Roberto Martinez commented on the Tottenham game that the Latics needed to be more adventurous and he was right of more than just the antics on the pitch. With a defence that concedes goals for fun, and a strike force that is by far and away the worst in the league, the additions of Nicky Maynard and Adrian Mariappa were more than desperately needed.
Instead of optimism supporters have been left with the knowledge that the present playing staff will carry on in vein.
Star striker, Hugo Rodallega, with a grand total of two goals so far this season, has decided he has had enough and signalled his intention to leave in the summer and it would appear Momo Diame is none too far behind him. Both players will leave on free transfers.
Gary Caldwell is given continued rein to carry on his calamitous defending that ensures Ali Al-Habsi is kept over-worked and aside from Victor Moses, the attacking threat is devoid of players with the ability to beat their opposite number.
The grand total of our January activity is a winger from Birmingham City who excels in passing the ball sideways and backwards as a blue nose visitor to the WIGANER.net forum pointed out this week. He should fit right in with our present set up.
Of the four games played in January, we have managed to lose them all, conceding eleven goals (a rate of almost three a game) and scored just three (a rate of less than one a game), and these four games include a cup fixture against a league two team.
There are no apologies for the doom and gloom as given the present situation, the ongoing disappointing results, and now the virtually non-existent activity of the January transfer window, there are no signs that Wigan Athletic can pull away to safety over the closing months of the season.
With just a few short months of the season remaining and playing matters in need of address, Martinez has buried his head in his old philosophies which are not working with the present set up, his set up.
January was the perfect chance to make a change, to bring in fresh ideas and fresh blood, to spice things up and develop an air of hope and optimism. Instead we are going to be delivered the same old rhetoric for what looks like is going to be a long few closing months of our Premier League status.
The playing staff has been in slow decline for the past three years as Roberto Martinez has consistently delivered poor additions in the transfer market and achieved little value for money.
During my time supporting Wigan Athletic I have never seen us resign ourselves to such a life of stagnation and acceptance as we are at present. A dire month of January has continued our steady decline this season. I sincerely hope I am proved wrong but the writing appears to be on the wall.
