What we all really want on deadline transfer day...
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 5:03PM While the insanity and arguments continue over the transfer window and the targets we are linked with along with its imminent closure, there is far more pressing matters to be had. Matters that concern three points from a convincing home performance which then kick-starts momentum after two disappointing results. Wigan, at the Lane, under the floodlights, in the freezing cold. Thirteen points clear off 5th spot by this late evening if all goes according to plan. The plan being simply this: turn up, turn it on.
Wigan are woeful, generally, more so on their travels. I have no desire to entertain a 'plucky park of the bus' away performance, frustrating the home side. We expected (hoped) that the Wolves game would be one of much glory and panache and instead got shocked with the single point shared at the final whistle. We then almost won, could have drawn but managed to lose the game at the Eastlands. Irony time: Wigan one of only two teams to have won at WHL in the past two seasons. Ooh.
A draw and a loss - this is the new age crisis at the Lane. We need redemption, we need to be professional and ruthless. This is the type of football match where I would instruct the players to kill off the opposition in the opening 30 minutes and then contain them with comfort and counter to build on the lead admirable into the second half.
Lessons learnt; we still need the players to look back and remember what Wolves achieved against us. We need to appreciate and respect this league is not always black and white and the shades of grey can leave many confused and irritable. We have to work hard and retain focus. In doing so we might then take it by the scruff of the neck and dominate, and thus not allow Wigan to get any sort of anchor in the game. When all said and done...
Tonk 'em, Tottenham.
No offence to the visitors but the forty or so fans who make the journey down won't complain too much if they watch another dvdesque destruction. Well, they would, but at least they can claim to have witnessed it.
Defoe and Lennon are doubtful. No Aaron probably a touch more influentially on how we line-up, but at least with Bale we'll have some width if he's instructed to retain some level of consistency down the flank and not spend too much time through the middle. At home, against such opposition, it's good to stretch them a little. Which I'm sure we'll do (because if we don't then there's something very wrong). Keep it structured, simple. No need for anything too fancy. Plenty of necessity however for tempo and movement. This isn't so much a tricky game in that I believe Wigan can beat us. I am however cautious that any game can have the potential to upset, and in this game we can beat ourselves which might allow the opposition to beat us.
I might wish for it to be over in 30 minutes, but if we have to be patient then the onus will be on us to display some level of intelligence to carve them open and create match-winning opportunities (I prefer not to dwell too much on players dwelling too much in front of goal. The less said about offsides the better).
I know the trend is for the opposing team to defend deep, all men behind the ball and play with physicality. I'm also aware of the question marks being raised that we don't always have the (aforementioned) intelligence to break well-drilled sides down. Our home record would suggest otherwise. We can and have done so in the past. On occasions, we fail but that sometimes has a lot to do with the way the opposing side played (credit is never given as we prefer to blame within and it's worth remembering similar games where we have lucked out and scored a winner when it looked unlikely). Wigan try to play football but it would be naive of them to attempt to do so this evening. Even so, I don't think they're quite as savvy as Wolves if they attempt the opposite. I reckon they'll end up parking the bus but leave the keys in the ignition.
We owe them after the 1-0 of last season, the most ironic of results that followed the 9-1 from the season before. They owed us but it's now our turn for revenge. It's football, we take turns, it's how the Gods like it. Won't have to worry about next season as they'll probably get relegated in this one.
Adebayor needs to score a couple as well. No pressure then Spurs. Christ, I can feel it, this is going to end up being an untidy game that we just about manage to score the winner late on *shudder*...
Three points please. Possibly more important than any signing we make in this window.
COYS.
Daring is achieving. Love the shirt.
Reader Comments (15)
Read the title and first thing I thought was "3 points".
What we will get is another North West energised team frustrating us Defoe and Lennon must play or this will be Wolves mark two.
If Wigan decide to 'park the bus' I suggest Kaboul stands on the edge of our area, foot on the ball and demands they come out and play....and woe betide anyone who tells Kaboul, 'no'!
This is without a doubt a must win game, i don't care how ugly it is 1.0 i will take now after our last two results anything other than a win and all the hard work in the first half of the season will be wasted... we will have lost the momentum and maybe even the belief.
Just go out there and play like we can and we WILL win COYS !!!
Davspurs - how can you claim that the team that is bottom of the league is cheating now?? I still don't fully disbelieve that you have siome knowledge about all these cheating teams that take 'energy enhancing drugs' - however, you seem to say it's basically everyone except Spurs on it... Every team we play against has been 'energised' and poor old Tottenham try to do it the right way and we're up against teams cheating, sounds like Ars*ne W*nger's next excuse to me. If Wigan were cheating they wouldn't be bottom! And, if EVERYONE except us is cheating and we're 3rd we're not doing too badly at all!
SAHA! Yes! Finally a signing that underlines our ambition! Better than donkey bollockhead, I suppose, and maybe he'll be off back to Russia at some point within the next month. I am also hearing mutterings of Klasic though. Sorry to slightly derail, I agree that three points is the most important thing that must come to WHL today :)
Kranjcar! Finally. Is this just a cameo to boost his stock for a deadline day transfer, or is Harry finally coming around?
Defoe and Lennon ruled out...
Friedel, Walker, King, Kaboul, BAE, Bale, Modric, Parker, Kranjcar, van der Vaart, Adebayor.
Let those Liverpool/JD rumors continue for another 3 hours then!
Ryan Nelson and Louis Saha. Well I never. Still if Harry thinks the'll do a job, I will say nothing. Good to see Pav on his way though. Wasn't ever interested in his job.
3 points and Ryan Nelson and Louis Saha.......and a Man City loss.....and...and...and. Actually, I am not sure about Saha....but then, what do I know?
have we actually signed nelsen??
nothing on the spurs website
For those following the trial it's interesting that at Pompey HR got a cut of any profit made on players. I wonder if he is on a similar deal now, and if so that would encourage the picking up of bargain bin players like Pienaar and Krancjar, not necessarily playing them and then selling them on at a profit. I would hope that's not the case at Spurs.
And we have another six months of ineffective Dos Santos cameos to look forward to. Whoopee.
Glad Pav's gone - a last minute panic buy that never really caught fire. Let's hope the right lessons were learned from that little drama.
Happy to see we won easily. Some thoughts:-
1. I have done a quick analysis of our performance each month. We started 9 points below both ManC and ManU for August. For the next five months, we clawed back points in each month except one month in each case (Oct for ManC and Dec for ManU). So, overall there has been a net gain of 4 points over each of them in the past 5 months. Assuming this trend continues, then we could be neck and neck with both of them come May.
All this merely shows that we should expect to qualify for the Champions League. Whether this is enough for us to win the League title I dare not predict. I would be happy with a comfortable third place.
2. Should we be concerned for the injuries to VdV, Walker and to Adebayor? With Corluka and Bassong gone on loan, we are a little light on defensive cover, non?
3. The rest of the challengers for the Champions League spots are some way below, but it does not mean we should take them lightly. Next test is Liverpool this coming Monday? Score draw surely?
4. I am curious about our strategy for the FA Cup. The draw so far has been, to put it mildly, extremely kind. We are allowed to gain a winning momentum in the competition. But I wonder why we play a strong team. I guess because the best of the second string are all out on loan? But surely this is a case that requires careful rotation if we want to compete on both fronts?
5. I am glad we have been written off as title contenders. I prefer to operate under the radar to quietly achieve our aims. Not much pressure nor expectation.
6. I am also glad there is some acknowledgement that we wuz robbed at Citeh. Done in again by Howeird Webb again, I suppose we could not expect anything else. How is he recognised as the best referee in Englan/ the UK? His mistakes are absolutely disgraceful. What is worse to swallow is his arrogance.
7. Saha coming in. Not sure. Not a good recent track record. Would have preferred Falque to remain behind to be available for games, or are we going to rely on that other wunderkind, Coulibaly?