Ignore stalemates: we always play to win

Latics’ assistant manager writes every week for Chron Sport
KEEPING clean sheets is the basis of winning games.

We have done that three times on the bounce now, so obviously that is very pleasing. But we have only converted that into three points in one of those games.

The old football adage states that if you can't win it, then don't lose it. At least we haven't been picking up nothing.

It is frustrating when you create chance after chance, or have cross after cross entering the penalty area and don't convert those opportunities.

There isn't a lot more we can do as coaching staff, to be honest. It is something we will have to look at in the summer — what can we do to improve?

It might be purely based on personnel.

We have an inexperienced strike squad and two players who operate in similar ways in Oumare Tounkara and Reuben Reid.

Their strengths probably don't lie in getting on the end of balls coming in from wide.

As for next season, we don't yet know what budget we are working to, but I would presume that players are going to have to be realistic in their expectations.

In terms of those players who are out of contract here — especially the fringe players, those who have been in and out of the side and who have been injured — they will have to be realistic about what they are looking for.

There is no easy fix to what is happening to football at this level.

There are still another five games to go and starting at Yeovil tomorrow, we are looking to pick up another 15 points.

There is no game where we sit down and look at who we are playing and plan to nick a draw.

Every single time we play, we aim to go out and win and that will never change.

During the course of a game, it may be that we need to shut up shop at times.

But in terms of our preparations — and maybe this is a bit of naivety — while we don't disrespect other sides, we are always confident that the way we play will block out the strengths that other sides possess.

Without being big-headed, we are always confident the way we play will be good enough to win games of football.

I believe the style we play is the correct one for this division, albeit with one or two tweaks that need to be made.

There are things we need to work on. but I don't think we need to alter our attitude or our outlook.




Apparently, the upcoming fans' match against the staff is a decent game.



Hopefully the fans will be just as unfit as I am at the moment, but I doubt it!

I always look forward to playing and it should be good fun.