Our panel of Latics experts run the rule over Ryan Lowe’s first game in charge, with an international break – thanks to a hat-trick of call-ups – now to rally the troops for the last 10 matches of the campaign...
Alan Rogers:
I said a few weeks ago I wouldn't be writing anything here for a while, because I was going to make so much money at Cheltenham last week, I would have to leave the country. Well I'm still here, so you obviously know what that means. I actually have a keen interest in horses, and I'm in a few syndicates - albeit very low level. A few people know about my interest and ask me for tips. They only tend to ask me once...because I'm not a very good tipster. Actually, I'm not a very good part-owner either!
Last week at Cheltenham, there was a horse running called Caldwell Potter, owned by Sir Alex Ferguson. A double football connection - a Latics legend, and football royalty. A few of my mates backed it, purely because of the name and the connections. I laughed at them. 'Amateurs! It's got no chance!' Obviously it won easily. But I thought again about the Caldwell factor at the weekend when Dan Burn became a Newcastle hero.
Burn didn't look to have much of a future until Gary signed him from Fulham. After a slow start, Dan became a fans' favourite. Among his achievements, he captained us to victory in a memorable FA Cup tie against Manchester City, featuring in an iconic photo with Joseph Kendrick along the way. Fast forward a few years, and not only will he probably get his own statue at St James Park after scoring in a Wembley win, but he's received an England call up. Funny old game, really.
It got even funnier this week when one of our young stars received a call up to play for 'his country'. I don't think anyone outside his close family would know James Carragher was eligible to play for Malta, but he seems very happy to offer his services to his adopted country. Good luck to him, he's had a great season, and has earned his chance.
So, it's another international break and no game this weekend. I don't really want to talk about the Charlton game. We are definitely in a transitional period at the moment, so I just want to try to forget our latest visit to the capital. I'm just glad we have a game before we play Bolton Wanderers, and hopefully our new manager can have a small chance to try and put his own stamp on things.
In regard to the Bolton game, I was walking the dog at Haigh Hall the other day when I met an old mate who I hadn't seen for a long time. Well, I say old mate, but he's a Bolton season-ticket holder, so we can't have been that close! Anyway, after we greeted each other enthusiastically, he suddenly stopped and exclaimed: 'Is that you that writes that rubbish most weeks in the paper'?...'I think you're mixing me up with Paul Kendrick,' I replied (None taken -Ed). 'No,' he said. 'In that 12th Man column'?...'Yep, that's me!' I said proudly! He shook his head sadly. 'I thought you had more sense than that'…
But then we got into a discussion about our teams, and it was interesting to debate the similarities and differences between them from Horwich and the Latics. Among other things, they really hated their manager at the end, whereas even the Wigan fans who wanted Shaun Maloney to go still mostly had a great deal of respect for him. Listening to my mate, Bolton seem to be under the same kind of financial restrictions we are, and there are possibly uncertain times ahead. But we also spoke about the game on April 1. I was worried about our current form, but he argued form never usually comes into it where these games are concerned. He was more bothered about the fact they play Blackpool in the game before they play us. Because apparently last season they played Blackpool in the game before they played us! Football fans superstitious? Never!
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Matt Auffrey:
We are just over a week into the Ryan Lowe era at Latics, and there seems to be a rare consensus amongst fans...that the new gaffer has made a favourable impression! While we were given an initial plan for how the ‘transition of power’ would look between interim manager Glenn Whelan and Lowe, a pivot of sorts seemingly happened when the new man showed up on the touchline at Charlton to the surprise of many. There were mixed feelings ahead of our visit to the Valley as some fans saw the fixture as a ‘free hit’, void of expectation and stress. Other fans, meanwhile, were cautiously optimistic the ‘new manager bounce’ would allow us to produce a positive result against one of the hottest teams in not just League One, but the entire EFL.
The events that unfolded on the pitch told a different story, as Charlton dominated from the onset in a first half where Latics hardly laid a finger on the home side. A 2-0 deficit forced Lowe into making two half-time substitutions. After Sam Tickle produced a ‘double save of the season’ candidate just moments after the restart to deny the Addicts a third goal, Latics finally settled into the match. And a late Chris Sze consolation goal allowed the match to end with a respectable scoreline. However, the overarching story of the match was this team needs quite a bit to change, and has many areas to improve, if they are going to be more competitive over the final 10 matches of the season.
The good news is Lowe will have two full weeks to work with the squad ahead of Barnsley’s visit to the Brick at the end of the month. Before we look completely ahead to this final stretch of the season, some credit has to be given to Whelan (along with Graham Barrow and Frankie Bunn) for securing four crucial points against Mansfield and Cambridge in the lead-up to Lowe’s appointment. There is still a semi-comfortable distance between ourselves and the relegation places that should hopefully turn the pressure down a notch on the group over the coming weeks. As Lowe analyses the squad with each training session, the players should make progress towards playing more direct, free-flowing football within his new system. The prospect of debuting a new formation and starting XI against Barnsley is enough of a reason to get excited about our return to action next weekend.
Shaun Maloney accomplished a fair amount during his two years in charge. He also left the club during a phase that could be described as ‘developing’ or ‘under construction’. Given his pedigree and experience, Lowe would not have taken the job - which certainly falls under the category of a ‘project’ - if he did not believe he would receive adequate support to achieve the objectives laid out for him by the club. His appointment also offers a fresh start of sorts for the board, who haven’t nailed every decision during their short tenure in charge, and will surely choose some different approaches under a new manager.
This break from play should also allow our fanbase some time to recharge ahead of an eventful final six weeks of the season. Some exciting fixtures await, and I am confident Lowe will have the squad ready to compete in each of them. This season has brought some great highs, some depressing lows, and a lot of middling performances that have left our fans largely displeased. We have been given a genuine opportunity to shift the narrative for this season. Let’s embrace the moment and remain positive about what’s to come. Cheers.
Martin Lally:
I wrote my last 12th man piece around 26 hours in advance of the announcement of the new gaffer taking the reins. Considering I live with a scouser, I guess I have to be complimentary...but all jokes aside, two of my top three all-time Latics managers have arrived from the People's Republic of Liverpool, in Paul Jewell and Paul Cook. And I have to be honest, I think the board played a blinding hand with the tactical announcement of the new ‘head coach’ coming a further 24 hours in advance of the fans forum, which possibly delivered a neutral PH in the fanbase compared to what it could have been.
I was quite underwhelmed by the appointment at first glance...sat in a bar in Manchester, waiting to see a gig...maybe it was the second pint on a school night? But over the next few days, and seeing the first videos from Ryan Lowe, he certainly does give you that Jewell/Cook-type vibe, where it's us versus the world...and it’s slightly growing on me! I also think every fan of every club where a manager has left with a cloud is slightly bitter towards the end as, let’s be honest, they are leaving the family behind to seek a new adventure. At times it can feel like a small kidney jab, but time will tell and, being the forever optimist I clearly am, I will be up and down the country once more in 2025/26 supporting 'Ryan Lowe’s Blue And White Army'!
I’ve got to be honest, the PWU podcast filled me with terror this week, listening to the Charlton fan (great work Barry and the boys...I'm an avid listener each week) who described them in a style similar to a serious contender for automatic promotion. It made me relive my first trip to the Valley on August 20, 2005. Coming off the back of a slender loss to Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea at the JJB the weekend before, we were defo getting our first Premiership points...only for a great ball from Danny Murphy to Darren Bent to condemn us to our second 1-0 loss of the season, and the dread of a long, tough slog at the top level. We all know how that worked out though!
Saturday wasn’t to be when it came to the new manager 'bounce', but the ability to change it up in the second half when it was required was super important, and I was really happy to see Chris Sze on the scoresheet. I really think he could develop into something special, but the harsh reality is the Charlton fan made great points, and we are probably a long way off being near them, similar to many we have faced this year who are up there contending.
Ten games to go in the last five weeks gives the new gaffer a great chance to give us a sight of what the football may look like next year and beyond. I hope they do back him in the next window, but realistically it could take two or three windows to see the 'real' Lowe team. Out of those 10, five games see us face teams below or around us, and I really hope this is where we can improve and put some of these teams to the sword...and of course it would always be nice to beat ‘them from up the road’...again!
Tony Moon:
So, yet again, Latics choose to twist. We probably had a safeish hand of 14/15 or so, but in the hope of hitting that unlikely 21 (or who knows, maybe even a five-card trick), the management team (ie the ones in the boardroom, not the boot-room) have stuck their collective head above the parapet. Most of us probably thought Shaun Maloney was (rightly or wrongly) in one of the safest jobs in football...shows how much we all know! It seems the potential threat of seeing lots of season-ticket holders finding summat more entertaining to do on Saturday afternoons (and more often than not, Tuesday nights) gave the board cold feet. Why didn’t they just buy ‘emsels some warm slippers? Any road, I’m not sure the board really understand the devastating impact of their actions...for the past couple of years, supporting Maloney’s rebuilding of the club (okay, not single-handedly, but undoubtedly covering more roles than was good for him!), I was content in the knowledge I was labelled a 'happy clapper'. Now, after the mere suggestion Ryan Lowe might have had some involvement in the team selection and tactics last Saturday, apparently I’m part of the 'blame brigade'. And if I carry on like that, I’ll be a 'moaning old git' in no time! It’s going to cost me a fortune in hats...!
Related topics:Ryan LoweDan BurnAlex FergusonGlenn Whelan
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