?% Villa. Martinez, MON and the pie eaters

[PeterWithesShin]

I'm currently reading Northern Soul which is about Wigan and their first season in the top flight. It's quite interesting, and had these snippets which may be of interest/relevance to us.

As well as covering that season, there are a few flashbacks, one of which was about when Wigan signed the 3 Spaniards and the author spoke to Martinez who was playing for Swansea at the time (2006) and he said this. "The chairman said he had a five-year plan to get into the Premiership, in the end it took ten and my only regret was that I never got the chance to play for them when they got there. That would have been special. To me Wigan Athletic will always be my club, always be in my heart".
Which may be why he wanted to stay at Wigan this season?

As the author spoke French he ended up being a translator when they signed Chimbonda and Henri Camara. This is about Camara.
Henri told me he really enjoyed his time at Southampton working under Harry Redknapp - 'he's a good coach, he understands players' - but he got frustrated at Celtic because Martin O'Neill just dropped him without explanation. 'I don't mind being dropped if the coach says to you why he is doing it,' he said, 'but when he says nothing it is difficult to take'.
Another fine example of man management MON style.

And finally, nothing to do with football, but the term pie-eaters for Wiganers, which has nothing to do with meat pies etc, which I had always assumed it did.
It actually comes from the time of the General Strike in 1926, when the impoverished, famished Wigan miners went back to work before everyone else, eating humble pie. It's a term of huge derision in that sense but, ironically, Wiganers themselves are the ones that use it the most.

[not3bad]

It appears MON and Houllier had one thing in common: if you were 'out' you were all the way out.  And the way a player was ostrasized was not done delicately.

[TheSandman]

On MoN it is no surprise. We heard it time and again from players who left us.

[dave.woodhall]

It appears MON and Houllier had one thing in common: if you were 'out' you were all the way out.  And the way a player was ostrasized was not done delicately.

Then again, you could say the same about Ron Saunders.

[citizenDJ]

And finally, nothing to do with football, but the term pie-eaters for Wiganers, which has nothing to do with meat pies etc, which I had always assumed it did.
It actually comes from the time of the General Strike in 1926, when the impoverished, famished Wigan miners went back to work before everyone else, eating humble pie. It's a term of huge derision in that sense but, ironically, Wiganers themselves are the ones that use it the most.

I never knew that! Quite interesting, cheers.

[nigel]

It appears MON and Houllier had one thing in common: if you were 'out' you were all the way out.  And the way a player was ostrasized was not done delicately.

Then again, you could say the same about Ron Saunders.

Difference between Saunders and the other 2 is that in Rons time you played the season with a settled team, using as few players as possible. MON and GH, it is a squad game where rotation is a must.

[Risso]

And finally, nothing to do with football, but the term pie-eaters for Wiganers, which has nothing to do with meat pies etc, which I had always assumed it did.
It actually comes from the time of the General Strike in 1926, when the impoverished, famished Wigan miners went back to work before everyone else, eating humble pie. It's a term of huge derision in that sense but, ironically, Wiganers themselves are the ones that use it the most.

I never knew that! Quite interesting, cheers.

Although as a Wiganer for fifteen years before heading over here, I'd say that although that may be the official explanation, the sheer number and quality of pie shops in Wigan is why the people there relish the nick name.

[The Laughing Policeman]

It appears MON and Houllier had one thing in common: if you were 'out' you were all the way out.  And the way a player was ostrasized was not done delicately.

Then again, you could say the same about Ron Saunders.

An ex player once told me that if you were  long term  injured or out of form then Mr. Saunders wouldn't even speak to you. Add to that the way he ditched Andy Gray and you can see that there seems to be a bit of a history of this sort of thing at VP.

[Greg N'Ash]

All managers have players they don't rate. If AM decided he didn't rate Allbrighton, Clarke or Gabby, I wouldn't be pleased about it but its fair enough as he has to build his team. Likewise  if you've got troublemakers like GH had, you need to get rid. The problem i had with MON freezing players out was they were his own buys. If you're investing millions in wages and fees into a player's purchase, then if you freeze him out totally a season later it just makes you look totally clueless in your judgement of a player's ability.

[pauliewalnuts]

It appears MON and Houllier had one thing in common: if you were 'out' you were all the way out.  And the way a player was ostrasized was not done delicately.

Then again, you could say the same about Ron Saunders.

Difference between Saunders and the other 2 is that in Rons time you played the season with a settled team, using as few players as possible. MON and GH, it is a squad game where rotation is a must.

Also in Saunders time, players weren't 20 year old multi millionaires with fragile egoes, you could get away with it.

[not3bad]

"Absence makes the Mart Grow Stronger":

http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/fanseyeview/archive/2011/08/01/absence-makes-the-mart-grow-stronger.aspx

[Villa'Zawg]

"Absence makes the Mart Grow Fonder":

http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/fanseyeview/archive/2011/08/01/absence-makes-the-mart-grow-stronger.aspx

I can't imagine that anyone on here would disagree with any of that :-)

[Rudy Can't Fail]

"Absence makes the Mart Grow Fonder":

http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/fanseyeview/archive/2011/08/01/absence-makes-the-mart-grow-stronger.aspx

I can't imagine that anyone on here would disagree with any of that :-)

I only got as far as "culling the dead wood".

[Dave Cooper please]

I sincerely hope he didn't get paid for that load of shite.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I sincerely hope he didn't get paid for that load of shite.

I'm sure Martin paid him kindly.