Appalling...

So the early season form has disintegrated along with the coaching and heart and commitment and by all accounts we're in for another long season of desperately fighting off relegation.

I can take watching Latics getting beat, it's happened often enough over the years, but when the performance is soulless, characterless and the players don't look as though they give a toss as they return home to their exclusive Manchester apartments in their £20K 4x4's, then I do have a problem with it.

Portsmouth are a decent side, the table doesn't lie and they will have a good season. Redknapp has made some good signings, players who can put their foot on the ball, are capable of beating a man and are capable of changing the course of a game.

Other than Koumas, and today his set-pieces were on a par with Bullard's, Hutchings hasn't signed anyone of that calibre. Yes we are missing Heskey, and missing him badly, Sibierski could make a difference but you're constantly waiting for the stage in a game when he has to be subbed, that's if he actually starts the match, Bramble for me was one of the few players that actually looked bothered that we were losing 2-0 at home, the rest... well it's just an absolute mis-mash.

It doesn't really help when you've a left winger playing at left-back and a defensive central midfielder playing on the right wing, but then again Baines had to be sold to finance the Koumas transfer, Whelan's keys for the elusive war-chest having vanished conveniently once again.

As for Hutchings himself, well the early season promise has disappeared and if we're at a worse stage now and losing games that we won last season it doesn't look good. I would question what goes on at the training ground because whatever it is it isn't transferring itself onto the pitch on a matchday. There seems a distinct lack of motivation which is partly the manager's fault and partly the fault of players on mega-bucks who are under the impression that going down 2-0 at home in a game you would hope to claw something out of is perfectly fine.

If Hutchings thinks that performance is acceptable then he deserves to join Mr Lee at the nearest dole-queue. But then again who does Whelan bring in, and more importantly who would actually come and work for Whelan? Whoever it is he'd have to know them (wasn't that the excuse he gave for not going for the likes of Coleman?).

Sadly Wigan Athletic are a Premiership outfit run by a piss-poor administration and will remain so while Whelan controls the purse strings. Well, apart from the Premiership bit....