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| It's a pie. It's been smashed. Do you see? |
I wrote a preview to the game, so I'll keep it short. Basically it said - we've got a decent side still, so lets attack, attack, attack. Then we got the team sheet and Garbutt was out and it all suddenly looks imbalanced. Bez or Sullay (he's gone Bez) is really the only choice facing Critch and it looks worryingly like he might have reverted to 433 which isn't a problem in and of itself but is something we've shown little sign of being able to master, let alone with the side we've got out tonight.
The pitch looks like it's been laid about 10 minutes before. You can literally see the lines between the strips of turf. It has an air of an agricultural field in winter, muddy grooves, stubbly grass like the remnants of last summer's crops. The Wigan summariser make the outrageously inaccurate observation that the neon pink of Maxwell's keeper's kit and our legendary tangerine outfield strip are similar colours. I think to myself 'At least our kit doesn't resemble a tesco bag and we don't keep changing our colours every other season you daft apeth'
We're going to need someone to show tonight. I decide at kick off, Ethan Robson is going to be that man, based on literally nothing other than a mad hunch and wild hope.
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The pitch has unpredictable bounce, which is not unsurprising given in looks like a tractor has been over it. The opening minutes are cagy, both teams probing, more in the hope of an opposition mistake than any great expectation of crafting anything. Bez manages 2 mad shots in the 3 minutes, but neither of them come anywhere near constituting a threat. We're actually playing 442 with Matty V as surprising winger and everyone else where you'd expect.
Bez does some lovely work deep and nearly threads shirtless Jerry away. Seconds later, our tireless striking hero tries to bring the ball down in the box and ends up firing well wide when he's juggled it and turned. Virtue pulls a cross back, but too deep, Gabriel stuns a lovely ball to the near post but no one can get in front of the corner. We've not really made a clear chance but it's been an ok little spell.
Wigan break that with a corner and a couple of searching long balls. We respond with a nice bit of passing and possession and then a good bit of purpose, Virtue winning a header, nodding it forward to Yates, then showing for the return. It looks as if he might shoot, but he puts it in to Madine, back to goal, he flicks it and goes for an overhead kick, connecting with the defender's head as much as he does the ball and the ambition is rewarded with a whistle rather than the pearl of a goal that Madine had envisaged.
Wigan have another corner and another little bit of control then comes an odd moment where Thorniley comes forward, then keeps coming, and coming and it seems he might as well just walk through and have a go, but he decides against it and chips into the box, a bit too heavy for Virtue who chases gamely but is never going to reach it.
My prediction nearly comes true as Pool make a beautiful move, their best bit of play for weeks, started by a classic little bit of total Gaz (that's my new term for when Gary Madine achieves his total football best) with a beautiful dummy and flick to set Pool away. The move reaches its peak as MJ Williams spots and then executes the perfect slide rule pass, Gabriel is away on the overlap, pulling it back and Robson coming from deep looks set to bury it, but true to our less than lethal form, he just dribbles it into the advertising hoadings instead. Hmmm.
I'm encouraged. There's been signs of some desire to take the game to Wigan and that we can threaten them as we do, but as ever, you feel whilst we're on top, we've not really looked like making it count. How short of starters we are we are is evident at the site of Jimmy Husband on free kicks. How unfamiliar the central defenders are to each other is evident when Wigan finally find a man with a swinging diagonal early cross (a move they've repeated from the left several times) because Thorniley and Ekpiteta both mark the same runner and leave a limping Kyle Joseph a free header, that he puts mercifully well over.
Then my prediction nearly blows up in my face as Robson wanders forward and lazy in possession, gets tackled and Will Keane, with Maxwell out of his goal, has a go from 45 yards, but it falls well wide, despite it seeming a bit dicey as it shaped alarmingly well from his foot. Latics have come into it. Pool are looking a bit more ragged, passes are falling short, fouls being conceded and Madine and Yates are isolated.
Bez achieves the remarkable achievement of conceding free kick by trying an attacking run, an event caused by him poking the ball into nowhere then launching himself at the player who takes it off him. He's not short of effort isn't our Bez.
Then Madine's awareness creates a moment, shielding a seemingly harmless ball then letting it go for Bez who runs free, reaches the touchline, cuts inside, drives it across goal and gets a corner for his work. The corner swings to around the penalty spot, Madine, is on patrol, drifting and every ready. He sees it early, timing his leap well and a great header creates a good clawing save, Virtue reacts and pokes it across the box and it's MARVIN EKPITETA sliding in and scoring his first Pool goal. A player that deserves that if ever there was one.
We're going down the right, then we're coming infield... Is this one of those moves where we go forward and then just go back again? No. it isn't! Williams lofts it to the far post from just about the absolute centre point of the Wigan half, Madine cruises towards it, but it seems to be the Wigan defender who gets a head to it, his intervention though, is a knock down worthy of big Gaz himself, straight to Yates on the edge of the six yard box who cannot miss and doesn't, wacking it high into the roof of the net.
Then my prediction nearly blows up in my face as Robson wanders forward and lazy in possession, gets tackled and Will Keane, with Maxwell out of his goal, has a go from 45 yards, but it falls well wide, despite it seeming a bit dicey as it shaped alarmingly well from his foot. Latics have come into it. Pool are looking a bit more ragged, passes are falling short, fouls being conceded and Madine and Yates are isolated.
Bez achieves the remarkable achievement of conceding free kick by trying an attacking run, an event caused by him poking the ball into nowhere then launching himself at the player who takes it off him. He's not short of effort isn't our Bez.
Then Madine's awareness creates a moment, shielding a seemingly harmless ball then letting it go for Bez who runs free, reaches the touchline, cuts inside, drives it across goal and gets a corner for his work. The corner swings to around the penalty spot, Madine, is on patrol, drifting and every ready. He sees it early, timing his leap well and a great header creates a good clawing save, Virtue reacts and pokes it across the box and it's MARVIN EKPITETA sliding in and scoring his first Pool goal. A player that deserves that if ever there was one.
We're going down the right, then we're coming infield... Is this one of those moves where we go forward and then just go back again? No. it isn't! Williams lofts it to the far post from just about the absolute centre point of the Wigan half, Madine cruises towards it, but it seems to be the Wigan defender who gets a head to it, his intervention though, is a knock down worthy of big Gaz himself, straight to Yates on the edge of the six yard box who cannot miss and doesn't, wacking it high into the roof of the net.
There's still time for a few more forays, and a bit more Madine magic putting Virtue in for a chance he and then Jerry can't make the most of.
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Have we played better today than in some recent games? Yes. Have we played better than this this season? Yes. Have we been as clinical? Rarely. Are we doing well? Given the circumstances, definitely.
Williams has been a presence and played a few lovely balls. Virtue isn't a winger but he's been game and tried to link with Gabriel who isn't a winger either but the two of them have really tried to make it work with Virtue tucking in and Gabriel overlapping sometimes. Sometimes attitude matters as much as quality. Keep going, keep fighting, keep trying to do your job. Bez hasn't exactly excelled, but he's put himself about and kept making Latics work, he's been something to think about at worst. Jerry deserved his goal for the work he's put in (as ever) and aside from the moment I pointed out, big Marv and Thorniley look to be talking, tracking, heading and timing things well and the two full backs have really limited Latics to hitting it early most of the time. They've both been impeccable. Madine though, just gets better. He's so fucking good at football. He understands play so well. We lack creativity, but we've got this lad, a big unit yes, but a complete bag of tricks and 360 degree vision at the same time.
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Have we played better today than in some recent games? Yes. Have we played better than this this season? Yes. Have we been as clinical? Rarely. Are we doing well? Given the circumstances, definitely.
Williams has been a presence and played a few lovely balls. Virtue isn't a winger but he's been game and tried to link with Gabriel who isn't a winger either but the two of them have really tried to make it work with Virtue tucking in and Gabriel overlapping sometimes. Sometimes attitude matters as much as quality. Keep going, keep fighting, keep trying to do your job. Bez hasn't exactly excelled, but he's put himself about and kept making Latics work, he's been something to think about at worst. Jerry deserved his goal for the work he's put in (as ever) and aside from the moment I pointed out, big Marv and Thorniley look to be talking, tracking, heading and timing things well and the two full backs have really limited Latics to hitting it early most of the time. They've both been impeccable. Madine though, just gets better. He's so fucking good at football. He understands play so well. We lack creativity, but we've got this lad, a big unit yes, but a complete bag of tricks and 360 degree vision at the same time.
Get 10 Red Bulls into MJ so he doesn't conk out after 60 minutes this week and just scream 'remember Doncaster! REMEMBER FUCKING DONCASTER! for the entire half term talk please Neil.
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Pool start well, a couple of moves on the left cause pressure and Latics can't get out for a good five minutes. We even get treated to a bit of wing play and a frankly hilarious (but oddly dangerous) cross from Marvin as he up and unders it from near the corner flag after a couple of touches so careful you can practically see his tongue poking out in concentration. I love Marvin in unlikely situations. He looks so much like a kid.
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Pool start well, a couple of moves on the left cause pressure and Latics can't get out for a good five minutes. We even get treated to a bit of wing play and a frankly hilarious (but oddly dangerous) cross from Marvin as he up and unders it from near the corner flag after a couple of touches so careful you can practically see his tongue poking out in concentration. I love Marvin in unlikely situations. He looks so much like a kid.
Pool though, nearly pay for a slack bit of play as Latics maraude down the left, Tom Pearce crossing right across the face of goal where three Pool players hack at it but kick fresh air, Joseph has sneaked round the back but his finish is poor and we get away with it
Pool come back though, Virtue crosses first time, Madine climbs, but it falls the wrong side of Bez. He's alive and alert though and wriggles and twists to keep it alive, holding it up and then laying it off to Husband, we rebuild... Husband feed Bez, Bez gives it back and the moment culminates in neat pull back and a beautiful finish from Virtue, doing what he does very well, ghosting in and crashing it home.
Pool look confident for 5 or so minutes, but then Latics get a grip and start pressuring. A vicious free kick skims the turf and skids just wide. A brilliant run from Laing, all through the middle, no Pool man able to stop it is only halted by a stunning save from Maxwell. Pool are sitting off and Latics coming forward with worrying ease. Ok, it's 3-0 but even a tiny thought we could let this go is worrying me. We need to do this. We need to crush someone. The team needs this.
The tireless Jordan Gabriel though relieves the pressure, streaking forward and getting on to a diagonal, cutting inside and crashing at the near post, drawing a good stop. We bring on fresh legs. Simms this time will have the luxury of playing with big Gaz instead of on his own. It's not big Gaz though but Jordan Thoniley who nearly provides his first ever goal. The leper of the defence collecting it, moving forward calmly and then playing a it forward with the technique of (and I don't exaggerate) Franco Baresi, a beautiful, calm ball, timed and weighted to perfection for Simms to run onto, hit low and be foiled by a good stop.
Here I have to stop and wonder why we've literally played 3 full backs at centre half instead of this lad at various points in the year. Why has been kept in the cellar in a box marked 'junk' - he does really well tonight as he did against Brighton. He's calm, he's actually much better on the ball than you'd expect from the fact Critch doesn't seem to rate him and he talks to Marvin, he points, he works with him and he looks at very least a competent centre half. Ok, we've got Ballard and the Viking but we didn't always have them and he never got a look in when our defence was a 4 car clown car pile up on calamity highway. That's churlish I guess at 3-0 but I can't help observing it. (reader mutters 'nice 20/20 hindsight there...')
Pool sweep forward several more times. Simms looks to use the space he has well and to have a decent awareness of what's around him, Bez, in search of glory tries a curler but it won't stay down. How he needs a goal.. Sullay comes on for him and has a snapshot charged down after a lovely pull back from Simms and nearly gets on the end of a clever floated ball from Gabriel, a little skip of frustration as he can't quite reach it. How he also needs a goal...
Pool come back though, Virtue crosses first time, Madine climbs, but it falls the wrong side of Bez. He's alive and alert though and wriggles and twists to keep it alive, holding it up and then laying it off to Husband, we rebuild... Husband feed Bez, Bez gives it back and the moment culminates in neat pull back and a beautiful finish from Virtue, doing what he does very well, ghosting in and crashing it home.
Pool look confident for 5 or so minutes, but then Latics get a grip and start pressuring. A vicious free kick skims the turf and skids just wide. A brilliant run from Laing, all through the middle, no Pool man able to stop it is only halted by a stunning save from Maxwell. Pool are sitting off and Latics coming forward with worrying ease. Ok, it's 3-0 but even a tiny thought we could let this go is worrying me. We need to do this. We need to crush someone. The team needs this.
The tireless Jordan Gabriel though relieves the pressure, streaking forward and getting on to a diagonal, cutting inside and crashing at the near post, drawing a good stop. We bring on fresh legs. Simms this time will have the luxury of playing with big Gaz instead of on his own. It's not big Gaz though but Jordan Thoniley who nearly provides his first ever goal. The leper of the defence collecting it, moving forward calmly and then playing a it forward with the technique of (and I don't exaggerate) Franco Baresi, a beautiful, calm ball, timed and weighted to perfection for Simms to run onto, hit low and be foiled by a good stop.
Here I have to stop and wonder why we've literally played 3 full backs at centre half instead of this lad at various points in the year. Why has been kept in the cellar in a box marked 'junk' - he does really well tonight as he did against Brighton. He's calm, he's actually much better on the ball than you'd expect from the fact Critch doesn't seem to rate him and he talks to Marvin, he points, he works with him and he looks at very least a competent centre half. Ok, we've got Ballard and the Viking but we didn't always have them and he never got a look in when our defence was a 4 car clown car pile up on calamity highway. That's churlish I guess at 3-0 but I can't help observing it. (reader mutters 'nice 20/20 hindsight there...')
Pool sweep forward several more times. Simms looks to use the space he has well and to have a decent awareness of what's around him, Bez, in search of glory tries a curler but it won't stay down. How he needs a goal.. Sullay comes on for him and has a snapshot charged down after a lovely pull back from Simms and nearly gets on the end of a clever floated ball from Gabriel, a little skip of frustration as he can't quite reach it. How he also needs a goal...
Latics are done. You can tell. They've just got that trudging step and are clearly resenting the time left but Pool aren't. They're relishing it and want more.
A long throw from Gabriel. Madine again creates, it's just a classic flick on but he's just a classic player. Simms goes in with the keeper and a defender, wins it with his head, then completes the moment by just nodding the ball over the line as it comes down from the initial challenge, the keeper and the defender landing in a heap on the floor as he's calmly finishing for a debut goal on his league debut.
There's time for Rob Apter to make a league debut and Ollie Sarkic to trundle on as well to do whatever it is he does, that you suspect he might be quite good at but no one really knows what it is. Big Gaz sets Apter free. He stutters, he shapes, he shoots, but into a defender. Apter himself takes the corner. It's inswinging and exactly onto the angled forehead of Simms. He doesn't even leave the ground, just glances it home, reaching it with a single step forward. It's a lovely delivery and a neat finish, but you really have to observe that they didn't even try to get a man goal side.
Pool are lovely to watch in the last few minutes. Confident, swaggering and swarming. Sarkic spreads play. Apter runs about and links up with things. Madine just dictates and if Wigan think about a consolation Thorniley or Husband who has been superb tonight show total commitment to the clean sheet, timing their tackles but pulling no punches physically.
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It's been a joy. 5-0 feels terrific. Especially as when we played someone like Bolton last year, we fannied about and wasted the chance to hammer them. Wigan are better than they were but we at last put someone to the sword. The confidence this will give some players is immeasurable. Again as I said at half time, I enjoyed the attitude as much as the skill. We did play some lovely stuff but it wasn't one of those hammerings where Wigan couldn't put a hand on us. We put our chances away and in all honesty 5 might be a bit harsh on them. We just wanted it. Not everyone is a champions league player but look at Virtue. He leaves the pitch with a goal and an assist but also a load of sloppy passes. The point is, he kept trying, he kept chucking himself in there. Sometimes this year, we've seen players come of the pitch having NOT made a mistake but not having taken a risk either. We've not won those games 5-0.
Well done Critch. Necessity is the mother of invention and he put out a well motivated side that worked much better than I thought it would. Well done Jordan Thorniley for showing up despite being shunned for the best part of a year by multiple managers for reasons no one knows and for playing for the shirt and playing really well. Well done Jimmy Husband for getting forward and then getting back equally well. Gabriel exactly the same. The midfield were tigerish, the strikers worked really hard. Madine was almost a playmaker of the strangest kind. That's how you take it to another League One side. With a bit of blood and guts, a bit of skill and a lot of attitude.
To batter Wigan like that gives me pleasure I can't possibly turn into words. Let's hope something comes of a takeover, and they resolve the situation properly cos I'd like to this again next year, but this time I want to be there.
A long throw from Gabriel. Madine again creates, it's just a classic flick on but he's just a classic player. Simms goes in with the keeper and a defender, wins it with his head, then completes the moment by just nodding the ball over the line as it comes down from the initial challenge, the keeper and the defender landing in a heap on the floor as he's calmly finishing for a debut goal on his league debut.
There's time for Rob Apter to make a league debut and Ollie Sarkic to trundle on as well to do whatever it is he does, that you suspect he might be quite good at but no one really knows what it is. Big Gaz sets Apter free. He stutters, he shapes, he shoots, but into a defender. Apter himself takes the corner. It's inswinging and exactly onto the angled forehead of Simms. He doesn't even leave the ground, just glances it home, reaching it with a single step forward. It's a lovely delivery and a neat finish, but you really have to observe that they didn't even try to get a man goal side.
Pool are lovely to watch in the last few minutes. Confident, swaggering and swarming. Sarkic spreads play. Apter runs about and links up with things. Madine just dictates and if Wigan think about a consolation Thorniley or Husband who has been superb tonight show total commitment to the clean sheet, timing their tackles but pulling no punches physically.
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It's been a joy. 5-0 feels terrific. Especially as when we played someone like Bolton last year, we fannied about and wasted the chance to hammer them. Wigan are better than they were but we at last put someone to the sword. The confidence this will give some players is immeasurable. Again as I said at half time, I enjoyed the attitude as much as the skill. We did play some lovely stuff but it wasn't one of those hammerings where Wigan couldn't put a hand on us. We put our chances away and in all honesty 5 might be a bit harsh on them. We just wanted it. Not everyone is a champions league player but look at Virtue. He leaves the pitch with a goal and an assist but also a load of sloppy passes. The point is, he kept trying, he kept chucking himself in there. Sometimes this year, we've seen players come of the pitch having NOT made a mistake but not having taken a risk either. We've not won those games 5-0.
Well done Critch. Necessity is the mother of invention and he put out a well motivated side that worked much better than I thought it would. Well done Jordan Thorniley for showing up despite being shunned for the best part of a year by multiple managers for reasons no one knows and for playing for the shirt and playing really well. Well done Jimmy Husband for getting forward and then getting back equally well. Gabriel exactly the same. The midfield were tigerish, the strikers worked really hard. Madine was almost a playmaker of the strangest kind. That's how you take it to another League One side. With a bit of blood and guts, a bit of skill and a lot of attitude.
To batter Wigan like that gives me pleasure I can't possibly turn into words. Let's hope something comes of a takeover, and they resolve the situation properly cos I'd like to this again next year, but this time I want to be there.
Champions? Probably not, but a lot of positives and a lot of players who took their chance. My prediction wasn't accurate but who cares, cos we can actually beat someone other than the top 6 or Swindon after all and that's a lesson we needed to teach ourselves.
Just enjoy tonight. Doesn't matter what it means overall. It's all about the journey. We'll get to where we do and then we'll go again wherever that is. We're fucking Tangerine Wizards!
Just enjoy tonight. Doesn't matter what it means overall. It's all about the journey. We'll get to where we do and then we'll go again wherever that is. We're fucking Tangerine Wizards!
utmp
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On Thorniley: I don't think there's any doubt on his performances that he is a good player. However, I feel like I understand why he's not a Critchley player. He's quite a "traditional" defender, but he doesn't seem to quite have that style or 'something else' that Critch seems to like in a player. I can't really explain it, but I feel like he just doesn't fit, regardless of ability. I think it's also a little naive to say Thorniley is playing for the shirt, when in reality he has been given an opportunity to put himself in the shop window right at the moment he is for sale. That doesn't often happen to players, and he is playing for himself and an new opportunity first and foremost.
ReplyDeleteAnd on Madine - I thought he was superb last night. And you could really tell that he was enjoying himself and enjoying giving Wigan's defence a bit of a lesson.
Maybe. I just think he's got every reason to be in bit of a strop. His career has stalled since coming here and that could have a big knock on effect on his long term earnings. He's never really been *that bad* - yeah, he looked a bit wobbly when he signed but that was coming in to a team who were nose diving and we barely saw him. I think, what I mean is - he played to earn the shirt, not he was playing for the love of the shirt. That would be naive, but he played as if he wanted to play next week so to speak. Which I think isn't easy when you must know the manager doesn't rate you and has done *everything* to not play you every other time you might have done a job. That's a bit of pressure in a way, as is being in the shop window, so even if it was self interest, fair play. Good job.
ReplyDeleteRegarding his skills, his distribution is something different for me. I'm not saying play him ahead of the other 3, but I genuinely think his pass for Simms was probably the best ball we've played all season! (or one of anyway) and he looked really composed bringing it out. That's exactly what Marv needs next to him cos he's what Marv isn't and to some extent vice versa. I'd pick the viking ahead of him, but the viking is injured. Same as Ballard. I'm sure he'll be gone in summer but I love an unlikely hero!
Madine is just ascending to a new level by the week. If the salary cap stops him signing, fans should chip in to pay him instead! I'm joking, but he's been superb and will be very difficult to replace if we have to as he's just a bit of a one off. He's Gary Madine, goal machine!