No more patience, no more excuses. Dowie, the eternal optimist and enforcer of the positive, finally succumbed to the inevitable as he admitted that we are just not good enough at home. An improvement in performance is vital as the Latics face promotion failure thanks to an extremely poor home record.
Whilst it sometimes grates that Dowie has often used the phrase "I'm taking the positives out of this game" when sometimes a good rollicking is worthy, Dowie criticised the side after the goalless draw to strugglers Peterborough. Although the Latics looked lethargic, I do actually feel the need to defend the team after Dowie's comments though. Saying that the Latics weren't creative enough to break down Peterborough is true, however Dowie refused to blame the Posh defence for this instead pointing the finger at the players. Personally, I believe under-fire manager Barry Fry brought his men to Boundary Park with a well-planned job to do and they did it well. Dowie should actually look at his own tactics sometimes before criticising the players. One minor complaint that I have had is that we are playing away tactics at Boundary Park, tactics which will only prove fruitful against more adventurous teams that visit. It was obvious from the start that Peterborough would never be this.
Playing away team tactics at home simply doesn't work because the opposition usually turns up with an 8 or 9 man defence. It is paramount for most visiting teams to not leak a goal and thus sitting back and absorbing wave after wave of pressure is their chosen tactic. Therefore, our idea of launching forward balls for the strikers to chase, doesn't work because they hit a sea of defenders every time. At home you have to pass the ball on the deck and switch play from flank to flank to create gaps and open teams up. But the Latics just aren't doing that. The midfield has suffered a lot through injuries and suspensions and the Blues have looked very 1 dimensional because of it(especially with Murray being forced to play out of position.) The side has become too predictable and easy to read and that's why we are struggling at Boundary Park.
Once injuries sort themselves out, the Latics will look more like the formidable force which they were at the start of the season, but will we keep grinding out the results and keep avoiding defeat away from home until then? How long will this unbeaten run last? What will happen if or indeed when, we lose our first away game? Would we bounce back? Must we then have to rely on our home form? We have no answers to these questions and thus we must now resolve the home form problem before it is too late. No home win since November 2nd is appalling for a serious promotion candidate and therefore beating Brentford is a must in order to move into 2nd place and keep the pressure on Cardiff, Bristol City and Crewe (we can forget Wigan now).
Signs are that this might be possible too. Although the unfortunate Saturday postponement triggers suspensions for John Eyre (1 match) and David Eyres (2 matches), the Latics receive their first lucky break of the season as both Dean Holden and Michael Clegg are fit whilst Matty Appleby and Tony Carss will have recovered enough from lengthy injuries to be on the bench (amazingly, it still means we are without SEVEN players - Hill, Wijnhard, Eyres, Eyre, Andrews, Low, Corazzin.)
As well as the timely return of some midfielders, the Latics also have a psychological boost over Brentford as Ben Burgess, 18-goalscorer for the Bees last season, makes his home debut for the Blues. Brentford fans will be sick that they have to face one of their favourites from last season. Ironically, Burgess has admitted that he will know more Brentford players than Oldham players when they line up, but hopefully that won't be the case now that we have had him for an 3 extra days.
The main reasons that the Latics should be able to beat Brentford though are that, as explained already, the Bees will offer more in attack than the Peterborough's of this world. The Latics will hopefully have a bit more room to create upfront. Killen and Burgess will have a lot of expectation weighted on their shoulders to provide the goods - and they know it! And most importantly, the return of Dean Holden on the right wing, should mean that influential midfielder Paul Murray will move back into his central midfield position where he is most dangerous. Murray has done well on the right, but it is in midfield where we have struggled since Josh Low's (RW) injury. With Holden for cover on the right, the Latics have more in midfield to create the gaps and open up the tight defences.
Meanwhile, Brentford aren't without their problems too. Top-scorer Rowan Vine (11 goals) and Jamie Fullerton are both suspended for the clash, whilst Leon Constantine has been declared unfit with tendonitis trouble. Frenchman Leo Roget should make his comeback though after 3 months out with knee ligament damage.
Latics line up:
GK - Pogliacomi, DF - Berahall, Hall, Clegg, MD - Holden, Baudet, D.Sheridan, Murray, Armstrong, FW - Burgess, Killen
Verdict:
Despite suspensions kicking in to hinder the Latics, the pluses outweigh the minuses for the hosts. With the Burgess factor and the changing of Murray to the middle with Holden on covering on the right, the Latics should have enough to do the trick. My only concern is our left wing but I expect Armstrong will cover for suspended Eyres meaning a back 3 of Hall, Berahall and Clegg.
Brentford will come with a cautious plan of attack. Most forward movements will be on the break, but the Bees can pass the ball around well and thus this will be a high tempo game in which the first goal will be important. With the Latics having not won at home since Nov 2nd and having conceded the 1st goal in every game bar 2 goalless draws, it is imperative that the Blues take an early advantage. Otherwise, Boundary Park will once again turn into a morgue as frustrated home fans (of which a ridiculously high percent do not bother to travel away and thus do not see the full efforts of the side) will vent frustration and unfair abuse on the team.
The Latics should have enough to beat Brentford, but it will be a close game. A marginal 2-1 win looks about the best the Blues should hope for.
Predictions: Latics 2 Brentford 1