nzlatic

It's not the number of goals we concede, it's the manner of them. Every team we play knows all they need to do is hit long balls and we'll gift them a goal or two. Then they just need to get everyone behind the ball as they know we don't have the craft outside the box or the presence inside to score.

Actually I'd forgotten about the kelly and forte headers. That's fair enough, we did create 2 chances. Jones is always a threat from free kicks. I'm talking about open play. It was slightly better in terms of how we approached the game as a whole. But I felt the second half against Doncaster and against Barnsley for that matter were both better than that performance yesterday. I'm not blaming Shez or defending Dunn. The players are to blame - apart from the odd one, the situation we're in doesn't look like it bothers them at all.

Came up especially for Shez's first game and really wish I hadn't bothered. Very few positives to take from that game and for the first time this season I'm resigned to relegation. Difference between that and the Dunn home games I've seen - very little. Dunn's sides probably took longer to get going, but against Doncaster and Barnsley for example we at least looked like scoring. Yesterday, barring a couple of goal mouth scrambles from set pieces we didn't create any proper chances whatsoever. Except the absolute stonewall penalty for the push on Dieng when he was going to head it into the empty net. The issue is clearly the players, I don't think anyone can deny that now. Maybe they played a bit more for Johnson because he signed them, or maybe we were only in the top 6 off the back of Forte's purple patch. He dried up, we clung on for a bit despite terrible form, then dropped out of contention and haven't looked like going on a winning run since. The problem the majority of players have is they need someone to do something for them. They're always looking around to see who's going to help them out. How many times do we lose possession or concede a chance/goal because 2 players both leave the ball? It's pathetic. Far too many of our players are only any good when they've got protection. All our strikers need someone to play off, they can't battle or hold the ball up themselves. Same for Winchester, J Wilson, Dieng, Coleman. They all need looking after - and Kelly can't be everywhere at once. We're weak and we're soft. Special mention for James Wilson yesterday. I don't know what's happened to him, but his game has completely gone, that was one of the worst individual performances I've seen in a long time. We need a rebuild, but in reality we'll probably only have the budget for 2 new players. It's desperate that we start dominating in both boxes - we're not bad in between, but we are completely unthreatening in both boxes. Higdon would do as the striker, probably the best realistic target for us that I can think of who could do the sort of job we need. Him with Murphy along side and Palmer in behind might see us score more. Defender - who knows? Hopefully there's one out there but it's a big task. But if we get one, Brian Wilson or Dieng could do a job in a CB pair. To stand any chance at all of staying up we need at least 2 quality players in asap. This week will make or break our season. Although, if I'm being realistic, it's broken beyond repair already.

Neal Trotman. Released by Bristol Rovers after a few games in the conference. We sold him for half a million quid. You win some, you lose some.

Missing the point of the new stand. Not sure how many people would pay £75 for a sausage roll in a portacabin on stilts on a Friday night.

Latics 1-0 Bury (HT 0-0) Jones 4759

We love a one month deal don't we?!

No I meant regarding Gerrard who's been talked about (by fans). Tongue in cheek though, doubt he's in the frame.

Aye. Was wondering if Gerrard might be the first choice talked about but you wouldn't class Shrewsbury as a southern club.

Mvoto potential second choice. So the ex-champ defender he's referring to must be someone else.

This is what I was talking about - a bit of detective work needed to get our interest going. From the Chron... Sheridan’s priority is to pin down a new centre-back, and we understand a former Championship defender from a southern club has been targeted as first choice. If that move can’t be finalised, there may be a return to the club for Jean-Yves Mvoto. Is Shrewsbury a southern club?!

Is the issue not just that there haven't been any decent rumours for us to get our teeth in to? As others have said, deals are normally done later in the week. Plus they do the media stuff on a Thursday so not surprising that there hasn't been any news out of the club as yet. We're just lacking a training ground spy, a personalised number plate in the car park, or one of the many solid sources on here coming forward with a bit of gossip.

Is it? I'd have thought their main attribute was the ability to man manage big ego players on ludicrous salaries! Fergie didn't do much to iron out Taibi's mistakes - just got rid and bought someone else.

That's fair enough.

He'll be given time by the fans, and slack. And we won't have to sack him if we get relegated. Massive plus points for Corney. And for the morale of everyone really. For example, if Dunn was still in charge he'd be getting crucified for wasting £500 on appealing that card when that money could have gone to a new player. It's Shez, so it's commendable public backing of one of his players. The misrepresentation was wilful, that's my point. When you listened to what he said, or read the quotes it was totallly clear what he meant. But anyway, don't really want to go down this road again!

Good read, but I have a real bugbear about the claim about what Dunn said about Mourinho/Ferguson! Mainly at the MEN for reporting it incorrectly at the time. He said they couldn't stop the individual mistakes players were making. That might be right or wrong, but it's a long way from claiming they couldn't manage the team. I think a different manager at a different time saying the same things as Dunn would have been applauded by most rather than pilloried. That's why Shez is such a great appointment - he won't be subject to the same interview scrutiny as Holden, Kelly and Dunn fortunately.

As per every Latics player interview, newspaper article, picture, people are lining up to be outraged by it. Admits his own mistakes while hinting at underlying problems at the club. Seems about right. Can't understand why anyone gives a :censored:.

It works as a stand alone song if just singing the chorus. But also, I've thought long and hard about the lyrics and I think I've come up with an Oldham version. Took a while, hopefully it's not so complicated it puts people off. As doggy suggested, to the tune of Air that I breathe by the hollies... Sometimes, all I need is the air that I breathe And the Oldham All I need is the air that I breathe Yes The Oldham All I need is the air that I breathe

How do his feet clearly leaving the ground? Can the same not be said about every slide tackle if you pause the video at the right time?

True, it's all about excessive force. Didn't look like excessive force.

Agree with majority of what you're saying, except the use of technology! I think introducing stoppages for video repays would fundamentally change the flow of the game which would be a bad thing. Plus it could only be implemented at the highest level, unless clubs at our level had all the cameras paid for. Diving and play acting cause huge problems for refs and probably don't help with their decision making. This could be dealt with easily with tough retrospective bans after a panel of ex players review footage after the game. But that's probably a discussion for a different sub-forum!

From what I can see, out of control would count as reckless which is a yellow card. A red for serious foul play would seemingly need to be a lunge with excessive force. And no distinction made whether that's from the front, side or back.

Don't keep up to date with the rules - so you can't slide tackle a player that you're facing?

Eh? Can only presume you haven't seen it.

For a "walking red card", that was his first ever one I think.