The point is that people just like to moan and have a scapegoat. Martinez was criticised for his style of play even though he won the FA Cup and kept us in the Prem for three seasons (almost four) with an ever-decreasing budget. So what chance anybody else and we’ve had six managers since Martinez (plus another two as caretakers, including Barrow three times) and every one of them has been slated by a good few posters on here.

It would not surprise me if Cook gets sacked and I would not be surprised if he stays. Six full time managers in six years would suggest that sacking managers is not always the best policy especially at a club where the options are limited in who it can attract.

This is not about expectations as a whole and been spoilt, thats just are history and we did it on the smallest budget in the Prem.
This debate is about our current manager and players. I feel that with the correct guy in charge who decides not to keep fookin launching it to the big guy we should have no problem at finishing mid table.

We could do with a guy who never says I’ve not a clue, a guy who doesnt blame the fans for expecting too much someone who has the balls to win a game when its there on a plateau. A guy who’s not scared of dropping his favorite players when their playing sh1t.

We won the FA Cup on a dream a far bigger dream than staying in the Championship. If you feel staying in the Championship is asking too much especially after watching us against some of the big clubs in this league then you should pack in going.
Saturdays performance all be it against a good side was still spineless. We can’t change the squad till Jan but we can change the manager.
I don’t see many defending him now because there’s nothing to defend[/quote]

And the manager responsible for winning the FA Cup was also criticised for his style of play.

Poor performances happen and as disappointing as that was yesterday it bothers me less than those recent games when we’ve played well but don’t see out games and drop points. It’s those games which show up our deficiencies more than anything that went on yesterday. We can’t defend because our defence is not good enough and we can’t score for the same reason.
And I hope Moore has apologised to Gelhardt for that reckless challenge which had it been committed by a Brentford player Latics fans would have been demanding a sending off.

There were enough crosses into the box yesterday but he never gets on the end of them.

Cook reminds me of another ex-player who went onto manage the club. This guy against all the odds won our greatest ever honour as a football club, yet was still labelled a clown by some. Truth is Vince, we could have Pep or Klopp in charge, yet some wont be happy.[/quote]

Whilst Cook is nowhere near the standard of Martinez as a manager I’m in full agreement with your sentiments.

If that was directed at me I think you need to read again what I said.

Had we had a similar record at home maybe we could put it down to luck but it’s obvious his tactics on the road are totally useless. Derby were bad last night and there to be beaten but he was never going to go for it and take a risk. To me it appears he is happy with a point away every game but he forgets we concede too many coupled with his negativity up front means it always backfires and we lose again and again and again.[/quote]

The thing is there are folk on here saying we were unlucky last night and have argued we’ve been unlucky in many of the other 22 games we’ve lost away since the start of last season. At some point there has to be a realisation that it isn’t just down to bad luck. Maybe resignation has set, expecting the worst, a mental block, a habit that can’t be shaken off. Cook seems incapable of reversing that and so nothing changes. And it’s not necessarily a fault of his team selections, how it’s set up or the style of play. Last season he achieved his objective, but only just. The expectation this season is to see improvement, especially after money has been spent, but those same failings are still evident and an inability to correct those failing will be his downfall.

I suppose you have to be of a certain age to be infected with this abject hatred of Bolton Wanderers.

In truth Wigan Athletic has never had a long-standing rivalry with any football club. We had enemies back in our non-league days who were for the most part left behind in 1978. Locking horns with Bolton only started in the early to mid-eighties. Granted this escalated for the next decade or so, plenty of time I suppose for it to develop into the vitriol now being shown by some on here. For me – being of a certain age – the loathing is superficial so I’d like to think I can look at Bolton’s plight in less passionate way.

Latics may be unique in the football world in that our longest protracted rivalry has been with a club playing a different sport. And we’ve good reason to consider them to be the greater thorn in our side. Whatever resentment Bolton may have thrown our way it does not compare with the long-established put-downs, patronising, and lack of empathy shown towards us by both rugby fans themselves and the club itself, especially when we ourselves were struggling to survive.

There may well be a good amount of satisfaction had in seeing Bolton struggle and much resentment that they have escaped expulsion but we as a small-town football club surrounded by big city teams need to be careful what we wish for. All clubs need a rival and preferably one that we can actually play now and again. Without that football is less appealing and the requirement to despise someone can no longer be satisfied.

Who knows how long our current owners will stick around until the interest wanes? It may be our turn someday.