Wigan Athletic (H) - Monday Night Football (urgh..)

[tomphil]

Just now, Mattyblue said:

Nope. All part of the Lancashire palatine, unaltered for 800 years.

All Lancastrians should be proud of it, not trying to diminish it to that pathetic rump on the map that was only created in 1974.

Depends what you've grown up with i suppose, a lot will see it as just that, Greater Manchester for that's its name for going on 50 years.

 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Credit to Wigan they looked nothing like a bottom side last night.We simply had no reply to their spirited effort..we lacked guile and craft.

The injury to Dack is an absolute sickener and will cost us dearly.

On that display we are not promotion material.If by some absolute miracle we are promoted we would need to invest in a complete new side...we would end up being murdered week in week out.Its a sobering fact but we all know this side does not have the required quality in literally all positions.

Edited December 24, 2019 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Mattyblue]

Just now, tomphil said:

Depends what you've grown up with i suppose, a lot will see it as just that, Greater Manchester for that's its name for going on 50 years.

 

They probably do and I think it’s really sad, especially as you see how strong Yorkshire identity still is, which is no surprise as when their county was split up in the 70s, the new ‘counties’ were known as North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire etc, whilst we got lumbered with ‘Greater Manchester’ and the like.

[matt83]

Just now, Mattyblue said:

They probably do and I think it’s really sad, especially as you see how strong Yorkshire identity still is, which is no surprise as when their county was split up in the 70s, the new ‘counties’ were known as North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire etc, whilst we got lumbered with ‘Greater Manchester’ and the like.

Quite right had greater Manchester been renamed south Lancashire and Merseyside south west Lancs or something the identity might still be there. I wonder how many mancs and scousers under 40 even know they were/are Lancastrian. Sad.

That said my pal from Oldham is fervent Lancastrian if he gets post with greater Manchester on he returns it to sender crossing out Manchester and putting in Lancashire. 

[neophox]

The way we played Bristol City is the way to go against Birmingham.

[Blue n whites]

12 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Depends what you've grown up with i suppose, a lot will see it as just that, Greater Manchester for that's its name for going on 50 years.

 

City for all their money and changes over the last few years still have a red rose on it

[Bigdoggsteel]

20 minutes ago, matt83 said:

The fact a rovers team as poor as this is in 8th is testament to how crap the championship is. If rovers had the 2001 squad that got promoted. Dunn, flitcroft, duff, Hughes, Jansen, bent, berg, berkovic, tiny Taylor, friedel, short, etc. We’d be top of this particular division by about 10 points already. 

Even the team that went down under kean would walk this 

[Stuart]

30 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Nope. All part of the Lancashire palatine, unaltered for 800 years.

All Lancastrians should be proud of it, not trying to diminish it to that pathetic rump on the map that was only created in 1974.

100%.

It’s so sad that most Lancashire folk don’t know this, and even sadder when those who do deny it. I get why Mancs and Scousers do because it means political power but not us. Go and tell any Boltoner that they are from Greater Manchester - they know what’s up!

And don’t even get me started on Ye Olde Blackburnshire (aka Blackburn Hundred)!

Some of our local cousins really are “just a small town in Blackburn”  

[scotchrover]

1 hour ago, jim mk2 said:

Some thoughts on last night.

All the other Championship managers will have been watching last night and will see that this Rovers side can easily be bullied.

Expect more of the same in games to come. Mowbray needs to sort it.

Losing Dack is a big blow but Mowbray will have to find a different way to play without him. Holtby and Rothwell - who was terrible last night - need to step up.

Nyambe - why does he need 3 touches to get the ball under control? It's not wonder he looks under pressure all the time.

We're not a top 6 side. The best teams don't disappear for 45 minutes like we did and don't get dictated to like that. We need to stop being "nice". Fair play to Wigan - they looked anything but a bottom team and should have won the game. 

My thoughts exactly last night. However, when you look who’s around us:

Sheff Weds- bang average from the games I’ve seen on Sky, and were nothing special when at Ewood.

Preston- didn’t turn up for 45 minutes against us.

Brentford- did very little until the last 10 minutes at Ewood. 

Bristol City- bang average against us, from what I heard on Radio Lancs.

Notts Forest- nothing special, and didn’t get out their own half, in the second half, at Ewood  

Swansea- probably the best side we’ve played, out of this list? They sounded well on top on Radio Lancs, but didn’t win.

 

The top 6 is there for the taking this year. 

[Husky]

On reflection last night's first half was probably the worst I've ever seen at this level, it was a complete shocker! Even worse than the worst game in footballing history (Bournemouth at home - March 2014).

Edited December 24, 2019 by Husky

[jim mk2]

39 minutes ago, matt83 said:

Quite right had greater Manchester been renamed south Lancashire and Merseyside south west Lancs or something the identity might still be there. I wonder how many mancs and scousers under 40 even know they were/are Lancastrian. Sad.

That said my pal from Oldham is fervent Lancastrian if he gets post with greater Manchester on he returns it to sender crossing out Manchester and putting in Lancashire. 

 Funnily enough, I received a letter (quaint I know) the other day addressed Manchester, Lancs.

 

[perthblue02]

30 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Even the team that went down under kean would walk this 

Depends on the odds for forfeiting it

[chaddyrovers]

 

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

Stop being so childish. 

I do get that its not prudent to sign another attacker but them forward signings havent improved us and now we need them to score goals regularly now we cannot rely on Dack. If Bowen at Hull, Grant at Huddersfield, Grabban at Forest etc got a serious injury they would be similarly goosed because they are also similarly reliant on getting their goals mainly from one man. Theres no point pretending that having our main man getting a serious injury like this isnt a catastrophic blow, and for a team who had an outside chance of a play off place, it only massively reduces that chance to be without our best player for half of the season. That doesnt mean we should "forfeit" the season but I am being realistic.

I am not saying that we cant name a team anymore, just that whoever comes in we will really struggle to cover Dacks goals internally. Have Gallagher and Brereton done anything to suggest that they could either individually or even between them start scoring goals at an increased rate to cover our top scorer? Will Rothwell and Bennett be able to start doing something quite sudden and cover a man with almost a goal every other game, considering they have 3 between them since we came back to the Championship? Its all unlikely. Its like me saying we dont need a left back we have Bell and Williams. Which is true but you want a new LB because you acknowledge that they cant do the job at the standard we need or at the standard another injured player set in Cunningham.

nobody being childish roversfan99 apart from yourself. 

We have different options up front. Your attitude stinks. We have to adapt and develop a way of winning games. We won at Bristol City without Dack and Graham or last season at Home against Brentford we won without Dack and Graham. 

 

 

[Husky]

Just now, jim mk2 said:

 Funnily enough, I received a letter (quaint I know) the other day addressed Manchester, Lancs.

 

My dad received an official letter the other week that said Blackburn. Greater Manchester.

It came from the South. That's dumb Southerners for you.

[chaddyrovers]

1 hour ago, jim mk2 said:

We're not a top 6 side. The best teams don't disappear for 45 minutes like we did and don't get dictated to like that. We need to stop being "nice". Fair play to Wigan - they looked anything but a bottom team and should have won the game. 

have you seen teams around the playoffs like Fulham, Preston, Sheff Wed, Swansea, Forest, Bristol City? 

I've seen these teams live over the past few weeks and they aren't anything special. Top 6 is more the getting able for this team. Playoffs are there for us

[jim mk2]

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

have you seen teams around the playoffs like Fulham, Preston, Sheff Wed, Swansea, Forest, Bristol City? 

I've seen these teams live over the past few weeks and they aren't anything special. Top 6 is more the getting able for this team. Playoffs are there for us

Highly unlikely in my view.

They're nothing special - bu then neither are we.

We're not tough or ruthless enough. And we're too inconsistent

[chaddyrovers]

Just now, jim mk2 said:

Highly unlikely in my view.

They're nothing special - bu then neither are we.

We're not tough or ruthless enough. And we're too inconsistent

neither are the other teams Jim. Ive seen all those teams mention and none are special

top 6 wide open this season. 

Find a way to win enough games and we get top 6

[jim mk2]

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

n

Find a way to win enough games and we get top 6

I've already said no one is special, including us. But we're not good enough to finish top 6.Last night showed why. 

[DE.]

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

neither are the other teams Jim. Ive seen all those teams mention and none are special

top 6 wide open this season. 

Find a way to win enough games and we get top 6

Problem is we've been saying that practically since the day we landed in this division, and we've never gotten it right. It's always the same two things - "we need to find a way to beat poor teams at home" and "we're only (x) amount of points away from a playoff place". We've never solved the first problem so we always remain "(x)" number of points outside of the playoff positions. I think we were 6th for about an hour once under Bowyer and that's it. Last night shows that we still haven't found a solution to the issue of beating teams when we are the favourites, and that is a mental and cultural change that I think is probably beyond Mowbray unfortunately. 

[Amo]

We could’ve done with someone like Chapman last night. Rothwell and Armstrong were both too narrow while Nyambe and Downing were no good on the overlap. If he can’t even get on the bench he must have really pissed on Mowbray’s chips.

[chaddyrovers]

Just now, jim mk2 said:

I've already said no one is special, including us. But we're not good enough to finish top 6.Last night showed why. 

Disagree Jim completely. 

Last night was 1 game. That's it. 

We have squad the can get top 6. Now they have to deliver it. 

[chaddyrovers]

Just now, DE. said:

Problem is we've been saying that practically since the day we landed in this division, and we've never gotten it right. It's always the same two things - "we need to find a way to beat poor teams at home" and "we're only (x) amount of points away from a playoff place". We've never solved the first problem so we always remain "(x)" number of points outside of the playoff positions. Last night shows that we still haven't found a solution to the issue of beating teams when we are the favourites. 

I don't believe this favourites tag bollocks. Wigan shouldn't be bottom of the league based on last night performance. Games are won on the pitch not on a paper before games. Certain fans expect these types of games as walk over and they never are. People never learn. 

If you would have offered this position in the league 8 games ago or before the season starts I would have took the offer  

[Amo]

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

Disagree Jim completely. 

Last night was 1 game. That's it. 

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

I don't believe this favourites tag bollocks. Wigan shouldn't be bottom of the league based on last night performance.

You flagrantly contradicted yourself in the space of one post. ??

[USABlue]

Why has Nyambes all of a sudden stopped bombing forwards.  Not a great day.all round  I thought Wigan were cynical dirty constantly holding pushing.  We seemed to play better after Dack.  At least we did not lose which is what I fully expected, really poor showing today.

[DE.]

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

I don't believe this favourites tag bollocks. Wigan shouldn't be bottom of the league based on last night performance. Games are won on the pitch not on a paper before games. Certain fans expect these types of games as walk over and they never are. People never learn. 

If you would have offered this position in the league 8 games ago or before the season starts I would have took the offer  

Sorry but this is just making excuses. Of course we were the favourites last night. We were at home against a team who hadn't kept a clean sheet away from home in something like 33 games, who have an absolutely shocking away record in this division and who are way below us in the table in significantly worse form. If you don't consider us favourites in that scenario then I think we have vastly different definitions of the word. As long as attitudes like this prevail, where we are the perennial underdogs, we will never get anywhere. Successful teams embrace being favourites and thrive under the pressure of proving just how good they are. Unsuccessful teams wilt and struggle under the same circumstances. Since being in this division we have always been the latter because, imo, we've never had a true winner in the dugout demanding the absolute best and making the players believe they deserve promotion.

You're right that no game should be considered easy or a walkover, but to suggest we shouldn't have been expecting a win last night is ridiculous IMV. The only reason to expect a draw or loss is because you consider the team to have been significantly overachieving recently, which doesn't match a proclaimation that we can get into the top six.