Wigan Athletic (A) 19th September

[WasRambo]

Powell looked overweight and disinterested. Lots of half hearted challenges.

I'm not going to slate JFH but he paid Wigan too much respect tonight. I think his set up was a bit negative

[WasRambo]

http://www.skysports.com/football/wigan-vs-northampton/375230

Doesnt show the penalty incident unfortunately

[cobbler_rob]

The problem was the 2 wingers, it kept coming back all the time. Back 4 and 2 centre mids weren't too bad but we weren't ever going to score with Powell Rico and Hanley as our front 3. It was poor

[Macc Cobbler]

Thought JFH set us up well, and defensively we looked a lot better.

The main issue is our attacking options -  and the lack of pace !

[guest3114]

Little victories everyone, little victories. We didn't get steamrollered like Charlton and Bristol Rovers. Early days and compare the side that's turning up now versus the one we had under JE. I can't lose sight of the fact that we are still grappling with an unbalanced squad. No amount of procrastinating and fiddling with the line up is going to hide that. Add to that the injuries and I believe things are going as well as could be expected. How we respond against Bradford who have scored 12 goals in their last 4 away games will be a real measure of how we are progressing.

[guest3114]

Powell looked overweight and disinterested. Lots of half hearted challenges.

I'm not going to slate JFH but he paid Wigan too much respect tonight. I think his set up was a bit negative

With regards to Powell my missus says exactly the same thing about me. I think your right about JFH, and we went there with a damage limitation agenda hoping to get a point and not wanting to affect the increasing confidence, which a walloping may have done? Therefore I think it was most probably the right if not most popular thing to do?

[WasRambo]

Thought JFH set us up well, and defensively we looked a lot better.

The main issue is our attacking options -  and the lack of pace !

Pretty much my point, we were set up more not to concede rather than to score. The problem is it invited Wigan onto us. When the inevitable happened (and it was inevitable) the game was crying out for Waters surely.

I'd just like to have seen us have more of a go. We had two wingers who couldn't erm, wing and a CF who was never going to win a ball in the air against either of those CBs. Net result, not a shot until 60 mins and only one on targe all game - from a CB!

Wigan weren't all that....

[oop_north]

Some predicted a similar damage-limitation/alternative line-up.  Respect to those that did.  Really, respect to you for calling it right!!!!!

For those interested only in on-field results, this was a good one.  Remember Danny O'Shea pinning Roberto Martinez to the advertising hordings at Springfield Park, back in .... oh..... a while ago?  This was close to that, but, without the same physicality.

For those interested only in the financial aspects of the Football Manager fantasy of the Playstation......  please, get a life.

[guest2934]

For those interested only in on-field results, this was a good one.  Remember Danny O'Shea pinning Roberto Martinez to the advertising hordings at Springfield Park, back in .... oh..... a while ago?  This was close to that, but, without the same physicality.

For those interested only in the financial aspects of the Football Manager fantasy of the Playstation......  please, get a life.

  Oh the salubrious Springfield Park!

Yes, amazing how playing with a game at home makes for so many experts these days. For some, the blurred lines between fantasy and reality are widening by the minute. We're growing a future population unable to function without an iphone. Brain dead.

[guest170]

Just watching the highlights, was a great finish by Jacobs and one we know he is capable of but again a midfield player was given too much time on the ball and allowed to run at our defence. From what I have heard and read about JFH this is something I think he will stop (likes to defend from the front). I know we have a few issues in midfield at the moment with injuries and not playing a settled team but really cannot allow players to run at us like that. I think its happened in every game so far when one of the midfield could/should have closed down sooner. Was it Powell ambling over to Jacobs last night?

[OldStratfordCobbler]

Backed off and backed off. Good strike like but ffs. Moses could have led his tribe through there

Victor Moses? He doesn't play for Wigan any more!!!!!!!

[OldStratfordCobbler]

We need to get Axel on for the last 10 mins

Axl Rose of Shrubs and Roses?

[clarkeysntfc]

Not surprised to see some of the comments on Powell & Bowditch. Hopefully we can get rid in January and get some better players in.

[cobbler150]

To me we used what we had and applyed it well. JFH is giving people a chance and clear plan was to set up and try nick a win.
Plenty of positives to draw. One being that the players signed pre chinese are simply not up to it, so thank god they came in.

Poole as DMF plauer looks good option. Powell, Bowdy and Hanley can be shipped out on lpan though. Shocking.

[vietnamcobbler]

To me we used what we had and applyed it well. JFH is giving people a chance and clear plan was to set up and try nick a win.
Plenty of positives to draw. One being that the players signed pre chinese are simply not up to it, so thank god they came in.

Poole as DMF plauer looks good option. Powell, Bowdy and Hanley can be shipped out on lpan though. Shocking.

agree with almost all of the above.

I think Hanley did enough to earn another look-in against better matched opposition. No one was a stand out player yesterday and most of our time was spent pressing Wigan - a bit unfair to put the final nail in the coffin on the bloke on this fixture alone.

He won back possession with a few neat tackles and had a couple of nice exchanges with Grimes on the rare occasion we put our foot on the ball - he has natural pace (like Smith) and could be a good squad player when more injuries and suspesions take their toll towards the latter part of the season.

Give him another chance to prove himself I say..

Bowditch and Powell on the other hand, I feel like I've seen enough of them pre and post JED era to safely say they should be offloaded onto pastures new.

[WasRambo]

I just don't think we should kid ourselves that coming away "only" getting beat 1 nil is a good result.

I don't think Wigan were at their best and it could easily have been three or four. I'm sure views would be different had it been. The fact is we created nothing. It was painful to watch at times, possession was surrendered far too easily

That said, I accept it wasn't a first choice 11 and when fit, our midfield should be a decent unit and hopefully then we'll see something more offensive from Buchs and Moloney.

We still lack width though and we still lack a decent striker.

Ok, he fluffed one but Griggs runs across our back four, as opposed to Rico's straight line forward runs were tons more creative

[defender]

agree with almost all of the above.

I think Hanley did enough to earn another look-in against better matched opposition. No one was a stand out player yesterday and most of our time was spent pressing Wigan - a bit unfair to put the final nail in the coffin on the bloke on this fixture alone.

He won back possession with a few neat tackles and had a couple of nice exchanges with Grimes on the rare occasion we put our foot on the ball - he has natural pace (like Smith) and could be a good squad player when more injuries and suspesions take their toll towards the latter part of the season.

Give him another chance to prove himself I say..

Bowditch and Powell on the other hand, I feel like I've seen enough of them pre and post JED era to safely say they should be offloaded onto pastures new.




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[dannybeaver]

I was guttered coming away from that last night, I honestly thought Barnett had rifled that into the back of the net. To think, if he had scuffed it rather than hit it clean, it may have dribbled past the keeper...

Haven't seen the replay yet but without looking to check if there was actually a foul in the buildup, that was a stone wall penalty - Maradonna-esque Hand of God.

Glad he brought Revell and Long on, but they should have started. Rico won nothing against those CB's who looked like they came from beyond the wall (GoT Reference - Sorry).

Having to repeat what has already been mentioned, but Powell and Bowditch are absolutely utter sh1te...

Onto the next one.

[Fred_NTFC]

Realistically I think we played it about right, it's good to see JFH giving most of the squad a shot to prove themselves which will definitely help build unity, especially with some big players still to come back. Would still have liked to have seen Waters get a shot down the middle toward the end of the game, seems a shame he hasn't really been tried there considering the goals he scored last year though I accept he's found the step-up hard so far. I hope Iaciofano & Lobjoit get some decent game time in the Caraboo cup else we may as well try & ship at least one of them out on loan in Jan.

With O'Toole, McWilliams, Hoskins, Foley (hopefully) to start boosting numbers I think October gives us a decent chance to start moving up the table, though it's still hard to see where the width & firepower is going to come from at times. Maybe we should give wing-backs a shot. 

When everyone is fit it's still tricky to get a balanced line-up though, maybe the only option is trying to play two in behind to start making some runs out wide.

               Ingram
Moloney Pierre Taylor Buchs 
McWilliams/O'Toole Grimes
                Crooks
      Hoskins         Long
                Revell

I'm just really making up formations though that probably won't work in reality, basically we need January to come around quickly to try & add some width to our game.

[Cordwainer2]

               Ingram
Moloney Pierre Taylor Buchs 
McWilliams O'Toole Grimes
                Crooks
      Hoskins         Long
                Revell

Not sure they will allow 12 players to start!