Scott Smith was a strange one and Weir puts himself about Weir does alot of donkey unnoticed work and he’s adaptable to a few positions but right now we cannot play 3 at the back it has to be 4 no arguments till at least certain players come back.

I’d bring L.Robinson in at least he’s passionate has some fight to him and first and for most he’s a feckin defender.

Let’s go 4-4-1-1 (2 forwards) or 4-5-1

4-4-1-1 (2) Saydee behind or upsides Mullin or 2 central mid, 2 wide and a loan striker. If Saydee’s help the midfield 2.

I prefer 4-5-1, 3 central mid, one attacking i .e. M.Smith but get him in as an attacking mid orchestrating mid/left/right. We have to get goals from not just our forwards they have to come from everywhere.

I personally feel we’d get more out of say Mullin poaching off good build up play then popping up in the right places than trying to hold it up 30 yard out.

I’m not sure why both Maloney & Lowe both drop M.Smith back into a holding role when I think he’s easily the most creative player we have. If he’s moved forward I’m sure over a season he’d chip in with a few goals but he won’t get many stood in front of Aimson.

First and for most we need to stop leaking goals. It’s not just leaking them it’s the manner of those goals conceded. Wycombe’s second was straight out:-

“The Book of Amateur League Football, how to”

But I can, you can, the whole club can see the squad as a whole is a candy floss squad light in quality not numbers.

I sensed in some of the wording of Lowes post match interview that I don’t think he’s best pleased with the quality of this summers recruitment.

He subliminally mentioned the squad in his interview similar to remarks he made at Preston which we all know how that ended but I’ve got to say Lowes right. He knows he needs that touch of quality and it ain’t coming that’s for sure.

I reckon hes been forced to loan out Darcey and Mellish J.Smith before he could bring someone in and them three (and a few more tbh) were the sacrificial lambs.

It’s no were near the finished article not even close but against Wycombe (who made 11 changes) it was worse than Bolton in my eyes.

Why you might say,”That weren’t as bad as Bolton!”  But after Saturdays poor performance and result then a cup game 3 days later it was the perfect opportunity for the players to respond and a couple of fringe players to get a chance against a lesser opposition but all’s I saw was a shrug of the shoulders performance totally lacking in passion, energy and not one ounce of quality.

If we play 3 at the back and play like Saturday and Tuesday we will get tonked

At the end of the day we have a very rich owner who will not part with it. No one’s saying do a Birmingham or a Wrexham but support your manager. We need I reckon 3 decent money spent signings on 3 year deals to build round and a strong midfield unit and captain.

All over midfield look like 10st 1500m runners when really 1 or 2 should look like 14st 100m sprinters sh*thouse wall size comes to mind

As for Adeeko?, not good enough and Macca ? legend but I think he’s here for the changing room. He’ll end up as Lowes assistant at some point, watch this space

We had the perfect opportunity to enter into the last 16 and a potential money spinner something we desperately need.

Now it might just be me but, why was the scoreboard not working ? save on paying someone to operate it? no one announced the sides.

Then the shutters were closed from the concourse to certain entrances, why? save on paying a steward to man the opening.

As for the game?, worrying. That’s 6 in 2 and with an in form Cardiff on their way.

Couldn’t tackle save our lifes,

No shots on target and their keeper didn’t have to make a save. 2 corners to 8 to Wycombe shows which way the traffic was going.

I don’t know a player or manager who walks onto a field of play hoping they’d lose.

If this was the EFL Trophy granted I couldn’t care less but to get to the last 16?, for me there’s cracks appearing.

Preston fans and Plymouth fans alike pre warned us of things to come with Lowe but you kinda put that down to sour grapes but I personally feel the cracks are slowly appearing and last night’s stats were ugly against a fairly strong Latics sides no kids so to speak.

It’s mish mash style of football that I can’t get my head round and I’m not quite sure what we’re trying to achieve.

Balls going into the air in the box with no one in there to head them, utter pointless but we kept trying it over and over again with no success.

Then, the dreaded, pass forward turn go back has suddenly crept into our game.

Couple this with Saturday up at Horwich and a few away performances this season we’ve had 2 matches were I’ve thought, Jesus we could nick a play off spot only to play the likes of Leyton Orient Bolton and Wycombe and think, Jesus if we play like that we’ll be in a bottom of the table dog fight.

I’ve said it before, it’s all about consistency and we’ve exactly none. We can’t blame poor performances on injuries as every week we’ll have a min of  2-3 missing that’s football so when they are missing we have to perform better than that.

The one player who I’m less impressed with is Costelloe, I think he struggles with the physicality of the L1. He never gets the better of a centre half and always seems to be on the wrong side of the defender.

I don’t know, I’m lost, what seemed like a good plan and a side of hungry players at the beginning of the season and a brave manager is now turning into a kick n rush side that’s simply been mopped up by the opposition.

As for Wycombe? they played well, chased every ball down up till the end a super fit and hungry side.

It will be interesting to see if we go 3 at the back against Cardiff because they play 4-5-1 and they’ll flood us for sure just like Horwich.

This is all down to recruitment, our squad is not good enough. Bar Tickle I don’t see one Latics signed player who you would say, he’s exciting, he’ll go for top dollar, not one.

I was hoping Rodrigues and Asamoah would come in and show he manager why he should pick them and both sadly failed to impress.

I don’t know, I’m sat typing looking up scratching my head thinking are we a decent side just not playing well or has the cloak dropped to the floor revealing who we really are?

Juries out but if we’re to even think of a top 10 spot we have to at least look competitive against the Bolton’s Leyton Orients and Cardiff’s Saturday will tell me more. We need to turn up even if we lose just turn up

I’m sounding like a stuck record but I watched a couple of highlights of Horwich’s previous games. Duberry scored a screamer cutting in from the right the other week and Horwich fans were screaming for Gale to start more often as he had played really well when coming on.

I can only imagine Horwich’s previous opponents doubled up on the left and right because if they played 3 at the back like us they’d have had a few more 3&4-0’s.

For us to playing front foot flowing attacking football we have to have all our best players fit or ready, Kerr Carragher Saydee so adapt when their absent.

We kept going long and if Saydee had of played a few of those might have stuck.

Not only do we need our best 11 but we need 2 or 3 quality players. What we have are decent but every club needs that bit of humph that better quality to bring others on.

But the most worrying bit for me was, I had reservations about 3 at the back and highlighted it a few days before the game but Lowe wasn’t too concerned and it panned out exactly how I prayed it wouldn’t,

A tonking.

Wier does an awful lot of thankless chasing and hounding just to put pressure on his opponents but he wasn’t even on the bench which was a baffler especially with our shortage of defenders.

Luke Robinson 100% should have started and Mullin up top on his own. Robinsons a player who plays with his heart on his sleeve and at least he knows what this game meant to all us fans

Personally I liked Mellish, he was adaptable, could play in a number of positions (which is always useful)  and didn’t mind running at the opposition.

Management obviously didn’t but I’m sure he could play that sat in front of a defense far better that M.Smith who has to play more of an attacking role.

I’m not gonna repeat myself but Lowe got it wrong on two accounts

1) three at the back

2) saying it’s “Just another game”.

Rather than stoke the players up, he poured water on the fire before a flame even flickered.

I can’t think of any other manager going into a local derby grudge match coming out with a remark like that.

He still doesn’t recognise we got stiff dry rodgered especially in the first half, he’s blaming player mistakes giving soft goals away,

The majority of the mistakes I saw was of his doing, players need guidance and set your stall up, motivating, all those were missing.

Lowe got out thought and out gunned. I said this before the game, risking 3 at the back and they’ve 2 excellent widemen in Gale and Duberry was a huge huge mistake

The moment Duberry or Gale ran at us Fox or Sessengnon pulled out they left a huge gap and Adeeko and others did nothing to stop their attacks.

Had Tickle not been on it it could have easily been 6. M.Smith for me is *NOT* a holding midfield player, he’s not a Tom Naylor mopping up I’m sorry he’s playing too deep and he becomes nullified in any attack.

Maloney played him in the exact same role and got slated, now Lowes doing it it’s ok ?. I know he tackles well but playing were he does loses that clever slider pass out his game. He can still tackle you know playing more forward.

Smith yesterday needed to be in the middle behind one up top and get someone to hound in the middle again with what we’ve got I’d have stuck Wright in for Adeeko, at least he gets a toe in.

He tinkered with Wright off Adeeko in and he was a liability. There was no reason (bar a knock) Adeeko should be in after his performance against Doncaster, what message does that send out ???.

We looked better in the 2nd half because we made changes and they took their forward off and sat back.

Positives?, Raphael has to start, the lads a big tricky unit who got at Bolton, Mullin played well and so did Tickle.

Asamoah has to be in the reckoning. He is bullet fast and in behind he’d be on it.

Schumacher saw a weakness down the flanks and he fully exposed it.

I like Lowe, he’s been superb but for me he was kegged and fully exposed yesterday and what’s more worrying he was told the game plan before

Horwich games are never enjoyable to watch, I just hope we turn up. The game will be won or lost in the midfield. If we get that right like against Doncaster we’ll do well.

The key will be Lowe’s team selection. I just hope (bar knocks & bangs) he sticks with the winning formula and he doesn’t turn into the Tinkermiester.

I think there’ll be goals so I’m going for a 2-2 draw us hitting a late equaliser

I’m just looking at the betting with Bet365 were 4/1 to win but you can get 9/4 Wigan win or either 1-1 or 2-2 draw.

Wigan win both teams to score 9/1

Or

0-4 200/1 with PaddyPower

Fiver get you £1000

I think Doncaster are in a false position, bar Bradford Doncaster beat mainly lower L1 clubs.

Its a breath of fresh air watching us but the key word is consistency. We need to maintain the levels shown yesterday and the opening day.

It’s definitely a brave setup playing 6 up the top end. I’m surprised by the role Matt Smiths playing that deeper midfield role. Since his comeback we’ve seen a different style of play from him with his no nonsense tackling, it reminds me of Naylor who sat infront of the defence.

Me personally I prefer 4 at the back losing either the Smith role or play one up top but that’s me. Our setup is for sure risk & reward football. Yesterday we played fast play the ball forward thinking football with our midfield hunting like a pack of Wolves giving Doncaster zero time on the ball.

It will be very interesting to see how Lowe sets up next week up at Horwich. Will he be brave and keep that formation and potentially risk those areas wide or go belt n braces and play one up top ?.

Wright Trevitt Smith were superb playing that triangle formation, it worked really well. I don’t think Cooper Adeeko or Wier should be added, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

I was highly impressed with Costelloe’s performance. He worked his socks off giving their No12 a mare of a day. He kinda reminds me of Lang before he left were he runs and runs all day, alot of unsung work but every team needs one.

So it’s fingers crossed for next week I can’t see a 0-4 but a draw would suffice

Agree but today’s footballers are of a different breed. Were not too bad in the lower leagues as it tends to be mainly UK players hence why alot of Prem managers fall foul of some of the foreign melts.

Lowe just has to remain honest as that’s what players respect regardless whether they agree just the honesty then they know were the stand when their not in the squad on a match day.

Managers walk that that fine line in a daily basis. I’ve said this for years, the best managers aren’t Amorim and his draughts board it that manager who unites a side and can keep those not playing regular football happy.

For now Lowes got it right but he’s still in his honeymoon period. Let’s see how he manages players comes the next window