Reactions to Wigan game - We won't go down and, obviously, Mcghee should stay but....

[Brighton Breezy]

Reaction to Wigan game thread

They were class but I would have liked us to give them a proper game then we could have seen just how class they really are.

Butters was awfully exposed today because Oatway and Nicolas seemed to be completely outplayed and more worryingly, outbattled today. This meant that Roberts et al were running at Butters which he will admit is not his strong point.

Knight played well and McCammon and Virgo put themselves about although I would suggest that McCammon SHOULD have scored today. He wins headers well but should make more of them when in front of goal.

Hart ran about but was outclassed.

Dont think we can blame Shaaban for any of the goals.

We were poor today and I do worry we will get dragged into the relegation scrap. For me, Coventry away is a MUST win game.

I wish McGhee would publically be a bit harshes sometimes, not on individuals but collectively, because the last three performances have really not been good enough but he just seems to say "Its ok, we only need two wins."

I think we may need more then that and I am struggling to see where will get them on current form. Leicester at home and Rotherham away look like being the best bet.

I hope we stay up and think we will just about but its going to be close and I think if we go into the last game needing a win then we will be relegated.

 

[e77]

Just saw their first goal on Sky. Looked fairly unstoppable.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Wigan must be league leaders for some reason. Personally I thought they were nothing special. Compared to, say, Derby. On the face of it, 4-2 is no disgrace. But the Albion being 2-0 down after four minutes just killed the game as a contest before it got a chance to get going.

 

[ShorehamGull]

Don't know what I think at the moment, just feels I have just woken up from a nightmare.
We were sleeping right at the start and Wigan came out of the blocks quickly.
I liked the way Wigan played and it showed that they are top of the league by the way they passed the ball around with confidence.
Knight, Virgo, and Big Mac I feel tried the hardest but tired in the end.
Good goal from Virgo and a good quick freekick from Watson for Hammonds goal.
The performance was not help by a poor referee yet again, but I am fed up with blaming everything on the ref.
The players heads did not drop, they kept at it even at 0 - 4, so it shows that they are trying even if the consentration is not quite spot on.
I believe we will bounce back, and show that we do have the ability to avoid relegation.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

The thing that worries me is the form of the other teams down there. Coventry are currently picking up points every week as are Gillingham. Crewe & Leicester aren't playing great but they're certainly at a similar level to us.

I'm concerned that we thought the job was done, let things slip & now are going to be nervous in the run-in. From 10 points down to 3 in a matter of 2-3 weeks is not good

 

[chips and gravy]

I dunno why but I fancy us to get a result next Monday. I remember being on a similar run a few years ago and tonking Reading at home in one of the best displays that season. I reckon lightning can strike twice as they are definitely struggling for form.

 

[ShorehamGull]

Just bring on Reading, that's what I say

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

What did everyone expect, the play offs? This was always going to happen and I've said all along it'll go to the wire.

Mcghee made some tactical mistakes tonight. We should have played 5 at the back with Virgo being in the middle, which wouldn't have left poor old Butters so exposed tonight. Leon should have been up front. But God I'm worried about the defence, 9 goals in 2 games!

Hammond must start instead of Nicolas ( what has happened to him? ) on Monday.

I still think we'll just be ok, but only just. We've got to learn how to be lucky again.

 

[London Irish]

Playing one of the best young centre backs in the league in his best position is far from a waste. Leaking 11 goals in 3 games suggests we're struggling in defence at the moment. Don't underestimate the magical powers of formations, they can be kind of important.

Just to carry on this theme - we played 3-5-2 at Cardiff and lost that game in the first 20 minutes due to poor defending. It was in response to that we went back to the flat back 4 and won six points, conceding just one goal over the two games. Should we credit the 4-4-2 for this, or the players' performances?

We've had 3 clean sheets so far this calender year. Two with 4-4-2 (QPR, Millwall), just one with 3-5-2 (Forest).

I think we have a lot of conflicting evidence here about what is our best defensive formation, so that's why I'm not keen to heap all our current problems on the 4-4-2.

I think in all those games, the key factor has been how efficiently the midfield has performed in protecting the flat back 4 or 3 centre-backs. This is where I feel we have dropped off a bit, certainly in the last two games.

Will a formation change back to 5-3-2 solve that? I'm not so sure, more important I think is getting the right blend in midfield.

McGhee has a number of options of course.

He could still play 3-5-2 and keep the potent Virgs/Big Mac partnership up front by bringing in Adam El Abd, who played in the back 3 in the Forest shut-out. OGH wouldn't fit into that system, and Leon could also be sacrificed as with the Upton Park win.

Or he could pair, as many people want, Big Mac and Leon, although that didn't look that great against Cardiff, and Leon has struggled up front all season against the quicker, more physical Championship defenders and his scoring rate is pretty dire.

Or he could stick with the 4-4-2 that gave us our last bounceback against Sunderland and Millwall, with possibly Hammond coming in for either Hart or Nicolas.

I guess his final decision will rest in what weaknesses he sees in the Reading formation, with one win in 13, hopefully he's seen a few.

 

[Budgie]

I think all the players and management should donate a weeks wages towards the Alive and Kicking fund after the last two totally inept performances.

 

[Infernal Optimist]

Tend to agree about the formation. I thought that playing a flat back four against that sort of pace was risky. Having said that I thought Virgo played well up front and we did create a number of chances via the aerial route.

McGammon had at least two really good chances that he should have scored never
mind just got on target and although he gave 100% his finishing is well below standard.

But you can't give a team as good as them a two goal start and expect to get anything...