New Zealand : It's Just Not Cricket

Yes, this blog has been inactive for a long time this due to a combination of writers block, disengagement from things that I used to enjoy. The increasing kleptocracy of the sporting organisations that are so imbedded with business interests that they have forgotten what their true roles are.


With the above out of the way, this article will be about my appreciation of New Zealand cricket and the disappointment that still lingers in the fact they are not the 2019 Wolrd Cup champions. Yes, the West Indies are my team and what a fall from grace they have had, but I have always had a soft spot for New Zealand and are my second team. In fact the only person associated with NZ cricket I didn't like was Fred Goodall, google him and you will see why. Yes, Lou Vincent was a disappointment but we all have them in life.


As NZ are a small nation and never had a huge talent pool to choose from. They have had to be innovative and use the resources they have to maximise their potential which they have dome over time. Yes, they've had such world class players as Glenn Turner, Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe, Shane Bond and now Kane Williamson, but it's the lesser lights, the more eccentric characters like Tony Blain, Chris Martin, Willie Watson and the like that I always remember fondly.


The Tournament
It was an interesting tournament for the Black Caps, barring Kane Williamson none of their other batsmen were consistent, this put pressure on their bowling attack and which for the most part were magnificent during the event Boult, Henry, Ferguson who I hope he plays some Test cricket and Santner with the all rounders chipping in. Guptill as excellent as he was in the field was hopeless with the bat in this event, but there were others. The fielding on the other hand was world class.


NZ started well, faded a bit and got in on net run rate. It's not their fault Pakistan decided to get bowled out for just over 100 against the West Indies. They went into the semis like they were there just to take part, we all heard India was going to win before they stepped on the pitch. Astute leadership from Williamson, fine bowling and maximum self belief got them over the line in that one.


2nd best match of the tournament


NZ consoling disconsolate Braithwaite


They learned from the 2015 final experience and most of the cricketing world were wanting the underdogs to win the final barring English fans. What can be said about the final, it was dramatic, tense and these are the facts a low to middle scoring one day game is a lot better than the 350 plus slugfests where the bowlers might as well be rodeo clowns.


Final
I thought NZ were about 15-20 short before England batted. There were some curious decisions in this game, still don't know how Erasmus missed the height on the lbw for Taylor, then the Shane Watson review from Guptill. did not help matters Roy should have been fired first ball, that's the thing in any sport where there is an overwhelming favourite the underdog has to take all their chances and the rub of the green has to go their way.


As the cliche goes it's a game od small margins and it was in this case. The last over with Stokes and that six that rolled around the ground which should have been a 5. Will the ICC look at that rule. It was a tie after 50 overs and after the Superover, so a tournament played every 4 years is decided on boundaries scored. That's just not cricket and the same would be said if New Zealand won the event, It's a rubbish way to decide things, especially with someone so major on the line. The ICC are a joke in breaking news night follows day.



The most admirable thing about this devasating result for New Zealand, no they did not lose, was the way they handled themselves in defeat. When they win they don't gloat and go overboard. The Black Caps don't need the slediging nonsense and ugliness unlike Australia. They play the game hard but fair, compete very hard, lead admirably by Kane Williamson and it's easy to see why they are admired by their countrymen and neutrals alike.

NZ didn't win the title but these guys win at life and deciding major finals in this manner is just not cricket.

Emotions high emotions low as Freiburg & Eibar depart the stage

It has been a while since this blog has been updated, whether this is a good or bad thing depends on who is mad enough to read it. The subject of this entry is about the relegation of two football teams that I admire one Freiburg has been a long term appreciation, the other Eibar has been more fleeting but the disappointment that both of these clubs were relegated is real and for differing reasons.

Wigan Athletic won’t be covered in much detail here as there are much better qualified individuals that have written about it. The fact they are in the third tier is awful but they lost the magic of what made them special, forgot what got them to the dance. They were mired in poor leadership on and off the field. With a new chairman, manager they have to challenge to rebuild the club in a positive manner.

Freiburg

Relegation battles are wonderful things in fact they are more interesting than at the top end of the table as to who will survive on the last day. Overall on the scheme of things I have had more positives than negatives on the last day, but this was not to be the case on Saturday.

To be honest I didn’t believe that Freiburg would be relegated maybe this was blind optimism or stubborn. They say a week is a long time in politics, it’s the same in the football world. Last week emotions were high after a last gasp win against Bayern Munich which is just a passing memory now in relation to the poor performance against Hannover which ensured relegation.



When a team is relegated because they were dire on the pitch and a shambles off the pitch it’s more understandable and easier to accept, this was not the case here. Statistics don’t always tell the full story but there are three major ones here that are telling.

Eight times this season at the 88th minute Freiburg were leading games and were not able to win these games. Freiburg didn’t have enough on field leaders to solidify these leads and turn them into wins which leads into the next major factor.


Down down

Freiburg drew 13 games out of 34 which was the equal highest amount with Mainz and FC Koln who both 9 games whereas Freiburg only won 7 which is the main reason they got relegated. They lost 14 games which was less than Hannover, Stuttgart, Hertha, Paderborn, HSV, Augsburg, equal with Hoffenheim and Dortmund. The lessons here are best explained by Paco Jemez the Rayo Vallecano manager whose style is very different from the equally charismatic Freiburg boss Christian Striech in an interview with UEFA All or Nothing

“”For a team like ours, whose aim every season is to avoid relegation, draws aren't very useful. Last year, Real Valladolid drew 15 games and were relegated. The sums are very simple: teams from the middle of the Liga table to the bottom lose a minimum of half their games each season, so you only have 19 games left. If you draw 14 of those 19 games and win just five, then you get 29 points, and you go down. So draws are no use to us: we either win or lose. And with that attitude, we win lots of games – we win 14 or 15 games a season, and that helps us complete our objective each year”

While the numbers are different as they play more games in La Liga the sentiment is exactly the same. Freiburg drew too much and didn’t win enough that’s the reason they went down. Worst of all it was all in their hands and they failed to achieve the goal.

Thankfully Freiburg are a smart and well run club sure financially they’ll take a hit not being in the Bundesliga but because of the sound management and principles it won’t be as bad as say if their rivals Stuttgart went down.

It’s difficult at Freiburg and other small teams who lose their best players in the off season to bigger clubs and are always in the rebuilding process. In a way it’s a compliment to how Freiburg operate that their players are desirable. There will be players exercising their release clauses and this should bring in some money to help revamp the squad with some more creativity.

Streich will have to take some blame for the results but thankfully he won’t be sacked as the manager. Football is always evolving and Streich must learn the lessons and makes the necessary adjustments so the stay in the 2nd division isn’t too lengthy.

There was some strange treatment of Darida but hopefully Freiburg and Streich are back in the Bundesliga soon, the game needs more characters like him and clubs like Freiburg who lead the way for small clubs operating against larger and better resourced outfits.

Eibar

Little Eibar who were excellent in the Segunda last season managed to get promoted too bad their adventure lasted one season but they were a feel good story which doesn’t happen in sport let alone in La Liga.


This is Eibar

On the pitch La Liga is excellent to watch plenty of technical skill but off the pitch it is run by corrupt, inept leaders and the majority of club presidents are in it for themselves and not for the club. Eibar are different, they don’t have debts, pay their players on time, have a club president who cares about the club and community they serve.

Just like in Freiburg’s case one can’t rely on other results but you’d think Barcelona leading 2-0 at home to Deportivo La Coruna would be able to finish the job where they normally run up the big scores. For some reason they weren’t able to do this and Depor managed to draw and preserve their La Liga status at the expense of Eibar on the head to head record.

Depor, I like their fans, Riazor is one of the few grounds with a proper atmosphere and A Coruna is a good city but on the pitch they offer very little and are as pleasant as surgery without anaesthetic. The fact they won 1 out of the last 16 games and managed to survive is impressive in a strange way.


Albentosa

Once Eibar sold defender Raul Albentosa to Derby in January didn’t help things and helped with their regression down the table after such a promising start to the season. It was disappointing that they lost form at the wrong time of the season and even though they thumped the hapless Cordoba in the last match. The realisation that they were relegated was sad to see unless you’re a Depor or Granada fan.

Garitano has resigned as manager as he couldn’t achieve the goal of staying in La Liga and will be interesting to see who they get to replace him to continue on the great work he has done at the club in spite of relegation.

Freiburg and Eibar have great additions to the Bundesliga and La Liga respectively. The fact that both of these clubs are well run, profitable, have long term plans I don’t fear for their future unlike some other teams have spent too much far too quickly without much thought and are struggling in the process.

As long as Freiburg and Striech learn the lessons they’ll be back in the Bundesliga sooner rather later, not sure it will be the same for Eibar hopefully I’ll be wrong on that note.

Wigan Athletic - History Never Repeats

It has finally happened Wigan Athletic have been relegated from the English Premier League (EPL). The sound of inevitability comes in many guises and it’s disappointing to see them relegated, but it was always going to happen.

When Wigan went up to the EPL 8 seasons ago under Paul Jewell, the usual sniggers were that these guys are up for their one season & fleeting moment before going back to the rightful place in the lower divisions. Yet, this small club while bankrolled heavily by Emperor Dave Whelan to reach the “Promised Lnnd”, Jewell guided them to survival in its first season of the EPL and resigned the day after 6 years.

An ill fated stint with Chris Hutchings saw the return of Steve “Potato Head I know how to spend money but will send your club broke in the process” Bruce to the club. While Bruce kept the club up in the top division and found some good cheap talents. It was his departure in 2009 that lead for the evolution which needed to happen.


Chairman Dave Whelan

Whelan couldn’t go on spending the amount of money that was given to Jewell and to especially to Bruce if the club were going to be sustainable without ridiculously huge debts. Sure, in England they aren’t as tough as in Germany when it comes to the financial side of things, but changes needed to happen. In 2009 the appointment of Roberto Martinez by the man who bought him to England was a brave choice but one that was been overall beneficial to the club in spite of relegation this season.

Apart from individuals who haven’t evolved from Australopithecus species, idiotic rugby league fans from the town who don’t get Wigan is known globally because of football ,ones who bitch about no history as if that’s a factor of winning matches on the pitch, then the great jokes about the empty seats at the stadium. It would be good to hear ones that are funny, yes Wigan fan meetings are held in telephone booths. The overall reaction and coverage has been sympathetic and slightly disappointed to see Wigan get relegated, especially in comparison to when Stoke City fall.

No Denial

The cliché the table doesn’t lie after 38 games is sadly true. The main reason Wigan are relegated was due to defending that wouldn’t be accepted in under 13s or pub leagues let alone professional football. Yes, there was a huge injury crisis especially defensively which hit Wigan hard and the biggest miss was the huge Paraguyan Antolin Alcaraz being out for so long with injury. It was clear to see how much better defensively they looked when he played, no it wasn’t fortress Wigan when he played, though without him they were shambolic which caused their demise.

Alcaraz huge loss during the season

During the season there were games that they dropped points needlessly like Tottenham and Swansea towards the end of the season. The two matches against Sunderland which they got 0 points & a few others. There are games like that all season for teams at the lower end and that’s the sport got to convert your chances.

Another area where for all of the pretty passing patterns and ball movement when Wigan are playing well, when they aren’t it’s ponderous and laborious. There isn’t enough conversion of the dominance and when there is such disruption defensively it compounds the problems even more. It’s never one specific thing, they’re interlinked to have caused this end result.

No History

Detractors say Wigan have no history, well lets’ see this season they won the FA Cup, got relegated, will play in the Europa League & the Championship next season. That’s very historical and something unlikely to be repeated. How much of a distraction was the FA Cup? Initially I thought do everything to survive and forget about the FA Cup which in the early rounds they played the second string teams. As time went on they kept winning and then it’s like shit they’re in the semi final, might as well try and win it. Thankfully Milwall were defeated, especially as it was their manager Kenny Jackett when Martinez was at Swansea got rid of him. Wigan fans no matter how much they moan don’t start fights among themselves at matches or punch horses.


Wigan FA Cup winners

No thanks to the FA and the EPL who thought it was a great idea for Wigan to play 4 matches in 11 days. The joy for the fans going to Wembley they were loving the experience reaching the FA Cup final against the newly wealthy Man City, if not for a late kick off time, so both sets of fans couldn’t get back to the north west at a good hour. Young Robles pulling off the early save with the feet set the tone, once they survived the onslaught. They dominated the rich kids and the delicious irony that it was Ben Watson scoring the winner. I do wish the late Dave Hodsgon a Latics legend was alive to see this wonderful historic moment.


Ben Watson FA Cup hero

Ideally Wigan surviving and winning the FA Cup would have been brilliant. Due to the new TV rights deal which was being negotiated for the next few years. The revenue would have set Wigan up financially, but one can’t have everything in life. The FA Cup win has definitely eased the pain. The joy of the players, Martinez and Whelan when they won, plus the Wigan fans who on Monday when they went to school, uni, work, the pub, dole office or wherever they were around the world could beam with pride witnessing such a joyous moment for the club. There can only be one first time, and it’ll never be forgotten. Glad to have seen the likable underdog win while playing attractive football and also being incorrect about the FA Cup.

Where To Now

There are so many possible scenarios with the club and for the most part they are positive. Like anything it depends on a few factors. Might as well get the first one out of the way is what Roberto Martinez chooses to do. During the silly season the running joke has been where Roberto Martinez will go, remember he was supposed to be the Liverpool manager, then he was going to manage Aston Villa, he was considered for the Spurs job, the vacant job for Burkina Faso Under 19s. Well the picture is pretty clear and the usual suspects in the press have come out and said he’ll be Everton’s manager next season. Come Monday, there should be something said straight away to kill the speculation and build properly for next season.

Martinez staying for another two seasons would be the best scenario for the club. The fact he has reduced the wage bill and Wigan have turned a profit for the first time since being in the EPL, when the costs have increased is a magnificent achievement. It’s very important for the club to be sustainable, improve the set up and infrastructure as there is only one opportunity to do it correctly. If it’s done poorly then it will take so much time and money to fix the problems. The job isn’t complete and too many in the instant gratification generation don’t understand the value of patience.


Roberto Martinez stick around please

Arsene Wenger and Jürgen Klopp managers who believe in playing technical football suffered relegation early in their careers and they have come back from it better and improved. This will provide an opportunity for Martinez to evolve as manager while sticking to his philosophy. There are areas where he needs to improve like everyone, the younger players not coming through quick enough, hoofing the ball in most cases should be banned but on occasions it’s needed. Playing out the back is fine, but the players need to create space so passes can be found.

Klopp for example was at Mainz for 7 years a small club in Germany, he took them to Europe, he was relegated with them and stayed in 2nd division trying to get promotion. He was unsuccessful and was able to do quite well at Borussia Dortmund. He left Mainz in a position where the football template for the club was set and they earned promotion.

This arrangement suited both parties and this would be ideal for Wigan as well, especially when they appoint the next manager who understands the philosophy and adds their own touches to it. Swansea is a perfect case of the previous sentence where Martinez and Sousa who get too little credit setting the right foundations for them, while Rodgers and now Michael Laudrup have improved on it. It’s vital that the club once Whelan steps down as owner that they continue on the path they have and when Martinez eventually leaves Wigan that the club are in a sound financial position and still committed to playing attractive football.

Break it Up

Thankfully the parachute payments to the relegated clubs are generous. Getting promoted at the first opportunity is vital as it’s when they are at their largest. With any small club doing well or one that is relegated the sharks are out there looking for fresh meat. It’ll be interesting to see how many players who are not off contract end up leaving, well di Santo and Figueroa are certainties, McCarthy is the biggest asset so while it would be fantastic if most players stayed together. He should be sold for a big fee, yes it’s still a business.

With the unique situation of playing in Europe next season, that is a good carrot for some players to stay at the club despite playing in the 2nd tier. This is another reason Martinez should stay, yes he feels responsible for getting them relegated, but the challenge of doing well in Europe showing that not English teams play awfully like Stoke, getting more exposure for the club, players and himself.

Naturally the player sales are going to help financially, it’s a fact of life as a small club that the best players will go at the end of the season. It’s important to get good prices for them and this is the time to bring through some young players to the first team as there will be an exodus of players.

As much as I appreciate English football for the atmosphere, stadia, excitement and entertainment which they excel at, there are other areas where they really are behind the times. Youngsters need to get playing time, as you don’t know how they will be if they aren’t tested. Clubs like Wigan are perfect for them to develop, a manager and philosophy who understands technical football, they as players are responsible for their own performances. The prevailing thing in England is a youngster has one good game, he is so overhyped and should be selected for England and one average game gets critcised harshly. The 2nd tier will give the Wigan youngsters time to get used to playing a lot of matches in a tough league, preparation for the next level.


Ben Watson goal
Apart from the FA Cup, two of my favourite memories was when they were down 0-2 against West Ham. Then the Frenchie N’Hogbia or N’Zogbia scores 2 goals and the fish Connor Sammon making it 3-2. Rodallega scoring on the last day of the season against Stoke to secure survival, which led to me running down my street waving my shirt above my head at 3am.

Relegation is far from the end of the Wigan adventure. It’s a new challenge that needs to be embraced and tackled head on. This club have great fans, play attractive football, just like families, there are squabbles but they understand and appreciate they’re living the history at the moment. As long as the club believe in the direction they’re going and continue to be financially responsible, then they will be successful as a club irrespective of the division they’re playing in.

Now hope there is a party atmosphere on Sundas at DW to celebrate the FA Cup triumph, the 8 seasons in the EPL and hammer Villa in the last game would be a fantastic end.

SC Freiburg : Keeping The Dream Alive

No, the title of the article wasn’t meant to be based on the cheesy tune by Münchener Freiheit: “Keeping The Dream Alive”, but it’s apt for the remarkable year that SC Freiburg have had.



As the saying goes what a difference a year makes. At the 2011 winter break Freiburg were a shambles with only 13 points, disharmony in the dressing room and a chorus of fat ladies warming up the vocals to signal their end in the top division. In an unusual step for Freiburg they sacked the manager Marcus Sorg and on December 30 they appointed Christian Streich.

Finally Papiss Cissé who had been their leading goalscorer and focal point was finally sold to Newcastle in January for €12 million which was their biggest ever transfer fee. In addition to selling Cisse, there was a clearout including Japanese international Kisho Yano and former captain Heiko Butscher.

Turnaround

It wasn't an easy start for Streich as it took time for the players to understand what he wanted and demanded from them. The turning point last season was the 0-0 with Bayern Munich, this installed the self belief in the squad who were then able to continue their remarkable turnaround playing some excellent football and finished last season on 40 points which was 9 points clear of Hertha Berlin in the relegation playoff spot.


SC Freiburg

Freiburg's club philosophy of developing youth, an excellent scouting network, playing attacking and technical football gave them the name "Breisgau Brazilians" was founded under Volker Finke who was a legendary figure of the club as manager from 1991-2007. Finke's long gone but many things he built up and the essential philosophy still remains. Streich has taken what Finke built, adapted it to modern times and imposed his own personality and interpretation with outstanding results so far.

Streich has been with the club since 1995 mostly as the youth manager. He fully understands the SC Freiburg football philosophy and is putting into practice. Once he took over he changed the formation to 4-4-2, but it's not so rigid as it would be in England where tactical flexibility for the most part is a dirty concept.

When they have the ball there is plenty of movement up front, the forwards will drop back and the attacking midfielders will push forward with Makiadi being the glue. In defence they play a very intensive pressing game compressing the space the opposition have as little space as possible, so they can hit well on the counter when the opposition turn over the ball.

Streich has achieved two big coaching scalps this season. He ended Felix Magath's run at Wolfsburg, the only people that miss him are the shady agents as he was always up for a deal. The second victim was Huub Stevens of Schalke after the 3-1 defeat.


Streich takes down another coach

This season they have the second best defensive record behind Bayern, though from the goal they conceded against Schalke last week this would be hard to believe. Streich asks a lot from his players in this demanding system, since the self belief in the squad is so high they will do anything for him. This creates the pleasant problem of competition for places within the team.

As enjoyable it is to watch Freiburg play and succeeded in spite of having one of the smallest budgets in the Bundesliga. Half the enjoyment is watching Christian Streich on the sideline during the matches, lets say he puts the stereotype of robotic German to the sword. Raphael Honigstein called him the Breisgau Bielsa . As much as there are similarities there are clear differences. Bielsa doesn't have a section of the local newspaper dedicated to his weekly sayings.


Christian Streich Shuffle

Streich of the Week

Streich is a cult figure with the Freiburg fans and this isn't surprising with some of his comments. An example where it's all about the team which deflects the pressure of him is this quote. In reality there could be a whole blog dedicated to Striechisms. "The team doesn’t have to win. We only need to die sometime. But we don’t need to win.” Resurrection


The Badische Zeitungs description of Streich is perfect. He is a football philosopher, genuine, authentic and a total cult hero. The fact the comments are made in a strong Markgräflerlander dialect makes them even more unique. Here is the link to Striech of the week. The first one "Where is the mustard" and the last one about the good and the rubbish about football on TV. Streich of the Week

Europa League

Freiburg have a new set of challenges after their excellent start to the season. It will be interesting to see whether they get some new players from other clubs or they promote from the youth team. They have made the quarter finals of the Gerrman Cup and have drawn Mainz which is a winnable match for them, especially since Bayern and Dortmund have drawn each other in one of the quarter finals.

Currently they are in the Europa League spot with 26 points and would be a brilliant achievement if Freiburg were able to finish within the Europa League positions it would be richly deserved after all the work Striech and the team have done. Since Streich has taken over in 36 matches he has won 16, drawn 11 and lost 9 with a 44.44% winning percentage which is outstanding with a small tea,.

Freiburg are a template for many smaller clubs on a tight budget to follow, excellent scouting, investing in youth development and giving these players an opportunity to grow as players. It's important that they have an identity and a philosophy which they believe in irrespective of size. Streich the philsopher has done this and is keeping the dream alive.

Wigan : The Next Phase

Momentum and confidence if these were commodities, then their share price would be higher than rhodium. When a team or an individual has momentum they hold onto it for as long as possible and to ensure the decline isn't as steep. The other side of the equation, losing becomes a habit leading to a lack of confidence and momentum which lowers morale and is difficult to arrest the slide without major changes in personnel and attitude which take times to adjust.

At the end of last season Wigan Athletic were one of the few teams who didn't want the season to end when it did. After a poor start where relegation was looking likely, they turned it around playing some high quality passing football and getting results eventually surviving comfortably relative to their positon at Christmas.

On the back of that form, the question was Wigan: Where To Now? . Finally Victor Moses was sold to Chelsea, where his career will stall as he needs playing time at this stage of his career not get saddle soreness from warming the bench. Wigan should have held out for money but the best part of business this season was retaining Roberto Martinez as manager especially after the annual silly season speculation on his future.

Not quite there

Wigan's start to the season has been mixed. As with Roberto Martinez sides they tend to struggle early as they incorporate new signings into the specific system that Martinez wants Wigan to play. Naturally it's easier to get adjusted to the Stoke City or West Ham where the ball bypasses the midfield and a chimpanzee with minimal training could fit into their systems. Once the players get used to it, then we have seen the results for the Latics.


Roberto Martinez

Of the five league matches so far, only the Stoke City match at home would classify as 2 points thrown away. Wigan had more than enough chances to bury Stoke, but that's the old Wigan disease of not converting chances, it only takes a defensive lapse to be punished. The first 15 minutes against Chelsea and last half against Man United were poor. Defensively they lost their shape and discipline, this is the easiest part of the game to get right, yet the most neglected. No, it doesn't mean having 10-0-0 but it's about reading the play and having good decision making.

What the season has confirmed so far that the gap between the starting 11 and the squad players needs to close. Yes, the two League Cup wins which the reserves have shone has been positive though it's at a lower level.

Depth

Watson and Gomez should never start together, yet they are among the first subs to used. Gomez while he has good technique his decision making is poor, he passes when he should shoot and vice versa. With he and Watson the passing tempo is so slow than the Over 45s pub team could get men behind the ball. Wigan are at their best when the tempo is varied and not so narrow which was a problem against Fulham, a team they've also struggled with.

For all the stick he gets Alcaraz not being at the centre of defence is a big loss. It took him time to adjust to the EPL , once he adjusted, his partnership with Caldwell flourished and his presence helped Caldwell in other areas. Yes, can tinker in other areas but Alcaraz/Caldwell are the best defensive combination which leads on to the new recruit Ivan Ramis. There have been some differing views on Ramis, it was down to him that Chelsea scored their two goals so early, he got a bath and tough introduction into the league. Yes, he defended like Harald Ramis in that match and the price tag at the time was high. It'll take time for him to adjust and think eventually he will do so, currently he has a way to go.


Franco Di Santo

A few things Fulham match showed was that Wigan miss Franco di Santo. Never thought that I'd say that and mean it. Yes, I have been pretty critical of di Santo previously, he was one along with Beausejour who wished last season hadn't ended when it did. He gained confidence from that, while he'll never score plenty of goals he can hold the ball well, has good technique and his presence has helped Kone settle in quickly. Di Santo/Kone has shown promising signs of a fruitful partnership which is something Wigan has lacked previously.

When di Santo wasn't there, the attacking options were poor with Beausejour just hitting crosses and hoping for the best. Kone needs the ball to feet to be most effective and di Santo is a perfect foil. Ryo Miyaichi and Callum McManaman showed some positive signs in their cameos against Fulham. As the season progresses, hope they will get more opportunities and develop as Wigan need pace and width to stretch the defences to create space for Maloney, Kone and di Santo.


Arouna Kone

So far the season hasn't been bad for Wigan, but they need to improve their home form. The squad players have to take their opportunities when offered. Controlling the tempo when in possession was vital to their revival, not just pedestrian passes which do nothing except build up possession stats.

Saturday's match against Sunderland is an important one even at this stage of the season. Hopefully they remember the positive memories of the fixture last year where they did the football a world a favour and helped Steve Bruce get sacked. More importantly a win here can create positive momentum in the pursuit of an improved final league position.

Manolo Preciado - Always With Us

Football as a sport attracts the most headlines sometimes it's positive, others negative. At times it's a small section of fans misbehaving and a greater section of administrators caring about themselves to detriment of the sport. Constructive criticism is valued, if it wasn't then the football world would be full of sheep without questioning anything.

Thankfully this piece is about the positive aspects of the sport and remembering a larger than life character Manolo Preciado who was given an emotional tribute by both Racing Santander and Sporting Gijón this weekend.

Racing and Sporting with Preciado's family.


Manolo Villarreal shirt signed

June 5 was a big day for Villarreal when they announced Manolo Preciado as their manager who would take them back to the top division. The next day on the eve of presenting Preciado to the press, the Cantabrian died of a heart attack which shook the football world in Spain from clubs and fans alike. Yes, it's been a few months since that day and the tribute wasn't written at that time due to personal issues, plus laziness which would not have given the due respect he deserved.

For those not familiar with Manolo Preciado he was a tough defender played mostly with Racing Santander who he later managed on three separate occasions once the B team and twice with the A side. Besides Racing Santander he also worked with Gimnastica, Levante, Murcia.


Manolo the Player.

Preciado was responsible for bringing Sporting Gijón back into the top division in his second season. He was the longest continous serving manager with Sporting Gijón lasting 6 seasons before being sacked after a poor start in 2011/2012. In spite of this he was and still loved in his adopted city of Gijón.

Apart from keeping Sporting up on a shoestring budget. Preciado's best ever achievement was defeating Real Madrid 1-0 at the Bernabeu which ended Jose Mourinho's 9 year undefeated record at home with the teams he has coached. Still remember de las Cuevas's goal like it was yesterday and the last one he scored more about that wonderful day for sportinguistas Sporting Gijón's greatest day .




Manolo at Sporting

There was a bit of bad blood between Mourinho and Preciado which was started by "The One" criticising Sporting for fielding a weakened side against Barcelona. Preciado kindly told him to shut up, sit with the Sporting ultras. and called him a "canalla" very hard to translate this word but scumbag comes close. After Sporting defeated Real, they sorted it out like men. Mourinho went into the dressing room and shook Preciado's hand. After his death Mourinho came out with some special comments "He had everything I like in people and sportsmen: character, honesty and the courage to fight on.

Why was there such an outpouring of emotion at the news of Preciado's death within the respective football communities. As sport has become more professional it has bought in the age of pampered primadonnas, showponies, don't talk to me unless my agent gets 20%, inflated salaries and players who think perspective is something you buy in a supermarket.

Preciado was definitely his own man, very honest, spoke from the heart and someone that many could relate to on an individual which explains his popularity. He suffered a lot of tragedy in his life his wife died of cancer, one of his sons died in a car accident and last year his father died after being run over. Naturally he wasn't perfect but through his character and strength of personality during these difficult moments made it easy to identify with him.


Preciado Hall of Fame

Racing Santander and Sporting Gijón have close links the more cynically minded would say they extend to some shared results of convenience in recent times to preserve their status in the top flight before relegation. Preciado who was a Racing Santander member (sardinero) through the playing and coaching links, but he was very much loved in his adopted hometown of Gijón. Only the petty minded individuals would fail to see that he belonged to both sides.

It hasn't been easy to find good videos of the homage at Sardinero but representatives from the all the teams that he played for and coached Gimnástica, Levante, Mallorca, Murcia, Villarreal were represented. At the 55th minute of the match both sets of fans applauded for the whole minute the number representing the age which Preciado died.

As per usual the match between the two sides was a draw this time 0-0. Both teams were poor at least Sporting finally have a point after 3 games, the result was fair as they were as bad as each other. Football and the result were secondary to homage from both sets of fans to Preciado.


Manolo always with us

There should be an annual event between Racing and Sporting honouring Preciado, whether it's junior or senior level the Copa Preciado would be fitting after what he did for both clubs. The football stunk but this was the rare occasion where football fans came together to honour and appreciate a man who was such a part of their history without the pettiness.

Wigan: Where To Now?

There are some things that require patience to get the full benefit, but this quality tends to be rare in these times of the instant gratification generation and speed of information sent and processed.

In the Season Preview for Wigan Athletic."I predicted a position of around 13th-15th is possible, anything higher would be a bonus or having to fight on the last day would be stagnation" Both of these objectives were achieved, the last three matches of the season all being wins and providing very different feelings. Newcastle where it was such a joy after a few idiot fans and their manager Alan Pardew had been stirring during the week and were thrashed with scintillating football. Blackburn was tense, but such a relief when survival was guaranteed and Wolves was party time.


Before

This season has been such a contrast, some poor and dire performances in fact before January these were the most commonplace with the odd good showing in between. In all areas it was poor, the midfield wasn't creating any opportunities for the forward, not even holding the ball which is something they have been good for. Up front only goals Franco di Santo was scoring were off deflections, Rodallega poor and Connor Sammon couldn't escape the reel. This was putting pressure on the defence which were making basic errors and general poor decision making within the squad.

Attack wise they were impotent it seemed like they were stuck in last season mode when in doubt pass it to Charlie N'Zogbia see what he can up with. Yes, it was a team effort just most players not playing well at the same time apart from Diame and Al Habsi, others had their moments just not many of them.

After

It's important to remember the poor and difficult times at the start of season, as not to get too caught up with the hype of the great finish and revival of the season. The Wigan Revival has been great to watch seeing the transformation of the team with no confidence, not wanting the ball to one dominating Man U, Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea (blind officials notwithstanding) with their possession football, off the ball movement, mixing it up going wide and in the middle.


Great Day


Tactically it took Roberto Martinez some time to get the tactics and formation he wanted with the players that he has. The 3 at the back was able to use Jean Beausejour down the left and Boyce down the right to the best of their attacking abilities and they drop back in defence to make it 5 at the back. Beausejour and Maloney have been instrumental in the creative side since Wigan lack a goalscorer they were able to get contributions from all over the park. Fortunately there weren't many injuries during this period. Martinez was able field a stable side and this is the situation managers’ love when it's because of the high quality play and not through a lack of viable alternatives.



Wigan's recovery and survival this season has been admirable as there was no panic from the club, no knee jerk reactions into sacking Martinez and they stuck to their principles of playing good football. It's very similar to another one of my favourite sides SC Freiburg, a small club, that plays excellent football, not great finances but they did it their way Resurrection . There are places for these kinds of clubs within football world. It's important that what was achieved at the end of the season with the results and style of football doesn't come to nowt.


Future

What happens in the summer is vital for the development of Wigan Athletic as a club. It can go in many ways so it's better to deal with the negatives first.

There are advantages of being a small club, players and managers can develop in a quieter environment without the spotlight on them, as they learn their trade, make mistakes and learn from them which doesn’t happen at the bigger clubs as expectations are different. Naturally the flipside to this, as soon as a Wigan player has a good season then they automatically become a transfer target for bigger sides. This is just par for the course and the way football operates.

Hugo Rodallega, Mo Diame, Gohouri and Kirkland are all leaving on free transfers, personally it would have been better if Diame was kept unless they turn Sammon into a defensive midfielder because he isn't scoring goals. Now with the silly season is here the big transfer targets are Victor Moses and Roberto Martinez which are interesting and annoying at the same time.

Victor Moses aka The Saviour is a big talent who has done well this season but in reality he is still too raw to move to a big club at the moment. His agent like most agents don't care about their clients just to take the biggest cut for themselves at the expense of finding clubs that can further their clients’ football development. Yes, Moses has great pace and can beat a man easily, while he has improved his decision making on the field it's still poor and the final ball isn't there. It would be better for him to stay for 1-2 seasons get the rougher edges out of the game, and then get the big move to a decent team unlike say Charles N'Zogbia for example.

Roberto Martinez

Naturally the club is the key and the one that needs to have the strongest structures as players and managers come and go. Since the revival now every club seems to want hire Roberto Martinez as their manager Aston Villa, Liverpool, Wigan Warriors, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona, WBA, The Orwell Pub for example. It's strange really it's like what has happened before the revival has been forgotten about with Martinez. It's the classic instant gratification and bandwagon of the month syndrome, it's not like he has taken Wigan into Europe and this comes from someone who has and will continue to back Martinez at the club.




It would be silly for Martinez to move next season. Naturally there are those who will argue got to strike when the iron is hot or he has taken Wigan as far as he can and they're entitled to believe this. Reasons as to why it would be silly for him to go to Villa or Liverpool at the current times, yes they are bigger clubs and he will move to a bigger club but timing is the key for any successful move especially in football. It's very difficult to rebuild a broken reputation as a manager look at Steve McClaren for example.

He is a young manager and it's taken 3 seasons for him to finally get the football he wants from his team, let’s see if Wigan can do it for the whole season so there is a challenge for him there. If he is able to achieve this then he can have nearly any attractive job he wants. There are close bonds with the club and the chairman Dave Whelan who does talk a lot of rubbish, even then he has his moments of clarity.

With Dalglish being sacked from Liverpool, Martinez is the bookies favourite for the job. Liverpool fans don't want him for the job, they want instant success and they won't give time to managers who aren't club legends. Yes, Liverpool is a big name club, they expect and want a big name manager. At the moment they're trading on past glories and the type of football Martinez wants will take time to implement. Can't see the fans having patience when the player struggle initially to adapt. Then there are the dressing room egos Martinez doesn't have enough of a ruthless streak to deal with people that want him to fail because he isn't one of them.

Ideally for Wigan Roberto Martinez would be with Wigan for another 2-3 seasons. The style of football will be entrenched, the youth teams should be playing this style and a replacement for Martinez can be found within the existing structure. There are successful templates for small clubs to follow Udinese are the ultimate example with great scouting, buy low, sell high make profits on player sales, play good attacking football and have achieved success despite their limited size and income streams.

On a smaller scale there are guys like Volker Finke, Foppe de Haan and Guy Roux use Google if necessary. These guys were long term managers at Freiburg, Heerenveen and Auxerre they set the template for how their clubs play attacking football through the ranks, excellent scouting, focusing on youth development. Their legacy to their respective clubs is assured and the clubs have survived in good and bad times, adapting to changing trends in the sport.



Kids are always honest

Whether or not Wigan can build upon their excellent finish to the end of season depends on retaining Roberto Martinez. Getting good replacements within budget that have the potential to suit the system, getting a loan deal from Man City since we helped them win the title. It's time for Whelan to start negotiating terms with Roberto Martinez and get it sorted quickly, better for the players, the fans and all concerned.

No matter whether Martinez stays loyal for now or succumbs to the instant gratification of the filthy lucre and fans who won't have patience if they aren't winning instantly. The club will always be bigger than any one person.