OWEN COYLE endured a nightmare return to old club Wigan as Blackburn Rovers were routed for the second successive week.
The Scot saw his new team walloped 4-1 at home by Norwich City in their opening Championship encounter.
And Gary Caldwell’s newly-promoted outfit piled on the agony with a 3-0 triumph at the DW Stadium at the weekend.
It was Coyle’s first game back at the club since he was sacked in December 2013 after fewer than six months in charge.
He said: “It doesn’t matter whether it was a return to the DW, or a game against Newcastle or whoever.
“What was important was us trying to win a game of football.”And, if truth be told, looking at their goals, we never gave ourselves a real opportunity to do that.
“As much as Wigan had their tails up at the beginning, the first goal was from a mis-hit shot and their lad’s put a fantastic reaction header into the top corner.
“At 1-0, you’ve obviously got to try and find a way back in and then they scored from a free-kick, when we probably should have had a free-kick that wasn’t given.
“Jason Steele will probably feel that on another day he would have saved that.”
Former Celtic skipper Caldwell was delighted with the display of his players. He said: “It was total dominance from us. It should have been more than 2-0 at half-time and that was the only frustrating aspect.
“But, in terms of the way we played, the way we went about our business – with and without the ball – that was us at our best.”We can take a lot from that game in terms of belief. We know that against good sides, Championship sides, at our best we’re a real threat.
“For the first 45 minutes, I don’t think there would have been many better performances up and down the country.”Our pressing was incredible, our energy was incredible and we showed real belief with the way we passed the ball.
“It could have been four or five at half-time.”
Shane Duffy, the Republic of Ireland centre-half linked with Celtic, completed a dreadful 90 minutes for the Ewood Park side when he put through his own goal for the third and clinching goal after Will Grigg and Nick Powell had put the Latics two ahead.
Duffy remains a candidate for Brendan Rodgers either before this window closes or in January.
