Tag Archives: Uwe Rösler

Five things Rosler must get right

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

keyboard-warrior

It is less than a year ago since Owen Coyle left Wigan Athletic. The Scot was on a hiding to nothing when he took the job in July 2013. Not only was he an ex-Bolton manager, but he was expected to get Latics back into the Premier League in the space of one season. Expectations were high after the FA Cup triumph, following eight years in the Premier League. With their parachute payment, Latics had a clear financial advantage over most of the clubs in the division, plus a residue of players with a wealth of Premier League experience.

With the expectations of the fans and the owner weighing heavily on his back, it was a difficult time for Coyle. Results had not been meeting expectations and they were to get worse in December, when there was widespread disgruntlement among fans, fuelled by keyboard warriors on the social media. Successive defeats to Brighton and Zulte Waregem in late November were followed by a debacle against Derby County, soon after which Coyle’s departure was announced.

Some nine months on and the keyboard warriors are lively again. This time their disgruntlement is aimed at Uwe Rosler. It might be hard to believe after what Rosler has already achieved at the club, but some are starting to question if he is the right man for the job.

Following Coyle’s uncomfortable reign at Wigan, Rosler was to become viewed as the saviour. He took over a team that had been drifting towards the lower reaches of the Championship table and galvanized them into reaching not only the playoffs, but also the FA Cup semi-final. It was a remarkable achievement and it brought him widespread acclaim from fans.

However, within the space of six weeks Rosler’s star has waned. Latics are currently in those same lower reaches of the Championship table, where they were when he took over. They have won only six of their last twenty four matches.

Rosler has brought in nine new players over summer, none of whom have yet performed at their optimum. New players always take time to settle in, but many have been thrust into the starting lineup despite lacking match fitness. Moreover the pre-season training programme failed to provide the level of  preparation necessary for the squad  to compete at least on an even keel in the very physical environment of the Championship. .

Latics have so far amassed 8 points from 8 league games. At the same stage last season, Coyle’s team had 11 points.

With another 38 games Latics have time to turn things around. Physical fitness levels are improving and the new players are gradually settling in. Confidence is low at the moment, but Rosler has shown in the past that he can lift a team low on confidence. Rosler is a very capable manager who has a long term view. Like all managers, he makes mistakes, but he is honest and open and willing to reflect.

Wigan Athletic cannot even contemplate looking for another manager at this moment in time, as some of the more extreme keyboard warriors might infer. Dave Whelan would be wise to let supporters know that the German has his backing, despite the adverse results of late. The continued support of the fans will be needed to help things turn around.

Here are five things that Rosler must do if he is to lift Latics out of their current malaise and make them into genuine promotion contenders:

1) Build a team based on solid defence.

Rosler has a wealth of quality defenders at his disposal. Following his arrival last year Latics went on an unbeaten run of 6 league games, when they conceded only 3 goals, with four clean sheets. That is what is needed in the matches coming up.

Up to this point James Perch and Rob Kiernan have been ever present. Emmerson Boyce, Ivan Ramis and Andrew Taylor have played in 7 out of the 8 games. Latics have conceded only 10 goals in the 8 games so far, but the defence has looked ragged at times. On the 3 occasions when they have played with a back four they have conceded 6 goals. They have conceded only 4 goals on the 5 occasions where they have played 3-5-2.

Leon Barnett, a pillar in defence for most of last season, has appeared in only one game so far, coming on at half time against Birmingham. Neither Gary Caldwell nor Thomas Rogne have featured.

Rosler needs to decide whether he has the right blend in the centre of defence. The admirable Boyce has had a disappointing season so far, not looking like the player he has been in the past. Kiernan has had the ups and downs that can be expected of a young player playing in a key defensive position.

Given that so many Championship teams rely on aerial bombardment for a source of their goals it has been a surprise that the two best headers of the ball – Barnett and Rogne – have not made the starting lineup so far.

Rosler’s tactic of defending from the front through high pressing has not worked effectively up to this point, largely down to the lack of physical fitness of the players. Moreover he has a totally new midfield this season that has yet to gel. The end result has been more pressure on the back line.

2) Keep up squad morale

Rosler has built up a capable and well balanced squad of 29 players. Three or four of those are likely to be sent out on loan, which will give them more chance of playing time and reduce running costs. That still leaves him with a squad of around 25.

Rosler is an adherent to the concept of squad rotation, which he employed last season to a large degree. It was not universally popular with the fans. His critics would say that Rosler made too many changes from game to game, that he himself did not know what his best starting eleven was. However, the sheer volume of games that Latics had to play made a certain degree of squad rotation necessary. Moreover it meant that all players in the squad had a chance of getting on the pitch. This in turn produced keen competition for places and raised the morale of those who might not have been involved.

There are few automatic starters in the current squad. Goalkeeper Scott Carson has started in all the league games so far, but faces strong competition from Ali Al-Habsi. Callum McManaman has been in fine form this season and rightly has started in all eight league games. James Perch and Emmerson Boyce were regular starters last year and have remained so. Ivan Ramis seems to have shaken off his injury worries and is likely to be a regular starter.

However, fans have questioned Rosler’s willingness to give all squad players a fair crack of the whip. Fraser Fyvie had a good pre-season and has played well for the development squad, but has not played a single minute of Championship football this season. FA Cup Final hero and fan favourite Roger Espinoza has made just one appearance off the bench. It seems that they, together with Marc-Antoine Fortune, are to be sent out on loan, a signal that their careers at Latics are nearing an end since they are in the last years of their contracts.

The case of Grant Holt continues to give cause for concern. One of Rosler’s first moves when he arrived was to leave Holt out of the squad that travelled to Slovenia to play Maribor. Then in January the player was sent on loan to Aston Villa until the end of the season. Since he has come back he has been consigned to training with the development squad and he has not been given a squad number. Moreover his face was conspicuously absent from the squad photograph taken a few days ago.

Holt has become fair game to those who want to take a pot shot at him on the social media. Much of it has been over his weight, but many fans have also perceived that the player never made enough effort to succeed at the club. By all accounts the player has shed his excess weight, but it appears that Rosler is unwilling to welcome him back into the fold. Holt is reputedly one of the club’s best paid players and is only in the second year of a three year contract.

The best case scenario would be for another club to sign Holt, but who is going to sign a 33 year old player that does not even train with the senior squad? It is a Catch-22 situation that Rosler needs to find some way to resolve. It certainly cannot help morale within the club.

3) Provide support for the centre forward

Like Roberto Martinez before him, Rosler prefers to play with one central striker rather than two. His systems rely on the wide players and midfielders providing support the “lone” centre forward. Up to this point Andy Delort, Marc-Antoine Fortune and Oriel Riera have all failed to receive the necessary support. The service from the midfield to the centre forward has been poor. Both Delort and Riera had good goal scoring records at their clubs last year, but unless there is a change in the way Latics play they are unlikely to score many goals at Wigan. Only one of Latics ten goals has come from a centre forward, that being Riera’s goal against Blackpool.

Both teams that achieved automatic promotion last year played with two strikers. Danny Ings got 21 league goals for Burnley last season, his partner Sam Vokes getting 20. For Leicester, David Nugent scored 22 and Jamie Vardy 16.

Many fans still hanker for the 4-4-2 of the days of Jewell and Bruce where striking partnerships such as that of Ellington and Roberts were the blueprint for success. But the days of 4-4-2 are largely over, with managers preferring to have three players in central midfield.

Rosler’s favoured formations are 4-3-3 and 3-5-2. In 4-3-3 the two wide players are expected to get goals as well as provide them. In the 3-5-2 system operated by Rosler he tends to play a target man centre forward up front, together with a twin striker.

4) Insist on quality football

Rosler’s vision of Latics playing a high pressing, high tempo game with rapid counterattacking seems a long way off at this moment in time. However, that is not to say that it cannot happen someday. It took Martinez some two and a half years for him to see his vision materialize in spectacular fashion when Latics started beating the elite. Martinez received his share of animosity from sections of the crowd through sticking to his guns and insisting that his teams try to play football in the style that he espoused.

Like Martinez, Rosler needs to show courage in sticking to his footballing principles and to continue to work towards his stated vision. Martinez was under the constant pressure of keeping Latics afloat in the Premier League, whereas the pressure upon Rosler could be even greater given the need for promotion before the parachute payments run out.

Rosler recently stated that Latics are a team that plays possession football. Given the hoofing we have seen on occasions it was reassuring to hear him say this. Martinez and Rosler have different visions of how football should be played, but both clearly agree that quality possession football is the way forward.

It is to be hoped that the hoof is a thing of the past, except in cases of dire emergency.

5) Utilise players in their best positions

Rosler’s team selection against Ipswich left Latics with an unbalanced look. There was not a single naturally left footed player in the starting lineup. A right footed left back linking up with a right footed left winger stymied the attack on that side of the field. The problem was caused by Rosler switching Perch from right to left back. He had Andrew Taylor – a natural left footed full back – and James McClean – a natural left footed winger – sitting on the bench.

Perch is a fine defender who has made a significant improvement to the attacking side of his game under Rosler. His strength is on the right hand side of the field.

Shaun Maloney’s best position has always been in the centre of midfield, although during the Martinez era he would often start on the left, but move inside. At 31 years of age and having had so many problems with injury, the Scot is not likely to thrive on the left wing.

In the latter part of the second half against Ipswich, Adam Forshaw was moved into the centre of midfield, where he looked a different player. Forshaw could prove to be the playmaker that Latics have sorely missed up to this point.

Callum McManaman has the ability to be one of the best wingers in the country. However, the lack of protection he receives from referees in the Championship makes one wonder when he is going to pick up a serious injury. Playing him wide on the wing makes him an easy target for unscrupulous defenders. This season he has revelled in the free role he is afforded when Latics play 3-5-2. Not only does it make him harder to mark, but it gives him more opportunities on goal. If he were to play in that position and stay clear of injuries he could well become the 20 goal per season striker that Latics have been missing. But then again is Rosler willing to stick to a 3-5-2 formation on a regular basis?

 

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

Is Maloney central in Rosler’s plans?

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

Will Shaun Maloney have a major role to play this season?

They say that every new manager likes to bring in his own men. Owen Coyle brought in ten new players at the start of last season. He had little choice than to do otherwise, with twelve members of the senior squad players having left following relegation, together with the  need for a large squad due to the extra matches involved in Europa League participation.

Only two of Coyle’s recruits – Scott Carson and James Perch – started in the Huddersfield game on Tuesday. Five of that starting lineup were new, signed by Uwe Rosler over the past couple of months. Two of the starters – Rob Kiernan and Ivan Ramis – were signed by Roberto Martinez. The other two were Callum McManaman  and Emmerson Boyce. McManaman joined the club as a 16 year old in 2007. The evergreen Boyce was signed by Paul Jewell in 2006.

Given that he already had a large squad, inherited from Coyle, how was Rosler going to make space to bring in his own players?

Rosler started by trying to sell Ivan Ramis in January, but both Cardiff City and Crystal Palace backed out of possible deals on medical grounds. However, by selling Nouha Dicko to Wolves and loaning Grant Holt to Newcastle, he was able to bring in a handful of loan players over the next few months. Of those only Martyn Waghorn remains, having signed a permanent contract in April.

Over the summer Jean Beausejour and Jordi Gomez left at the ends of their contracts. Stephen Crainey was released, together with Jordan Mustoe and Danny Redmond. Juan Carlos Garcia was farmed out to Tenerife on loan. James McArthur was sold to Crystal Palace.

In the space of ten months and despite the obstacles to doing so, Rosler has managed to bring in ten of his own men. However, he now needs to reduce his now-inflated squad by sending players out on loan. They appear to include not only Grant Holt, but also Roger Espinoza, Fraser Fyvie and Marc-Antoine Fortune. The Championship loan market is open to mid-November. The latter three players are in the final year of their contracts at the club, so a loan move would signal that they are no longer in the manager’s future plans.

Wigan Athletic lost three key players over the summer. In Beausejour, Gomez and McArthur Latics had players with considerable technical ability who could play the passing game. There has been a considerable amount of debate among fans in recent weeks about the type of football Latics have been playing this season, which has seemed to alternate between the possession football typical of the Martinez era and the long ball of the Coyle reign. Do Latics still have players to play that passing game effectively?

It has been a difficult start to the season for Rosler, not only with having so many new players to settle in, but also due to fitness issues. Too many players have been physically ill-prepared to compete on an even keel with opposing teams. New players invariably need time to gel with their teammates, but the lack of a clearly defined style of play has made it even more difficult for them. The style of play espoused by the manager –  high pressing, high tempo, with rapid movement – is light years away from what we have seen up to this point. Goals have been given away by sloppy defending and goal opportunities have so often been wasted. But more than anything else it is the lack of creativity that has stood out.

Rosler clearly has faith in his recent signing, Adam Forshaw, in being able to provide a creative spark in midfield. Forshaw did it to great effect at Brentford and Rosler will be banking on him doing the same at Wigan. In recent matches Emyr Huws has provided much of that spark, but he is only 19 years old and needs time. However, if you were to ask a room full of Latics fans who is the best bet for a creative midfield role, the name of Shaun Maloney would surely be their typical response. However, is Maloney in Rosler’s plans? If so, is there room for both he and Forshaw? In what position would Maloney be employed?

Without doubt the best football Wigan Athletic have ever played was in the final part of the 2012-13 season and in the FA Cup triumph in 2013-14. The common theme was that it was based on a 3-4-3 system. There were two central, holding midfield players, who linked up with the wing backs on each side to make a strong middle line. The front three consisted of a centre forward (Di Santo/Kone), a mobile wide player/striker (Moses/McManaman) and typically Shaun Maloney. When Latics were under pressure the wing backs would retreat to make a back five, but they would supply the front three when they moved forward. Sometimes Maloney would be played wide on the left, but he was most effective when playing an advanced midfield role in the “hole” behind the centre forward. If anybody made the side tick it was he.

Martinez had switched from a flat back four system in that 2012-13 season, after his defence had been leaking goals. 3-4-3 became his preferred shape. Maloney had a key role as the playmaker. In the memorable 2-1 victory at Arsenal, Jordi Gomez played in Maloney’s place and had a fine game. However, having the two on the field at the same time rarely worked. Will also be the case with Maloney and Forshaw this season?

Rosler also plays a system with a back line of three defenders. He labels it 3-5-2. His midfield consists of the wing backs plus three more central midfielders. Some fans say that the system is too defensive, with a back line of five shielded by three central midfielders, leaving only two players up front. However, at Huddersfield Huws played a more advanced midfield role than the other two central midfielders, Cowie and Kvist. At times it looked more like 3-4-3 than 3-5-2.

Rosler’s 3-5-2 system is inherently defensive only if the wing backs and the three central midfielders do not get forward to support the attack. To be fair on the manager he is to be seen frequently urging his team forward from his touchline position. However, far too often this season the lone centre forward has been starved of good service and left without support from the midfield. Adverse results have surely played a part in the players’ minds, being reluctant to commit themselves forward for fear of an opposition counterattack. The fitness issue is also surely a factor. Confidence has a huge part to play. So often the courses of matches are changed when the opposition scores a goal out of the blue or poor refereeing decisions play their part.

Shaun Maloney did not play in the pre-season games but has amassed a total of 115 minutes in the league in four appearances off the bench. He started in the League Cup game at Burton Albion, lasting 60 minutes. He has not been at his best, but his superbly timed slide rule pass for Waghorn’s goal against Birmingham highlighted the talent he possesses.

Maloney proved himself as a top quality Premier League player. But questions remain, if at 31 years of age and after a major hip operation, he will ever get back to where he was. At his best and playing in his favourite position in the centre of midfield, he would be an outstanding performer in the Championship.

Is there room for both Maloney and Forshaw in the same team? If so will Maloney be consigned to wide position?

Let’s see what happens over these coming weeks.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

FFP and Latics – should Whelan splash the cash?

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

2012-moneyball

Bournemouth has never had a team playing in the top tier of English football. They entered the Football League in 1923 and AFC Bournemouth play in a stadium that holds 11,700. They had 91% occupancy last season when they challenged for a playoff place, eventually finishing 10th in the Championship.

Owned by Maxim Demin, a Russian petrochemicals billionaire, they would like to see the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules changed. They claim that less than half of the clubs playing in the Championship now were present when current FFP regulations were agreed. In May their chairman, Jeremy Mostyn, said that “What we have is an ambitious owner who has a desire to take this club as far forward as he possibly can…….but what is wrong with having an owner who is determined to put his own money into a football club and take it as far as he can?”

Demin wants to see his club in the Premier League. In gaining promotion from League 1 in 2012-13 they lost £15.3m. He is clearly prepared to put in the funds to launch them up another division.

Wigan Athletic fans know what it is like to have an owner who wanted to get his club into the Premier League. It cost Dave Whelan an awful lot of money not just to get Latics into the elite circles, but also to keep them there. If FFP had existed a decade ago it is highly unlikely that Wigan Athletic would have been able to climb up to the Premier League.

In their final two seasons in the Premier League Latics were among a small minority of clubs that actually made a profit. After years of Whelan pumping money into the club it was starting to look like it could become self-sufficient. But relegation meant that the parameters changed – breaking even in the Championship was to be a very different proposition to doing the same in the Premier League.

Last season Latics were due to receive £23m in parachute payments from the Premier League. With an historic Europa League campaign coming up the club decided to largely invest the parachute payments into maintaining a large squad. It is believed that the club had previously written into players’ contracts that their salaries would drop if they were to be relegated from the Premier League. Moreover a number of players left the club, several at the ends of their contracts, others for significant transfer fees.

The proceeds from the sales of Arouna Kone and James McCarthy to Everton probably amounted to around £18m, although the payments were to be staggered over a time period. Most fans expected a sizeable chunk of that money to be reinvested in signing players who could help get the club back into the Premier League. Owen Coyle came in and did a remarkable job in bringing in 10 new players in the space of a couple of months, some having been at the ends of their contracts, some loan signings and others for what appeared to be bargain prices.

With hindsight Coyle was to make one major blunder, paying around £2m for the 32 year old Grant Holt and giving him a 3 year contract. At the time Holt looked like a good signing, given his proven goal scoring record, although the length of the contract raised eyebrows at the time. However, Coyle paid modest fees to acquire Leon Barnett, Scott Carson and James Perch, who have proved to be good signings. He paid a little more to sign James McClean, who took a drop in pay to join Latics from Sunderland. Although the Irishman remains enigmatic he might well become a key player in the future. Coyle’s acquisition of Chris McCann, who had reached the end of his contract at Burnley, was by no means lauded at the time, but the Irishman was to prove a quality signing. Seven of Coyle’s signings remain Latics players, although Juan Carlos Garcia has gone to Tenerife on loan.

The sum total of the transfer fees paid by Coyle would approximate to that received through the sale of Kone. It is assumed that the sum roughly equivalent to that due to be received through McCarthy’s transfer will be allocated towards the development of the new training and youth development facility at Charnock Richard.

Latics actually performed relatively well last season in using their parachute payments to assemble a squad good enough to reach 5th place in the Championship. In the previous season the clubs who came down from the Premier League – Blackburn, Bolton and Wolves – finished in 13th, 16th and 18th positions, despite parachute payments of £16m.

With the parachute payment and funds gained from the Europa League campaign, together with prudent financial management, it is likely that Wigan Athletic at least broke even financially last season. The projected cost of the Charnock Richard facility has not been announced by the club, although Latics clearly made a bargain in buying the site, which was auctioned at a guide price of £650,000.

The accounts will make interesting reading when they are announced in a few months’ time.

Under the current financial regime at the club, Wigan Athletic are highly unlikely to incur penalties under FFP rules. The challenge is whether they can secure promotion back to the Premier League against clubs who are spending millions on new players. Fulham’s investment of £13m on Ross McCormack was staggering, especially for a player who has never played in the Premier League. Last season both Leicester City and Queens Park Rangers flouted FFP rules in gaining promotion. The London team is reported to have had a budget of £70m last year, exceeding that of Atletico Madrid, La Liga winners and Champions League finalists. They lost £23.4m over the season.

The rules for FFP for the Championship division differ from those of the Premier League and Leagues 1 and 2. For the 2013-14 season clubs were required to restrict any losses to £3m. However, it gave the owner of the club the option of converting up to £5m of any loss into equity, putting in cash to buy shares in the club. It cannot be done by borrowing money. However, if these were to be met and the losses did not exceed £8m there would be no penalty.

Clubs are required to submit their accounts for the 2013-14 season on December 1st. Any club that exceeds the limit will have a transfer embargo imposed until it turns itself around to reach FFP rules.

One club that appears certain to have a transfer embargo placed on it in January is Blackburn Rovers. They lost an incredible £36m in the 2013-14 season, wages alone accounting for 115% of revenue. The transfer of Jordan Rhodes for big money would help them to balance their books for the 2014-2015 season, but they face at least a year of transfer embargoes until the accounts are once more submitted in December 2015.

The Football League has a “Fair Play” tax in the case of clubs who overspend, but are promoted to the Premier League. The tax is on a sliding scale, but QPR are due to pay over £17m on their overspending last year. The Championship clubs voted overwhelmingly to impose the Fair Play tax, but the implementation of the scheme relied on the support of the Premier League, which has not materialized. At this stage it looks like QPR have got away with it, but it remains to be seen what will happen if they get relegated and return to the Championship.

Championship clubs continue to overspend in their ambitions to reach the Premier League, not only in transfer fees, but also in salaries. In the 2012-13 season only five clubs in the Championship made a profit. Leicester City lost £34m that season and if FFP rules had been in effect there is no way they would have avoided a transfer embargo, making it unlikely they would have been able to build up a squad strong enough for promotion the following season. It will be interesting to see if clubs fared any better last season, knowing that FFP was coming into effect.

Almost half of the clubs in the Championship are receiving parachute payments. This gives them a considerable financial advantage over the others who receive a “solidarity payment“of £2.3 million from the Premier League, one tenth of that of a club in its first year of parachute payments. The imbalance among the clubs has led to suggestions that clubs with parachute payments should have TV money withheld and that a salary cap be introduced for clubs.

Because of the financial support through the second parachute payment now is the time for Latics to really push for promotion. Over the next two years the payments will decrease and after that Latics would receive only the meagre consolidation payment that teams like Bournemouth are receiving. However, they are now competing against clubs who have just come down with bigger parachute payments plus other clubs who do not seem to be afraid to splash money on transfers despite FFP.

Latics desperately need another striker who can win matches by scoring goals. The question is how far is Whelan willing to go in the bidding wars that start up as the transfer window deadline day draws closer? Brentford sources are suggesting that Latics are going to have to pay more for Adam Forshaw than we previously thought. Moreover a good central striker is going to cost money.

Whelan will want to squeeze as much as he can out of any deal for James McArthur in order to finance the other two purchases. The hold-up in the Forshaw transfer might well be because Latics need to get the McArthur deal finalized first. There has been no news about other Latics players being sought by other clubs, but it remains a possibility at this late stage.

Whelan, Jonathan Jackson and Uwe Rosler deserve credit for the way the club is being run on a sound financial basis. Looking at the plight of near neighbours Bolton and Blackburn highlights the fact. Latics are likely to be one of the leaders in the division in terms of meeting FFP conditions.

However, whether Whelan will allow potential outgoings on transfers to exceed the incomings is a moot point. If he does not do so it will almost certainly jeopardise Latics’ chances of going up this year.

Dave Whelan is first and foremost a businessman. He will have some key business decisions to make over the next few days.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.

Hope looms on the horizon for Rosler

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

 

Adam Forshaw and Uwe Rosler appear soon to be reunited.

Adam Forshaw and Uwe Rosler appear soon to be reunited.

How the mighty are fallen. “In Rosler we trust” was the catchphrase just a few weeks ago. Since then criticism and doubt have come raining in.

There is an old saying that goes to the effect that football managers are only as good as their results. But despite a win over Blackpool on Saturday, Rosler’s mode of operation continues to be questioned. Once again Latics went on the defence in the second half, but this time against a team that is likely to stay rooted at the bottom of the league table for the rest of the season. A 1-0 win over a team as poor as Blackpool was seen as a relief, it being Latics ’first win of the season. On the other hand Rosler’s assertion that it was the best first half display by Latics since his arrival has been met with derision on the social media and fans forums.

Fitness still remains an issue, as does the lack of creativity in midfield and the lack of another reliable goal scorer to supplement Oriol Riera.

However, hope looms on the horizon for the German. Brentford sources announced today that they had reached an agreement with Latics over the transfer fee for Adam Forshaw. He is expected to sign for Wigan in the next few days. The League One Player of the Year, Forshaw might well be able to provide the kind of creative spark that has been missing up to this point.

On Saturday Latics played 3-5-2 with Callum McManaman and Oriel Riera up front. McManaman came close to scoring on at least four occasions, the easiest opportunity being after a great run and low cross from Riera. McManaman has returned to form this season and could well prove to be Latics’ trump card in their bid for promotion. He has shown in the past that he can have a cool head for finishing, even if a little poise was lacking on Saturday.

Given ridiculously inflated market prices for strikers within English football circles, it could be that Latics already have the players who can deliver the goods. Playing as a striker in a 3-5-2 formation, McManaman is likely to see more of the ball, making him more of a danger to the opposition defence than when he plays out wide in the 4-3-3 formation. Similar possibilities exist for James McClean, when he returns from injury. Although not renowned for his finishing, the Irishman actually has a better career record for scoring goals than McManaman.

Rumour also tells us that there is a possibility of a return on loan for Nick Powell. The 20 year old had an exciting start to his Latics career, scoring spectacular goals and oozing self-confidence. However, he was unable to reproduce that same form after an injury in mid-season. Rosler clearly rates him highly, having recognized his exceptional talent.

Suddenly there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for Rosler and Latics.

However, there remains a fear among fans that is largely beyond Rosler’s control. That is of a further exodus of quality players from the club. Will the arrival of Forshaw herald the departure of James McArthur?

Will Dave Whelan provide the financial backing that will allow Latics to compete in the transfer market without having to sell their prized assets?

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.
 

Off to Charlton in an air of uncertainty

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews and tagged with , , ,
James McArthur is pivotal to Latics' promotion hopes.

James McArthur is key to Latics’ promotion hopes.

Uncertainty creeps up on us. Only a couple of weeks ago there was a mood of buoyant optimism about the season ahead. Uwe Rosler was seen as Latics’ saviour. Trust in Uwe said so many people. But now after a draw and a defeat in the first two games and rumours of the departure of James McArthur, fans are getting edgy.

Following his achievements last season Rosler has deserved the level of support he has received from fans. A home draw against decent opposition followed by an exit from the League Cup is not a huge deal. But what has been disconcerting has been the lack of fitness shown by the players and disjointed play that has not approached the high pressing, high tempo style that the manager espouses.

When Latics played at the Valley last October they had lost their previous three away matches, so the dull 0-0 draw that followed was an improvement. Charlton were struggling on a low budget and Latics’ form had been indifferent. Since then Charlton have had changes at board and football management levels and their outlook is looking brighter.

Rosler’s honeymoon period at Wigan is closing in on him and he will be keen to get a good result at Charlton. Critics are already starting to say that the manager’s vision of the football he seeks is not being realized on the field of play. Rather being super-fit and playing at a high tempo, Latics have looked sluggish compared with their opponents. Moreover the lack of creativity in midfield stands out like a sore thumb. If Oriel Riera is to become the successful striker that Latics so desperately need he is going to need decent service from midfield.

However, only two games have gone. Latics are out of the League Cup, but their clear priority this year is the league. It takes time to impose a style of play upon a squad of players, as Roberto Martinez found in his time at the club. Martinez arrived in the summer of 2009 and it took until the second half of the 2011-12 season before the players were able to realize his vision. The eventual realization was stunning, with Latics beating the elite clubs in the country on merit.

Possibly the most worrying thing for supporters at this stage is the possible exit of more quality players. The exits of the skilful Latins, Jordi Gomez and Jean Beausejour, are already being felt. However, with time it is to be hoped that the new players will adapt to fill the void.

James McArthur is probably the club’s most important player. He typifies total commitment and brings genuine quality to the midfield. To allow him to leave would be a body blow to Latics’ promotion possibilities. However, Dave Whelan has so often stated that any player wanting to move on can do so if the price is right.

One would have to be a mind reader to predict the lineup that Rosler will send out there tomorrow, let alone the team shape. However, both the manager and the players will be keen to show their commitment and their quality at The Valley.

A good result for Latics is a distinct possibility.

Like us on Facebook, or follow us on twitter here.