Swindon v Wigan Match Day Thread

[Iffy's Onion Bhaji]

I know who they reminded me of: Preston. Just crushed us with power, hard work and organisation. Not sure our current model has a response to that sort of team.

This. When will we learn that tippy tappy football doesnt get you out of this league? Being hard working, organised and having a physical presence at the back for set pieces does.

[nigel grays a postie]

Great through ball from Doughty for Ajose goal but apart from a dinky little shot in the first half that was pretty much all he did. Rodgers gets all the criticism but for me Doughty has pretty much strolled through his last 3 or 4 games. Last minute equaliser v Millwall disguised a pretty sub standard display against them too. Surely breaking into a sweat every now again isn't beneath him. Hylton may have his limitations but at least he does put some effort in.

[Ells]

Any style of football can work if you're fucking good at it. The game is about scoring more goals than the opposition, how you get there is irrelevant.

If you don't like the "tippy tappy" (?) that's your prerogative but it's not wrong because you don't like it. It's the style we play because it suits us.

Case in point: us playing any kind of long ball today without Obika. Utterly pointless.

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

I hope we haven't got an owner so mental he's going to look at one game we lost  that it's going to change his entire outlook, but admittedly we did miss Beaks today.

I don't think there's any danger of that whatsoever Ells.

However (taking everything at face value), whilst I like Power and his overall strategy for the Club and where the Club is going at this point, I would also like to think that he is a pretty down-to-earth, pragmatic kind of person who, whilst being able to see that his strategy has worked pretty damned well so far, there is at the same time, quite a bit of room for improvement. I don't want to see us getting too bogged down by 'The Model'.

Things I would like to see next season/going forward (sorry for the horrible corporate speak)

Less reliance on loan signings. Yes, we've had success with this but let's get the balance right - we've been top heavy and have been over-reliant on loan signings the last couple of seasons. This needs to be redressed.

We don't have to piss about with the ball all the fucking time at the back. If we occasionally hoof the ball into Row Z it's not going to compromise our principals. Let's be sensible.

Let's beef up the squad in physical terms just a little bit in the summer. The game today looked like a school game where there was a breakdown in communication when arranging the fixture and your U13's end up playing the other school's U15's. As Alan Hansen once said, "You don't win anything with midgets'" or something like that...

Would it really do any harm to get a couple of seasoned 'old pro's' to go along with the young lads - I'm pretty sure it wouldn't.

Just a little bit more directness in our play at certain times. Corners for example - we are positively anaemic in this respect. All of this short corner nonsense - please, enough already - we've been utterly pathetic in this area for at least 2 years now. It's high time this was addressed.

'The Model' has served us pretty well for 2 or 3 seasons now but to me, it's screamingly obvious that it needs some tweaking (not too much) for the Club to progress.

Over to you Lee...

[Christy]

Over to you Lee...

Very well said, I agree with all that - and what I don't quite get - is that given our inability to mix it, to cope physically with the Franchise and Preston, is what cost us last season, fixing it hasn't been priority number one this season.

Yes Wigan were solid, strong, resolute organised - this year's Preston with a touch more football about them - but nothing special. But if 'the model' thinks it can compete using the Thompsons, a couple of loanees and a bunch of willing lads better suited to non-league, then I think the model needs to go home and have a word with itself.  I don't doubt that Anton Rodgers is a great technician and super character, but watching him watching the game and Doughty, a player strolling around with all the urgency of someone with 20 minutes to waste before his bus connection, in the middle of the pitch, WHERE IT ALL HAPPENS, was beyond painful.

Does anyone really believe this team going to progress next season with Belford, Barry, BOO, Rodgers, Hylton, Brophy etc in it?

Over to you Lee, indeed.

[Hoboken]

I don't think there's any danger of that whatsoever Ells.

However (taking everything at face value), whilst I like Power and his overall strategy for the Club and where the Club is going at this point, I would also like to think that he is a pretty down-to-earth, pragmatic kind of person who, whilst being able to see that his strategy has worked pretty damned well so far, there is at the same time, quite a bit of room for improvement. I don't want to see us getting too bogged down by 'The Model'.

Things I would like to see next season/going forward (sorry for the horrible corporate speak)

Less reliance on loan signings. Yes, we've had success with this but let's get the balance right - we've been top heavy and have been over-reliant on loan signings the last couple of seasons. This needs to be redressed.

We don't have to piss about with the ball all the fucking time at the back. If we occasionally hoof the ball into Row Z it's not going to compromise our principals. Let's be sensible.

Let's beef up the squad in physical terms just a little bit in the summer. The game today looked like a school game where there was a breakdown in communication when arranging the fixture and your U13's end up playing the other school's U15's. As Alan Hansen once said, "You don't win anything with midgets'" or something like that...

Would it really do any harm to get a couple of seasoned 'old pro's' to go along with the young lads - I'm pretty sure it wouldn't.

Just a little bit more directness in our play at certain times. Corners for example - we are positively anaemic in this respect. All of this short corner nonsense - please, enough already - we've been utterly pathetic in this area for at least 2 years now. It's high time this was addressed.

'The Model' has served us pretty well for 2 or 3 seasons now but to me, it's screamingly obvious that it needs some tweaking (not too much) for the Club to progress.

Over to you Lee...

All of your suggestions make sense, but they all break The Model. Less loans and more senior players means more expense, which somehow we cannot afford yet most other teams, with less attendances, can. We simply have to hope that we get lucky like last year and it all comes together...to be fair, without the horrific injury spate when we only picked up a couple of points in 11 games, we'd be in a playoff position...which is the best we can hope for each year. Every year we're almost starting from scratch.

[Hoboken]

Well done to the Town End for singing for most of the second half...it was so grating to see people leaving when the 4th went in. I had to remind myself I'm pushing 50 and bit my lip...

[michael]

I did enjoy the Town End singing "4-0 and you still don't sing" just as the away fans were passionately mid-rendition of another chant of northern dialect.

Wig-en-am indeed.

Very good side though, wouldn't be surprised if they overhauled Burton to win the league.

[Batch]

just read back through, my mums text of "this match is bollocks" really did sum it up then!

[THE FLASH]

Decided not go despite my ST, due to quite a few of the lads missing on holiday, in Berlin blah blah.

So a cheap bottle of Crumptons Orchard cider and the sofa for me (with Swindon shirt on....why do I do that? .

I was expecting a defeat but probably by a narrow margin. So I was only half right.

Sky came on and my heart sank. Cotterill and Prutton in the studio.....'Not these cunts!' I cried. The Omen....

We started brightly enough but Wigan never looked phased at any point in the game.

Maybe if Thompsons run and shot had gone in and Ajose not been called offside when he wasn't, things might of been different BUT Wigan DID miss a bucket of chances too.

At halftime I commented to Victor Mildew that we would lose 1 or two zip and I couldn't see us scoring.... Wrong again....

Total collapse at the start of the second but pleased to see Ajose take his goal so well.....Power was probably thinking Kerching!!!

I wasn't angry at the end but disappointed.

Wigan just too good....strong, skilful and organised and never ever unassured, it would of been a good game to watch if it wasn't my team having its arse handed to them on a plate!

It was mentioned on Sky about parachute payments and we can talk about formations and models all day long but let's face facts with that sort of budget Wigan should of already pissed this league weeks ago. The only thing that narked me a bit was Perkins at the end giving it the biggin ( I did like the managers comments). For me it was Wolves all over again. Wigan should take the title but I do hope Burton fuck it up for them..

Displays IMO:

Belford: no chance with goals for me....assured punching...should of punched Max Power just for looking like Cureton.

Barry: Oh dear ... Off day...allowed the cross for the first goal..poor.

Turnbulll: quite good, a few really good tackles.

N Thompson: Very good, got into some good positions but hot headed as usual, no complaints from me about the Red. Cotterill mus of got an erection at that!

Mr Sendles: Solid enough

Rodgers: Gone back to being fucking hopeless, giving the ball away all the time and attempting the impossible.

BOO: OK

Doughty: Not great at all, disappointing effort.

Louis: Didn't get going, sometimes ran too long with the ball but really there wasn't much else on.

Ajose: Took the goal well, only highlight and probably be sold.

Hylton: I doubt him and Doughty needed to shower after the match. Feel for him a bit, given a chance in a game that was crying out for Beaks.

So glad that Pererborough v Cov started quickly and so restricted coverage of the highlights!

Onwards we go.

Another win to hit the Reg target but really it's all dead rubbers for us now.  Fleetwood will be fighting like fuck next week.

[Oaksey Moonraker]

All of your suggestions make sense, but they all break The Model. Less loans and more senior players means more expense, which somehow we cannot afford yet most other teams, with less attendances, can. We simply have to hope that we get lucky like last year and it all comes together...to be fair, without the horrific injury spate when we only picked up a couple of points in 11 games, we'd be in a playoff position...which is the best we can hope for each year. Every year we're almost starting from scratch.

The Model will have to change next season with the loan rules changing. There should be enough released players to pick up an experienced pro or two.

[Bob's Orange]

How long is Obika out for?

[Flashheart]

Some of you lot crack me up. One poor game and suddenly we're doing it all wrong. Never mind, we'll win a game again soon and then we'll be contenders again.

[Flashheart]

How long is Obika out for?

I think I read he might be available for Monday, so not long.

[RobertT]

They could well get back to back promotions.  They will go up this season and because they get one more year of parachute payments they see that amount increase next year due to the new TV deal.  Add a few players to their squad on the back of a promotion and they could ride the crest of a wave.  Better than Preston in my view, they play decent football on top of the physical stuff.