Editors Blog: Owen Coyle Asks for Perspective

I have never in all my time following Wigan Athletic ever ever truly questioned a managers role to lead this club. Yes at times I have questioned selection and even tactics, but in terms of should they be the manager the answer has always been for me they lead my club and I will 110% support my club, players and managers alike.

The fact remains that still stands in my head and will do. Before you read any further ask yourself this, why do you support Wigan Athletic?

For me it is a story of my dad taking me down to the JJB Stadium at a young age and me falling in love with the family atmosphere of the club and the hard dedication that was embedded into our players. Through adversity we fought hard on and off the pitch and both fans and players were closely interlinked. Are we in trouble of killing that link and spirit of the club?

That could lead me onto another story about a Spanish midfielder who rightly or wrongly is getting more and more stick off our fans. I will save that for another day.

Right now I want to look at our relationship with the current manager. When Owen Coyle was first appointed I will admit he was not my first choice, and that was nothing to do with him being the former Bolton Wanderers manager; if that is your problem with Mr Coyle then I am sorry but that has nothing to do with his management of Wigan. What I was worried about though was the stories I heard off friends about the state he left Bolton in.

The lack of fitness of players, the lack of quality training and in the very end the lack of tactical ideas from the manager to get his side performing.

Even then though I still felt ready to give the Scottish manager a chance. I still do right now, we have lost three game but it isn't the end of the world. What Coyle has to do now is get some perspective of his own.

He just ask we fans to get some, yet for me it has to go both ways. Coyle was right to say what he did after the treatment our fans gave him during the game, but he and the management teams have to come out and say we are getting things wrong, after all we are all human.

Constant rotation of the starting eleven, players being played out of position, and the lack of the ball on the pitch from our players. The starting eleven for me is where our problems lie most deeply. I think it is becoming apparent to both the fans and players that there isn't a best starting eleven.

Yes players have dips in forms and yes we need to rest players with our busy schedule. Yet in the Championship games for me we should have the same eleven each week, rest players mid-week in Europe and then rotate players in during the busy periods. You can't make six changes from game to game and expect the players to keep a continuity to their's and the team's performances; it just doesn't happen.

The other thing which does worry me, is that players seem to be picked more on Coyle having brought them in rather than their actual form our ability. Roger Espinoza for me should be in the starting line up. I do agree that he does just run around, but then he actually gives 110% every time he plays and because he does everyone else gets a lift. You need players like that to fight for the team.

I would much rather have in him in than Chris McCann who has actually started to impress me. However when both he and Ben Watson play together you have to have close your eyes for 90 minutes. They play so similar style of game it is painful, neither of them really runs up and down the pitch at a million miles an hour closing players down and getting in their faces. You need someone like that to make the opposition midfield work and make them think twice when on the ball.

I could mention more names, Jean Beausejour is another who for me should be playing more regularly. James McClean maybe improving but he had yet to get an assist or score for the club. Jean's set piece and crossing abilities have always helped this side produce goals.

So here is my perspective to you Mr Owen Coyle. You are the manager I respect you for it and I will not cheer for you to be sacked nor boo any of our players, but you now choose your best starting eleven, based on ability and form, and you play them week in week out for the rest of December and you get us climb up this league table.

To the Wigan fans, lets get the faith back and BELIEVE!