Tag Archives: wigan athletic

A Fulham fan’s view of Dan Burn – part 2 [new article]

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

Dan_Burn

Last Sunday we published of a compilation of  views on Dan Burn obtained through a Fulham fan site.

Since then we received a detailed and informative article on the player on our Facebook site. The fan view is written by Peter Grinham.

Here’s over to Peter:

Your fanzine editor asked on a Fulham Supporters website about Dan Burn and a view on him. I am a Fulham supporter of many years going back to the days of our legend Johnny Haynes (Fulham and England captain) and been part of the roller coaster ride during those years, so no Johnny Come Lately! I watch every Fulham 1st team home game, a few aways and every home U21 and U18 game, so I have seen a lot of Dan Burn.

Dan is a product of the North East and came to us from Darlington. He is about 6’ 6” tall and has always played centre back for us. He is left footed and, unsurprisingly, prefers to play left centre back. He had 2 loan spells at Birmingham and Yeovil respectively. I don’t know about his Yeovil experience but the Birmingham management thought well of him and were interested in extending his loan at the time with a view to signing him.

Dan is full of enthusiasm and has admirable leadership qualities but only in respect of drive and determination. He is said to train hard. He takes the game seriously and nobody could ever accuse him of not giving 100% in every game. This alone made him popular with many Fulham supporters. He is physically strong which is what you expect in a centre back. However, some of his decision making is questionable and if players run at him his legs buckle with fast jinky players, as his reading of those situations is poor and he is often left floundering on his backside.

His aerial ability is somewhat mixed. From a defensive point of view he is strong in the air at defending crosses but often he does not get good purchase on the ball and in some situations the ball seems to loop of the top of his forehead when it needs to be powered away. This rather poor technique can be attributed to the fact that, like some tall players, he does not jump highly and has probably never had to at junior levels because of his height. This puts him at a disadvantage if a forward builds up a head of steam on the run and can either rise above him or equal his height. He should have scored more goals from set pieces but the same heading restrictions impede that part of his game too.

I always thought that Dan would benefit from better coaching because unless he is a slow learner – and I have no reason to believe that – he could improve a lot on his technique and decision making. However, Fulham have not been blessed with decent coaching since the destructive Magath arrived and decimated our club, Kit Symons followed but was not allowed experienced coaching staff, having to make do with U21 coaches (NB: A big step up without a mix of 1st team experienced coaches). We now have some decent 1st team coaches but they obviously don’t fancy Dan.

Whilst I have never met Dan, everyone Fulham fan that has likes him immensely. One thing that I do know is that when he signed the Wigan contract he will be genuinely devoted to the cause and not be false in the usual footballers speak of ‘great to be here’. If he sad that he would mean it and give all for the cause. I genuinely wish him all the best in his career and I hope that he is a late developer who will prove some people wrong.

Hope this insight helps. Good luck with the new season.

A Colchester fan’s view of Alex Gilbey

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

Gilbeybbc

Wigan Athletic have announced the signing of 21 year old midfielder Alex Gilbey from Colchester United. Although the player was at the end of his contract the U’s will be due to receive compensation due to the player’s age. Gilbey has signed a three year contract for Latics.

On signing Gilbey, Gary Caldwell commented on the club’s official site that:  “Alex was one of the outstanding young talents in League One last season, and we believe the next stage of his career can be fulfilled here. He’s exactly the sort of player and person who suits this club and we’re delighted to add him to the group for pre-season. He scored an excellent goal against us at Colchester last season and he was a standout player on the day, making him an excellent addition.”

The 6 ft tall Gilbey is a product of the Colchester academy where he became youth team captain. He made his first team debut as a 17 year old in October 2012 in a Football League Trophy game against Northampton. In March 2013 he went on a short term loan to Newport County, which ended in them getting promoted back into the Football League. Gilbey was named Man of the Match in the second leg of the playoff semi-final against Grimsby. He went on to play the full ninety minutes in Conference playoff final at Wembley when Newport went on to beat Wrexham 2-0.

Following that successful loan spell as a young player at Newport, Gilbey went on to establish himself in the senior team at Colchester. Although only 21 years old he made 101 appearances for Colchester, scoring 8 goals. He was the U’s Player of the Season for 2015-16, making 42 appearances and scoring five goals, two of which were against Latics.

In order to learn more about Gilbey we contacted U’s fan Martyn Bell through Twitter (@MartynBell10).

Here’s over to Martyn:

Alex Gilbey is a talented player and deservedly has earned a move to championship Wigan. Alex is a box to box player with tremendous energy levels and an eye for goal.

Just look at the quality of goals he has scored most from outside the box, he is a level headed player and gives 100 percent which fans love.

A player with premiership potential and he is from Colchester United’s academy, good luck from all Col U fans.

A Fulham fan’s view of Dan Burn

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

Dan_Burn

Wigan Athletic have announced the signing of 24 year old Dan Burn. The 6 ft 7 in central defender was out of contract with Fulham.

Gary Caldwell is clearly pleased to have signed Burn and the club’s web site reports him saying that “He fits our profile exactly, young, hungry and with experience at this level and the desire to progress with us. He is a powerful defender, but he likes to play as well and adds tremendous competition to the squad.”

Dan Burn was born in Blyth but came up through the youth ranks at Darlington, making his first team debut at the age of 17.  He went on to make 14 appearances for the north east club before moving to Fulham in the summer of 2011 for a fee of around £350,000.

In September 2012 Burn went on an initial short term loan to Yeovil, but the loan period was to be extended to the end of the season. He made 41 appearances for the League 1 side, scoring three goals. Burn was to be sent off on another loan in July 2013, this time to Championship club, Birmingham City. He made 28 appearances for the Blues, scoring one goal, before being recalled to Fulham in January 2014. He made his debut for the Londoners on January 4th 2014 in an FA Cup tie at Norwich.

Burn went on to make a total of 69 appearances for Fulham scoring two goals.

In order to learn more about Burn we reached out to Fulham fans on The Independent Fulham Forum.

Alanos commented that Burn was:

Hugely promising early in his career, especially on loan to Yeovil and for a little while Birmingham. Very disappointing in the last few years playing for us, though the same inexplicable loss of form seemed to come over many of our defenders. Who knows, could be a great acquisition (or not).

Biff added that:

Progress seems to have stalled the last few seasons but several players seemed to have been affected as our form and progress fell away.

BS recognises Burn’s top performance against Manchester United:

Probably had his best game against Man Utd when we got a draw at Old Trafford, season we were relegated. Headed so many clearances Sky asked if he had a headache in the post-match interview. Think he might have got MoM for that.

Mike H adds that:

He held Man Utd at bay for 90 mins a few years ago. If the opposition keep floating cross into the box, he’ll clear them. Not so reliable against nippy forwards though.

JamesS notes:

Some harsh comments. Still think he could have a very good Championship future. Wholehearted and good man to have in your squad.

NoHost comments that:

For his size, he doesn’t command the in and around the box as much as you’d think, although he has had his good days. He is prone to making simple mistakes which develop into bigger ones when he tries to rectify. Seems to trip over his own legs sometimes. He talks a lot on the pitch, but I’m not sure what he says is actually helpful. He is determined and genuine and perhaps can be coached into a more solid performer.

Barry@ENF recognises Burn’s determination:

….perhaps with the addendum that you will rarely, if at all, accuse him of lacking heart!

Harry adds:

Excellent attitude and good guy. Positives: Better coaching at a stable club could improve him. Negatives: prone to the odd howler and a liability with quick forwards running at him. Wish him well, though.

Lowe’s Pate sums up by adding:

Huge aerially & plays with his heart on his sleeve. Sometimes loses out positionally but personally would have been delighted if we’d have retained him.

 

How good is Michael Jacobs?

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

Jacobswigantoday

The statistics place him as the second leading goal scorer and the joint leader in assists for a side that won the divisional title. In this case the stats don’t lie – Michael Jacobs played a key role in the 2015-16 season for Wigan Athletic.

“Crackers” scored 10 league goals and made 8 assists, an impressive record, given that he missed a couple of months of the season through injury. He made 30 league starts, with 5 appearances off the bench.

Michael Jacobs was the main creative force for Latics over the course of the season. He was often employed wide, but looked particularly effective when operating in the hole behind the centre forward. Jacobs has genuine skill, with vision to match. He has the ability to take on defenders and make incisive passes.

Being a skilful player in League 1 can have its drawbacks, with ruthless defenders not being afraid to stick the boot in, aided by refereeing that can be over-tolerant. It is to Jacobs’ credit that he has not retaliated when singled out for rough treatment. A good temperament added to a strong work ethic makes him a key team player.

Jacobs is still only 24 and his best is surely yet to come. However, the  Championship is a very different prospect to League 1. Jacobs has prior experience there with Derby, Wolves and Blackpool, but was unable to make the kind of impression he would have liked. Can he make the transition back to the Championship and be the kind of key player that he was for Gary Caldwell this past season?

Jacobs has the pre-requisites to succeed in the Championship, possibly even in the division above. He has the skill, technique and temperament to become a top player. It is self-belief that will be the key, as it has been for Jamie Vardy at Leicester.

Jacobs is not the only Latics player returning to the Championship. All of them will need to step their play up a gear if they are to be a force in the higher division. Jacobs has as gòod a chance as anyone in doing so.

 

 

 

Blowing away Southend

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

When Wigan Athletic played at Southend in late November it was a cold and windy day in the seaside town. Latics had lost at home to Burton four days prior and they were to face one of the form teams in League 1 at the antediluvian Roots Hall ground. The portents were ominous.

Wigan had not played badly against Burton, but had got caught by a goal from a counterattack from a team with a well organised defence and a strong work ethic. A win over the Brewers would have seen them move into third place behind Coventry and Gillingham, but it was not to be. Following the disappointment of the 0-1 reverse they were keen to do better against Southend.

Getting a good result at Roots Hall was made difficult by the cold, blustery wind swirling around the tight pitch. It was not going to be a day for good football. Latics simply had to slug it out with the home team to come away with any points. In the end they came away with a well -earned point, thanks to the effort they put in.

Strangely enough Southend United are the visitors to the DW Stadium today following on from Wigan’s 1-1 draw at Burton on Tuesday. Gary Caldwell’s team have a pragmatic side to them which enables them to grind out results when they are not playing well. Although the Brewers were in a run of poor form they were going to be formidable opposition on the tight pitch at the Pirelli Stadium. Burton’s pitch is actually 72 yards wide, compared with Southend’s 74 yards, although both are 110 yards long. Once again Latics had put in a backs-to-the-wall performance on a small pitch to get a result.

Playing away on small pitches is a very different prospect to playing at the DW with a relatively expansive playing area measuring 115 yards by 74. Those extra few yards can make a difference to the style of football on display. The larger pitch surely suits Caldwell’s style of possession football and Latics have produced some sparkling displays over the season on their home ground.

However, it has not always been the norm. So often visiting teams will either “park the bus” or use pressing tactics to stop Wigan building up their moves methodically from the back. Moreover lenient and close to incompetent refereeing has too frequently allowed visiting teams the licence for tactical fouling of Wigan’s most skilful players. The end result has been sporadic flashes of the champagne football that Caldwell’s team is capable of producing. In fact the last three home matches have resulted in tight 1-0 wins for the Latics.

Wigan Athletic fans will be primarily looking at getting a positive result today, but a sparkling performance would be particularly welcome too. With adequate refereeing and a “get at them” approach from Latics from the onset a goal fest would be a distinct possibility. The alternative is a cagey approach, dominated by the promotion jitters that have hit so many of the League 1 promotion hopeful teams in recent weeks.

The swirling wind and the bumpy pitch made it difficult to play good football at Southend. But strong winds are not forecast for Wigan today and the DW pitch has performed well in recent weeks. Latics fans will be hoping their team will take the initiative from the get-go, blowing away Phil Brown’s Southend United in the process.