Given the largely negative response on here to what I thought in the circumstances (key players out, new management team in place for 5 days, playing one of the leagues form teams away) was a decent performance yesterday, I am dreading what I might be reading next weekend. The Wigan game is, obviously MASSIVE, but more for morale reasons than anything else. We will not be automatically relegated if we lose. Much to our frustration, we probably won't have the 6 world class new players we all want (may need to revise expectations there too....) in the team by 21st January. Sparky will still be educating the team into how he wants them to play ( if the evidence of defensive/ set piece improvement from yesterday is anything to go by, he is doing an outstanding job already. By the second half I was no longer hiding behind the sofa for every Toon corner). If we do lose I won't expect any restraint on here, and that's fair enough, but wanted to get my shout in early for balance. Don't get me wrong, I expect us to win. In fact I demand that we win as it is my birthday (fifty ****ing one). Can't go to the game as next Saturday is my only day in the UK out of the next 10 starting Wednesday, and the wife has 'organised something'. So add my voice in spirit to the cauldron that we need 100% behind the team (no matter what happens against MK Dons) 100% of the game. You R'ssssss!!!!! Ps there is no Wigan Pier, and there never has been, just an old music hall joke.....
I was wondering about the Pier!- where are you based then SB? Agree with all you say here. I think our performances since around when Adel came back have been better than the results suggest, and agree yesterday defensively we looked a bit better. I think the one Newcastle scored with was there only shot on goal. We been unlucky, 2 more in the aluminium! If they had gone in SWP and JB would be heroes and not getting the stick they are now, and we could have had 3 more points! We must me near the top of of the league for shots in the aluminium this season! Although our situation is bleak, we gotta keep the faith and hope LR is full, at at full voice next weekend - it is a big game!
I went out with a pie-eater for a few years, she told me it Wigan Pier was a coal jetty on the Leeds-Liverpool canal. Enjoyed watching Wigan RL play whenever I was up there, but no love for their football team. Di Santo had a couple of deflected, millimetre perfect shots when we lost up there - while I think we hit the woodwork three times. Can we have the deflected shots that go in, and they have the woodwork this time please - for a change...
SB, good to read some positivity, but have to admit its not easy to try and display it, i've been down in the mire for quite some time where football is concerned. Hope the R's give you a birthday to remember for all the right reasons, especially as mine is the day before the game, 31 this year. Heres to some signings, some solidarity amongst us fans and a well overdue 3 points.
If your Queen Park Whingers fans were less divided and actually bothered going to away games like Norwich fans, maybe you would stay up. Your fans have to be most miserable promoted club fans in history. Mark Hughes: Chelsea Legend/Rangers Loser???
Everyone knows that the Wigan game has to be a win and a thrashing to boot NOTHING else will do as if bolton get a result and we lose at home to wigan then we drop to the bottom
I'll take your word for it Kenco. Presumably the coal one, just thought I would engage in a little urban myth making of my own.....
As discussed on other strands the club have now changed stance from 'not a disaster if we go down' to **** or bust mode under Hughes with the distinct possibility the investors will want to cut their - soon to be - significant losses if we don't stay up. That being the case the Wigan game is as about as big as they get. A win will give the manager the fresh momentum he needs to build on; anything else will be at least a couple of nails in the coffin. Assuming the owners are in town watch out for their reactions on Saturday; that will tell you more about our future than anything you see on the pitch. Nervous? You bet'cha.
