Jussi

[MACCA]

Jussi should still be number 1 IMO. Bogdan will turn out to be a top player but we have needed experience at the back this season. I would stick Jussi in on Sunday!!

[Casino]

coyle didn't sign ngog expecting him to score 4? goals all season

 

he then signed sordell

 

7 million plus wages

 

 

maybe, just maybe, our problems aren't with the keeper - i put jussi ahead of bogdan at the moment as it happens - and more with coykles inability to see muamba and coker should be our midfield and that keeping elmander made more sense than 6 million + wages for 4 goals from sordell and ngog

[jayjayoghani]

submissive?

 

I thought that. Talk about hollow praise.

 

However the whole text looks like something from google translate.

 

?When I was suspended last year he couldn?t stick in the goal"

 

Perhaps submissive means more "willing to learn"

[Sweep]

coyle didn't sign ngog expecting him to score 4? goals all season

 

he then signed sordell

 

7 million plus wages

 

 

maybe, just maybe, our problems aren't with the keeper - i put jussi ahead of bogdan at the moment as it happens - and more with coykles inability to see muamba and coker should be our midfield and that keeping elmander made more sense than 6 million + wages for 4 goals from sordell and ngog

 

I find myself agreeing with Cassie on this one. I don't think the goalkeeping issue is responsible for our current league position. Even if we would have kept Al Habsi, we would still find ourselves in or around the current position.

 

Our major problem has been the lack of a goalscorer - of course Coyle thought N'Gog would score more goals, there is no doubt of that, but hindshight is a wonderful thing. The Sordell signing appears to be more and more curious by the week. I've no clue why he isn't getting any game time. At the weekend, would he not have been better putting Sordell on instead of Klasnic (if he wanted a striker on) - at least SOrdell could have stretched their defence a bit with his pace.

 

As said, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and it is looking, as things stand, as though we would have been better off keeping Elmander and not signing N'Gog or Sordell - although nobody knows what sort of money Elmander was asking for.

 

Who would have thunk that anybody would say that we would miss Elmander, when he was usually the first player to be slagged off each week.

 

I remember last season when we played City on the last game, I was sat with Big E. Folk started slagging Elmander off and booing him. Big E shouted back something along the lines of "We'll miss him next year, and then you'll regret booing him" - who would have thought that Big E would turn out to be a soothsayer?!?!

Edited May 10, 2012 by CWP

[DazBob]

I find myself agreeing with Cassie on this one. I don't think the goalkeeping issue is responsible for our current league position. Even if we would have kept Al Habsi, we would still find ourselves in or around the current position.

 

I think you're forgetting Al Habsi would've chipped in with a few goals and assists along the way. We'd be safe if we'd kept him.

[jayjayoghani]

I find myself agreeing with Cassie on this one. I don't think the goalkeeping issue is responsible for our current league position. Even if we would have kept Al Habsi, we would still find ourselves in or around the current position.

 

Our major problem has been the lack of a goalscorer - of course Coyle thought N'Gog would score more goals, there is no doubt of that, but hindshight is a wonderful thing. The Sordell signing appears to be more and more curious by the week. I've no clue why he isn't getting any game time. At the weekend, would he not have been better putting Sordell on instead of Klasnic (if he wanted a striker on) - at least SOrdell could have stretched their defence a bit with his pace.

 

As said, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and it is looking, as things stand, as though we would have been better off keeping Elmander and not signing N'Gog or Sordell - although nobody knows what sort of money Elmander was asking for.

 

Who would have thunk that anybody would say that we would miss Elmander, when he was usually the first player to be slagged off each week.

 

I remember last season when we played City on the last game, I was sat with Big E. Folk started slagging Elmander off and booing him. Big E shouted back something along the lines of "We'll miss him next year, and then you'll regret booing him" - who would have thought that Big E would turn out to be a soothsayer?!?!

 

Not sure about that. For me conceding has been more of a problem, Muamba and Reo-Coker should have been the first two names on the teamsheet every week.

 

Gives our wingers more chance to be wingers, rather than helping full backs which is not hwat they're good at. Which ever winger is forward one of Reo-Coker/Muamba covers when we lose the ball.

 

RC/M gets the best out of Davies too.

[Sweep]

Not sure about that. For me conceding has been more of a problem, Muamba and Reo-Coker should have been the first two names on the teamsheet every week.

 

Gives our wingers more chance to be wingers, rather than helping full backs which is not hwat they're good at. Which ever winger is forward one of Reo-Coker/Muamba covers when we lose the ball.

 

RC/M gets the best out of Davies too.

 

Upon further reflection, I do agree with the points you make. If we consider that we allegedly had one of the best centrebacks in the league for half the season, and we were still shipping goals for fun, then that shows that something clearly isn't happening in midfield.

 

I still believe a lack of anybody to score goals has contributed to our downfall as well. Even if we shored the defence up, I'm not so sure we've got the right players up the other end of the pitch to score the goals required.

[MalcolmW]

Other than Anewman, whose answer will be strikingly obvious, does anyone else feel that retaining Al habsi and installing him as No. 1 would have meant the difference between relegation and survival.

 

And now knowing that we had to sell AAH to fund the Ngog deal, should we have just kept Al Habsi?

 

I've tried to avoid opening old wounds, but since you ask here goes.

It was right to loan AAH out for the season. His chance came early when Kirkland shipped 10 in the first two matches,and he took it. Over the season he saved Wigan double figures in points. OC should have been fully aware of his progress. By the end of the season he was undoubtedly better than Jussi, who was showing signs of decline whereas AAH is still improving.

So AAH should have been installed as first string back here and Wigan should have been offered Jussi on loan. If Jussi preferred to sit on the bench and take a chance on reclaiming his place then Bogdan could have offered on loan. To sell AAH was (to answer another thread) the first time I had serious doubts about OC's competence.

Wigan would be down with Wolves by now if they had not bought AAH (whether or not they took an alternative loanee from Bolton).

But apart from the goalkeeper choice, the centre back pairing, the full back issues, the misuse of midfield resources, the limited options for goal scoring and the complete naivity of substitutions I have no real issues with OC.

[DazBob]

Malcolm, how do you think we were able to afford David Ngog?

[Sweep]

apart from the goalkeeper choice, the centre back pairing, the full back issues, the misuse of midfield resources, the limited options for goal scoring and the complete naivity of substitutions I have no real issues with OC.

 

Sadly, this does pretty much sum it up

[enzo gambaro]

Malcolm, how do you think we were able to afford David Ngog?

 

Because he's not very good?

 

Klasnic is still our leading goalscorer.

 

That tells me we struggle for goals.

 

We let too many in, too.

 

It's not a recipe for success.

[jayjayoghani]

Indeed, we're pissing in water from all sides

[DazBob]

Because he's not very good?

 

Klasnic is still our leading goalscorer.

 

That tells me we struggle for goals.

 

We let too many in, too.

 

It's not a recipe for success.

 

Hindsight is wonderful isn't it.

 

At the time, despite Al Habsi being our best 'keeper I thought selling him to fund a move for a striker was a risk worth taking. After all, strikers should earn you more points than goalkeepers. It hasn't really worked out that way though. Doesn't mean it wasn't the right decision at the time.

 

We're where we are through poor tactics, poor team selections and below par performances from players - not because we sold Al Habsi.

Edited May 10, 2012 by DazBobParr

[ZiggyStardust]

Hindsight is wonderful isn't it.

 

We're where we are through poor tactics, poor team selections and below par performances from players - not because we sold Al Habsi.

 

Nail on head.

[magic legs]

Struggling to think of a game that would have turned out differently had we had AAH in nets all season.

[HomerJay]

imo

 

we do score enough goals (basically the same as everton and liverpool, who are 7th and 8th. more than west brom and swansea who are 10th and 12th)

 

buy we concede far, far to many (more than anyone but wolves)

 

 

keeping the ball out is usually far easier than putting it in at the other end.

 

but not for this team

 

and i dont think the keeper has much to do with that tbh. 5 or 6 goals perhaps?

Edited May 10, 2012 by HomerJay

[Casino]

we'd have lost against qpr

 

HTH

[SpiritofBurnden]

keeping elmander made more sense than 6 million + wages for 4 goals from sordell and ngog

 

Since when did Coyle have a say in how much we pay players? I doubt he had any real say in Elmander's departure.

[bgoefc]

Other than Anewman, whose answer will be strikingly obvious, does anyone else feel that retaining Al habsi and installing him as No. 1 would have meant the difference between relegation and survival.

 

And now knowing that we had to sell AAH to fund the Ngog deal, should we have just kept Al Habsi?

 

Spot on! I reckon Wiggin would have been at least 4 points worse off and us 4 better. We loaned the wrong keeper.

[MalcolmW]

Struggling to think of a game that would have turned out differently had we had AAH in nets all season.

 

Well if the 5-0 defeats had been reduced to 2 or 3 -0 the goal difference would not be so bleak. Even that is worth a point in the end. Perhaps the genius of OC is that goal difference is now totally immaterial?

[enzo gambaro]

 

 

Hindsight is wonderful isn't it.

 

At the time, despite Al Habsi being our best 'keeper I thought selling him to fund a move for a striker was a risk worth taking. After all, strikers should earn you more points than goalkeepers. It hasn't really worked out that way though. Doesn't mean it wasn't the right decision at the time.

 

We're where we are through poor tactics, poor team selections and below par performances from players - not because we sold Al Habsi.

I'd sell Al Habsi again given the chance.

 

It was completely the right decision.