wigan vs derby

[brightonmark1234]

hi everyone just thought i would tell you that derby are 3-0 up

 

[mikeyjh]

hi everyone just thought i would tell you that derby are 3-0 up

Well, we've had some good 45 mins this season, if we work out how to do it for 90, we might be contenders. For something or other...

 

[symyjym]

Hull 3-1 Liverpool is a bit of a surprise.

 

[sparkie]

Hull 3-1 Liverpool is a bit of a surprise.

Bad for Palace as well

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Wigan losing at home three times in a week.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Derby seem to have come on leaps and bounds since their managerial change.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Derby seem to have come on leaps and bounds since their managerial change.

I challenge that straight away. They were doing very well with Nigel Clough in charge. He lost a game to a Nottingham Forest who have the unfair advantage of splashing cash all over the place when other clubs are working within their means, like Derby have done for the last few years. Clough has done ALL the donkey work so that McLaren can step into a much easier job.

 

[El Turi]

Derby looked poor against us and we probably would have beat them if D'Urso hadn't failed to give us one of the most clear cut penalties you'll ever see. The fact they, Blackpool and Burnley are doing so well is a reflection that the Championship is not as strong as it was last season.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I challenge that straight away. They were doing very well with Nigel Clough in charge. He lost a game to a Nottingham Forest who have the unfair advantage of splashing cash all over the place when other clubs are working within their means, like Derby have done for the last few years. Clough has done ALL the donkey work so that McLaren can step into a much easier job.

I think they were quite stale under Clough and there seems to be a new impetus.

Clough had only won 78 out of 230 odd games in charge and they started out with their usual uninspiring midtable malaise up until he was sacked. They've got some cracking players and should be a promotion contender. Something they rarely threatened under Clough.

 

[mikeyjh]

I think they were quite stale under Clough and there seems to be a new impetus.

Clough had only won 78 out of 230 odd games in charge and they started out with their usual uninspiring midtable malaise up until he was sacked. They've got some cracking players and should be a promotion contender. Something they rarely threatened under Clough.

I think the fact is that Clough had slowly built a decent young squad that played 'good' football, at times we could be excellent and other times rather ordinary. So McClaren has been left with a squad that has lots of potential but is now definitely much more organised. Both managers have been unfortunate with injuries this season, but on the whole, and too my surprise, things have really improved and there is a very positive 'vibe' around the club now.

 

[whitelion]

Hull 3-1 Liverpool is a bit of a surprise.

Buggered up my accy along with Watford and Burnley....

 

[Pavilionaire]

Four words - Europa League, Roberto Martinez.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Wigan still have 90% of a midfield that was actually really good in the EPL last season. Their problem last year was their shambolic defence, but going forward they had the joint-11th best goals for record. They are now the perfect example of what happens if you put a talented squad in the hands of an utter dinosaur of a manager. Under a decent boss they would be one of the major contenders for promotion. Under Coyle they will be lucky to finish in the top half.

Usually I agree with you. But here I can't. Wigan were pathetic last season, in every department. Owen Coyle is the man to lead them into League 1, so he's the right man for that job.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

They were pathetic defensively. I don't think I've ever seen an EPL team gift so many goals away as Wigan did last season. They were so poorly organised that it was almost impossible not to score against them. I remember watching them lose to Swansea in May and it was comic book defending. But they definitely were not pathetic going forward. This is a team that scored 47 goals in 38 EPL games last season, minus Kone and McCarthy, and won the FA Cup. They also got 36 points, which is far from disgraceful. When you look at their current squad there is no doubt they should be in the top six in this division, but they made just about the worst managerial appointment it is possible to make, so they won't be.

I disagree in every aspect. Their whole team was rubbish and I don't see why questions weren't asked about Martinez as manager. Instead, he seemed to think he was a managerial guru. Despite his team being relegated for being shit.

Their team is ordinary at this level, with an ordinary manager. The league table is fair, if not flattering, for them in my humble opinion.

 

[theonesmith]

You've got an issue with Martinez, which is fair enough as it's all about opinions, but you can't really blame him too much in my opinion. If you remain as manager of Wigan Athletic in the EPL for any length of time you WILL get relegated. It's impossible to keep a club like that in the top division indefinitely. The fact he kept them up for three seasons before they eventually went down is to his credit, as that's three full seasons of succeeding against the odds before the inevitable happened.

As for this season, they've still got Watson, Maloney, Gomez, McManaman, Beausejour and McArthur in midfield, and they've signed mainly proven players in Holt, Fortune, Carson, McLean and Powell. At Championship level I think that squad should be in the top six or, at worst, looking likely to break into it. I just think Owen Coyle is one of the worst managers around. He's a classic example of someone who spends every single post-match interview talking about how wonderful his team have played and how they should easily have won, despite the fact they yet again failed to. It's all bullshit. Along with Mark Hughes, he's probably the manager I would least want in charge of us.

And the shorts and football socks look on a manager is ****ing HORRIFIC.

Agree with all your points on this thread.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

You've got an issue with Martinez, which is fair enough as it's all about opinions, but you can't really blame him too much in my opinion. If you remain as manager of Wigan Athletic in the EPL for any length of time you WILL get relegated. It's impossible to keep a club like that in the top division indefinitely. The fact he kept them up for three seasons before they eventually went down is to his credit, as that's three full seasons of succeeding against the odds before the inevitable happened.

As for this season, they've still got Watson, Maloney, Gomez, McManaman, Beausejour and McArthur in midfield, and they've signed mainly proven players in Holt, Fortune, Carson, McLean and Powell. At Championship level I think that squad should be in the top six or, at worst, looking likely to break into it. I just think Owen Coyle is one of the worst managers around. He's a classic example of someone who spends every single post-match interview talking about how wonderful his team have played and how they should easily have won, despite the fact they yet again failed to. It's all bullshit. Along with Mark Hughes, he's probably the manager I would least want in charge of us.

And the shorts and football socks look on a manager is ****ing HORRIFIC.

My problem with Martinez is that he was constantly being bigged up, for what? Being young, Spanish, and inoffensive. That is literally the sum total of his achievements prior to fluking an FA Cup (I know your opinions on that subject, as you know mine). He took an established Premier League club (however I feel about it) and gradually undid the work done by Steve Bruce, and ultimately safely guided them to relegation. He is doing a good job at Everton because he inherited a talented squad which needed mininal tweaking. When he builds his own team, we'll see how it goes.

And for me, none of those players are Premier League players in anything but a struggling bottom rung team. Fortune, Carson, McLean and Powell had never played in the Championship before so are hardly established at this level. Holt is a big surprise, and for me shows how poor Wigan are. In summary, there isn't a Wigan player I would want at the Albion.

And you are of course spot on about Coyle's dugout attire. Why on earth hasn't someone told him he looks a plum? Why can't he see it for himself? Inexcusable.

 

[Paris]

Coyle was found out a while ago. Media hungry Whelan showed how clueless he is when he appointed him after Martinez f'd off. They have a piss easy Europa League group as well, which they've somehow f'd up. They'll say they're better off out of it but European football doesn't come around very often for clubs like Wigan. With their squad and a half decent manager they should be top 3 material. No question.

Edit: He's just been given the push.