Tag Archives: EFL Trophy

Wigan Athletic: a need to be brave on the ball

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

We have seen so many awful performances over the years from Latics in the EFL Trophy.  What we saw on Tuesday night ranks among the most frustrating of them.  The opponents, Morecambe, had not won a competitive match in Wigan since 1963 and currently lie in 24th position in League 2 with zero points and zero goals scored in their first four matches. A 2-1 win was a wonderful result for them.

The post-match reaction from Wigan Athletic fans, who saw the game either at the ground or on television, was in most cases, predictably damning.

The EFL Trophy competition first started in 1981. Apart from the closing stages, particularly a Wembley final, attendances are woefully low. The attendance of 1,702 and adult admission at £5 per head for this game would hardly have sufficed in covering the expenses incurred in opening up the Brick Community Stadium for the game. Why does the competition continue to run in such an overcrowded calendar in Leagues 1 and 2?

Last season competing clubs received a £20,000 participation fee, plus £10,000 per victory and £5,000 per draw in the group stage, and increasing prizes for the knockout matches up to £100,000 for winning the final. Wigan Athletic won it in 1985 and 1999. Some clubs are more serious than others about reaching the later stages , with a showcase final at Wembley. But for all it provides an opportunity to test out younger players in a sterner scenario than that of U21 football.

Like other clubs Wigan Athletic usually field weakened lineups in the early stages of the competition. Shaun Maloney had made seven changes from the lineup that started at Birmingham. Latics dominated play with 80%+ possession, but could not put away their chances, other than the penalty scored by Joe Hugill. Morecambe’s goals came from a breakaway with Wigan players caught up field in disarray, together with an error from Toby Sibbick, gifting the away side with a goalscoring opportunity.

It has been a difficult start to the season for Latics with one win in six including this game. Football managers are judged by results and it is no surprise that Shaun Maloney’s tactical approach has been under attack. Moreover, many fans consider that the comings and goings over the summer have left the manager with a disjointed squad lacking in experience and striking power up front. The football on display has so often been painfully slow, offering poor entertainment for the paying spectators.

Mike Danson saved the club from extinction in June 2023, paying off a £17m debt, followed by supporting a bloated budget last season with underperforming players remaining on long term contracts with inflated salaries. This year’s budget is reputed to be around £3.6m: mid-table as far as League 1 is concerned.  But even then, with such a budget the only way the club will make a profit is through more transfer money coming in than going out.

Even in the heady days of Dave Whelan’s sponsorship Latics were always going to sell if the right bid were to come in for a player. Charlie Hughes’ transfer to Hull City was a body-blow to the fans, even though it was seemingly inevitable. When the transfer was completed, fans called for Mike Danson to reinvest the money in the squad. A portion of that cash was allotted to the recruitment team who used it to sign Jensen Weir and Maleace Asamoah. Prior to Hughes’ departure Latics had already shelled a figure probably around £850,000  for the signings of Will Aimson, Dion Rankine and Toby Sibbick. A small fee was most likely involved in the transfer of Sean Clare to Leyton Orient, but at least £1m has likely been spent on transfer fees over summer.

The recruitment policy over summer was largely based on finding young players with potential. Too often in the past experienced players were brought in on relatively high salaries who had minimal sell-on value.  Summer recruitment was looking at the long-term and the only players aged 30 or over to be signed were Paul Aimson and goalkeeping/player-coach, Andy Lonergan.  

However, with a poor start of the season we have not seen new recruits at their best and some are sceptical whether they are ample replacements for the six senior squad players who have departed as free agents. Latics did offer a new contract to Jordan Jones, but were unable to agree terms. However, neither he nor Ben Amos, Stephen Humphrys, Josh Magennis, Tom Pearce or Charlie Wyke were regulars in the starting lineups for league matches over the course of the season. Humphrys made the most starts (23), Ben Amos none.

An important factor in summer recruitment was that all the new signings had prior experience in the EFL, SPL, or overseas leagues. Four were signed from clubs in the EPL and two from League 1 clubs.

 AgeLg ApsPrevious Clubs
Will Aimson30214Exeter, Bolton, Plymouth, Bury, Blackpool, Tranmere, Tamworth
Maleace Asamoah2123Fleetwood, Waterford
Tyrese Francois2423Fulham, Vejle, HNK Gorica
Dion Rankine2133Exeter, Chelsea
Toby Sibbick25146Hearts, Oostende, Barnsley, Wimbledon
Jensen Weir2286Port Vale, Blackpool, Morecambe, Cambridge U, Brighton, Wigan

All six of the loan signings were signed from Premier League clubs. They are particularly young: five of them are 20 years old, Calvin Ramsay being 21. All have previously played on loan in the EFL with the exception of Silko Thomas. Dale Taylor is the most experienced, having 62 EFL appearances at Wycombe Wanderers and Burton Albion, although still only 20.

There has been a reduction in the average age within the senior squad over the summer. Jason Kerr and Jonny Smith are 27, Will Aimson 30, Callum McManaman 33. The remainder of the squad are less than 25 years old.

The low proportion of highly experienced pros in the squad is a concern cited by many fans. But there is also considerable concern about the changes in the coaching staff over summer. Losing both Graham Barrow and Stephen Crainey was a huge blow for Maloney. Not only does he have major changes in his playing squad, but also in his coaching support. The manager faces a difficult period with a relative lack of experience in both areas.

Maloney has been looking to sign players who can fit into his preferred style of play. Given financial constraints he has missed out on a range of players who could have added quality to his squad. Moreover, the new players coming in have been met by a much-changed coaching team. Fan concerns focus not only on the quality of the new players who have come into the squad, but also their ability to adapt to the style of football the manager prefers to play.

The fan reaction to a poor start of the season has been strong. Some call for the manager’s head. Others express their concerns about the static, repetitive nature of the football offered up to this point. So many sideways and backwards passes, a lack of tempo in the play, too many players preferring to pass the buck rather than take a risk and go forward. Others cite the lack of a combative midfielder in the style of Sam Morsy and a centre forward who can consistently challenge the central defenders, hold the ball up and be a danger from set pieces.

Chairman, Ben Goodburn, put out a welcome communique to fans yesterday, stating:  

“On the field, we’ve shown real promise with strong performances against Charlton Athletic, and most recently, Birmingham City. While the results haven’t always matched our positive displays, I believe we are heading in the right direction. The performance against Morecambe wasn’t what Shaun or his staff wanted to see, but I am confident the hard work and determination of the players and coaching staff will pay off as we continue through the season. “

As always, when results are not going well, there is pressure on the manager and his staff to improve them. There is a long season ahead, with time for the team to gel and play the to the level of football that Maloney seeks. The manager perhaps shot himself in the foot by suggesting that a club with an average budget could reach the playoffs at the end of the season. However, he cannot be faulted for his ambition and what he has done for the club since he took over.

Despite so much sterile football during Maloney’s reign, with so few players being “brave on the ball”, there have been flashes of excellence. He and his coaches must insist that all players take full responsibility for the football on display and make it more dynamic. This is not to suggest that we go back to the long ball game that was preferred by previous management, which is outmoded these days. “Bravery on the ball” is what is paramount to improvement and must be stressed.

For the near future Maloney must take a more pragmatic approach to his style of play. Seeing too many players struggling to adapt to his tactical variations it would be wise to simplify his systems of play. Inverting the full backs might work with a start-studded Guardiola team, but has not worked too well up to this point with lower league players. Put it on the back-burner and keep things simple. When that system does not work and possession is lost it leads to chaos at the back.

Mike Danson has been a terrific custodian for the club during his brief time as owner. There is no lack of ambition, but he is not willing to put the club in severe financial jeopardy, as previous owners have done. There is a brave, bold long-term recruitment plan that can serve to guarantee the club’s future sustainability. Yes, there is a relative shortage of senior pros in the squad, but how many of those in the past became a financial millstone round the club’s necks?

Despite the club’s considerable debts Danson provided Maloney with funds to sign new players over summer. It is a sign of faith in a manager who deserves it for what he has done and will continue to do at the club. Danson will continue to back Maloney, History has shown that changes of manager at Wigan during the course of a season can have disastrous effects.

In the meantime, Maloney needs the full backing of his coaches to ensure that his brand of possession football develops in a more positive way, with players playing “sin miedo”, playing as a unit where the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts.  

The low proportion of highly experienced pros in the squad is a concern cited by many fans. But there is also considerable concern about the changes in the coaching staff over summer. Losing both Graham Barrow and Stephen Crainey was a blow for Maloney. Not only does he have major changes in his playing squad, but also in his coaching support. The manager faces a difficult period with a relative lack of experience in both areas.

Maloney has clearly been looking to sign players who can fit into his preferred style of play. Given financial constraints he will have certainly missed out on a range of players who could have added more quality to his squad. Moreover, the new players coming in have been met by a much-changed coaching team. Fan concerns focus not only on the quality of the new players who have come into the squad, but also their ability to adapt to the style of football the manager prefers to play.

The fan reaction to a poor start of the season has been strong. Some call for the manager’s head. Others express their concerns about the static, repetitive nature of the football offered up to this point. So many sideways and backwards passes, a lack of tempo in the play, too many players preferring to pass the buck rather than take a risk and go forward. Others cite the lack of a combative midfielder in the style of Sam Morsy and a centre forward who can consistently challenge the central defenders, hold the ball up and be a danger from set pieces.

Chairman, Ben Woodburn, put out a welcome communique to fans today stating:  

“On the field, we’ve shown real promise with strong performances against Charlton Athletic, and most recently, Birmingham City. While the results haven’t always matched our positive displays, I believe we are heading in the right direction. The performance against Morecambe wasn’t what Shaun or his staff wanted to see, but I am confident the hard work and determination of the players and coaching staff will pay off as we continue through the season. “

As always, when results are not going well, there is pressure on the manager and his staff to improve them. There is a long season ahead, with time for the team to gel and play the to the level of football that Maloney seeks. The manager possibly shot himself in the foot by suggesting that a club with an average budget could reach the playoffs at the end of the season. However, he cannot be faulted for his ambition and what he has done for the club since he took over.

Despite so much sterile football during Maloney’s reign, with so few players being “brave on the ball”, there have been flashes of excellence. He and his coaches must insist that all players take full responsibility for the football on display and make it more dynamic. This is not to suggest that we go back to the long ball game that was preferred by previous management, which is outmoded these days. “Bravery on the ball” is paramount to improvement and must be stressed.

For the near future Maloney needs to take a more pragmatic approach to his style of play. Seeing too many players struggling to adapt to his tactical variations it would be wise to simplify his systems of play. Inverting the full backs might work with a start-studded Guardiola team, but has not worked so well up to this point with lower league players. Put it on the back-burner and keep things simple. When that system does not work and possession is lost it leads to chaos at the back.

Mike Danson has been a terrific custodian for the club during his brief time as owner. There is no lack of ambition, but he is not willing to put the club in severe financial jeopardy, as previous owners have done. There is a brave, bold long-term recruitment plan that can serve to guarantee the club’s future sustainability. Yes, there is a relative shortage of senior pros in the squad, but how many of those in the past became a financial millstone round the club’s necks?

Despite the club’s considerable debts Danson provided Maloney with funds to sign new players over summer. It is a sign of faith in a manager who deserves it for what he has done and will continue to do at the club. Danson will continue to back Maloney, History has shown that changes of manager at Wigan during the course of a season can have disastrous effects.

In the meantime, Maloney needs the full backing of his coaches to ensure that his brand of possession football develops in a more positive way, with players playing “sin miedo”, playing as a unit where the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts.  

Wigan Athletic DO have strength in depth, despite poor EFL trophy performances

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match reactions, Reflections and tagged with , , ,
Image courtesy of the EFL

“Physically, it’s better than training. The lads got some good minutes in there because they’ve gone weeks without match sharpness.”

So said Leam Richardson following a dull 2-0 defeat at Crewe in an EFL Trophy fixture on Tuesday. Crewe were so much better than Wigan, the scoreline not reflecting the superiority of the home team. A fine display by 19-year-old debutant goalkeeper Sam Tickle had helped keep the score down. Crewe had made 8 changes to their team, Latics making 11. The home team had looked cohesive, Wigan disjointed.

The EFL Trophy is not a priority for most managers these days. Richardson used the fixture to give seven of his first team squad a run-out with players from the U23 squad.

The EFL Trophy was launched as the “Associate Members’ Cup” in the 1983-84 season, when it was won by Bournemouth. The following season Bryan Hamilton’s Wigan Athletic won it (as the Freight Rover Trophy), beating Brentford 3-1 at Wembley in front of a crowd of 39,897.

In 1999 Latics won it again (as the Auto Windscreens Shield), with 55,349 spectators watching Ray Matthias’ side beat Millwall 1-0 at Wembley.

Despite constantly poor attendances in the early rounds the competition’s final has always drawn big crowds, the record being the massive 85,021 for the Portsmouth-Sunderland encounter in 2019.

The introduction of U21 teams to the competition has not gone down well with the fans of clubs in Leagues 1 and 2. Attendances reached an all time low on Tuesday and Latics’ game at Crewe was one of eight matches that night with less than 1,000 paying spectators. Some 185 Latics fans travelled to watch a game in which their team just did not show the kind of commitment that wins games. Wigan still have a chance of qualifying from if they win their last group game at Shrewsbury, but on the evidence of the commitment shown in the games against Wolves U21 and Crewe it would be a surprise.

Richardson’s prime goal this season is to secure promotion. The League Cup and EFL Trophy have been secondary considerations and there are few fans who would argue against that. However, the performances of the second string in the EFL Trophy games and in the Sunderland game in the League Cup have been so below par that some fans are questioning the quality of the first team squad players who were involved. If those games have provided an opportunity for fringe players to stake a claim for a place in the senior team starting line-up, then it has not happened. Wigan’s best player at Crewe was Tickle and Kieran Lloyd, Scott Smith and Chris Sze looked as comfortable as any of the senior players.

However, looking at the first team squad analytically there is lots of depth. There are experienced players who have already been successful at League 1 level or above. However, they may be lacking sharpness due to lack of playing time with the manager keeping faith in a group of players who have got the club off to a fine start to the campaign. In the old days those players would have been sent to get game time in the reserve team. Such entities no longer exist in the modern era, having been replaced by development squads, with the emphasis of grooming young players.

However, first team squad players are sometimes drafted into U23 games from time to time. Both Curtis Tilt and Thelo Aasgaard played against Charlton U23s on September 13. Adam Long and Luke Robinson have played in the last four U23 games. Up this point Richardson has used the cup games, rather than U23 games, to help senior players to keep up their match fitness. The next EFL trophy game is on November 9 at Shrewsbury.

Courtesy of bbc.co.uk

The indifferent performances of senior players in the recent cup games is hard to fathom. There was surely enough ability and experience in those line-ups to put up better performances against the second strings of Sunderland and Crewe and the Wolves U21s. One could not expect those Latics XI’s to gel, but despite the lack of cohesion we might have expected some more memorable individual performances.

But the bottom line is that Wigan do have considerable strength in depth. It can only be truly tested when those fringe players are given the opportunity to play in a first team which has already gelled, making it easy for replacements to slot in.

Light at the end of the tunnel for Wigan Athletic

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

These have been dark and gloomy Covid-19 months for EFL clubs, especially those in the lower tiers who are so much more reliant on gate money. Some financial support is coming in via the EFL and Premier League, but rumour suggests that several clubs are already close to folding.

For Wigan Athletic it has been particularly tough. Going under administration is difficult enough in normal times, but the pandemic has made it so much harder. Why would anyone want to buy a football club with no certainty of when gate receipts will once again underpin the finances of clubs like Latics?

But within the last couple of weeks there has been light showing at the end of the tunnel.

During that time the team has gained two consecutive victories over clubs not far from the top of the League 1 table. The wins have lifted Latics off the bottom, giving hope for what comes next. Moreover, the ownership issues are moving ahead, with Jose Miguel Garrido dropping out of the picture and Felipe Moreno seemingly the potential future owner. Given Moreno’s excellent record as an owner of a club in Spain and that his bid is being supported by the administrators, it is surely a matter of time until the takeover is ratified by the EFL.

The social media and noticeboards have been awash with debate over the Spanish bid and why the administrators have not taken away exclusivity, allowing other parties to bid. Tony Frampton’s interviews with the PWU Podcast and Jay Whittle were certainly seductive in terms of him being a Wiganer who is a director in a multinational company that has a large financial base. Some conspiracy theorists suggested that Frampton was an ally of Ian Lenagan, trying to get control of the football club to hep the rugby. Others thought that some of Frampton’s ideas were pie in the sky.

In the meantime, fans have started to warm to the idea of a Moreno takeover. Simple internet searches reveal the degree of success he has had since taking over Leganes, a relatively small club in the south western suburbs of Madrid.

Miller’s tweet was certainly uplifting. It was soon followed by a quality interview on “The Full Time Whittle” with Madrid-based journalist Sam Leveridge, detailing the achievements of Moreno and his wife, Maria Victoria Pavon, at Leganes:

Administrator Paul Stanley has said that he hopes the EFL stamp of approval will be given before Christmas. The sooner the better for Wigan Athletic with the January transfer window approaching.

The loans of Tom James, Darnell Johnson, Matty Palmer and Curtis Tilt are due to expire as are the short-term contracts of Dan Gardner, Will Keane and Viv Solomon-Otabor. Moreover, there are four players from last season’s senior squad whose contracts expire in June. Reports suggest that Kal Naismith is already interesting a couple of Championship clubs.

The sooner the takeover is ratified the better opportunity the club has of making the right decisions regarding contracts. The aim will be to put together a squad which has a backbone of experienced professionals, with continued opportunities for the under-23 squad players who have made so much progress over these months after being thrown in at the deep end.

Although Latics are still in the relegation zone they are not so far away from safety. So much will depend on what happens in that January window. But after such a gloomy period there is certainly light showing at the end of the tunnel.

Resting senior squad players – was Cook right?

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

In November 2016 five clubs were fined a total of £60,000 by the EFL for contravening “full strength” rules in the Checkatrade Trophy. Luton Town and Portsmouth broke the rules in three games, each being docked £15,000. The third and final matches in the group stages had seen attendances in most of games plummet below four figures with Portsmouth having their lowest attendance since WW2 for a competitive match at Fratton Park.

Luton and Portsmouth had not complied with full strength rules that involved them putting five first team players in their starting line-up. The “first team players” could have been from those who played in the last league game, or the next league match, or the highest appearance makers in the season so far. Bradford City had found a way to circumvent the rules by substituting their “first team” goalkeeper after just three minutes in a game against Bury. Their assistant manager joked “I thought he had a poor 45 seconds”. Since then other clubs have followed suit. Accrington Stanley did it on Tuesday night at Wigan by taking off Billy Kee after four minutes.

Wigan Athletic will surely face a fine of at least £5,000 for the line-up put out by Paul Cook three days ago. The only member of the senior squad who played was Tyrell Thomas, who is 21 years old, his three league appearances this season having been as a substitute. Ten of the starting line-up were under 20 years of age, with the 15-year-old Jenson Weir coming on as a substitute after 69 minutes.

The 4-0 scoreline in favour of the visitors was no surprise, given the inexperience in the Wigan team. The game could be roughly described as one between Accrington’s second choice side and Latics’ third choice. It proved to be a mismatch which few of the 1,473 spectators present would have truly enjoyed. So why did Cook put out such a line-up? Did he give due warning to the fans that it would be the case?

Cook had given some indication of his line-up before the game by saying “I enjoy the youngsters coming in and showing what they can do. We took 700 fans to Blackpool in the first game, and it’s great for the kids to be playing in front of those numbers. I’m sure there’ll be more kids in the team for this one, and that’s great for Gregor (Rioch) and the Academy.”

But the team that started at Blackpool was largely composed of members of the senior squad, including the likes Donervon Daniels, Alex Gilbey, Jamie Jones, David Perkins and Max Power who had years of EFL experience under their belts. Was the manager being fair to the youngsters who played, or on the fans who turned up on Tuesday? Why did he not include senior squad members in need of match practice?

Cook had alluded to resting players in his pre-match comments: “We felt this week, with all the games we’ve played recently, it was a bit of a ‘lower’ week in terms of giving some lads a break. I just feel that with 16 league games, the Checkatrade Trophy, the Carabao Cup, and now the FA Cup, lads are just starting to show the first signs of fatigue.”

However, what he did not explain is why players who had been side-lined or spent most of their time on the bench were not played. Was it because he wanted to maintain harmony in the senior squad by giving them all (barring Terell Thomas) a rest, not just those who have played a lot of games up to this point? Or was it because he holds scant regard for the Checkatrade Trophy?

The EFL Trophy, currently sponsored by Checkatrade, started in the 1983-84 season as the Associate Members’ Cup. It was a competition involving clubs from the bottom two tiers of the Football League. Wigan Athletic were winners in its second season in 1984-85 was, beating Brentford 3-1 in front of 39,897 spectators at Wembley. At the time it was sponsored by Freight Rover.

 

 

In 1992 the third and fourth tier clubs received full voting rights after the First Division had broken away from the Football League to form the Premier League. Its name was duly changed to the Football League Trophy. Latics went on to win the competition again in April 1999 when they beat Millwall 1-0 at Wembley in front of a crowd of 55,349. It was then sponsored by Auto Windscreens.

 

 

Since those heady days the competition has had its ups and downs. In the year 2000 eight clubs from the Football Conference were invited to compete, but in 2006 this stopped. In 2016-17 it was renamed the EFL Trophy and Premier League and Championship clubs with Category 1 academies were included. The inclusion of those teams was voted in by EFL clubs but has been unpopular with most supporters of clubs in Leagues 1 and 2, to such an extent that some fans have boycotted the tournament as a form of protest.

However, despite the sparse attendances that typify the earlier stages of the competition it still maintains some status. Last season saw Coventry City win it by beating Oxford United 2-1 in front of a crowd of 74,434.

However, with 46 league games and the League Cup and FA Cup to compete in, were Wigan Athletic really interested in winning the EFL Trophy this season? The clear priority for Latics is promotion back to the Championship division, so how does the club view the Checkatrade Trophy?

Jonathan Jackson provided some perspective on the matter prior to the Accrington match. He stated that it was a much-maligned competition, but added that: “Within football, it’s seen as a great way of getting young players out there on to the pitch. Other than this competition, it’s very difficult to get young players into a competitive environment”. Jackson also revealed that there is a financial benefit for competing EFL clubs, through the prize money.

According to an article in the Coventry Telegraph in February 2017, the prize money for winning a group stage match was £10,000, with £5,000 for a draw. With the prize money increasing in later rounds Coventry City would have received around £400,000 in their winning the trophy.

Looking at Paul Cook’s decision from a pragmatic angle it appears that Latics will have made a small profit from their participation in the Checkatrade Trophy this season, even allowing for a fine in the region of £5,000. Although the Accrington game proved far from ideal for the development of young players, the previous games provided opportunities for youth, backed up by the presence of senior squad players.

Cook’s decision to field such a young and inexperienced team on Tuesday night was certainly controversial. Moreover, the postponement of Saturday’s fixture at Rochdale did not go down well with so many fans. However, the absence of the current second and third choice goalkeepers on international duty this weekend would surely have been an issue.

Only time will tell whether Cook giving his senior squad players a break of a fortnight between games will produce the result he seeks.

It is indeed a long season ahead.

 

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