Wigan Athletic 0 v 3 Blackburn Rovers
1st January 2007
Wigan Athletic turned in a woeful display to bring in the new year, and if performances don't improve half of the year 2007 will most certainly see the club playing Championship level football.
This was one of the most shambolic displays seen for many a year. Considering that the game was a typical 'six pointer', the lack of fight and backbone displayed by Latics was unbelievable. Considering that it was these very qualities that were the mainstay in last season's team, manager Paul Jewell must now make this problem his number on priority to resolve. Because, in my own opinion, this team is not going to have the bottle for a relegation fight.
Admittedly, the squad is stretched due to injuries and the suspension of Lee McCulloch but there was not a single player on the pitch who looked even remotely like taking the game to Blackburn, who are far from a good team themselves. The team more or less picked itself and you would have thought that the players would have been in the mood to show the gaffer that, with the expected incoming transfers, they were still worthy of being considered for first team selection every week. Most of them are clearly not.
For the opening half hour of the game Latics were actually playing some good football, with Blackburn looking very ordinary indeed. However, when the visitors scored in the 37th minute courtesy of an own goal from Emile Heskey, and against the run of play, the hosts went to pieces.
All that Latics had offered in the first period was a well struck shot from Denny Landzaat which was excellently saved by Brad Friedel, little did the Wigan fans know then that this was to be their team's only worthwhile effort at goal.
Both managers made changes at half time, Jewell opted to bring on defender David Wright in place of natural midfielder Josip Skoko to boost the midfield, whilst Mark Hughes replaced Shabani Nonda with goal scoring substitute Matt Derbyshire, who gleefully rifled a 58th minute shot past Kirkland to effectively win the game for Rovers.
In a bid to win the game, if that's what it was, half of the team were then switched out of position. Admittedly Heskey was for most of the game anyway, helping out a shaky defence and considering that he is now the only fit striker at the club, that is a disgrace. The fans were then treated to seeing Wright switch to left back and Leighton Baines moved to the centre of midfield, a position that he has never played in! Johansson was huffing and puffing up front and his natural position is in the middle of the park. Landzaat just went missing completely, whilst Kevin Kilbane was about as much use as a ham and egg slice in a synagogue.
Latics' misery was complete when Bennie McCarthy stuck away a 76th minute penalty and by the time the referee's assistant declared that there was to be three minutes of 'time added on', almost half of the near 15,000 crowd had gone home in disgust. It must be said that if there were any casual fans in the crowd, then this display certainly will have put them off coming the the JJB Stadium for a long time.
It is quite ironic that Jewell and Dave Whelan have criticised the Wigan public for their apathy in the past, but this apathetic performance by the team will hurt Wigan Athletic a lot more seriously than a few thousand of the well known fickle local sports fans.
The arrivals of Andreas Granqvist and Norwegian international midfielder Kristofer Haestad can only help the situation, providing that both of them are slightly different than Jewell's other foreign signings, in that they are fit and ready to play immediately. It promises to be a frustrating January as a team one place above the Premiership trap door attempts to bring in the top quality players that must guarantee Premiership survival.
Unbelievably, a lot of fans are wondering whether it is time for a management change at the club. This is totally ludicrous. Paul Jewell, if he is to be judged at all, should be at the end of the season, and not a day before. Good managers and teams don't become bad ones over night and the Jewell knockers should ask themselves this.
..... who would we get that could do a better job than Jagger? Dowie? Robson? No thanks.
WIGAN ATHLETIC, Chris Kirkland, Emmerson Boyce, Arjan De Zeeuw, Fitz Hall, Leighton Baines, David Cotterill, Josip Skoko, (David Wright 46), Denny Landzaat, Kevin Kilbane, Andreas Johansson, Emile Heskey. Subs not used, Mike Pollitt, Matt Jackson, Gary Teale, Tomasz Cywka.
BLACKBURN ROVERS, Brad Feiedel, Brett Emerton, Stephane Henchoz, (Andy Todd 73), Durab Khizanishvili, Lucas Neill, David Bentley, Robbie Savage, Aaron Mokoena, Morten Gamst Pedersen, Shabani Nonda, (Matt Derbyshire 46), Benni McCarthy, (Paul Gallagher77). Subs not used, Jason Brown, Tugay Kerimoglu
Goal scorers, Emile Heskey (og) 37 mins, Matt Derbyshire 58 mins, Benni McCarthy (pen) 76 mins
Booked, David Bentley, Stephane Henchoa, Duran Khizanishvili, Aaron Mokoena, Lucas Neill
Referee, Mark Clattenburg (Tyne and Wear)
Attendance, 14,964
Wigan Athletic turned in a woeful display to bring in the new year, and if performances don't improve half of the year 2007 will most certainly see the club playing Championship level football.
This was one of the most shambolic displays seen for many a year. Considering that the game was a typical 'six pointer', the lack of fight and backbone displayed by Latics was unbelievable. Considering that it was these very qualities that were the mainstay in last season's team, manager Paul Jewell must now make this problem his number on priority to resolve. Because, in my own opinion, this team is not going to have the bottle for a relegation fight.
Admittedly, the squad is stretched due to injuries and the suspension of Lee McCulloch but there was not a single player on the pitch who looked even remotely like taking the game to Blackburn, who are far from a good team themselves. The team more or less picked itself and you would have thought that the players would have been in the mood to show the gaffer that, with the expected incoming transfers, they were still worthy of being considered for first team selection every week. Most of them are clearly not.
For the opening half hour of the game Latics were actually playing some good football, with Blackburn looking very ordinary indeed. However, when the visitors scored in the 37th minute courtesy of an own goal from Emile Heskey, and against the run of play, the hosts went to pieces.
All that Latics had offered in the first period was a well struck shot from Denny Landzaat which was excellently saved by Brad Friedel, little did the Wigan fans know then that this was to be their team's only worthwhile effort at goal.
Both managers made changes at half time, Jewell opted to bring on defender David Wright in place of natural midfielder Josip Skoko to boost the midfield, whilst Mark Hughes replaced Shabani Nonda with goal scoring substitute Matt Derbyshire, who gleefully rifled a 58th minute shot past Kirkland to effectively win the game for Rovers.
In a bid to win the game, if that's what it was, half of the team were then switched out of position. Admittedly Heskey was for most of the game anyway, helping out a shaky defence and considering that he is now the only fit striker at the club, that is a disgrace. The fans were then treated to seeing Wright switch to left back and Leighton Baines moved to the centre of midfield, a position that he has never played in! Johansson was huffing and puffing up front and his natural position is in the middle of the park. Landzaat just went missing completely, whilst Kevin Kilbane was about as much use as a ham and egg slice in a synagogue.
Latics' misery was complete when Bennie McCarthy stuck away a 76th minute penalty and by the time the referee's assistant declared that there was to be three minutes of 'time added on', almost half of the near 15,000 crowd had gone home in disgust. It must be said that if there were any casual fans in the crowd, then this display certainly will have put them off coming the the JJB Stadium for a long time.
It is quite ironic that Jewell and Dave Whelan have criticised the Wigan public for their apathy in the past, but this apathetic performance by the team will hurt Wigan Athletic a lot more seriously than a few thousand of the well known fickle local sports fans.
The arrivals of Andreas Granqvist and Norwegian international midfielder Kristofer Haestad can only help the situation, providing that both of them are slightly different than Jewell's other foreign signings, in that they are fit and ready to play immediately. It promises to be a frustrating January as a team one place above the Premiership trap door attempts to bring in the top quality players that must guarantee Premiership survival.
Unbelievably, a lot of fans are wondering whether it is time for a management change at the club. This is totally ludicrous. Paul Jewell, if he is to be judged at all, should be at the end of the season, and not a day before. Good managers and teams don't become bad ones over night and the Jewell knockers should ask themselves this.
..... who would we get that could do a better job than Jagger? Dowie? Robson? No thanks.
WIGAN ATHLETIC, Chris Kirkland, Emmerson Boyce, Arjan De Zeeuw, Fitz Hall, Leighton Baines, David Cotterill, Josip Skoko, (David Wright 46), Denny Landzaat, Kevin Kilbane, Andreas Johansson, Emile Heskey. Subs not used, Mike Pollitt, Matt Jackson, Gary Teale, Tomasz Cywka.
BLACKBURN ROVERS, Brad Feiedel, Brett Emerton, Stephane Henchoz, (Andy Todd 73), Durab Khizanishvili, Lucas Neill, David Bentley, Robbie Savage, Aaron Mokoena, Morten Gamst Pedersen, Shabani Nonda, (Matt Derbyshire 46), Benni McCarthy, (Paul Gallagher77). Subs not used, Jason Brown, Tugay Kerimoglu
Goal scorers, Emile Heskey (og) 37 mins, Matt Derbyshire 58 mins, Benni McCarthy (pen) 76 mins
Booked, David Bentley, Stephane Henchoa, Duran Khizanishvili, Aaron Mokoena, Lucas Neill
Referee, Mark Clattenburg (Tyne and Wear)
Attendance, 14,964
Labels: Wigan vrs Blackburn
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