Tag Archives: coyle

Coyle’s January Shopping List

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

shopping

Time is marching on and the January transfer window is creeping up on us.

Owen Coyle has worked wonders so far in the transfer market, his dealings having placed Latics balance sheet firmly in the black.

Coyle will go into the January market with ample funds available for transfers, but will be constrained by the club’s salary policy. That would rule out signings like Blackburn’s Jordan Rhodes. Once again Coyle will be looking out for bargain buys whose salary demands are realistic.

With the win at Yeovil, Latics have moved up to 10th place in the Championship, only two points short of the playoff zone with a game in hand. If they can continue in this vein they will be in a good position to mount a realistic promotion challenge. Moreover Coyle has the chance to bring in new blood to cover the squad’s weaker areas through the transfer window.

By January the futures of short-term loanees Marc Albrighton and Ryan Shotton will have been determined.

If Albrighton does not stay at Wigan then Coyle will need to look elsewhere for a wide player who can make a difference.  Ivan Ramis is approaching full fitness after a ten month absence through injury. If Shotton is recalled by Stoke, Coyle has a more than adequate replacement for him at centre back.

So what are the areas that need strengthening?

Latics have scored a paltry 17 goals in the 14 league matches they have played. Coyle’s two mainline central strikers are both 32 years old and past their best.

Both Marc-Antoine Fortune and Grant Holt have had injury problems. They have mustered only three league goals between them. This is not to suggest the two players cannot play a major role in a promotion push, but Coyle needs another option given their record up to this point.

At least one more central striker is a necessity for that promotion push.

Two new full backs would also make a difference.

The left back position has been problematic. Stephen Crainey has had a hard time adjusting following his move from Blackpool. He is also 32 years old and might not have the pace he used to have.

Jean Beausejour has stepped in at left back several times, but it is not his natural position and he is better employed further forward.  James Perch has provided defensive stability over recent matches in that position, but his attacking skills on his ‘wrong side’ are limited.

Specialist left back Juan Carlos Garcia remains untried. The Honduran has been given just one start – away at Manchester City in the League Cup, where he was played out of position in left midfield. Coyle seems reluctant to put him in at this stage.

The evergreen Emmerson Boyce is 34 years old now, but remains a fine right back. He might have lost a little bit of pace over the years, but what he might lack he makes up for it in experience. Boyce’s passing skills are sorely missed when he is not in the team. Ryan Shotton is a promising young central defender but his miserable 57% pass completion rate in the Rubin game in Russia shows how Latics need a specialist right back when Boyce is not available.

Wigan Athletic have the third best defensive record in the Championship, with only 12 goals conceded.  It provides a solid base on which to build a promotion challenge. It is scoring goals that is the problem.

Coyle’s main aim in the transfer window will therefore be to bring in at least one quality striker. A quality attacking left back would also help in the creation of goals. Moreover there is a need for a specialist right back in case of an injury to Boyce.

Perhaps Coyle will also look for a playmaker in the long-term absence of Shaun Maloney, although he already has Nick Powell and Jordi Gomez .

Providing Latics can maintain their defensive strength and  cover the weak areas of the squad through the transfer window they will surely be challenging for a Premier League place over the coming months.

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Rubin Kazan 1 Wigan Athletic 0 – route one Latics go down

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

The Central Stadium with the impressive Kazan Kremlin as its backdrop.

Some 150 Latics supporters made the long and expensive journey to Kazan. They deserved something better than this.

There have been worse performances by Latics in recent years and a 1-0 loss away to a team with a strong European pedigree does not look so bad. But it was so depressing to see Wigan Athletic playing a brand of football that has been the hallmark of teams like Bolton and Stoke.

Young Lee Nicholls continued in goal in place of the injured Scott Carson. Coyle brought back Thomas Rogne at centre back, with Ryan Shotton moving over to right back in place of Emmerson Boyce. Stephen Crainey came in at left back for James Perch, who moved in to midfield. At long last Roger Espinoza was given a start lining up, with captain for the night, James McArthur, to complete a central midfield trio. Callum McManaman and James McClean played wide, with Grant Holt being recalled at centre forward.

Latics started cautiously, with hopeful balls forward their only weapon. It looked like they were looking for a goalless draw. However, after 22 minutes that possibility evaporated.

In one of the few quality moves in the whole match Rubin’s Israeli midfield player Bibras Natkho put a lovely pass over Stephen Crainey’s head. Full back Oleg Kuzmin raced through and put in a powerful shot that went straight through rookie keeper Lee Nicholls and into the net.

Apart from putting the big men up for set pieces Latics posed little threat. The only quality move of note was when Espinoza put in a superb long cross from the left wing. Holt rose well but was not able to keep the header down and it went over the crossbar. The rest of Latics football in the first half was forgettable, with Rubin not much better.

Wigan came out in the second half with more resolve and started to take the game to Rubin. The approach was ‘Route One’. It looked like we were watching Sam Allardyce’s Bolton, but then were echoes of Stoke as Shotton put a series of long throw-ins into the penalty box.

Using this method Latics were able to put pressure on the home defence, without creating clear-cut chances. Coyle took off the hapless Perch after 60 minutes and Nick Powell came on. The youngster soon went on a mazy run before unleashing a good shot from 30 yards that went just wide. For the remaining 30 minutes the talented teenager was to see the ball go over his head most of the time.

Coyle brought on Marc Antoine Fortune for the cumbersome Holt after 71 minutes, then Jordi Gomez for McManaman three minutes later.  Soon after another superb cross from Espinoza was met by Rogne, whose header hit the crossbar.

In the end an out of form Rubin team gained a victory that practically puts them through to the knockout stages.

The Good

Latics played with spirit and commitment.

Roger Espinoza made a successful return, his energy and work rate being second to none. Moreover he provided moments of quality together with his incisive running.  The crosses he put in for Holt and Rogne were inch perfect.

The Bad

Once again Coyle showed a lack of tactical awareness.

He sent out a cautious lineup with three holding midfielders. For the second time this season Coyle put James Perch into a midfield role. He must have realized his mistake when he took Perch off on the hour. I might run the risk of repeating myself, but Coyle has an abundance of quality midfield players at his disposal. To put someone as technically limited as Perch in that position is hard to understand.

Holt was not the right man to start at centre forward in this match. He looked slow and out of touch. The more mobile Fortune would have been a better choice, but maybe Coyle had Sunday’s game at Yeovil on his mind. The French Guyanan is not particularly effective at jumping for the high balls which were the mode of operation for Latics in the second half.

The wide players, McManaman and McClean, were not able to get into the game. On the few occasions McManaman did run at the defence he was fouled. Latics wide play is just not getting the results it should.  Without Boyce on the right of defence McManaman was starved of decent passes. The Route One approach did not help in this game.

It seems to be ingrained in this Latics team that the long ball is the tactic in the second half. The quality players in midfield and on the wings become marginalized as defenders hoof the ball forward.

The back four in this match were all Coyle signings.They were either incapable or unwilling to play the ball out of defence in the way that the likes of Caldwell, Scharner and Alcaraz would. Or were they putting through those hopeful long passes under the manager’s instructions?

Player Ratings

Lee Nicholls: 5 – a tough European baptism for the young keeper.

Ryan Shotton: 5 – defensively solid, but his distribution was awful.

Thomas Rogne: 6 – solid in defence and unlucky to hit the woodwork yet again. Needs to work on his passing.

Leon Barnett: 6 – solid in defence, but poor in distribution.

Stephen Crainey: 5 – just does not look the part although used the ball more effectively than on previous occasions.

James Perch: 4 – poor. Taken off after 60 minutes.

James McArthur: 5 – could not put his stamp on the game.

Roger Espinoza: 7 – made some errors in his passing, but his energy and creativity were a real asset.

Callum McManaman: 5 – systematically fouled and heavily marked. Came off after 74 minutes.

Grant Holt: 4 – out of touch. Taken off after 71 minutes.

James McClean: 5 – the fingers pointed at him for not marking his full back when Rubin scored. An enigma – full of promise but does not deliver.

Substitutes

Nick Powell: – did what he could, but the style of play did not suit him. What a player he might have been had he come to Wigan a year earlier!

Jordi Gomez: – hardly saw the ball.

Marc Antoine Fortune: – heavily marked except on one occasion when he shot into the side netting with unmarked players waiting for the ball in the box.

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Coyle brings back memories of Allan Brown

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Reflections and tagged with , , , , , ,
Wigan Athletic 1964-65. Back row, Wilf Birkett (Trainer), Les Jackson (Chairman), Alan Halsall, Roy Wilkinson, Alf Craig, Ralph Gubbins, Derek Houghton, Derek Crompton, Frank Latham Front Row: Les Campbell, Carl Davenport, Harry Lyon, Allan Brown (Player Manager), Walter Stanley

Wigan Athletic 1964-65.
Back row, Wilf Birkett (Trainer), Les Jackson (Chairman), Alan Halsall, Roy Wilkinson, Alf Craig, Ralph Gubbins, Derek Houghton, Denis Crompton, Frank Latham.
Front Row: Les Campbell, Carl Davenport, Harry Lyon, Allan Brown (Player Manager), Walter Stanley.
Thanks to WiganWorld for the photo.

A couple of weeks ago at Blackpool with Latics a goal behind, Owen Coyle made a bold move.  He already had two wingers on the field, Callum McManaman and James McClean, and decided to boost  Latics’ attack further by bringing on  two central strikers, Grant Holt and Marc-Antoine Fortune.  For a while Latics played in a formation akin to  4-2-4.

Seeing what was happening my mind drifted away to when I was a teenager watching Allan Brown’s team destroy rivals using that 4-2-4 system.

Brown took over at Wigan as player-manager in 1964 with a mandate to win the Cheshire League title. Latics had finished in mid table the previous year and it was obvious that a transformation was required. Brown and the Latics’ board at the time certainly meant business as they took the radical step of bringing in full-time professionals to give them a big advantage over the other clubs who use part-timers or amateurs. On top of that Brown brought in a 4-2-4 system, which was to reap high dividends.

As a teenager I was thrilled to get Brown’s autograph and those of his full time squad, who he would often take to the Roy Café in the centre of Wigan, where my mother worked. Sometimes I would even get a free ticket to the match.

LaticLatics4-2-4_formation_svgs played an orthodox 4-2-4 system like the one Brazil had used to win the 1958 World Cup. They had a flat back four with two ‘halfbacks’ – usually Dennis Crompton and Brown himself –  in the centre of midfield. Crompton was the ball winner/water carrier and Brown the number 10 who would put the passes through to the forwards, scoring goals himself in the process.  Wingers Les Campbell and Walter Stanley were there to supply crosses to the central strikers, although they did do a share of defensive duties.

Latics were to take the league title from Macclesfield, who were to finish five points behind. Wigan scored 121 goals in 42 matches, most of them  down to central strikers Harry Lyon and Carl Davenport. With such an emphasis on attack they needed a defence which could hold its own when the half backs and strikers got stranded upfield and the opposition counterattacked. The superb Derek Houghton was at right back and Roy Wilkinson on the left. Ex-paratrooper Alf Craig was a rock in the centre of defence alongside the elegant Ralph Gubbins.

Association_football_4-4-2_formation_svgIn 1966,  during Brown ‘s tenure at Wigan,  Alf Ramsey’s “wingless wonders” won the World Cup with midfield players – Alan Ball and Martin Peters –  playing in the wide positions. The 4-4-2 system he used was eventually adopted by most English clubs for years to come.  It provided more defensive cover with the wide players being regarded as midfield players, helping the attack and shielding the defence.

In recent years both Paul Jewell and Steve Bruce successfully used 4-4-2 at Wigan.

Whether Owen Coyle would call the system he briefly played at Blackpool 4-2-4 or 4-4-2 is academic. One system reverts into the other depending on the degree to which  the wingers/wide midfielders roles are focused on attacking.

There were times at Blackpool when both McClean and McManaman were both thrust into largely attacking roles. 4-2-4 is a dangerous ploy these days when a single goal can so often determine the final result.  Although it gives powerful attacking options it leaves the defence light on cover.

What a breath of fresh air it was to see Coyle attacking with two wingers and two central strikers. However, the wingers are only going to be effective if they get the ball. Too often the ball is launched long to the central strikers, cutting them out.

It is interesting how Latics’ regular wide players are listed on the club website. Both Jean Beausejour and James  McClean are regarded as midfielders, whereas Callum McManaman is listed as  a forward. One wonders how they will categorise Marc Albrighton.

One of the strengths of Allan Brown’s team was their consistency of approach. All players coming in knew the 4-2-4 system they had to fit into. The same could be said about Jewell’s and Bruce’s 4-4-2. Roberto Martinez was a tactical innovator, but his teams had a clear purpose, if they found it difficult to implement against star-studded opposition.

If there is one main criticism of Owen Coyle’s reign so far it has to be that there is no tactical blueprint of that type.

Moreover his wide players have not consistently delivered the goods in the opponent’s penalty box. Part of this is down to a lack of good form on their part, but too often their defensive duties have limited their scope in attack.

We will have to wait and see if the Wigan Athletic defence is going to be strong enough to allow the wide players to adopt a more attacking role. When that happens strikers like Holt and Fortune are going to get goals.

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Grant Holt – where do we go from here?

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

grant-holt_2635269b

He was lauded as the best of Owen Coyle’s new signings. But if you were ask a room of Latics supporters which of the twelve new players brought in by Coyle has been the most disappointing – the name of Grant Holt would be the one which comes up most.

What has happened to Holt? Is he past his best? Does his style of play suit Latics? Can he still make a major impact on the promotion push for Latics?

Up to this point Holt has made seven starts, with two appearances as a substitute. He has scored two goals, one being a penalty. He was injured in the Middlesbrough match in late August, coming back as a substitute against Blackburn in early October.

In the last two matches, against Rubin Kazan and Charlton, Holt has looked slow and cumbersome.

One cannot say that Holt is past his best. He has not played enough games to tell. But what is noticeable is that when he does play there are more long balls played by Latics. His mere presence causes the midfield to be by-passed.

Two years ago, in Norwich’s first season back in the Premier League, it was a surprise to their supporters to see their icon often being used as an impact player. Before that  Holt had been the first name to be written on the team sheet as his 45 league goals helped the Canaries ascend two divisions in consecutive seasons.

However, Paul Lambert used Holt to good effect as a super-sub. By the end of November Holt had scored four Premier League goals,  three of them being when he had come on as a substitute. At the end of the season Holt’s record in the Premier League was 15 goals from 24 starts and 12 appearances as a substitute.

Holt can clearly be very effective as an impact player, but the broader question remains – is he the right type of player for Wigan Athletic?

Despite it being the end of October  Latics still do not have a defined style of play. The manager continues to tinker on the tactical side and it does not help a squad with so many new players to gel together.

However, in general Latics try to play the ball through their highly capable midfield for the first 60 minutes. After that the defenders start to loft the ball over their heads, adopting a ‘more direct’ approach.

In the last two matches Holt has been substituted in the 63rd and 76th minute, leaving Marc-Antoine Fortune the task of beating big central defenders to high balls. That is not Fortune’s forte. He is big and powerful certainly, but is much more effective with the ball to his feet. If Latics are to continue to play ‘direct’ in the final third of the game it would make more sense for Holt to be the player coming on, not going off.

Grant Holt has a great reputation  as a top professional and a real team player. He will run himself into the ground for Wigan Athletic. He has a superb goalscoring record over the course of his career and is likely to get them out of  the Championship, given the right service.

The more cogent question is not so much whether Holt is the right type of player for Latics, but how to get the best out if him.

Holt is as good as anyone in the division in the role as a target man for long balls out of defence. He has the physical strength and technique to hold off two or three defenders, keeping the ball until teammates advance. In fact his enthusiasm is such that you see him actually courting the long pass.

However, Holt’s primary purpose is to score goals. He gets a lot of his goals through headers and deflections and needs the ball coming into the box from the flanks. Up to this point only Jean Beausejour of Latics’ wide players has been able to put quality crosses into the box. Callum McManaman and James McClean have not produced up to this point, but the season is still young.

Maybe we have expected too much from Holt. Given the physical exercion of holding off big opposition defenders he is expected to be sharp and lively in the box. All at 32 years of age.

Coyle needs to be realistic about how to get the best from the big Cumbrian. Give him the right service and don’t allow defenders to take the easy way out with long balls up to him when they are under pressure. Let him receive the ball facing the goal rather than with his back to it.

There will be matches where Fortune or Powell’s mobility will be required rather than Holt’s combativeness. Holt has proved how effective he can be as a super-sub.

Whether Grant Holt has a successful season and gets the goals to take Wigan back up depends on Coyle’s tactical approach.

In the match at Charlton there were signs that Latics were willing to play the ball through midfield when under pressure. Instead of taking the easy route of a long ball to an isolated central striker they sought the counterattack.

Give Holt good service from the flanks, minimize those speculative long balls and we will see the big Cumbrian get a lot of goals.

It is the tactics that have to be right for Holt to succeed.

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Charlton Athletic 0 Wigan Athletic 0 – losing run away from home halted

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

Chris McCann’s header on its way to rebounding off the crossbar in front of the visiting supporters.

A tired-looking Wigan Athletic rode the waves of Charlton pressure in the first half to come back with a better performance after the interval. Although it was a goalless draw both sides had opportunities to win the game. In the end a draw was a fair result.

Owen Coyle lost Scott Carson injured  in the warmup, with Lee Nicholls stepping up. Latics took the field without a substitute goalkeeper on the bench.

As expected Thomas Rogne, James Perch and James McArthur returned to the starting lineup. Ben Watson and Chris McCann occupied the central midfield positions with McArthur pushed across to the right. Nick Powell and Grant Holt made up the strike force, with James McClean on the left.

Charlton were the better team in the first half. That Latics went into the dressing room at the interval without conceding a goal was largely down to a confident performance by Nicholls. He had shown his confidence and technique with his handling early on. His reaction save just before half time to defy big defender Richard Wood’s point blank header was top-drawer. Latics produced little of note in the first half and it looked like another away defeat was on its way.

With no wide player on the right Latics’ play had been skewed and the link up play between Perch and McClean had been poor. Neither seemed to have the close control or passing ability to deal with a crowded zone on Latics’ left.

Ben Watson made some uncharacteristic passing errors in midfield and McArthur’s influence was marginalized in that wider position. There was little ‘running off the ball’ so that when a defender was ready to pass the ball forward there were options open. The passing in general was poor.

Latics came back after half time showing more resolve. They clawed their way back into the game and made Charlton look vulnerable in a way that did not seem possible in the first half. A rocket shot from Dale Stephens went narrowly wide, but soon after McCann’s header from a corner crashed against the crossbar.

McCann was the focal point of most of Latics’ better football, before they reverted to the ‘Bolton mode’ in the final third of the game. Wigan put on the pressure but Charlton were dangerous through their pace on the wings. Latics defence had to be on their toes to keep them out.

Coyle had taken off an ineffective McClean for Callum McManaman after 66 minutes, then at last relieved the jaded Watson after 72 minutes. The substitute was Roger Espinoza, who provided a lift to the game with his energetic approach, although being played out of position in left midfield. Marc-Antoine Fortune replaced Holt after 76 minutes.

Latics spurned  the chances they had in the second half and in the end Charlton were probably grateful for a point.

The Good

The run of four consecutive away defeats has been halted although the goalless streak on the road now stretches to five matches.

The second half display was full of effort and endeavour and Latics pushed forward creating opportunities.

Thomas Rogne and Leon Barnett controlled the aerial side of Charlton’s game and they continue to look like a strong partnership at the heart of the defence.  They dealt well with the danger coming in from the wings.

Chris McCann followed on from his fine performance against Rubin with another good display, tireless in defence and creative in attack.

Around the 70th minute Coyle had both Espinoza and Fortune warming up on the sidelines, close to where we were sitting.

Coyle  was soon to point the finger to beckon at least one of them on. Espinoza’s body language  said “Who me?”, probably assuming it was the big forward who was to go on. The Honduran did go on, with Fortune following four minutes later.

Espinoza was given a chance at last, if not in his best position.

The Bad

Once more we had a tactical change from Coyle. This time he chose to play with one wide player, McClean.  Key central midfielder McArthur was pushed out to the right, like a fish out of water. A  better option would have been to rest the jaded Watson and play the Scot in his normal role, with the deserving McCann alongside.

The left  flank play between Perch and McClean in the first half was inept. The full back’s passing was dire and the winger’s control poor.

In the final third  of the match it once again it looked like we were watching a Bolton game. A waste of the talent in midfield and in Nick Powell who received poor service. It is becoming a depressing trend.

Coyle deserves to be commended for the spirit he has imbibed in his players.

However, question marks remain about his tactical approach.

Player Ratings

Lee Nicholls: 7 – a composed performance from the rookie. Has a bright future ahead.

Emmerson Boyce: 7 – played a captain’s role. Solid in defence and provided good support for the attack.

Leon Barnett: 8 – a powerhouse performance. Plays well with Rogne.

Thomas Rogne: 8 – negated the home team’s aerial approach. Totally dominant in the air and calm and calculating in his covering.

James Perch: 4 – woeful in  his passing and found wanting in defence.

Chris McCann: 7 – another good  performance from the cultured Irishman.

Ben Watson: 5 – not up to his usual level.

James McArthur: 5 – clearly did not enjoy being played out of position.

Grant Holt: 5 – ineffective, although to be fair he received not one decent cross during the whole game.

Nick Powell: 7 – cannot be faulted for effort. Spent too much time jumping for high balls. What a waste of such a talented player.

James McClean: 4 – poor. Taken off after 66 minutes.

Substitutes

Marc-Antoine Fortune: – showed a better touch when coming on for Holt. Should he be the starter and Holt the impact substitute?

Callum McManaman: – unable to breach the opposition defence.

Roger Espinoza: – not at his best in left midfield, but at least provided some much needed energy into the play. Had a lot of support from Latics’ traveling fans.

Two Amigos at Charlton. Photo courtesy of Nathan Peters.

Two Amigos at Charlton.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Peters.

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