Promotion Favourites v Relegation Favourites ( allegedly) | Page 5 | Vital Football

Promotion Favourites v Relegation Favourites ( allegedly)

Fantastic, well earned result. It wasn't a glittering sexy performance but it was still a very pleasing one where we showed a great deal of composure on the ball in defence combined with a lot of fight and graft.

In the first half we seemed a little uncertain of our new style but showed a couple of flashes of lovely pass and move. But we were being pressed high and hard and i think we ended up getting a bit nervous and opted to go long a few times when maybe we didn't need to that just lost the ball. But Derby were not at their best, misplacing passes quite regularly and it seemed we slowly got more confidence to play out. We started with Clare as an inverted full backs but Pearce playing more as a traditional full back, but as the game went on Clare seemed to become more traditional too and I think that worked better.

Both sides had posession and spells of pressure without creating clear cut chances. We were defending resolutely but we were at times open down either flank on the counter and we did give the ball away in dangerous areas a couple of times. So I'd say Derby were not really getting at us except when we made mistakes to let them in. Derby were arguably slightly on top when a terrible mistake from Bradley trying to pass back to the keeper under pressure from Wyke put him through on goal. Wyke had a chance like that against Tranmere and tried to chip the onrushing keeper and missed badly, so I imagine that was on his mind and he kept his composure to round their keeper and slot it away despite the defenders rushing back on the line.

I think we were probably just about worth our half time lead and had turned in a solid first half performance. It was probably short on real attacking flair but the team was working hard and making life tough for Derby.

After half time Derby came on strong but we seemed to have grown in our own confidence and were better playing the ball out under pressure. But we found that as well of the defenders got the ball out it was often lost by the attackers or they were eventually forced to into going long and giving it away as the attacking players weren't giving them options.

Derby pushed harder and we ended up deeper, with our lack of defensive or physicality in midfield started to show. We continued to defend well but we completely lost midfield and the ball just kept coming back at us with Derby having too much time and space on the flanks to get deep crosses in. Derby started to create good chances that we were lucky to survive but eventually got an equaliser through a deflected cross hit a Derby head and could've gone anywhere - But unfortunately landed perfectly into the path of the onrushing full back. We forgot to track him and he was completely unmarked to fire home. It felt like it was coming and we should've made some tactical changes earlier to try and avoid it. But it was very frustrating that after so much hard work a massive lapse of concentration or lack of defensive discipline allowed them a free hit at equalising - it was avoidable and self inflicted.

After the goal you feared momentum was going to be with Derby and our heads would drop setting them up for a winner. But while Derby remained on top we adjusted midfield taking off the tired McManaman for Adeeko and pushing Thelo onto the left and started to regain midfield a bit and push up the field more.

A bit of good work from Aasgaard in his more advanced role set up Pearce to deliver a dangerous cross that the Derby keeper completely lost the flight of and Wyke was in the right place to nod home a second goal against the run of play.

After that we smartly adjusted tactics again brining on Watts to move to a back 3 to deal with the expected big final push from Derby. It was all hands on deck as we were under constant pressure and everyone battled to keep them out but we were also very smart with the ball and not panicking into clearing our lines unnecessarily to give them the ball back easily. We tried to intelligently keep posession to break up their momentum, take the pressure off ourselves and give us a breather by frustrating them into chasing us and denying them the ball to launch more attacks.

The referee added 9 minutes of added time that was very excessive even with the daft new EFL rules. But we stuck to our task and even survived the ref adding another 3 mins on top of his initial overly generous adage. It felt like the ref was playing until Derby scored! But we resolutely saw it out and sealed a big win that wasn't the prettiest but showed that even though we want to play nice football we can do the ugly side of the game too.

Coming into this game it was hard to know what to expect from us as we are still very much a work in progress finding our feet. But while we failed to produce the sexy attacking moves we saw in the first half against Everton, the defensive unit was excellent both in posession and dealing with the threat and you can't understate how transformative the ability to play out from the back under pressure made today. The attacking end of the pitch was a bit disjointed and struggled to really create much but and i dont think we've worked out the right personnel there just yet but hopefully that will evolve over the coming weeks. But everyone worked hard and showed great heart to hold onto the lead, by the end everyone was dead on their feet but they dug deep to keep battling and drag themselves over the line. A really pleasing performance and after what Maloney, the players and fans have endured over the past 6 months or so it was thoroughly deserved.
 
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Individually

Tickle - protected quite well but had to make a couple of saves and was very impressive in everything he did. Took the pressure off his defence multiple times by collecting crosses. It's ridiculous how good he is for a young lad playing his 2nd competing league game - he looks like an established pro. Made a big difference with his composure on the ball to help us play out and his long kicking was decent. What a prospect he looks.

Clare - not a big flashy debut but thought he was quite impressive. Defended well and used the ball well. Git caught ball watching to let Derby get a shot away but fortunately they hit it straight at Tickle. Left exposed a few times by midfield not tracking runners. Considering he's not played a minute of preseason so couldn't be match fit did very well.

Hughes - absolutely outstanding, dominated defensively and was so cool in passing the ball out which was so effective.

Morrison - not as impressive as Hughes but not far behind. Again his ability passing the ball oumawas a big help.

Pearce - had a decent game, got caught out a few times defensively as you'd expect knowing he's not the strongest defender including probably letting the cross for the cross come in too easily. But when he got forward he put in a couple of decent balls including a superb cross for Wykes second. At times didn't get as much support from the winger and left vulnerable.

Matt Smith - very impressive again as the pivot linking up with the defenders to play out. You can already tell he's going to be a key player for us this season - he makes everything work . He does the job Power used to do but significantly better. We know he's not the most physical defensively so probably needs a better defensive partner with him to help break up play when we are under pressure.

Aasgaard - bit of a mixed day, did some things well including setting Pearce up for the winning cross but lost the ball in dangerous areas a couple of times and struggled when we were under real pressure and was required to be more defensive. I don't think he is suited to the centre mid spot especially in a game where we are under heavy pressure and he'll need to battle. I think he probably will be pushed higher up the pitch in the coming weeks as the new signings integrate.

Lang - ran his shocks off and battled from the no10 spot defending from the front. Had a great chance to make it 2-0 but hit the keeper. Didnt create much and still not sure he's suited to being a no10 but his energy and work rate made a big difference, especially when we were tiring and under pressure and he never stopped chasing.

McManaman - started reasonably well but faded as the game went. Don't think he's a starter at this stage of his career. Tried to track back defensively but still caught out a bit. Subbed in middle of second half after he ran out of gas.

Humphrys - when he got the ball could beat his man and get crosses in but was guilty of not tracking the Derby overlaps and leaving Clare exposed at times. I He was absolutely nowhere near the Derby defenders who scored their equaliser and it seemed like that was probably a runner he should've tracked. If it was his man I think he let himself down a bit on that lapse. I like him on the wing but I do wonder if Lang was on the right and Humps on the left or as a no10 that could get the best out of both.

Wyke - he probably lost most of the aerial duels but he battled hard and made himself a nuisance regardless. That physical presence made a big difference, it forced the error for his first goal and got him into a position to take advantage of their second error for his brace. It doesn't matter how much nice football you want to play having a battler up front who can at least make defenders lives awkward is so crucial. After everything he's been through his confidence was probably not great so this will do him the world of good and hopefully it's the start of him regaining that Sunderland form.

Adeeko - came on as a sub to help sure up centre mid when we were losing the middle of the pitch. He immediately made a couple of errors we got away with but it didn't knock his confidence or allow himself to hide. He kept showing for the ball and ended up doing quite well. Strong mentality from someone making their debut. Not very big or physical but looked confident on the ball to try things you probably wouldn't expect from a young lad thrown in at the deep end like that.

Watts - came on after we went 2-1 to help us sure up the defence and see out the game. Did his role well.

Scott Smith - came on late to give us some energy in a tiring midfield and see out the game. Not on long enough to make a big impact but played his role running round and trying to press Derby.
 
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king_dezeeuw06 said:
Fantastic, well earned result. It wasn't a glittering sexy performance but it was still a very pleasing one where we showed a great deal of composure on the ball in defence combined with a lot of fight and graft.

In the first half we seemed a little uncertain of our new style but showed a couple of flashes of lovely pass and move. But we were being pressed high and hard and i think we ended up getting a bit nervous and opted to go long a few times when maybe we didn't need to that just lost the ball. But Derby were not at their best, misplacing passes quite regularly and it seemed we slowly got more confidence to play out. We started with Clare as an inverted full backs but Pearce playing more as a traditional full back, but as the game went on Clare seemed to become more traditional too and I think that worked better.

Both sides had posession and spells of pressure without creating clear cut chances. We were defending resolutely but we were at times open down either flank on the counter and we did give the ball away in dangerous areas a couple of times. So I'd say Derby were not really getting at us except when we made mistakes to let them in. Derby were arguably slightly on top when a terrible mistake from Bradley trying to pass back to the keeper under pressure from Wyke put him through on goal. Wyke had a chance like that against Tranmere and tried to chip the onrushing keeper and missed badly, so I imagine that was on his mind and he kept his composure to round their keeper and slot it away despite the defenders rushing back on the line.

I think we were probably just about worth our half time lead and had turned in a solid first half performance. It was probably short on real attacking flair but the team was working hard and making life tough for Derby.

After half time Derby came on strong but we seemed to have grown in our own confidence and were better playing the ball out under pressure. But we found that as well of the defenders got the ball out it was often lost by the attackers or they were eventually forced to into going long and giving it away as the attacking players weren't giving them options.

Derby pushed harder and we ended up deeper, with our lack of defensive or physicality in midfield started to show. We continued to defend well but we completely lost midfield and the ball just kept coming back at us with Derby having too much time and space on the flanks to get deep crosses in. Derby started to create good chances that we were lucky to survive but eventually got an equaliser through a overhit cross spinning off the Derby strikers head that could've gone anywhere. But unfortunately landed perfectly into the path of the onrushing full back who we forgot to track and was completely unmarked to fire home. It felt like it was coming and we should've made some tactical changes earlier to try and avoid it. But it was very frustrating that after so much hard work a massive lapse of concentration or lack of defensive discipline allowed them a free hit at equalising - it was avoidable and self inflicted.

After the goal you feared momentum was going to be with Derby and our heads would drop setting them up for a winner. But while Derby remained on top we adjusted midfield taking off the tired McManaman for Adeeko and pushing Thelo onto the left and started to regain midfield a bit and push up the field more.

A bit of good work from Aasgaard in his more advanced role set up Pearce to deliver a dangerous cross that the Derby keeper completely lost the flight of and Wyke was in the right place to nod home a second goal against the run of play.

After that we smartly adjusted tactics again brining on Watts to move to a back 3 to deal with the expected big final push from Derby. It was all hands on deck as we were under constant pressure and everyone battled to keep them out but we were also very smart with the ball and not panicking into clearing our lines unnecessarily to give them the ball back easily. We tried to intelligently keep posession to break up their momentum, take the pressure off ourselves and give us a breather by frustrating them into chasing us and denying them the ball to launch more attacks.

The referee added 9 minutes of added time that was very excessive even with the daft new EFL rules. But we stuck to our task and even survived the ref adding another 3 mins on top of his initial overly generous adage. It felt like the ref was playing until Derby scored! But we resolutely saw it out and sealed a big win that wasn't the prettiest but showed that even though we want to play nice football we can do the ugly side of the game too.

Coming into this game it was hard to know what to expect from us as we are still very much a work in progress finding our feet. But while we failed to produce the sexy attacking moves we saw in the first half against Everton, the defensive unit was excellent both in posession and dealing with the threat and you can't understate how transformative the ability to play out from the back under pressure made today. The attacking end of the pitch was a bit disjointed and struggled to really create much but and i dont think we've worked out the right personnel there just yet but hopefully that will evolve over the coming weeks. But everyone worked hard and showed great heart to hold onto the lead, by the end everyone was dead on their feet but they dug deep to keep battling and drag themselves over the line. A really pleasing performance and after what Maloney, the players and fans have endured over the past 6 months or so it was thoroughly deserved.
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Funny how we see games differently....watching it from an elevated packed away end I thot we were more than deserving in our lead, could have had another if Lang had a bit more composure, not to mention Thelos strike which was a tad unlucky after a good build up to his shot. Agree that we were slightly defensive in the 2nd half where we sat deep at times just hacking the ball away when we just needed a bit of composure & a spell in possession....that said we fought hard, tackled well & restricted them.
The baffling thing was where the ref got 9 minutes of injury time plus the extra minutes after said injury time....wtf was that all about 🤔
 
jocklatic said:
Funny how we see games differently....watching it from an elevated packed away end I thot we were more than deserving in our lead, could have had another if Lang had a bit more composure, not to mention Thelos strike which was a tad unlucky after a good build up to his shot. Agree that we were slightly defensive in the 2nd half where we sat deep at times just hacking the ball away when we just needed a bit of composure & a spell in possession....that said we fought hard, tackled well & restricted them.
The baffling thing was where the ref got 9 minutes of injury time plus the extra minutes after said injury time....wtf was that all about 🤔
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And he added a further 3 minutes on to the 9
 
jocklatic said:
Funny how we see games differently....watching it from an elevated packed away end I thot we were more than deserving in our lead, could have had another if Lang had a bit more composure, not to mention Thelos strike which was a tad unlucky after a good build up to his shot. Agree that we were slightly defensive in the 2nd half where we sat deep at times just hacking the ball away when we just needed a bit of composure & a spell in possession....that said we fought hard, tackled well & restricted them.
The baffling thing was where the ref got 9 minutes of injury time plus the extra minutes after said injury time....wtf was that all about 🤔
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I'd agree we deserved to lead at half time but I thought we when we scored it was during a spell when Derby were on the front foot.
 
Had completely written today's game off, pleasantly surprised is an understatement.

I get the feeling we're going to be one of those horrible unpredictable teams this season. We've got a top half starting XI and a bottom half second XI. So we'll cause problems for the top teams some days and get rolled over by the relegation fighters others.

Young Tickle proved his worth today, he could be a real gem.
 
jocklatic said:
Funny how we see games differently....watching it from an elevated packed away end I thot we were more than deserving in our lead, could have had another if Lang had a bit more composure, not to mention Thelos strike which was a tad unlucky after a good build up to his shot. Agree that we were slightly defensive in the 2nd half where we sat deep at times just hacking the ball away when we just needed a bit of composure & a spell in possession....that said we fought hard, tackled well & restricted them.
The baffling thing was where the ref got 9 minutes of injury time plus the extra minutes after said injury time....wtf was that all about 🤔
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It's a new thing Jock and will become more baffling the longer the season goes on.
 
gazlatic said:
Had completely written today's game off, pleasantly surprised is an understatement.

I get the feeling we're going to be one of those horrible unpredictable teams this season. We've got a top half starting XI and a bottom half second XI. So we'll cause problems for the top teams some days and get rolled over by the relegation fighters others.

Young Tickle proved his worth today, he could be a real gem.
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Now Gaz there is no room for negative thoughts. Believe and the Universe will deliver for us as it did today.
 
Watching the highlights, it does seem like all of Derby's big chances came from our right hand side, their left wing back was causing havoc. An area for recruitment I think, another right back/wing back, although I wonder if Kerr could play in that position in a back four.

Assuming he's sticking around, I suspect Maloney is waiting for him to get fit before he starts playing a back three.
 
A fantastic result against the League Favourites,
considering this team has been 'cobbled' together under extreme circumstances and uncertainty these last few months.

The 3 points Win has reduced the eight-point deduction to
5 points after one match, which is a huge boost for morale in the team, the sooner we 'wipe-out' the point deduction's the better and then we can climb up the League.

The Win against Derby will help the younger players confidence and hopefully they can 'mature' into potential Championship players in the future.

I wish these players all the best for the Future at
Wigan Athletic and please give 100% for the right to wear a Latics shirt and take this Club to a higher level in the future.

Wigan Athletic have given you players a chance to 'boost' your football career and increase your wages by playing at a higher level of football, it's up to you to take this opportunity and make Latics a successful Club once again!
 
jocklatic said:
Funny how we see games differently....watching it from an elevated packed away end I thot we were more than deserving in our lead, could have had another if Lang had a bit more composure, not to mention Thelos strike which was a tad unlucky after a good build up to his shot. Agree that we were slightly defensive in the 2nd half where we sat deep at times just hacking the ball away when we just needed a bit of composure & a spell in possession....that said we fought hard, tackled well & restricted them.
The baffling thing was where the ref got 9 minutes of injury time plus the extra minutes after said injury time....wtf was that all about 🤔
Click to expand...
There were some very biased decisions from the ref in favour of Derby.

Additionally awful when the Derby winger crossed the ball when it was well over the line
 
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king_dezeeuw06 said:
Individually

Tickle - protected quite well but had to make a couple of saves and was very impressive in everything he did. Took the pressure off his defence multiple times by collecting crosses. It's ridiculous how good he is for a young lad playing his 2nd competing league game - he looks like an established pro. Made a big difference with his composure on the ball to help us play out and his long kicking was decent. What a prospect he looks.

Clare - not a big flashy debut but thought he was quite impressive. Defended well and used the ball well. Git caught ball watching to let Derby get a shot away but fortunately they hit it straight at Tickle. Left exposed a few times by midfield not tracking runners. Considering he's not played a minute of preseason so couldn't be match fit did very well.

Hughes - absolutely outstanding, dominated defensively and was so cool in passing the ball out which was so effective.

Morrison - not as impressive as Hughes but not far behind. Again his ability passing the ball oumawas a big help.

Pearce - had a decent game, got caught out a few times defensively as you'd expect knowing he's not the strongest defender including probably letting the cross for the cross come in too easily. But when he got forward he put in a couple of decent balls including a superb cross for Wykes second. At times didn't get as much support from the winger and left vulnerable.

Matt Smith - very impressive again as the pivot linking up with the defenders to play out. You can already tell he's going to be a key player for us this season - he makes everything work . He does the job Power used to do but significantly better. We know he's not the most physical defensively so probably needs a better defensive partner with him to help break up play when we are under pressure.

Aasgaard - bit of a mixed day, did some things well including setting Pearce up for the winning cross but lost the ball in dangerous areas a couple of times and struggled when we were under real pressure and was required to be more defensive. I don't think he is suited to the centre mid spot especially in a game where we are under heavy pressure and he'll need to battle. I think he probably will be pushed higher up the pitch in the coming weeks as the new signings integrate.

Lang - ran his shocks off and battled from the no10 spot defending from the front. Had a great chance to make it 2-0 but hit the keeper. Didnt create much and still not sure he's suited to being a no10 but his energy and work rate made a big difference, especially when we were tiring and under pressure and he never stopped chasing.

McManaman - started reasonably well but faded as the game went. Don't think he's a starter at this stage of his career. Tried to track back defensively but still caught out a bit. Subbed in middle of second half after he ran out of gas.

Humphrys - when he got the ball could beat his man and get crosses in but was guilty of not tracking the Derby overlaps and leaving Clare exposed at times. I He was absolutely nowhere near the Derby defenders who scored their equaliser and it seemed like that was probably a runner he should've tracked. If it was his man I think he let himself down a bit on that lapse. I like him on the wing but I do wonder if Lang was on the right and Humps on the left or as a no10 that could get the best out of both.

Wyke - he probably lost most of the aerial duels but he battled hard and made himself a nuisance regardless. That physical presence made a big difference, it forced the error for his first goal and got him into a position to take advantage of their second error for his brace. It doesn't matter how much nice football you want to play having a battler up front who can at least make defenders lives awkward is so crucial. After everything he's been through his confidence was probably not great so this will do him the world of good and hopefully it's the start of him regaining that Sunderland form.

Adeeko - came on as a sub to help sure up centre mid when we were losing the middle of the pitch. He immediately made a couple of errors we got away with but it didn't knock his confidence or allow himself to hide. He kept showing for the ball and ended up doing quite well. Strong mentality from someone making their debut. Not very big or physical but looked confident on the ball to try things you probably wouldn't expect from a young lad thrown in at the deep end like that.

Watts - came on after we went 2-1 to help us sure up the defence and see out the game. Did his role well.

Scott Smith - came on late to give us some energy in a tiring midfield and see out the game. Not on long enough to make a big impact but played his role running round and trying to press Derby.
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nice one. and the macth report. as per mr king.
 
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