After picking up five points in our last three games this game with Swnasea was pin-pointed as the game where we could lift ourselves out the bottom three and also pull the Swans into the relegation mire.
Swansea had managed just four points in six games before yesterday's visit to the DW Stadium and were a team fast falling down the league table.
Over the past seven seasons we have always been capable of putting in the displays, and earning the points, when we really need them. However this season, Bolton aside, we have crumbled in the games that matter.
After 27 games there is a reason why we are rooted to the bottom of the league and we are not good enough.
I have long been a supporter of Roberto Martinez and I can completely and 100% understand his ethics and philosophy but if we are to survive in the Premier League this season then Martinez needs to go.
The number of bad management decisions on view against the Swans was illustrative of a man burried in his beliefs and with no grip on the actions going on in front of him.
Lack of respect
Conor Sammon was promoted to the first team at the expense of Victor Moses. On its own this was a perfectly understandable decision with the manager looking for Sammon to trouble the Swansea back line via pace and power.
What cannot be explained was the performance and lack of respect from Franco di Santo. The Argentinian took a strong leaf out of Hugo Rodallega's book and went for the sulk option on the right flank.
di Santo repeatedly ignored the request of his manager to track back and furthermore decided he didn't need to defend.
Weak manager anyone?
di Santo's sulking aligned with the fact that the Latics could get the ball left Sammon isolated up front on his own against two commanding Swansea centre halfs. Far from the most skillful player, Sammon didn't stand a chance and we had no attacking outlet.
Clueless
The Latics were facing a team whom Martinez should know inside and out, however for the first 45 minutes the defensive set up of the team was such that Swansea players were popping up all over the place unmarked.
In truth had Swansea pressed harder the game could well have been over by half time. It was further illustration as to why we have conceeded so many goals.
Sanity
Matters got worse in the second half when the enigmatic Jordi Gomez somehow returned to the pitch for a second forty-five minutes of idle jogging.
It was a disgusting decision from Roberto Martinez to stick with Gomez who, along with Conor Sammon wasn't even at the races.
Standing at the urinal during the half time break, in my mind one gentleman quite elegantly summed up the decision for Gomez to be on the pitch when he said: "Which other Premier League manager would play Gomez over Diame?"
With Joe Allen swarming all over Gomez, both offensively and defensively, the torture progressed for a full ninety minutes.
Diame, Rodallega, and Moses
It was with great delight that supports saw the arrivals of Diame and Moses at half time. Sammon had struggled and it was no surprise to see him substituted, but the decision to remove the hard-working McArthur was a strange one.
What was of no surprise was the attacking impact that Diame had. The big Senegalese international was central to virtually everything the Latics did going forwards.
With the clock ticking down and Swansea down to ten men, it was clear that the Latics needed to get themselves back into the game. With the clubs all time Premier League goal scorer sat on the bench you would think it sensible to put him on the pitch.
Well, up until the crowds unanimous shouts of 'Hugo!', Martinez had asked Ben Watson, yes you read that right, to strip off and get ready for action.
The Spaniard swifty changed his mind at the shouts of Hugo as had Watson been put on to the pitch the stands would have been empty mind-way through the second half.
Water behind the dam
Phil Neville/Tim Howard's comedy own goal in the 1-1 draw with Everton aside, the last time the Latics scored at home was Hugo Rodallega's consolation strike in the 4-1 defeat to Sunderland.
That is one goal in five home league games, and there are no positive to be taken from that.
Basic incompetance cannot be tolerated at this level and after some serious reflection the cumulation of water behind the dam has seen it burst in my opinion.
Martinez must go if we are to have a chance to instil some steel in our present side and survive.
Well arranged and structured meetings with the manager will not blind me with admiration for a man who, whilst doing wonders off the field for the club, is fast taking the club towards relegation.
- We have invested serious amounts of money in a new goalkeeper (£4 million on Ali Al Habsi) and new centre back/captain, Gary Caldwell (4 year contract on serious wages), and yet our defensive record is the worst we have had in the top flight.
- We have sold our best players and failed empatically to replace them. Victor Moses is not a replacement for Charles N'Zogbia.
- Almost £6 million has been spent on Mauro Boselli who has contributed nothing to the cause and still proves to be a big drain on resources.
- We spent c£4 million on Albert Crusat and Shaun Maloney in the summer, neither have played or had any form of impact on the team.
- The number of flop signings is far too high for success; Steve Gohouri, Gary Caldwell, Albert Crusat, Franco di Santo, Jordi Gomez, Jason Scotland, Conor Sammon, Adrian Lopez, Antonio Amaya, Mauro Boselli,
- We have won just one home game all season scoring just eleven goals in fourteen games
- January has been and gone, and we haven't strengthened the team in the slightest. c£3 million on Beausejour has purely added another sideways and competant footballer to the club.
- Neither could we make any January additions as the world of football knows where we are heading; Nicky Maynard and Adrian Mariappa both reportedly said no.
- We haven't utilised our loan spots. Tom Cleverley and Ali Al Habsi last season, Van Aanholt for three games this season?!
- There is not goalscoring threat. So far this season our top goalscorer is Jordi Gomez with four, half of those are penalties.
- We have allowed key players to run their contracts down and to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season (Diame and Rodallega) whilst being sold rubbish that the reason was 'commuication difficulties with his agent in Columbia.'
- Furthermore, players such as Moses, are also running down their contracts and will leave the club with a lack of talent.
- Martinez has lost the dressing room. The actions of Franco di Santo yesterday added to the benching of Diame and Rodallega appear to illustrate that Martinez has lost the repsect of his players.
On their own these decisions can be tolerated, but when added together they suggest we have a manager who cannot turn present matters around at the club.
They do not seem to suggest that we are building a football club but suggest that a severe amount of resources are being wasted on bad decisions.
The Wigan Athletic team that got promoted and survived the first season in the Premier League did not have the quality of the present set up. But what we did have was a never-say-die spirit and a commitment to give 100%.
The present set up is too busy concentrating mentality and focus on how our superior fooballing ethic makes us holier-than-thou, and will see us right in the end.
Look at the league table, look at the alarming lack of goals scored, look at our comedic defending, we're pathetic at best and the sooner our chairman wakes up and relieves our football club of the present bunch of prima-donnas the better.
Roberto, you're a true legend at this football club, but it isn't working.
