Latics v Colchester

[steveoafc]

Poor match imo, granted against an awkward side, but that performance won't bring the fans flocking back.

The 2nd half was dire, we had no control and resorted as usual to lumping it forward. We don't seem to have a plan B.

 

We concede the usual free header from a free kick given away by winchester who had just been caught pissing about on the ball and losing possession.

We never passed the ball 2nd half and you could have written the script. Let's hope the casual fans return and give us another chance.

 

All in all ...disappointing performance.

[BP1960]

The pairing of Winchester and Adeyemi must be one of the weakest I have seen in all my years of watching the Latics - and there's been plenty of them.

In the second half neither hardly touched the ball, ventured forward, or put in a tackle.

It's no use saying PD had no alternatives, that's what's the loan market is for, look how well Wycombe used it last week with the excellent signing of Paul Hayes.

If no one is brought in I would be tempted to bring Diamond back in central defence and throw Tarkowski into midfield, at least he has a bit of power.

It's alarming to how many legs go after 60 minutes, something can't be right with the training methods if the majority can't last 90 minutes.

Colchester despite a long coach trip looked far sharper as the game progressed.

Well done though Mvoto, Tarkowski, Lee, Morais and Marsh Brown, the rest should ask themselves a lot of questions.

Edited February 28, 2012 by BP1960

[Gaz_Oafc]

I dont see the brilliant keeper in cisak that everybody else does. Decent shot stopper but theres too many nervy moments for me. Got away with a couple tonight where a dodgy free kick was given that got him out of trouble (one ended up in the net)

 

Winchester is far to slow on the ball, gets closed down and invites pressure on the rest of the team, and everything he does is either sideways or backwards, nowhere near first team standard IMO!

 

Mellor kept giving the ball away and getting caught out of position

 

Adeyemi went missing

 

Lee, marsh-brown, morais (my MOM) and tarky all played well

[rigsby]

count to 10 and breathe...

there thats better.

 

Yes i went,yes it was sh1t,yes i was not suprised.

Oh Dickov trying his best to prove me right with a diabolical substitution proving his cluelessness once again.

BTW corney,you say the players are getting p1ssed off with playing infront of low crowds,well,get this i for one am fecked off with watching the likes of that tonight.

 

The worst thing about all this is this is as good as its going to get for oldham athletic,only way from here is downhill

 

1987-1995 was the time,and we are not ever going to see the likes again at BP,im glad i saw the glory days now as i have some superb memories.

Gutted.

[rigsby]

I dont see the brilliant keeper in cisak that everybody else does. Decent shot stopper but theres too many nervy moments for me. Got away with a couple tonight where a dodgy free kick was given that got him out of trouble (one ended up in the net)

 

Winchester is far to slow on the ball, gets closed down and invites pressure on the rest of the team, and everything he does is either sideways or backwards, nowhere near first team standard IMO!

 

Mellor kept giving the ball away and getting caught out of position

 

Adeyemi went missing

 

Lee, marsh-brown, morais (my MOM) and tarky all played well

agreed,apart from cisak who has saved our asses many times this season.

Forget about anyone with a shred of footballing ability staying at this club.I expect morais to go at the end of the season for one.

[danoafc]

 

Winchester is far to slow on the ball, gets closed down and invites pressure on the rest of the team, and everything he does is either sideways or backwards, nowhere near first team standard IMO!

 

Adeyemi went missing

 

 

 

Winchester had a poor game tonight but he was effectively playing on his own in midfield tonight cos Adeyemi was utterly anonymous.

 

Simpson was another who was MIA for much of the second half as witnessed late on when Kuqi was chasing down a punt upfield. Was stood scratching his arse in his own half!

[oafcprozac]

Winchester had a poor game tonight but he was effectively playing on his own in midfield tonight cos Adeyemi was utterly anonymous.

 

Simpson was another who was MIA for much of the second half as witnessed late on when Kuqi was chasing down a punt upfield. Was stood scratching his arse in his own half!

 

I think if Colchester had anything to play for they would have hammered us, they were better in every department. Bigger, fitter and stronger - ok I know that although the breaks have been put on somewhat at The Weston Homes Stadium, they still have the remnants of a pricey squad and it showed. They dominated the first-half hour and should have been in front, then we had a good go and could have been easily an extra goal up at HT. The second-half even before Dickov's crap substitution was leading to an equaliser, but when it came it was bloody awful, from young Carl dwelling on the ball then committing the foul, the ref allowing to be taken ten yards closer to goal than it was, Alex only wanting one in the wall and despite this their lad gets a free header in and it's all square, a cock-up of all concerned. Dickov dropped a bollock with the sub, it should have been Kuqi who was taken off. Sill, it is usually a manky game against Colchester and a point takes us nearer our goal of 52 points and survival for another year at this level.

 

As for the crowd, the RRE was far busier than in recent times, The Main Stand Upper lot seemingly moved downstairs to carpet bag their cheap tickets, and the CRE looked a bit busier. I thought there was a good 4,500 there. The only trouble with the stayaways coming back is the moaning twats, calling Cisak a Knob, Carl a :censored:ing prick etc…… yes we made mistakes but they're young lads that don't deserve abuse like that!

 

 

Cisak - Nothing to do, thought the disallowed goal was generous. Takes his share of the blame for a one wall for the set-piece

Lee - Too much hoofing tonight, and their winger did him time and again

M'Voto - looked strong in the air, clumsy on the deck and disappeared for the goal

Tarky - Another good performance, like his partner though badly caught out for the goal

Mellor - Like Lee, struggled to cope with a lively wide player

Morais - Great for an hour, tracked back a real threat then faded badly when Col U switched things around

Adeyemi - His worst performance in a Latics shirt

Winchester - Passing was off and left too many gaps, pisspoor decision making for the FK that led to the goal

KMB - Shocking miss but our main outlet, made up with it by being in the right place at the right time

Simpson - Although his corner led to the goal, I thought he had a poor night

Kuqi - Customary miss when in a good position, but worked hard. Faded late on his lack of pace meant he couldn't take advantage of 2 or 3 good positions

 

Smith - Offered Very Little

 

As one of his biggest critics, we missed Taylor's ability to slow the game down by winning free-kicks all over the shop, but even more we missed a midfield. Like before MK Dons I'm predicting a right old tatering at Bramall Lane if we go with that midfield. I thought young Carl would be a great option in there but against mid-table fodder, albeit big and strong we were anonymous in the middle of the park. Against genuine promotion candidates, we may not get off so lightly. Don't know what we do to get someone decent in but it is becoming a necessity. We have got away with it somewhat at home but with Sheff Utd, Stevenage, Dale, Hartlepool, Notts County, Sheff Wed and Bury to come away we need to get some steel and guile in there.

 

 

As for Dickov? :censored:ing crazy sub, you're playing a team of big-lumps - you have the one player on the park with skill, pace and able to get in behind yet you sub him for a big lump and play reet into their hands. Poor show….

[the_mighty_bosh]

I dont see the brilliant keeper in cisak that everybody else does. Decent shot stopper but theres too many nervy moments for me. Got away with a couple tonight where a dodgy free kick was given that got him out of trouble (one ended up in the net)

 

Earlier in the season I thought he looked very comfortable when it came to dealing with crosses, communicating with his back four and reading the game/flight of ball. The games that spring to mind are MK at home and Charlton, but thinking about it now the cb pairing for those games were Clarke and Diamond. While Clarke isn't needed as he would be 4th choice if here and Mvoto and Tarky have done well recently, I'm sure that Cisak would be more assured with a more experienced player in the back four.

[oafc-latics]

it wasnt that we played particularly badly, it was just boring..

 

against tranmere there was a bit of effort but the game flew by with barely anything happening and we seemed to expect to hold on.

 

marsh-brown was poor for me, yes he got the goal but he missed a sitter and we'd have been talking about a fourth home win on the trot if he'd scored it.

 

with the amount of players we've got out it was a decent draw and we're becoming hard to beat at home, but for the first time in the while i was genuinely bored at a match instead of annoyed if we lose or even enjoying a match

[the_mighty_bosh]

agreed,apart from cisak who has saved our asses many times this season.

Forget about anyone with a shred of footballing ability staying at this club.I expect morais to go at the end of the season for one.

 

Tbh I think that Morais will be one of the few out of contract players who might actually stay, too talented for a lower level team but too inconsistent for a higher level one. Although saying that a few weeks ago I actually thought we would release Morais in May for not being good enough!

 

Unfortunately I can see the majority of the key out of contract first teamers leaving in the summer too.

[beag_teeets]

A point is a point.

 

Wasn't great but for spells we were a decent side, only a matter of time until we scored in the first half, could have done with the second but sadly it didn't come.

 

Dickov said that if you take Kuqi out of the side the average age is 21, with that you get inexperience and sadly that is what cost us tonight. Winchester in only his second game for a while made a couple of bad decisions when a wiser head would have z row'd it. Poor making from the free kick and 2 points gone.

 

What we have to do is learn from it, no point slaughtering the kid, would be good for him to be making these mistakes in the reserves but we need him in the first team. Mentally he hasn't quite made the step up to first team football yet, it'll come. Same as Mellor, I've said all along that he isn't a full back but he has a left foot so he has to do there. A couple of times he drifted inside and if it wasn't for Morais good work tracking back and putting in a great shift defensively we'd have been caught out on a few times.

 

On the other hand, Tarky does not look out of place in the side or at this level, one of the highlights of the last few games, a massive plus for us, get him signed up on a long term contract!

 

Him and big Jean are starting to develop a partnership, this takes time and despite us missing Diamond's experience at the back I wouldn't break this partnership up at the moment.

 

Lee had a good game, I'd hate to be a winger coming up against him, he really has got that full back position worked out, gets forward well too, always willing to do so.

 

Keanu Marsh Brown has quick tricky feet, beats himself as often as he beats the man but he's a bums on seats player. Him on one side and Morais, in this form on the other will get us goals. Keanu should have had a brace tonight, one more pace round the sprawling keeper and he would have done but when a keeper is spreading himself infront of you the target looks very small and the keeper looks very big.

 

Which brings me to the front 2. Kuqi is one of our best midfielders at the minute, always making himself available for the ball, sadly this is usually just outside our box! He's playing too deep which is costing us up top. Can not fault his work rate but I wish he did more of his work in the other half. Simmo carried on his bad spell from Saturday, just not happening for the lad. Some good set piece deliveries, some bad. Again, work rate is there but just lacking that spark.

 

Overall, shame about the two points, but we hung on for the one, many a latics side wouldn't have even done that, for such a young side to do that is a massive plus. The conditions were bad, made for pinging it across the deck and when we did that we were bossing it. We also pinged some lovely long range cross field balls and spread the play nicely.

 

I was surprised by the substitution, not watch Dickov's interview but seen on here that Keanu had taken a knock, I suppose there was too long left on the clock to risk Reid and we are a bit thin on the ground player wise. Mustn't forget our first choice central midfield are both out.

 

We deserved the three points, on another night we'd have got them.

[rudemedic]

Cisak did get very lucky with the one that ended up in the net, however, the ref was consistent and gave a foul for them in similar circumstances. Plus from my position behind the goal it looked like maybe the bloke who put the ball in the net (for their disallowed goal) was offside as he seemed closer to the goal-line than Cisak was when he tapped it in.

 

Apparently (via Matt Chambers on twitter) KMB was knackered, but that doesn't make it the right substitution. If he wasn't going to put Burns on- why have him on the bench, plus what's up with Parker- as he wasn't even on the bench (or was he the one who Dickov was talking about when he bad mouthed the tracking back after the Dons).

 

In the first half they weren't a team of big lumps- we were bigger than them for the set-pieces, however, every sub their manager made resulted in someone taller coming on. The other thing we didn't do after the substitution was leave someone up when defending set-pieces, unlike in the first half when we left KMB who scared them with his pace. If they are bigger than you its a good way to ensure at least one of their big men has to stay back if you leave a few up.

 

Also I wonder about their late arrival as they seemed to actually improve as the game went on, and they had a 5 minute (at least) warm up session before the start of the second half, which may have played a part in their lively start to the second half.

[losesome]

Got to be the weakest midfield in the entire FL.

 

Anybody now think Mellor is better at LB than Black !!!!!!

Answers on a stamp please.

 

Mr Dickov - It's been staring you in the face since early December -

One ball winner and one Midfielder that can pass a ball forward please , otherwise a long season still lies ahead.

[stargazer]

KMB was tired ??? you see the speed he left the pitch.

 

Mellor & Winchester do not look like first team players to me ,not at the moment anyway.

 

This farce with Furman missing one game , then another , then another is not helping one bit.

[JoeP]

it wasnt that we played particularly badly, it was just boring..

 

against tranmere there was a bit of effort but the game flew by with barely anything happening and we seemed to expect to hold on.

 

marsh-brown was poor for me, yes he got the goal but he missed a sitter and we'd have been talking about a fourth home win on the trot if he'd scored it.

 

with the amount of players we've got out it was a decent draw and we're becoming hard to beat at home, but for the first time in the while i was genuinely bored at a match instead of annoyed if we lose or even enjoying a match

 

I don't think we played badly for this level, but can do better.

 

That said, I always think not being at our best and picking up points is the sign of a good team. For the last three games, we've matched whatever the opposition has had to offer. Once we get Wes and Furman back, we'll hopefully play well and pick up even more points. We could also do with Kuqi sorting his head out - the weekly tantrum is getting a bit embarrassing for someone of his experience.

 

Spot on with the boring comment - have a season ticket for the first time after moving up north and am finding the transition from someone who attended mainly away games to mainly attending home games a difficult one. The games just seem to last forever.

 

I think Sheffield United will be a more interesting game for players and fans alike.

[welshgaz]

A point is a point.

 

Wasn't great but for spells we were a decent side, only a matter of time until we scored in the first half, could have done with the second but sadly it didn't come.

 

Dickov said that if you take Kuqi out of the side the average age is 21, with that you get inexperience and sadly that is what cost us tonight. Winchester in only his second game for a while made a couple of bad decisions when a wiser head would have z row'd it. Poor making from the free kick and 2 points gone.

 

What we have to do is learn from it, no point slaughtering the kid, would be good for him to be making these mistakes in the reserves but we need him in the first team. Mentally he hasn't quite made the step up to first team football yet, it'll come. Same as Mellor, I've said all along that he isn't a full back but he has a left foot so he has to do there. A couple of times he drifted inside and if it wasn't for Morais good work tracking back and putting in a great shift defensively we'd have been caught out on a few times.

 

On the other hand, Tarky does not look out of place in the side or at this level, one of the highlights of the last few games, a massive plus for us, get him signed up on a long term contract!

 

Him and big Jean are starting to develop a partnership, this takes time and despite us missing Diamond's experience at the back I wouldn't break this partnership up at the moment.

 

Lee had a good game, I'd hate to be a winger coming up against him, he really has got that full back position worked out, gets forward well too, always willing to do so.

 

Keanu Marsh Brown has quick tricky feet, beats himself as often as he beats the man but he's a bums on seats player. Him on one side and Morais, in this form on the other will get us goals. Keanu should have had a brace tonight, one more pace round the sprawling keeper and he would have done but when a keeper is spreading himself infront of you the target looks very small and the keeper looks very big.

 

Which brings me to the front 2. Kuqi is one of our best midfielders at the minute, always making himself available for the ball, sadly this is usually just outside our box! He's playing too deep which is costing us up top. Can not fault his work rate but I wish he did more of his work in the other half. Simmo carried on his bad spell from Saturday, just not happening for the lad. Some good set piece deliveries, some bad. Again, work rate is there but just lacking that spark.

 

Overall, shame about the two points, but we hung on for the one, many a latics side wouldn't have even done that, for such a young side to do that is a massive plus. The conditions were bad, made for pinging it across the deck and when we did that we were bossing it. We also pinged some lovely long range cross field balls and spread the play nicely.

 

I was surprised by the substitution, not watch Dickov's interview but seen on here that Keanu had taken a knock, I suppose there was too long left on the clock to risk Reid and we are a bit thin on the ground player wise. Mustn't forget our first choice central midfield are both out.

 

We deserved the three points, on another night we'd have got them.

Great post. Don't agree with the last sentence as I didn't think we did enough second half to warrant the 3

[beag_teeets]

The scene outside the RRE before kick-off:

 

 

Hopefully some of them come back.

[rudemedic]

I don't think we played badly for this level, but can do better.

 

That said, I always think not being at our best and picking up points is the sign of a good team. For the last three games, we've matched whatever the opposition has had to offer. Once we get Wes and Furman back, we'll hopefully play well and pick up even more points. We could also do with Kuqi sorting his head out - the weekly tantrum is getting a bit embarrassing for someone of his experience.

 

Spot on with the boring comment - have a season ticket for the first time after moving up north and am finding the transition from someone who attended mainly away games to mainly attending home games a difficult one. The games just seem to last forever.

 

I think Sheffield United will be a more interesting game for players and fans alike.

 

This is $64,000 question, Wes will be lucky to be fit for the rest of the season and Furman's injury is dragging on a bit. I can see both of them being snapped up in the close season (both are out of contract aren't they). If they play together for Oldham again aside from a meaningless game against a team who might be trying to earn a play-off spot I will be surprised and actually disappointed as both should be playing at a higher level.

[rosa]

Horrible weather. Horrible conditions. Horrible fans who shouted "rubbish" about every 4 seconds (yes it was but you need a :censored:ing thesaurus) & whose idea of encouragement was "better pass but you're still a :censored:ing prick". Crap,crap game. 2 & a half hour journey to the game. Probably won't get home til about 1.30am. Feel like I'm coming down with tonsilitis. And the coach driver's girlfriend made me bin my coffee before letting me on. I still don't want 'compensating' but for Christ's sake, it'd be nice if the performance on the pitch made it worth the trip on a Tuesday night.

To be honest, I thought at the time that Dickov was right to bring Marsh-Brown off,he did look like he was tiring. Hindsight's great. Disappointing - and a bit odd - that we seemed to be tiring more than Colchester towards the end. We really need to bring in a central midfielder if Winchester & Adeyemi are our only options - neither of them seem to be capable of putting in tackles or holding the ball up.

 

Roll on Saturday...

[steveoafc]

I think if Colchester had anything to play for they would have hammered us, they were better in every department. Bigger, fitter and stronger - ok I know that although the breaks have been put on somewhat at The Weston Homes Stadium, they still have the remnants of a pricey squad and it showed. They dominated the first-half hour and should have been in front, then we had a good go and could have been easily an extra goal up at HT. The second-half even before Dickov's crap substitution was leading to an equaliser, but when it came it was bloody awful, from young Carl dwelling on the ball then committing the foul, the ref allowing to be taken ten yards closer to goal than it was, Alex only wanting one in the wall and despite this their lad gets a free header in and it's all square, a cock-up of all concerned. Dickov dropped a bollock with the sub, it should have been Kuqi who was taken off. Sill, it is usually a manky game against Colchester and a point takes us nearer our goal of 52 points and survival for another year at this level.

 

As for the crowd, the RRE was far busier than in recent times, The Main Stand Upper lot seemingly moved downstairs to carpet bag their cheap tickets, and the CRE looked a bit busier. I thought there was a good 4,500 there. The only trouble with the stayaways coming back is the moaning twats, calling Cisak a Knob, Carl a :censored:ing prick etc…… yes we made mistakes but they're young lads that don't deserve abuse like that!

 

 

Cisak - Nothing to do, thought the disallowed goal was generous. Takes his share of the blame for a one wall for the set-piece

Lee - Too much hoofing tonight, and their winger did him time and again

M'Voto - looked strong in the air, clumsy on the deck and disappeared for the goal

Tarky - Another good performance, like his partner though badly caught out for the goal

Mellor - Like Lee, struggled to cope with a lively wide player

Morais - Great for an hour, tracked back a real threat then faded badly when Col U switched things around

Adeyemi - His worst performance in a Latics shirt

Winchester - Passing was off and left too many gaps, pisspoor decision making for the FK that led to the goal

KMB - Shocking miss but our main outlet, made up with it by being in the right place at the right time

Simpson - Although his corner led to the goal, I thought he had a poor night

Kuqi - Customary miss when in a good position, but worked hard. Faded late on his lack of pace meant he couldn't take advantage of 2 or 3 good positions

 

Smith - Offered Very Little

 

As one of his biggest critics, we missed Taylor's ability to slow the game down by winning free-kicks all over the shop, but even more we missed a midfield. Like before MK Dons I'm predicting a right old tatering at Bramall Lane if we go with that midfield. I thought young Carl would be a great option in there but against mid-table fodder, albeit big and strong we were anonymous in the middle of the park. Against genuine promotion candidates, we may not get off so lightly. Don't know what we do to get someone decent in but it is becoming a necessity. We have got away with it somewhat at home but with Sheff Utd, Stevenage, Dale, Hartlepool, Notts County, Sheff Wed and Bury to come away we need to get some steel and guile in there.

 

 

As for Dickov? :censored:ing crazy sub, you're playing a team of big-lumps - you have the one player on the park with skill, pace and able to get in behind yet you sub him for a big lump and play reet into their hands. Poor show….

I thought there was more than the official figure there too....swelled by the 61 colchester fans

[jsslatic]

I thought there was more than the official figure there too....swelled by the 61 colchester fans

 

Fair play to the 61. What was the lowest we've had for away fans in recent years? I remember MK bringing 80 a few years ago so this beat that.

[steveoafc]

Fair play to the 61. What was the lowest we've had for away fans in recent years? I remember MK bringing 80 a few years ago so this beat that.

I'm not sure....maybe some turned back after the delays.

[daveoafc77]

I dont see the brilliant keeper in cisak that everybody else does. Decent shot stopper but theres too many nervy moments for me. Got away with a couple tonight where a dodgy free kick was given that got him out of trouble (one ended up in the net)

 

Winchester is far to slow on the ball, gets closed down and invites pressure on the rest of the team, and everything he does is either sideways or backwards, nowhere near first team standard IMO!

 

Mellor kept giving the ball away and getting caught out of position

 

Adeyemi went missing

 

Lee, marsh-brown, morais (my MOM) and tarky all played well

 

Spot on

[oafc21]

The scene outside the RRE before kick-off:

 

 

Hopefully some of them come back.

All the rest ov them golden tickets should be put in happy meals at macdonalds,what a joke the 2nd half was,did ther keeper make a save other than the header he saved from movoto,same old :censored:,with or without a crowd.......,

[Schlieb]

Can't believe some of the negativity on here! ....

 

Hold on we drew... That's why.

 

We played a damn sight better than we did against Tranmere, the difference being, Colchester weren't a bad side.

 

Honestly can't believe there wasn't many complaints after Tranmere but there are tonight? We played some cracking balls at times and were unlucky with the timing of cross field balls a couple of times which could of split them apart. PD clearly knows his weakness in cm and that's why we sprayed it across bypassing them so often.

 

As for Colchesters goal, poor Winchester should never of had it passed to him with a man glued to him, never mind being pulled by his shirt for 6 yards before losing possession, which led to a rash tackle.

 

Overall I think our heads went down once they conceded and I'd agree with bp1960 on fitness levels after the hour mark.... Still.. Don't think we were that bad.