Ben Watson didn't get much of a look in during the latter part of 2010, but returned to the side with a bang in 2011

When one looks back on 2010/11 campaign, one will tend to remember the exploits of Ali Al Habsi and Charles N’Zogbia who played a large part in keeping the Latics afloat for another glorious season of Premier League football. Someone who, far from entering into the equation, may not even garner a mention is our own midfield mastermind, Ben Watson. Well, I am here to set the record straight. The former Crystal Palace stalwart has played as big a part in Wigan’s successes as those who may more readily step into the limelight.

Watson came in for much criticism towards the latter half of the season due to his set pieces, which haven’t been of the standard he, or indeed Latics, would have liked. The truth of the matter is that we haven’t had an abundance of exceptional corner- or free-kick takers at the club of late, and Watson simply inherited the role from… well, nobody in particular, really. He turned around his poor form in those last few games of the season at least to some extent, and emerges with some credit for sticking at his task and actually making some progress on that front.

It’s a nasty fact that poor Ben was only remembered for his ineffectual corner kicks which had a horrible tendency to sail over all their intended targets in what could have been some highly crucial situations. Yes, they were disappointing. Look further than this, however, and you’ll see he more than made up for it elsewhere with those little midfield balls that glue together our play in the centre of the park and those last ditch blocks and hearty challenges that, whilst not entirely spectacular, are nonetheless integral to the system we like to play.

When we’ve been on the back foot and really pressed against our own goalmouth, the first line of defence has invariably been Watson, holding up opposition midfielders and giving time for the defence to assume its position. It isn’t as memorable as a goal or free kick that really challenges the keeper, but football is all about effort and putting in the hard yards: those that don’t realise this are doomed to failure. Watson plays superbly in this role, often slipping under the radar and catching the opposition off guard with some top-notch tactical genius.

Read the rest of this entry »

Roberto will repay Whelan's faith

Following 48 hours of intense speculation over the Spaniard’s future, Roberto Martinez has opted to stay at Wigan Athletic, putting pen to paper in a contract that will keep him at the club for three more years. It is thought Martinez rejected a deal with Aston Villa worth around twice his current contract because of the faith chairman Dave Whelan has placed in him over the course of his time at Wigan.

In a crunch 12pm meeting at the DW Stadium, Martinez confirmed his decision to Whelan, who has remained confident the Balaguer-born Latics legend would stay. Prior to the meeting, Sky Sports News briefly spoke to Whelan, who said of Martinez:

“Roberto is not a greedy man. Managers have a reputation for greed, but Roberto has sentiment, he has feeling and a great admiration for Wigan Athletic.”

Aston Villa did not enter into extended talks as Martinez “wanted to honour his contract” with the Lancashire club, according to an official statement. The Midlands outfit will now be forced to look elsewhere to fill their vacant managerial position.

“Given that he had one year remaining on his contract at Wigan, we made an official approach through the proper channels, though we were aware of a commitment he had made to his Club to agree and sign a new contract following the final game of last season.” — Aston Villa club statement, avfc.co.uk

We can assume the Latics boss made a verbal agreement with Whelan immediately following the season’s end to remain at Latics. However, we all know this would mean little if the right contract came along. The precise details of Villa’s offer can only be speculated; perhaps the Spaniard is holding out for a better contract further down the line? More likely, the fact he “did not meet” with Aston Villa representatives seems to suggest he is staying staunchly faithful to the club that brought him to British football, for the moment at least.

Whelan: "Roberto is showing football is not about greed, there's loyalty in it"

“Roberto is staying, that’s the great news. I had a gut feeling he wanted to stay at Wigan. He’s signing a new 3-year contract; we’ve had to give him an increase in basic salary, but money is not what this has been about. Villa will be disappointed, but I’m over the moon and I’m sure Wigan supporters will be too.

“Roberto is such a straight guy, honest and easy to deal with. Money is an afterthought to him. We got a quick agreement.

“I don’t think we were really close to losing him. We all know he’s going places, Aston Villa are a big club, and when you have a club like that coming for you, it’s something to be proud of. But had he gone to Villa I wouldn’t have blamed him. The supporters in Wigan look at this and think, Roberto is showing that football is not about greed, there’s a loyalty in it. He has been so loyal to me in all this.

“One of the big clubs in Europe will inevitably come for him, and then I would be resigned to losing him. I’m just relieved my gut feeling was right. I could feel the loyalty coming out of Roberto, it bubbled to the surface as soon as our meeting started. When they said Jesus is a Wiganer, Roberto is now a Wiganer.”

Dave Whelan

• Wigan Athletic Official statement

Roberto: Will he stay or will he go?

As soon as it became clear Gerard Houllier would not return to manage Aston Villa, rumours about who should replace him began to fly. One of those in the running was Wigan’s own Roberto Martinez, who was immediately instated as the bookies’ third favourite when chairman Randy Lerner expressed an interest in the Spaniard.

It has emerged today that Dave Whelan has given Martinez the opportunity to speak to the Villans, placing his future in the balance. On the one hand there is a contract extension offer from Latics, which he has been mulling over for some time, while on the other, the Midlands outfit will no doubt table a tempting proposition to bring Bob to Villa Park. Will he remain at the club that introduced him to British football or opt for a new challenge? Though Whelan reckons he’ll stay, I estimate the situation to be 50:50.

Despite Roberto’s strong affinity with Wigan, I very much doubt his decision will be clouded by nostalgia, and creative freedom may well be the determining factor. However, should Villa stump up the cash, I find it hard to see any other outcome than him leaving. It’s a nasty thought, as minds will be cast back to just over two years ago when Steve Bruce opted to leave for Sunderland. The Latics foundations began to crumble as a result, even if you could well argue that deterioration started as early as Christmas; whatever the case, his successor did a decent job of steadying the ship.

Big Brucey’s immediate departure after the 2008–09 season was somewhat inevitable. Roberto is in a different situation, having revived Wigan’s fortunes in the latter part of the season and finishing on a real high. Ever the professional, he may feel an obligation to honour his contract at the DW.

When Martinez was appointed Latics’ boss, one had the feeling his relative inexperience at the highest level could possibly mean disaster for Wigan. Dave Whelan placed total faith in his man, sticking by Roberto 100% through the tough times and never once intimating his position was in any danger. Even as other, seemingly more successful Premier League managers fell by the wayside, Roberto remained. This could edge the decision in Wigan’s favour, as he may never again find a chairman as patient as Uncle Dave.

Personally, I’m looking forward to another season under Martinez and am confident we can improve on our 16th place finish this coming campaign. Hopefully we shall see the continuation, or perhaps the culmination, of two years’ hard work rebuilding the team from the ground up. If Roberto leaves, we’d better get a decent replacement in there sharpish or else a mass exodus may result and we could be back to rebuilding once again.

How did Hugo's Stoke strike figure?

The decision of who will win JWAW Goal of the Season 2011 is less clear cut than last year, which saw Maynor Figueroa take not only the Latics award but BBC’s Premier League-wide accolade as well. To genuinely beat a goalkeeper from 60 yards is quite remarkable, and it was always going to be hard to top that effort. Nevertheless, of the forty goals scored by Latics in the 2010-11 Premier League, we’ve seen some real crackers.

It was also a difficult decision as to which criteria should be applied; by right, you’d say Charles N’Zogbia’s last minute strike against West Ham (15 May) and Hugo Rodallega’s goal v. Stoke (22 May) ought to occupy #1 and #2 as they were the most important. However, it’s always a case of balancing quality with match situation, a quandary which others may interpret differently. In fact, I’m not entirely happy with some of my own placings of these goals, which I’m sure I’ll change my mind about after I see the season review DVD, but I think I got the big ones in there.

With that out of the way, here are Jesus Was A Wiganer’s Latics Goals of the Season 2010-11.

Read the rest of this entry »