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The way he mentioned Cook, Richardson and Martinez days…said we are nowhere near that. I wonder if that was because:
A. Someone from the club has said they expect us to be higher/doing better.
Or
B. He is disappointed that he hasnt been given more backing by the owner/board.
Also on Saturday, he said they will look at and assess the Wycombe game on the Monday. Previously, he’s come out and said he would have them in to look at things after a defeat, on the Sunday. I wonder if his previous comments upset some of the squad and words were had?
He mentioned being unhappy with a few things around the training ground, players not putting things away and things like that. Get a bloody fines list drawn up, and stick to it. I have Ryan Lowe down as a ‘taking no shit’ type of gaffer. I think Maloney was too soft, probably trying to be their pal and some players may have got away with murder. But they won’t with Lowe. Could there have been a clash? Yes, I think so.
I’m backing Lowe. But I don’t know how much he will put up with before he thinks “fck this!” A club where the chairman is distant and has questionable real interest in the club, a possibly toxic dressing room, having to work with Rioch looking over his shoulder, and an absolute piss-poor fanbase offering little vocal backing. There’s no atmosphere. Saturday actually convinced me that no matter what we claim, it IS a bloody rugby town. I was near the arena tonight (Monday) and a large queue was snaking round the car park. I asked what was going on? And someone said “Andy Farrell” looking at me like I was cracked. Ive no idea what he was doing there, but he was drawing a decent crowd for someone who left there years ago. If Latics had an ex player like that at an event, 2 men and a dog would turn up. Any momentum that the club had, is well gone. It might take years to get anything like that.
I listen to the ‘Stick To Football’ podcast with Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Ian Wright, Roy Keane and Jill Scott.
They were discussing the wing back thing and United failing with it. Neville was saying he wouldn’t have been able to play as a wing back as you have to be a specific type of player. You need that positional awareness so as WHEN to commit yourself forward, as well as the ability to guard that space behind you as well, so you don’t leave gaps. He said he would be lost because you haven’t got the player in front of you to play in, like with a midfielder or winger om front of you. I think he’s nailed it bang on.
Hungbo is NOT a left wing back. He isn’t that great at taking people on, and he is prone to leaving a big space on behind him that one of our centre backs then has to come over and cover, leaving more spaces and our shape collapsed. Murray isn’t a brilliant wing back either, although Kilmarnock supporters have told me he did play the role there, at times.
I don’t like 3 at the back. I’m all in favour of a back 4. A solid back 4. Then I’d have a CDM in between the defence and the midfield, to tighten things up. (We did it years ago with David Perkins, if you recall)
Teams that control the midfield, tend to win games. We aren’t creating anything for the strikers. Mullin will put chances away, but he has to he given them. Costelloe will come good as well, I am convinced.
As Ive said previously though, the body language of the players is very alarming. Something has definitely happened behind the scenes.
<p style=”text-align: right;”></p>Cup Winners….
Mate, you’ve saved me a long post. I came on here to post practically the SAME things.
There is definitely something NOT right in the club at all. Something has gone on behind the scenes, some clash, some disagreement. Its obvious. The first I noticed was at Bolton. And whilst it was a god awful day on the pitch, I noticed a big difference in Lowe’s demeanour and body language that day as well. And the players looked the polar opposite of what they had the previous weekend against Doncaster. What the hell happened that week? There is definitely some toxicity in the club.
Yesterday, I was giving the Wycombe game a lot of thought and I’ve come to the conclusion that the same players that sold Shaun Maloney down the river, are attempting to do the same to Ryan Lowe. I could name names, but I won’t. Just compare Saturday’s line up to the last line ups Maloney fielded, and you’ll soon see what players they are. Some have said that the players are unhappy with the intensity of Lowe’s training. Well, apparently they didn’t train that intense with Maloney. So what is it? Are they just a bunch of lazy bastards? Do we have a bad bunch? Or is it 2 or 3 bad apples ruining the bunch?
These fuckers will continue ruin managers, no matter how many times we chop and change them. Ive come to the conclusion that it is NOT Ryan Lowe where the problem is. And it wasn’t Shaun Maloney either.
I also think that Lowe has had some kind of clash with the powers that be at the club. For him to come out and mention by name previous managers, Cook, Richardson, and Martinez the way he did, 3 managers who had different levels of success, but were well backed by the then owners, and for him to say we are nowhere near the play offs and won’t be for a while, well, I think that was aimed at the club, more than the supporters. I think someone has said to him they expect us to be higher up the league, going for promotion, and he has responded honestly as he feels we are where we currently are, and he would need more backing for us to achieve that. This is how I have taken it, anyway. I think Ryan Lowe is a really honest, heart on sleeve, kind of bloke. He is still having to try and put round pegs in square holes, and having to make do with the players we have. The squad still has players in it who shouldn’t be here. We’ve thrown a contract at a player who was past it 2 or 3 seasons ago. We are also still picking a player who was free to leave in the summer, just because we are THAT short in depth.
The reality is, we need to ship players out, in January, but also bring in players to keep the squad up. But getting shut of some of these players is not easy at all. I think we need to see what happens in January, and basically see this season out…just stay in this division. Then give Lowe the summer to chop and change things. Then, if we aren’t top 8 by Christmas NEXT year, we would have to think again. I think if we can do that, itll be similar to what Jewell was given when he inherited a messed up mish-mash in 2001.
I absolutely nail my flag to the mast when I say that Ryan Lowe is NOT the problem. And neither was Shaun Maloney. Add to everything Ive said the fact they’ve got a supposed ‘Director Of Football’ looking over their shoulder and its not the best place to manage, either.
It’s just disappointing that we are in a real mess. I really hope Lowe doesn’t do anything silly and walk if we lose again on Saturday. He is that type who would, as he showed at Preston. I honestly think that if he is backed by the owner and board, he can do well with us. But as I say, a few things will have to change and he needs time to do that.
If you concede goals so easy, but fail to score goals yourself, you are only going to end up going in one direction.
What has happened since we beat Doncaster 3 nil? We got totally smashed at Bolton, and myself and a lot of us just thought “ah, a really bad day at the office”. But its continued. The players just look so ‘off it’, and its worrying.
Has something gone on behind the scenes? Some fall out? Some disagreement? Has Lowe lost the dressing room? Is it a toxic dressing room? Who are the leaders in the squad? Because I am not seeing leaders out there during games. We lack steel and guile.
Something clearly isn’t right at all? Lowe’s comments…rant…tonight that we are nowhere near the days of ‘Cook, Richardson and Martinez’, is really worrying. For a manager to come out and reference former managers…could you have imagined Sir Alex Ferguson, when he was struggling at first, coming out and saying “we are nowhere near the Busby, Docherty or Atkinson days”? No chance. I am amazed Ryan Lowe came out and did that. Has he been told he has some pressure on him from inside the club? And when he said about us being “nowhere near the play offs this season”…well, as its a piss poor standard League One, I think he is playing a risky card there. He’s brought in around 7 or 8 of today’s squad and all things considered, and even taking into account he is still having to work with a lot of Maloney’s signings, we really SHOULD have more ambition than that. So is he saying these players are not upto it? Not good enough? I was shocked at his comments. And if I was a player hearing that, I’d be thinking the gaffer has no faith in us.
Was it a comment more to do with self-preservation? Is he under pressure from the owner, or board? Have words been said after Bolton? Is there any truth in dressing room unrest? Apparently players unhappy at the intense training. Are there bad apples in the squad? I believe our players ARE fitter than they were under Maloney. Ive heard they train a lot harder than they did under Maloney. Are they lazy f***ers? Maybe we just have a bad bunch. Personally, I dont like the character make up of this squad. Where are the leaders? Where is the Kavanagh? The McCulloch? The De Zeeuw? The Jackson? Players who would run through a brick wall for the cause. Players who would drag each other through the mire in games. We haven’t got them. Kerr is not a skipper…not in my mind. We haven’t got any gobshites in the squad. They’re too clean, too honest, too soft. Too many teams out battle us. We are too small as a squad.
We are in big trouble here, I’m sorry to say. If it is more down to the players than the manager, I hope that if he pays with his job, he comes out and calls players out. We’ve a squad here that will keep losing managers their job. We almost had that with Paul Jewell…and but for Whelan ‘having a word’, Jewell would have been another managerial casualty. That was years ago, I know. But have we a chairman now who will step in and ‘have a word’ if need be? Or has someone already been critical of the manager? He hasnt seemed himself at all. His body language and comments after Bolton, were a big surprise. And its been like that since.
Something is amiss.
Ive been to a couple of the rugby games on free tickets. My lad plays rugby so we go so he can learn from it. He played football, but parents are absolute tossers, so he ended up going to Rugby. I dont mind. But U16s rugby is rough as hell at times. Especially when we face a St Helens team. Theyre mouthy and it usually kicks off somehow. We had a 26 lad punch up a few weeks back that resulted in 3 Reds, a sin bin, and a massive inquest.
But back to Warriors. We sat in the North Stand (our away end) at the Castleford game. They’d brought about 85-120 fans. No segregation. Late on in the game, the banter went too far and some of them and some Wiganers started scrapping at the top of the stand. People say there’s no trouble at Rugby…yes there is.
My dad used to work with a guy who drove coaches and mini buses of a weekend. He took Wigan rugby fans allover and was forever waiting for them to get out the nick after trouble had kicked off.
Oh and just to say, the away end concourse is a mess. It’s been smashed to bits by away fans. Probably that lot from over the hill.
Joe Ralls…
Was Cardiff Captain up until the summer. Central midfielder. Solid. Played around 20 games for them last season in the Championship. He’s 31/32. I find it criminal hes not been picked up by a club.
For me, he could do a good job for us for a season or two. A solid, experienced player.
I honestly think he’s worth a phone call and a conversation. But then again, maybe we should give Ollie Cooper a start?
I honestly think we decided to bow out the competition. I’m serious. Nobody would ever admit it, but I reckon we did.
I’m not really bothered myself. This squad is still very short and its not strong enough for a cup run. I’d sooner have 3 points on Saturday.
With a fit squad, defenders and Saydee and 4 at the back that game would have been a it tighter. 2 have 3 of your main players out then go 3 at back made no sense what so ever But Adeeko? He got in before Wright who’d played well the week before and Cooper who when all said and done is an international player that for me was a bonkers moment. We should have started 1 up top and for me 5 in the middle 4 at the back and doubled up on their wingers and without compromising the middle of the park. Wright in the middle L.Robinson at the back belt & braces football against, let’s face it a better side. Adeeko should be no more than a bit time player for me he’s a liability .If we’re to progress then we need better midfielders on from the start and right now either Wright or Cooper should start. Rodrigues has to 1 million percent start. I saw enough in that 45 minutes to think with minutes he’d improve massively. Also Asamoah Jr his pace alone can scare the shit out of any opposition so hopefully we see the pair tonight along with Cooper
I honestly don’t get what anyone sees in Adeeko. Ive had it put to me that there is some ‘loyalty’ shown to him as he is an academy product and ‘we need to keep showing that’.
Bollocks. We dont if he is shite. And to me, he is no better than Scot Smith who was shown the door, or Jensen Weir who has cone in for some criticism recently. Someone at the club loves Adeeko…but Ive no idea why exactly? He stealing a wage as far as I’m concerned. McManaman was another wasted wage as well. It was a Cronyistic decision to give him another year.
We do get stuck on certain players and certain players names at Wigan. We did years ago with Kevin Langley. People talked like he was a world beater when he came back to us. No, he wasn’t. And neither is McManaman. He was a cheap filler of a squad space.
We better play well on Saturday….
I want us to go 442 on Saturday, like we finished the game on Saturday.
We need to strip it back to basics. Solid back 4, Sess or Carra right back, Aimson/Fox and Kerr/Fox centre backs, Robinson/Fox at left back. A solid midfield. I’d put Smith and Wright in the midfield centre, Murray right, Hungbo left.
Mullin and Saydee up front.
Subs. The keeper, Trevitt, Costelloe, either of the defenders who aren’t playing, Weir, McManaman.
Adeeko wouldn’t even be on the bench. Aimson and Hungbo only really get in because we haven’t got that many other options. We are still too light and short. Still crying out for an experienced figure..a leader. We all saw it on Saturday.
Let’s have it in the open, they played like they’d been out on the piss on Friday night.
I will say it and say it again…Joe Ralls would’ve been worth a call and a conversation. 15 years at Cardiff, played about 20 games for them last season before being released in the summer. Still only 31/32. Still without a club. Always been solid when hes played us in the past. I was disappointed we didn’t bring Power back, and then thought we might get Ryan Ledson. We didn’t. We just need some solid experience in the centre. That’s my opinion. Someone to get their foot on the ball and be calm. Smith was looking for that player when he was robbed for their third goal.
We are still so limited with our scouting and player acquisition. The realisation on Saturday that how much Bolton have come out of Admin and are thriving again. We aren’t. We still seem….limited? Having been to the rugby as well as Latics, there’s a buzz around Warriors that we haven’t got at Latics. We feel like a sideshow in comparison. Many have felt like this previously, but after Saturday, it really made me think. It opened my eyes. We get players on loan from same level clubs….Bolton had players from Premier league, top of Championship and France. The realisation that in many ways we are still treading water…it alarms me. We cant carry on with the ‘lucky to have a club’ mindset. I refuse to. Its a piss poor excuse now. Its time we shaped ourself as a club again.
Ive still high hopes of what Lowe can achieve with us, but Saturday was a massive kick in the bollocks. He still needs to be busy in January (3 or 4 still needed) and as things stand, unless we have a really strong finish in the second hald of the season, we will finish about 12th at most. We are a 2 steps forward, 3 steps back type of team at the moment. A Bet Killer. Can win 3 nil one week, lose 3 nil the next. And that gets you nowhere.
Just had a fantastic flashback to about 1987. In the club shop after a game where we lost. Everybody could hear Ray Mathias going absolutely nuts at the players and Bobby Campbell having a go back. Honestly, I remember it so clearly. Ray came across as calm and collected…quite similar to Lowe. But obviously could also combust when needed.
I hope Ryan Lowe has combusted at them on Sunday and Momday and then moved us on with prep for Saturday.
Never has a post, or indeed a thread, been so undone by a lack of a performance.
If our squad is ‘good’, then Bolton must be potential champions!
Our squad is still bare and bereft of quality. Bolton have recruited very well, whilst we are still limited. Yesterday showed that. Where is our Forss? Or our Crozier-Duberry? Players on loan from the Premier League.
I was shocked at how good they were, and how bad we were.
I like the Saydee signing and I think Lowe will bring in Mullin to play off him. Add to that the pace threat of Asamoah Jr, and things will start to look up, strikers wise.
I don’t know much about Fraser Murray, but what I’ve heard, he sounds promising. I certainly think Lowe has a few irons in the fire, so to speak. I’ve actually got a great feeling about Saydee and also Mullins. If we can get him firing again, it could be the goals to fire us to promotion.
I totally trust Ryan Lowe. I think that his way of thinking is not to different from most of us. Certainly, 2 up front and whilst wanting to be entertaining, he also wants a result at the end of the build up play.
I’ve a feeling that we will have a very good season.
I’ll be honest, I’m a bit concerned how quiet things are recruitment wise. I’m also concerned and how the club have bigged up the signing of a new contract for the young goalkeepers, and the offer of an extension to McManaman. Plus the only new arrival so far is a freebie who was out of contract.
I’ve genuinely believed the manager will be backed this summer, but as of yet, I’m not massively convinced. Are we going to try and do it on the cheap again, or will we spend a bit of money?
They’re constantly pushing season tickets, and despite what they may say, I reckon uptake will have been ‘cautious’. Nobody I know have renewed yet and there’s 4 of us here not renewed yet. I want to see some ambition and some canny signings. Whether it’s Ryan Lowe being calm and collected, and waiting until July 1st to rubber stamp deals, I’ve no idea. But the whole thing is reeking of us being tight as cramp once again.
Hope I’m wrong.
He was in Liverpool Crown Court on Friday and even though his solicitor tried to get him a suspended sentence, the judge wasn’t having it and sent him to jail for 28 months.
I also couldn’t believe it, Jason, having met him on a few occasions. I would never have thought him like that. I had thought him of good character. Just shows you.
I do feel sorry for his family, none of it is their fault and I hope they continue to follow Latics. They shouldn’t be judged by his actions.
Going off the last 2 games…
Saturday was a breath of fresh air. It reminded me of the Springfield Park days off about 1998, trailing but always confident we could still get something from the game. And we did. Under Maloney we would’ve lost that game.
First game I’ve actually really enjoyed in a long time. No sideways and backwards passing, we attacked, were more direct, played at a quicker tempo. But it’s like we are trying to play Voodo Chile on an acoustic. We are limited and stuck with what we’ve got. Maloney and Rioch have assembled the worst squad we have ever had. How Lowe is going to get rid of some of these, I’ve no idea.Onto Tuesday and I felt quite confident we could get a result. But when I saw the lineup I was wondering if we would or not. Not sure why McHugh started. The midfield was woefully inadequate. Scott Smith is not good enough. Nowhere near. McHugh? I don’t know. Not seen enough of him. Norburn if he was any good, he would be in Blackpools team. (Just thinking as well he will be illegible when we play them, so better get someone fit and quick!)
Jonny Smith is shite on the left, he’s much better on the right. But Lowe seems to like an orthodox winger.First half last night and it was anybody game. Second half, Bolton had the edge. They were poor, as we were, but I think they edged it. I said I could see them nicking it, with 10 mins left.
3 games in and I’m hearing people calling for Lowes head. Unbelievable. What a club. Ffs