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

[Mattyblue]

Just now, 1864roverite said:

Wigan are bounded by the greater Manchester boundaries so that takes them out of Lancashire a bit like Bolton, mank u and mank c and add bury Rochdale and Salford to the list. They might previously have been but the boundaries changed a good few years ago Stu

www.forl.co.uk

[only2garners]

Just now, 1864roverite said:

Wigan are bounded by the greater Manchester boundaries so that takes them out of Lancashire a bit like Bolton, mank u and mank c and add bury Rochdale and Salford to the list. They might previously have been but the boundaries changed a good few years ago Stu

If you believe that Roverite then you must also accept that Blackburn is not in Lancashire either. It's been a unitary authority since 1998. It's not part of Lancashire County Council.

[Crimpshrine]

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

I would take Travis or Johnson over Morsy, he's a donkey. Rough housing is all he is good for. We should have started Johnson, he would have won that battle.  

Morsy did a job on us last night and was very effective. He also nearly curled one in the top corner late on ( good save by Walton).

Many successful teams have a hard man in middle. We are too soft. 

[tomphil]

Manchester is Manchester, Liverpool is Merseyside and Bolton & Wigan are two shoiteholes slapped in the middle both with their share of overspill from the others.

That's the way it is.

[matt83]

Just now, only2garners said:

If you believe that Roverite then you must also accept that Blackburn is not in Lancashire either. It's been a unitary authority since 1998. It's not part of Lancashire County Council.

Nor is Blackpool. To me this is and will always be Lancashire. The good, the bad and the ugly (scousers providing the latter 2). 

[AAK]

Back after a ban!

Massive opportunity missed last night, to not be beating Charlton, Luton, Huddersield and Wigan at home is poor and the reason we will not reach the play offs this season, unless we strengthen in January.

Williams - the guy is a total liability, his passing is amateurish at best.

Wigan's game plan was obvious, close us down at every opportunity, sit back and try and hit on the break and it nearly worked for them, we didn't react to it mentaly or tactically. When we play a team like them and the others mentioned above, this is when we miss a game changer, someone who can pick out a pass and create from nothing. Playing with no wingers is still a real concern for me, and if we are going to try and play out from the back we need another centre half who can do so, in addition to Tosin. Not attended, watched highlights or listened to a game for a few months to be honest, this was the first one, and it felt like nothing had changed since I last watched the team (although before anyone shouts, yes I realise they have been on a good run, just typical of them to put in a performance like that).

As a side note, online it showed the JW upper as more or less completely sold out, however there were still some gaps, what's all that about? Did people just not turn up, or where they all down in the concourse? nearly 19k still a good crowd mind.

 

[47er]

11 hours ago, WIR Second Coming said:

I noticed Nyambe seems to have difficulty trapping the ball dead, as it invariably bobbles up every time it is passed to him.

Cobblers of a performance from the Rovers this evening. But as they say, in football you have to beat the team that's in front of you on the park. We didn't beat, hurt, unsettle, worry or upset Wigan's game plan one iota this evening and if anything, they might feel more aggrieved not to have won than us.

Onwards and upwards chaps and chappesses.

He seems to think about the next move as the ball approaches. He traps it (usually) then makes a decision. It takes too long, the opposition have swooped!

[Stuart]

15 minutes ago, 1864roverite said:

Wigan are bounded by the greater Manchester boundaries so that takes them out of Lancashire a bit like Bolton, mank u and mank c and add bury Rochdale and Salford to the list. They might previously have been but the boundaries changed a good few years ago Stu

Nope

[jim mk2]

2 minutes ago, only2garners said:

If you believe that Roverite then you must also accept that Blackburn is not in Lancashire either. It's been a unitary authority since 1998. It's not part of Lancashire County Council.

Wigan, Warrington, Widnes, Barrow, Southport, Manchester, Liverpool ....... all Lancashire to us old uns. 

[47er]

Why didn't Johnson start? Inexplicable after that fine performance at Bristol. He wouldn't have been bullied either.

[stinny1]

Goalkeeper had a cracking game last night forward line lacked pace and a give  Wigans center halves  all the time in the world . The lack of a quick winger doesn't  help and the young City lad was a big miss. The two Rovers centre halves gave the ball away in silly areas all night .  Dack wasn't  involved  enough  and he's  lack of paces will stop him going too the next level . Christmas  list a quick forward with an eye for goal a strong ball playing center  half and a right sided  winger  with pace . Armstrong  not the answer on the wing and Johnson has too start he and Travis  are our strongest pairing . Two big games coming up if we can keep unbeaten over Christmas and TM and the Venkys  can get us these players in January we could get into the play offs . The best chance  in years i hope TM doesn't  blow it

[Bigdoggsteel]

1 minute ago, Crimpshrine said:

Morsy did a job on us last night and was very effective. He also nearly curled one in the top corner late on ( good save by Walton).

Many successful teams have a hard man in middle. We are too soft. 

Johnson is a hard man and he is a better footballer than Morsy

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, 47er said:

Why didn't Johnson start? Inexplicable after that fine performance at Bristol. He wouldn't have been bullied either.

Agreed. He should have started

[only2garners]

Just now, AAK said:

As a side note, online it showed the JW upper as more or less completely sold out, however there were still some gaps, what's all that about? Did people just not turn up, or where they all down in the concourse? nearly 19k still a good crowd mind.

 

I imagine a lot ofg the gaps would be season ticket holders who didn't turn up - there were a few gaps around me which are normally taken on Saturdays. obviously at this time of year a number will have gone away and some will have chosen to watch at home - particularly some of our older fans and there are plenty in the JW Upper! They still get counted though.

[Crimpshrine]

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

Johnson is a hard man and he is a better footballer than Morsy

I agree that Johnson is a better footballer and should have started but he's not the annoying, wind up merchant, hard man type that get stuck in every match. We need one. Bring back Robbie Savage

[jim mk2]

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. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, Crimpshrine said:

I agree that Johnson is a better footballer and should have started but he's not the annoying, wind up merchant, hard man type that get stuck in every match. We need one. Bring back Robbie Savage

Ah I don't know. I think he does. Even when he came on last night he looked to be immediately giving lip to the Wigan players. I think it's a pity he almost scored forst touch from the corner, it maybe made him think he was up to the pace of the game already, when he wasn't. It pretty much drifted past him after that. 

I said I would have started Johnson and Bennett. I think we needed those 2 in there to stand up to Wigan physically. Morsey wouldn't have been raking his studs down Johnsons leg I bet. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

Nyambe looks so nervous at times. Anyone remember the muddle he got in on half way where he just about got it to Walton? That happened at least twice, not sure who it was the first time. Absolute heart in the mouth stuff. 

[matt83]

Yes there was a few kamikaze back passes. Not what you want to see when the keeper is nicknamed calamity. To be fair he adequately dealt with them and had a decent game generally but on other day that’s suicidal football. 

[Burrells Boy]

It could have been so much worse, anyway onwards and upwards.

[Mattyblue]

25 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Manchester is Manchester, Liverpool is Merseyside and Bolton & Wigan are two shoiteholes slapped in the middle both with their share of overspill from the others.

That's the way it is.

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.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

18 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Johnson is a hard man and he is a better footballer than Morsy

Maybe he used to be but he isn't now. Don't let your dislike of the guy cloud your judgement regarding ability. Johnson's no longer mobile enough to compete with younger, fitter players.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Maybe he used to be but he isn't now. Don't let your dislike of the guy cloud your judgement regarding ability. Johnson's no longer mobile enough to compete with younger, fitter players.

I think you are exaggerating how good Morsy is. I don't like the guy from playing them in League 1, but to be fair apart from the rake on Travis, I don't think he did much wrong. I don't think he should have been booked for the tackle he was booked for and what happened Dack was an accident it looked like to me. 

The ref was an absolute clown of the highest order. I don't ever recall seeing such a gobshite ref a game before and that is allowing for the fact the standard is pretty bad in general. The lack of protection he gave our players was one of the reasons Wigan managed to get on top physically at times. 

[matt83]

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. 

[DE.]

2 minutes ago, matt83 said:

Yes there was a few kamikaze back passes. Not what you want to see when the keeper is nicknamed calamity. To be fair he adequately dealt with them and had a decent game generally but on other day that’s suicidal football. 

Yep I actually thought Walton did well handling some really stupid backpasses from our defenders, and at one point the cameras showed him getting visibly annoyed with it. The passing across the defence was shocking all night though - especially Lenihan and Williams, who gifted the ball to Wigan's attackers on far more than one occasion. Thankfully Wigan are rubbish so it didn't matter, but a better team would have made us pay for that.