An odd evening all round - and in keeping with the neutral venue, a game that seldom got into gear.

True, there was the satisfaction of an away win and a clean sheet that puts us a small step nearer the meaningful end of a cup competition.

However that has to be balanced against a performance that hardly enthralled those present or slumbering in front of the goggle box.

Bramble's goal provided some solace to the travelling band that made it to the Latvian Capital, but was a rare highlight on a night when we mostly chugged along in a half-paced doodling style more suited to a pre-season friendly.

Hoying a shed load of midfielders on the park in random fashion hardly put the frighteners on the Latvians tonight and there's little reason to suggest that a similar ploy will render Wigan powerless on Saturday.

Emre buzzed around to no great effect but was probably the pick of our amorphous bunch in terms of effort, while Butt was steady if unspectacular. 

The belated introduction of Charlie Zog meanwhile proved that Latvians are no different to anyone else in being susceptible to a player with pace and control - time will tell whether he's being used sparingly or has been pushed down the pecking order. 

Duff showed little flashes of things hopefully to come but lacks the sharpness that only comes from playing matches. Whether a marked reluctance to come back and help Babayaro was due to fitness or attitude remains to be seen though; the Nigerian looking horribly exposed at times and as a consequence dragging Moore out of position.   

Parker did little to suggest that the new England boss had dropped a clanger by not selecting him in his first squad, interspersing trundles across halfway with unconvincing forays forward. 

Like Solano, his season is yet to commence - and if Gravesen does appear, then the Captain's place is by no means assured. And only Roeder knows whether the Peruvian has enough in the tank to withstand a challenge for a wide spot from Milner, assuming the latter isn't pressed into emergency striking service of course.

Of course all of these grievances can be countered by returning to the stock mantra - that we're still to field our dream XI, or at least a formation composed of what is commonly understood to be the component parts of a team. Frankly it's all a bit fur coat and nae knickers at present...   

The log jam in the transfer department means that we continue to rely on Shola to spearhead our attacking efforts - taking the new Alan Shearer label a step too far for our liking.   

Vague hopes of punting Luque in the next few weeks meant that he remained on the bench, but the Catch 22 situation of selling him before reinforcements are acquired means that the Spaniard remains in limbo.

That's a shame, because he could have done with playing tonight - not only for himself, but also to take some of the pressure off Ameobi and allow us some to get match practice in a genuine two-men-up-front style - Lord knows the hour we saw against Villarreal hardly provided a confidence booster.     

Roeder and his Chairman are doubtless as aware as anyone of the necessity to bolster our striking options, but while efforts continue off-field, the season proper creeps up with our team bearing a decidedly cock-eyed look.

Given the averageness of the opposition, there seems little chance of a repeat of 2003's second leg home misadventure against Partizan Belgrade; but scraping past a side labelled as non-league standard by our own scouting team is hardly the stuff of legend.  

With the days before the domestic season diminishing rapidly, there remain more questions than answers about this team as the under-strength forward line overshadows whatever positives that can be gleaned at this stage. 

Nowt new then.

Biffa

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