Peter Beagrie looks at Charlton's upturn in form, Dave Whelan's legacy at Wigan and Bristol City's march to the title...
Luzon looking good at Charlton
It’s a results-based industry and with the improvement in the results you would say the decision to sack Bob Peeters and bring in Guy Luzon was justified. Whether, in the long term, Peeters would have won the recent fixtures we don’t know but it’s a decision the board have to live or die by. The success or failure of the football club is at their behest.
It does justify it short-term because of the upturn in fortunes and four wins out five gives them the stats to show it. When you look at every chairman’s decision to sack a manager you say 'are they right?' Sometimes it’s as much as 'do they have the right?' And yes they do. At the moment they have been proved right.
It’s been a strange one at Charlton because of the liaisons with Belgian football and they have made some strange appointments, but hopefully for Charlton fans it’s about making sure they are as far away from relegation as possible.
This recent run has maximised their chance of being in the division next year and there will be a lot of back patting in the board room from the powers that be.
Whelan leaves legacy at Wigan
Dave Whelan stepped down as chairman of his beloved Wigan this week and his tenure can best be described as 20 glorious, loyal years where he used his wealth from his business empire to fuel his passion for football and personally bankroll an unfashionable football club in a predominantly rugby area, not for personal gain, but for personal satisfaction.
Even Dave, whose glass is always half full, could never in his wildest dreams have imagined he could take a fourth-tier side to the Premier League and into Europe courtesy of a Wembley FA Cup final. The fact Wigan were able to sustain eight consecutive years in the Premier League is incredible.
Recent problems, when I felt Dave was a victim of his own ignorance as well as a generational thing – considering he is fast-approaching 80 – will, I am sure, have brought his decision forward.
He has certainly earned some rest and relaxtion in hotter climates with his lovely and loyal soulmate and wife Patricia. I know I speak for a lot of people who have shared Dave’s company, played for his club or worked for one of his companies, in saying any recent FA charge cannot sully a reputation built on hard work and honesty, belief and passion, as well as a genuine love of sport and people.
Dave has genuinely left a legacy and I believe he will not sell Wigan but watch from his sunbed abroad and be in close contact with his grandson David Sharpe as a sounding board and mentor.
No better testimony to Dave’s character and affability come from the managers he has employed, even the ones he has sacked – they, nearly to a man, found him very supportive. Along with every Wigan fan, Whelan will be hoping David Sharpe is not only a good chairman but, more importantly, a lucky one given Wigan’s current predicament.
Their 1-0 win against automatic promotion hopefuls Norwich wasn’t a bad start and Wigan fans will be hoping it’s a first of many for this new era and hoping that it is as eventful, exciting and successful as the last one.
Bristol City on the March
Bristol City have put themselves in an incredible position to guarantee promotion, navigating three tricky fixtures against Doncaster, Rochdale and Leyton Orient and taking maximum points.
A 10-point lead over second-placed Preston is significant and I fully expect City, with Aaron Wilbraham now fit and firing again and Kieran Agard also off the treatment table and on the pitch, to garner enough points in the next four league games in March to secure the title.
Steve Cotterill’s charges face Crawley, Yeovil, Gillingham and Crewe – fixtures they took nine points from in the corresponding matches in December. The same haul again would be anticipated and would set the scene for a well-earned day out at Wembley in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final for the City faithful.
City’s quality has shone through this term, Cotterill’s 3-5-2 and his recruitment for that system has been brilliant. They have the stellar squad to cope with any further injuries and a bench now being warmed by Matt Smith, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Wade Elliott and James Tavernier to name but a few.
City’s two opportunities to lift silverware, ironically, could be witnessed or scuppered by the same opponents: Dean Smith’s Walsall. Tune in on March 22, live on Sky, to see how the first part of Bristol City’s double attempt goes, with Walsall also their opponents on the last day of the season.
Mowbray the right fit for Coventry
Tony Mowbray is an excellent manager who can build footballing sides and Coventry have got a prolific youth set-up and development. In one of their Johnstone Paint Trophy teams, 11 out of their 15-man squad were academy graduates – that in itself makes Tony a top candidate for the job.
He has built young teams at Hibernian and West Brom who played lovely football. He is fresh, has had a rest and it is a project ideally suited to him. He is brilliant with youngsters, can play various systems and is a very good coach.
It will be interesting to see who he brings in to work in his backroom staff. Mark Venus has been with him a while and it might be time for Tony to bring him around and also freshen it up and bring a different voice.
He will have to see what he is allowed to do because financially Coventry have had massive problems.
You have to feel sorry for Steven Pressley and what he had to put up with and the restrictions on him, the adversity with the club and everything that happened. It has been in turmoil and for a lot of the time he was the glue that held everybody together. I don’t think there would be many Coventry fans who looked at his tenure and thought it was total failure, because it wasn’t.
In an adverse situation he did a terrific job. It didn’t work out for him and now it’s up to Tony to take on the club, which has huge traditions of playing in the top leagues and has had success in the past.
It’s up to Tony to readdress the balance and be successful in the short term and then hopefully get to the summer and plan for a season in the division to made inroads on the promotion places because it doesn’t take much.
Recruitment is key and that is probably another area where Tony fits the bill. He has played in a lot of divisions and managed in a lot of divisions, he knows the market and has very good contacts so it’s come at the right time for him. It’s a chance again for him to prove he is a bright British manager.
Tight at the top in League Two
The title and promotion places are still up for grabs in League Two as the top three continue to play a football equivalent of leapfrog, changing positions with the passing of every game. Back-to-back defeats in recent weeks for the occupants of the top four places means nothing can be taken for granted.
Shrewsbury’s consecutive losses to Micky Mellon’s former side Tranmere and Chris Wilder’s recently resurgent Northampton left the Shrews needing a response at Accrington and they got it. Ex-Accrington Stanley player Bobby Grant scored both goals in a 2-1 win to get Mellon’s men back on track and back on top of an incredibly competitive league.
Burton suffered their second defeat in a row at Newport and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's attack is definitely not as potent without recently departed Alex McDonald and the injured Jacob Blyth. This is the enigmatic Dutchman’s first real test since his appointment.
Third-placed Wycombe have taken seven points from a possible nine, which has gone a long way to repairing the damage after back-to-back defeats. Gareth Ainsworth’s boys are now just one point adrift from the top two and needed the return to form as their next four games include sixth-placed Southend, leaders Shrewsbury and fourth-placed Luton.
That will be a real test of their credentials and games where loan signing Fred Onyedinma has to be at his match-winning best. His consistency has belied his 18 years and represents a great bit of business, with a return of eight goals from 14 games that signifies his ability, hunger and physicality to perform so well at this level.
