Better late than never.
So Monday night against our old bogey team........... sorry I'll correct that.... ONE of our bogey teams! Tbqh we seem to have so many these days for one reason or another.
When Wigan currently bottom of the pile trapped up I expected them to be tough, dour and defensive. Maybe under Kolo Toure they might have been, certainly under Steve Cooke they would have been but this current outfit came for three points and must have surprised the Rovers with their approach. They defended when they had to of course with debutant loanee from WBA Martin Kelly providing 2 or 3 last ditch tackles to thwart the Rovers and the Latics attacked with pace and threat mainly through ex Livvie youngster Callum Lang. Just shows our lot that decent players ARE out there and cheap too. When one reviews some of our signings it is perhaps time to examine the instructions Messrs Broughton and Tommason issue to our scouting team.
So I feel it was never a classic for the neutral but Wigan's approach made for an enthralling and surprisingly entertaining match in the first 45 mins. Wigan created a number of openings whilst at the other end BBD contrived to miss yet another one on one with the keeper. Small wonder no one has felt the urge to offer north of 15m for his services is it? I said when the Villa Real story broke that he shouldn't be turning out ever again for the Rovers as his heart clearly hasn't been in helping Rovers to the play offs recently. Both he and the club deny anything has been agreed with Villa Real but if I were a betting man I'd say he and his agent have shaken hands on a deal a couple of months ago. He's skipping challenges and shying out of tackles for some reason for sure. Also his one trick pony act of cutting in on the edge of the penalty area and swerving a shot in across the keeper has been sussed by other clubs who now no longer allow him any opportunities do do so.
Along with Jack Vale who simply isn't the back to goal battering ram type of CF that most want to see and the hopelessly ineffective Sam Gallagher (how many times have I written that he will end his career where it should have started, as a centre half in Leagues 1 or 2?) the Rovers are a blunt force these days. Much has been said of the O'Brian fiasco but I'm not all that bothered about missing out, certainly not with Travis, Morton and Buckley competing for the central midfield two positions and with Adam Wharton, Jake Garrett, JRC (when Brittain is fit), Hedges and Edun coming up on the rails. Wide midfield / attack players are not an urgent issue either now that we have Thomas to add to Dolan, Vale and the recently departed loanee Dillan Markanday. Szmodics and Dack can share the support striker position. Anyone with half a brain can see that the pressing need is for a player who can finish and score goals with at least some regularity. Ashley Barnes is out of favour at Burnley and some nasty bruiser like him with a knack for getting on the end of things is just the type of player that we need.
Pears .... 7 Goaled competently and seems to have overcome his earlier failings when between the sticks. Some decent management must have helped him overcome his nerves. btw anyone suspicious over Kaminsky's sore knee sustained on the training ground? He's played poorly for a match or two and might just have had an issue with JDT dropping him.... or am I guilty of making up stuff to fit?
JRC.... 7 His newly regained confidence is sure to make Callum Brittain's return to the first team not quite the formality he might have thought. Just so long when he is fit that JDT resists the silly notion of playing Brittain at left back.
Carter... 6 Combined well with Wharton to shut out most of Wigan's attacking threat.
Wharton... 6 See above.
Pickering ... 6 Struggling to make an impression playing behind the recently impotent Brereton.
Travis... 7 Worked hard all night against his old adversaries from Wigan Athletic.
Buckley... 7 Tried to create openings all night. He needed to cos very few were coming from the rest of the team.
Dack.... 6 Again flashes of brilliance but this time only isolated flashes as Wigan spies must have advised Shaun Maloney to marshall him well. Denied a goal only by a last second intervention by Kelly.
BBD.... 4 Seemingly uninterested in proceedings. Missed THAT sitter after 5 mins and may as well have sat next to me in the JWU for the rest of the match.
Thomas.... 7 Not suited as yet to the Rovers build up play and looked to have a poor touch and passing ability. After the break though he looked dangerous when attacking Wigan's left back and created a number of very good chances for his teammates. The jury is out but there were encouraging signs in his game.
Vale... 5 The supporters appear to be getting impatient with Jack but is it all his own fault? I'm not sure where his best position is but it sure isn't a back to goal target man, nor is it a fast and direct striker able to use blistering pace to make diagonal runs down the channels. He is a neat and tidy player with a providers instincts but that is not what the Rovers are crying out for. Worked hard Monday night but I'm struggling to find a position for this lad.
Subs
Morton (Buckley 62)... 6 Not sure that I would have taken Buckley off at that time but did just about OK without improving on JB when he came on.
Gallagher (Vale 62)... 4 Vale was about played out by then but Sam had zero affect on the game.
Hedges (Thomas 80).. 5 Made little difference to proceedings.
Szmodics (Dack 80) ..6 Put an energetic shift in as Dack's stamina was probably on the wane.
Manager
JDT... 5 Unfortunate to face a team benefiting from 'new manager bounce' but such is life. Shorn of Kaminsky, Hyam and Ayala his stand in back line did well to restrict Wigan to just one shot on target the whole match. However the Rovers toothless attack is no nearer to converting chances than it has been all season with the sixth fewest goals scored than the entire Division. Why the January chase made a midfielder a 10m priority goodness only knows. tbh I'm not too fussed that we missed out on O'Brian with Dolan, Buckley, Morton, Dack and now Thomas all ready and willing to provide bullets we desperately need someone to fire them!
One surprising issue is that every substitution appeared to me to weaken the team! Certainly the overall decline in performance seemed to suggest that JDT was making substitutions just for the sake of making them rather than for a specific purpose. Someone opined in the local after the match that JDT never changes the shape of the team or the tactics but rather subs one for one in the original formation.
As for that free kick! Words fail me. I thought they were only pretending to take a short free kick with all the big fellas up and the seconds ticking down.... until they bloody well took it short! Nothing more aggravating for players in the box, and particularly defenders who have run up to get in on the action than the ball failing to be delivered anywhere near them.
Referee Matt Donohue... 7 A decent refereeing performance overall and perhaps one of my preferred choices for man in the middle.
