There is a recurring theme of bad luck being thrusted at us as supporters as the reason that we are presently bottom of the table and never before has such rubbish been offered as an excuse.
We are bottom of the league because we have amassed less points than all the other teams in the league.
The reasons for this is because in key games we have failed to score more than the opposition and this point couldn't illustrated more clearly than over the last three games.
First is the home game with Bolton, who are also embarrasingly poor this season. The Trotters looked like world beaters at the DW Stadium as they took our pittiful team to pieces.
Workplaces across the borough were sombre places after losing that derby game so emphatically.
It was a tale of two teams. One that was prepared to fight and work as a team for three points, and another who were going through the motions, passing the ball around, hoping and praying that the other team would submit through boredom.
Newcastle in the following week was a marked improvement as the team-work and fight was there. But after 80 minutes concentration dropped, the game plan was thrown out the window, and Cabaye fired home the winner for the Geordies.
It was not bad luck, it was bad defending. You make your own luck. Rodallega's finishing was terrible for such a so-called world beater and we paid the price with yet another example of poor defending.
Then came the visit of Fulham. Again the overall performance was better but at crucial moments we lacked what was needed at this level.
Every week I am left embarassed by severe lack of pace that Gary Caldwell possess. The Scottish international has two ways of combating this. He either stands ten yards in front of Ali Al-Habsi for the duration of the game, adding pressure to his midfield, or he sticks his hand up in hope that the linesman had switched off for a minute and gives offside. The sooner Boyce is moved to centre back the better.
A majority of the former mixed with a couple of examples for the latter worked with disaterous consequences yesterday as first Zamora beat the offside trap to play in Demspey for the opener, before Moussa Dembele had a field day running in the open space between back four and midfield five.
The Latics team against Fulham contained eight defensive players. This is no way to win a home game with Fulham. Al-Habsi, Boyce, Figueroa, Caldwell, Alcaraz, Jones, Watson, and Diame/McArthur are not attacking players.
It showed as the possession was laboured and the only openings came from bursts by individuals who had lost the will to play another pointless sideways pass along the back line.
Such crack were papered over last season by the talent and desire of a certain now departed Frenchman. Our failure to replace that talent is the main reason for our present position.
Aligned with the £5 million spent on our training facility, £5 million of 'world-class' goalscoring talent playing in Argentina, and an England under 21 international that has returned to Old Trafford, we're not going to hit double poiints until January at best.
Now I believe is the time to repeat that bad luck is not an excuse and is not the reason we are bottom of the league.
For as long as we cannot score and cannot defend, we are not going to get another point in this division.
This is now Roberto Martinez's team and also his league position, Chris Hutchings was removed for a lot less.
The Spaniard has grossly reduced the wage bill and annual budget of the club and he deserves a lot of credit for that. But at the same time there have been a lot of questionable decisions.
We do not have players who can play the Barcelona way and this could not be more evident than looking at our league position. There is no plan B, just the weekly precession or dross as we bounce from spanking to spanking.
For all the talk of this wonderful football there has been no evidence at all this season. We laboured to average results against the promoted clubs before embarking on our present embarassing run.
The foundations on improving the infrastructure may be in place, but the key piece, the first team, is woefully missing from our club at present.
N'Zogbia has gone but so has any hope of attacking impetus, desire, passion, pace, or power, and perhpas most importantly goals.
Our attacking play is not constructed through passing craft. Virtually all our openings against Fulham came after a solo burst through impatience.
We have a lovely new training ground on the way, but we're going to struggle to hit double figures in the points and goals column before the new year.
£5 million of Mr Whelan's money is presently plying it's trade on loan in Argentina and there is an empty loan spot in the squad as the Latics embarrassingly labour in their attacking play and conceed alarmingly easily.
Mr Whelan spoke on BBC GMR yesterday that he knows Martinez is giving 110% and he is happy with that. Is this the same chairman who doesn't tolerate failure.
We had a turning point against Fulham yesterday when Diame got injured. Our main attacking influence this season was replaced with the midfield work-horse of James McArthur.
The young Scot toiled alongside two other midfield work-horses (Watson and Jones) but there was no attacking shape. Fulham at home is no time to play three defensive midfielders.
We desperately needed a forward thinking player.
The game was subsequently lost and I fear we have also lost our season and Premier League status.
This is not a call for Martinez to be sacked or for him to walk. He clearly has the talent and ability to make it as a manager.
The problem with Martinez at the minute is that he insists on conquering the world over night. There have been too many cuts to the first team as funds are directed to other infrastructure building tasks, or cut all together.
We need to play like Wigan Athletic and not like Barcelona if we are going to stay in the league. Passing football is great, and there is no need to start with the big hoof.
What we do need is a more direct approach, and a more attacking approach. Too much time is spent in midfield and in our own half.
Where is the team and performance that destroyed Blackpool last season?
Where is the team and attacking pace that sent West Ham to the Championship?
Where is the team, attacking pace and power, and performance that beat Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea at the DW Stadium the season before last?
We've become a dull and defensive team short on attacking prowess. The sooner we realise this the better.
To summarise Martinez came out with a key piece of information in his post Fulham reaction when he said: "You look at the stats and they are good enough to win two football games never mind one."
In response, it is impossible to win a football match without scoring a goal.
