Oldham v Wigan

[ginger rooted dwarf owl]

For all croft's hard work and endeavour, how often is there an assist or goal?

[RoytonLatics]

Croft is far from being one of our biggest problems.

 

The trouble is, his job is to offer protection for right backs who either can't, or won't get down the line. From an attacking point of view he's all alone and when he's regularly doubled-up on by the opposition, it results in too few crosses.

 

For a long time I've considered the full back spots low priority when spending our budget, but I'm desperate now to see a right back hit bomb alley and put in a decent cross.

I thought Dieng performed well in the RB role again, defended well and got forward on a number of occasions whilst providing a couple of decent crosses.

 

Unfortunately, there was none of this on the left flank yesterday.

[NewBlue]

With Croft, you could have Cafu at right back and he'd still try to protect him. Too much sense of duty and not enough freedom. Dieng is a better player than Brown but you will see the same Croft. Philliskirk is exactly the same.

 

Sometimes you have to let the shackles off and defend through attack. Wasn't there yesterday, but presumably that is what Poleon did. Neither are capable of that.

 

I do agree though, he is not our biggest concern. We have the personnel and the squad, we need the manager. Whether Dunn can gel them is another matter.

[opinions4u]

For all croft's hard work and endeavour, how often is there an assist or goal?

33% scoring rare in away league games this season ...

[OAFCinWolves]

So you expect Dunn to sort out Kelly's mess within 2 weeks? Because we are playing like thus due to Kelly and his whole pre-season preperation. Things take time.

 

Kelly had a full pre season and 7 games. Dunn has had less than 14 days.

 

Dunn has said he wants us hard to beat and we look hard to beat. St the same time he is trying to sort the attacking side and I think we will see another forward this week.

 

There are a few posters on here that wanted Kelly gone right away and moaned every week but are now unhappy that Dunn is the manager and seem to want him to fail. I wonder if they are the same 'fans' that cost us certain promotion with Ronnie Moore who with all his experience has been such a success since.

The boards mess you mean. Kelly had his legs cut off before he had a chance. He performed against Walsall and Bury 2 games we shud of won but enough people decided he wasn't up for the job after the Fleetwood game so was in a loser from there and that was that. I don't buy all this he didn't have contacts surly the manager goes to the board and says I want this player and that player now go and get him. The club's a joke and the boards made it that way. But unfortunately I will be at Vale on Tuesday as is a local game for me

[Stainrod]

Welcome back Mike Jones.

At last a latics player demanding the ball, the game changed once Kelly went off and Jones appeared to step up under the responsibility. Been pretty poor/anonymous for the first hour. We need Kelly of course but I wonder if Jones is feeling inhibited somehow.

Brown, not good enough, rest of back four will do for me, Mills or Eckersley in ASAP.

Philliskirk, not good enough, doesn't want the ball enough.

Croft is Croft, I like his graft and you will always get at least 7/10.

Swansea boy Fulton had a good start then disappeared a bit BUT looks classy on the ball and again should demand the ball more. Looks promising to me and ought to keep his place.

Higden, deceptively effective, very heavy and very slow but could be a good signing, a real experienced player with a bit of know how.

Poleon, so frustrating, exciting on his day but woeful finisher, may have had a hat trick and really should have scored from Higdens header from Diengs cross. To his credit he changed the game.

Yeates will do a job for us, adds a bit of excitement which this side needs.

Better days ahead I think.

[IceStationLatic]

I can't believe ppl still don't believe it...or are slagging off ppl 'with sources' and then making unsubstantiated comments themselves.

 

I'm surprised this is the case even after the stories got in the nationals pre-Walsall and the journalist who frequently contacts Corney publicly said "for now" when Dunn signed as a player. It's obvious.

 

It's like with Poleon. Are there still ppl who don't know why he was dropped for a while yet? I'm referring to the ppl who are reacting like he's proved a point by sorting himself out, training and actually doing his job responsibly and what he's told now?

 

On Kelly, the board realised they'd dropped a bollock in the summer. The board made signings, including Dunn, when Kelly's contacts didn't appear.

 

Why the hell would Dunn have come here, 'just to play'. It was to play... 'For now'.

 

The board acted and got their replacement ready.

 

Some have slagged the board off for not ditching the manager before the season started. They may well have been same people who, if that had happened, would have been calling for Corney's head for not even giving Kelly a chance, and bemoaning why we'd have been in every national paper and TV debates talking about shortest managerial tenures and young coaches not been given a chance. Also, perhaps they would not have had enough legally to get rid straight away.

[OAFCinWolves]

Just all confirming the club's run like a joke

[IceStationLatic]

Just confirming they made a balls-up by taking a huge, huge gamble by appointing Kelly.

 

Would you have rather they did nothing and made a panic appointment when they sacked Kelly?

 

Or had Holden in charge in charge for a couple of months..!

 

But the previous gamble or two, related to other clubs etc, has worked - and a new stand, albeit late, has gone up. Dickov made us valuable cup dosh, kept us up, and then we got rid at right time. Johnson proved to be an excellent appointment. We also made money off him.

 

Corney probably just wanted to see an X-factor in Kelly so much that he convinced himself a very positive and ambitious interpretation of him.

 

Relative to the way some other clubs are run, however, criticism of our board is still a bit harsh.

 

Whilst I have my concerns about the similarities between Dunn and Holden's approach, albeit after very little time, hopefully we are just trying to build from the back - and Dunn will have the contacts to get a quality player or two that will make things click.

 

We aren't being run into ground the way some of our fans are making out. If our current owner and officials walked, we would be - or we'd be playing in red at a rugby league ground somewhere...

[Steve_R]

 

Can't be arsed trawling back to see who said it, but there a post basically saying we have no right to expect anything other than crap performances like the first half yesterday.

 

This is exactly why people are giving up on us and our crowds get lower each season. Why shouldn't we have higher expectations than to accept :censored:e game upon game? This is a division that us full of crap teams that are no bigger or better than us, but we are told (and more and more of the fans who are left seem to accept) that we can't compete with them and finishing 16th is an "acheivement."

Edited September 27, 2015 by Steve_R

[deyres42]

Overheard a conversation yesterday, they reckoned wages have been payed late for last two months.

[palmer1]

Overheard a conversation yesterday, they reckoned wages have been payed late for last two months.

Yeah would explain all the loan players being signed? We can't afford wages but keep bring more players which I'm sure don't cost the club a single penny!

[opinions4u]

Overheard a conversation yesterday, they reckoned wages have been payed late for last two months.

It really wouldn't surprise me.

 

The transfer fee for Forte never arrived and I can't see anywhere else that sort of money would have come from.

 

Throw in the delays to the stand and the apparent attempts to shunt Poleon out of the door and it's realistic to claim cash flow might be an issue.

 

All speculation though.

[BP1960]

Welcome back Mike Jones.

At last a latics player demanding the ball, the game changed once Kelly went off and Jones appeared to step up under the responsibility. Been pretty poor/anonymous for the first hour. We need Kelly of course but I wonder if Jones is feeling inhibited somehow.

Brown, not good enough, rest of back four will do for me, Mills or Eckersley in ASAP.

Philliskirk, not good enough, doesn't want the ball enough.

Croft is Croft, I like his graft and you will always get at least 7/10.

Swansea boy Fulton had a good start then disappeared a bit BUT looks classy on the ball and again should demand the ball more. Looks promising to me and ought to keep his place.

Higden, deceptively effective, very heavy and very slow but could be a good signing, a real experienced player with a bit of know how.

Poleon, so frustrating, exciting on his day but woeful finisher, may have had a hat trick and really should have scored from Higdens header from Diengs cross. To his credit he changed the game.

Yeates will do a job for us, adds a bit of excitement which this side needs.

Better days ahead I think.

 

If Jones goes any deeper we might see him finish up at right back, at least he could get forward from there.

[NewBlue]

Their goal was dog:censored: from us.

 

I could've told you pre-match that Power has a cracking shot from distance, so to not close him down showed a lack of revision from the whole set-up. Maybe worse was that, from the highlights, we granted another of their players loads of space in the same area later in the game. Not learning the lessons at all.

[palmer1]

Their goal was dog:censored: from us.

 

I could've told you pre-match that Power has a cracking shot from distance, so to not close him down showed a lack of revision from the whole set-up. Maybe worse was that, from the highlights, we granted another of their players loads of space in the same area later in the game. Not learning the lessons at all.

Maybe they were told exactly what to do before the game and one league one player switched off and didn't do his job. He may have been bolloked for it afterwards!

 

Look another explanation and more likley reason that doesn't blame whoever is in charge for the sake of it

Edited September 27, 2015 by palmer1

[BP1960]

Maybe they were told exactly what to do before the game and one league one player switched off and didn't do his job. He may have been bolloked for it afterwards!

 

Look another explanation and more likley reason that doesn't blame whoever is in charge for the sake of it

 

It happens Palmer, I remember one manager pointing to a large note on the dressing wall just before the kick off of a match;

 

"Under no circumstances let the opposing number 9 turn on the edge of our penalty area and take a snapshot at goal with his left foot"

 

Needless to say an incident occurred in the first minute of the game when he opposing number 9 - who was unmarked, turned and took a snapshot on the edge of the penalty area with his left foot and scored a goal .

Edited September 27, 2015 by BP1960

[palmer1]

It happens Palmer, I remember one manager leaving a note on the dressing wall just before the kick off of a match;

 

"Under no circumstances let the opposing number 9 turn on the edge of our penalty area and take a snapshot at goal with his left foot"

 

Needless to say an incident occurred in the first minute of the game when he opposing number 9 - who was unmarked, turned and took a snapshot on the edge of the penalty area with his left foot and scored a goal .

Absolutely of course it happens, its one of the reasons they are at league 1. Their concentration levels drop and they make mistakes. Even on things that have worked on all week. Being dragged out of position for a brief minute and then its too late.

 

Like you say though it doesn't mean that the management haven't scouted the danger and made the players more than aware.

Edited September 27, 2015 by palmer1

[NewBlue]

The fact is happened twice suggests to me that it was negligence.

 

Wouldn't discount switching off either, but Jones and Kelly are usually better players than that.

[BP1960]

Absolutely of course it happens, its one of the reasons they are at league 1. Their concentration levels drop and they make mistakes. Even on things that have worked on all week. Being dragged out of position for a brief minute and then its too late.

 

Like you say though it doesn't mean that the management haven't scouted the danger and made the players more than aware.

 

Correct, it also happens some players can't deal with the strengths of other players, even top level, as when Liverpool couldn't cope with Matt Smith.

They obviously knew all about him, but it wasn't something they normally had to deal with in the Premier league and difficult to work on in training.

Edited September 27, 2015 by BP1960

[palmer1]

The fact is happened twice suggests to me that it was negligence.

 

Wouldn't discount switching off either, but Jones and Kelly are usually better players than that.

Kelly was :censored: yesterday as was Jones especially in the first half where both long range shots happened.

[singe]

It still amazes me, people take the Mike Keegan phrase "for now" as official coment. It was patently an off the cuff mark attempt at humour. Some people are reading all sorts into it.

 

Are the rumoured cash flow problems of late payments players, contractors on the stand or both?

[Twisbrogan]

It still amazes me, people take the Mike Keegan phrase "for now" as official coment. It was patently an off the cuff mark attempt at humour. Some people are reading all sorts into it.

 

Half of Oldham knew. Early July was when many heard of him coming in and the reasoning behind it.

[singe]

Half of Oldham knew. Early July was when many heard of him coming in and the reasoning behind it.

 

We all took it that way. Forward planning and all that. What I mean though, is that it was somehow an official comment from the Board. Some are quoting it as such.

[Twisbrogan]

We all took it that way. Forward planning and all that. What I mean though, is that it was somehow an official comment from the Board. Some are quoting it as such.

You're missing the point. Regardless of how people were reading the situation after he signed many knew what was going on before any link with Dunn was even mentioned in the papers. Personally, I heard it mentioned weeks before the Bolton friendly but only really believed it when Dunn attended that game, as had been predicted by the time person who had been explaining what was going on.

 

He's in now anyway so it doesn't matter but it's more than likely that Mike Keegan was as aware as many others.