penalty.

So what kind of role will Davies play for Latics this season? When will he be fully fit and in contention for a place in the starting lineup?

Caldwell will continue to give Davies time to get himself in optimal physical condition. In the meantime he will use him as an impact substitute, either for a tiring Grigg or alongside him as a main striker. Up to this point Caldwell has tended to opt for a lone centre forward system, but he is nevertheless pragmatic enough to go for the twin striker scenario when needs arise. Grigg would surely benefit from the presence of Davies, who will ruffle the feathers of any defence, drawing defenders away.

However, there is more to Davies’ game than playing the target man and creating space for others in the penalty box. In his career he has scored 88 goals from 237 starts in league games. He had played for 12 clubs before joining Latics, hence the “journeyman” tag.

Davies will be keen to show that he is much more than just a journeyman. His signing was a gamble by Caldwell, given his career path and his injury issues at Bolton. But if Davies can get fully fit he will have the power and speed to cause a serious threat to opposition defences.

If nothing else Davies will provide Caldwell the option of going direct when the patient building up of play has failed to produce the desired results. Fit and at his best he is a force to be reckoned with.

Only time will tell if Caldwell’s signing of Davies was one of desperation, or of inspiration.

A Bolton fan’s view of Craig Davies

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

Davies

It was announced today that Wigan Athletic have completed the signing of free agent, Craig Davies, previously of Bolton Wanderers.

The 6 ft 2 in centre forward is 29 years old. He has played for Wales at all age levels, including five caps for the senior squad. Davies started as a youth player at Manchester City before joining Oxford United as an 18 year old. From 2004-06 he was to make 48 appearances, scoring 8 goals, while the club was in League 2.

In January 2006 he signed for Hellas Verona of Serie B for a fee of £85,000. Sadly he could not adapt to the culture change and only made one appearance, returning to England on loan with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship. He was a regular starter for Wolves until they signed Andy Keogh in January 2007. Davies was to leave Wolves at the end of the season, having made 23 appearances, his only goals being one in a 2-2 FA Cup home draw with Oldham, followed by another in the 2-0 replay victory.

Curiously Davies was to join Oldham in the summer of 2007 to play in League 1. After regularly challenging for a first team place in his first season, he went through a 10 game goalless streak at the beginning of 2008-09, leading Oldham to send him out on loan to Stockport County, also in League 1 at the time. He scored 5 goals in 8 appearances before returning to Oldham. He had made 44 appearances for Oldham, scoring 10 goals before being sold to Brighton in January 2009.

Davies could not establish himself with the Seagulls and went on loan periods at Yeovil and Port Vale before joining Chesterfield in the summer of 2011. Davies’ 23 goals in 41 appearances were to help the Spireites win the League 2 title.

Davies was snapped up by Barnsley in the summer of 2012 and went on to make 60 appearances for the Tykes over the next two years, scoring 19 goals. His second season had been hampered by a  hamstring injury. Bolton Wanderers paid £300,000 for his services in January 2013 and Davies went on to make 35 starts for them with 19 appearances off they bench, scoring 10 goals.  He was loaned to Preston in January 2014, where he scored 5 goals from 13 starts and 3 substitute appearances.Last season he struggled once again with his hamstring injury and was not offered a new contract.

In order to learn more about Davies’ time at Bolton we reached out to Chris Mann  of the Burnden Aces fan site http://www.burndenaces.co.uk (Twitter @BurndenAces )

So here’s over to Chris:

Wigan Athletic today completed the free signing of Craig Davies, seven days after his contract at Bolton came to an end.

Davies joined Wanderers in a £300,000 transfer from Barnsley in January 2013 and went on to score a total of 11 goals in 58 appearances for the Trotters, prior to his release.

Whilst those statistics may not look too appetising, it’s worth noting that 31 of those outings were from the substitutes’ bench.

Davies was a hugely popular figure amongst Bolton supporters, with his never-say-die attitude and willingness to put his body on the line earning him many plaudits, although it wasn’t until Neil Lennon’s arrival as manager in October 2014 that we began to see the best of what he had to offer.

All of a sudden, Davies became a focal point of the Bolton attack and was producing arguably the best form of his career – including a Man of the Match display in a 3-1 win over Latics at Macron Stadium.

Then, in a cruel twist of fate, he was struck down by three separate hamstring injuries that restricted him to just three starts after the turn of the year.

The club weighed up whether to offer him a fresh deal, but financial restraints at the present time meant it made little business sense to take a risk on an injury-prone player and Davies was an unfortunate victim of the cost-cutting measures currently in place.

 If he can put his fitness issues behind him, Davies has the ability to be one of the Championship’s top players. However, inconsistent form and the amount of time he spends in the treatment room has stopped him from fulfilling his undoubted potential.

If you can get 20+ games out of him next season, Wigan will have got themselves a good player who is more than capable of scoring the goals to get you out of the division at the first attempt.

With all those aforementioned worries, though, it would be unwise to pin all hopes on him, so I’d be expecting Gary Caldwell to bring in at least one more striker during the summer transfer window.

A Walsall fan’s view of Richard O’Donnell

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

Richard-ODonnell

“Delighted to have agreed a deal to join @LaticsOfficial for next season. Can’t wait to start and help get them back where they should be….”

So said new Latics acquisition Richard O’Donnell on Twitter today.

O’Donnell is a 6 ft 2 in goalkeeper, born in Sheffield, who will sign Wigan Athletic as a free agent from League 1 club Walsall. He is 26 years old, a product of the Sheffield Wednesday academy.

As a young player from O’Donnell was sent on loan to seven clubs in the lower divisions and non-league from 2007-11. He made his Football League debut as a 19 year old for Oldham Athletic against Luton Town in March 2008. It was three years later to the month that he made his debut for Wednesday in a match at Southampton. After making 19 appearances for the Owls he was released in May 2012.

O’Donnell then signed a one year contract for League 2 side Chesterfield. Covering for the absence of regular goalkeeper Tommy Lee he made 14 starts, but lost his place on Lee’s return from injury. In January he was loaned out to Stockport County in the Conference where he made 20 starts. He returned to Chesterfield for the last game of the season in a 4-0 win over Exeter.

In summer of 2013 he joined Walsall where he was to establish himself as the first choice goalkeeper, making 90 appearances in his two seasons there. He kept 21 clean sheets last season.

In order to learn more about O’Donnell’s time at Walsall we reached out to the BescotBanter.net fan site (@BescotBanter). Our thanks to them for the fan’s view that follows:

Following the Saddlers’ acquisition of goalkeeping coach Neil Cutler, Richard joined the club in the summer of 2013 and quickly went on to establish himself as first-choice, bringing his brand of committed stopping to the side.

A player who is willing to put his body on the line, Richard made over fifty first team appearances during his debut season with the club and penned a new eighteen-month contract in January 2014.

Following his debut season Richard continued as first-choice goalkeeper and went on to make his one hundredth consecutive first-team appearance for the club as the Saddlers played host to Notts County on 3rd April.

Richard established himself as a clear fan favourite during his time with the club and went on to be named both the Fans and Players’ Player of the Season at the 2014/15 End of Season Awards.

O’Donnell also came close to single-handedly breaking a club record for most clean sheets in a season, which was held by former Trinidad and Tobago international Clayton Ince, who was unbeaten on twenty-two occasions during the 2006/07 campaign.

The record was ultimately collected by Craig MacGillivray, as he kept a clean sheet during his debut against Oldham Athletic.

 Following a lengthy spell of contract negotiations, which began in November 2014, Richard made the decision to leave the club and join Wigan Athletic on a three-year deal, the move seems to have come down to a length of contact issue, with the Saddlers either unable or unwilling to match the Latics’ three-year offering.

When the dust of his move settles Richard will go down as one of the best stoppers in the club’s recent history, and will always be welcome at Banks’s Stadium.