Wigan Athletic gaffer explains half-time subs in Wycombe Wanderers defeat with proactive approach aired
Wigan Athletic manager Ryan Lowe insisted he was not singling out struggling striker Paul Mullin by bringing him off at half-time during the 1-0 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.
The Latics boss shuffled the pack at the break with a trio of changes as Mullin, Raphael Borges Rodrigues and Luke Robinson were replaced by Dara Costelloe, Joe Hungbo and Callum Wright.
Mullin has scored four goals in 15 appearances since joining the club on loan from Championship outfit Wrexham in the summer. The five-time promotion winner has not found the back of the net in his last four outings, but goals are a club-wide problem at the moment, with only three scored in a frustrating six-game spell.
When asked about bringing Mullin off, Lowe hit back and said: “Everything’s about Paul Mullin, it's not about Paul Mullin – just because he's been on these documentaries and everything else, Paul Mullin’s just a normal lad and a good footballer.
“Everything seems to be Paul Mullin, Paul Mullin. I’m not bothered about the drama of Paul Mullin – I’m bothered about my strikers scoring goals, and that’s what I want.
“I don’t think he had many chances, if any, and I thought we needed a bit of pace in behind, hence why we brought on Dara (Costelloe). We wanted to change it so we had one coming towards the ball and one going in behind.
“The players need to keep going because when you're down on confidence, you don’t hit the back of the net. We had three glorious chances and couldn't put the ball in the back of the net.
“But it wasn't just Mulls I changed. I brought Raph (Borges Rodrigues) off as well and made another change by bringing Robbo (Luke Robinson) off. Them lads have been struggling a bit with injury, hence why they didn’t start potentially.”
Lowe stressed that he would rather be proactive than reactive and continue making early substitutions if his starters are not up to scratch.
“They need to take some responsibility,” he added. “They know I’m not afraid to make changes at half-time, which I’ve shown and proved.
“I wasn’t happy first half, hence why I made the changes. I can’t do it for them, the coaching staff can't do it for them.
“I’ll continue to do that because there are some who aren’t doing everything they can at the moment. If I have to make changes, I will. That’s what I get paid for.”