March 28, 2024
Selection of horseshoes

Wigan's horseshoe collection, shortly before it was stolen by Alex Ferguson

Selection of horseshoes
Wigan’s horseshoe collection, shortly before it was stolen by Alex Ferguson

Agh, must I write about this now? 18 painstaking hours of blanking out the memory will be undone in a fraction of that time tapping away at my chocolate-stained keyboard, but what the heck. I believe there is just enough space for brief reflection before we draw a line under this matter and move on to Wemb… ah, hahah! But that is a subject for another day (tomorrow, in fact), so I shall not mention it just yet, even if I feel the constant need.

So much right, yet so much wrong. At times Latics looked at though they could stick the ball in Swansea’s net at will and this was an utter joy to witness. It was all tempered, however, by the odd piece of chaotic defending that threatened to undermine the club’s very survival in The Greatest League in the World (Β©The Mainstream Media), and so it came to pass. Or, should I say, misplaced pass. (Yay, enough with the poor jokes – Ed.)

I dunno what happened there as I am my own editor so there is no need to add such comments. Anyhow, the injuries issue. Barring McArthur’s early season travails and tribulations, I can hardly remember a single midfielder or forward that has suffered quite as much as our centre backs have collectively this season.

Respected up-and-coming footy journalistic type Danny Jamieson recently compiled a longlist of all the players that have had spells in the centre of defence in the past nine months or so, and it’s pretty populous. I won’t recite it here or my web bandwidth will be exceeded long before I am finished typing, but suffice to say any club so unsettled in such an integral position, even the very best of the best, would suffer to some extent.

Obvious

Ronnie Stam practices play acting
Unlucky: Ronnie Stam

Now to state the bleedin’ obvious. Wigan Athletic aren’t a big club, so having backup of a similar ilk to Ramis and Alcaraz is always going to be tricky. That we have done so well with the available resources is an achievement in itself. If this is the justice of the Premier League, it is a world… er, division I don’t want to live in anymore.

No, I didn’t mean that. I would love nothing more than for Wigan to stuff Arsenal and rekindle the dream of a ninth season duking it out with the big hitters, but you can only take those punches for so long. Has our time come? Quite possibly, but que sera, sera, whatever will be will… (No! – Ed.)

Quiet, Ed, I alone shall determine where my own paragraphs end! To get back on topic, it typifies the whole campaign that one Mr Ronald Stam should enter the field of play for such an important segment of the game and almost immediately suffer an injury. Not a huge issue in itself, but he only recently became Wigan’s third sub of the evening. Thus, Latics faced the most important ten minutes of their season with only ten men.

Actually, it is a pretty big issue. Heck, I even highlighted it in the topic title; where have all the defenders gone? To hospital, most likely. Scharner, Golobart, Boyce, Espinoza and Caldwell, you have done an excellent job, despite what your detractors say. Yes indeed, I included Caldwell in that bunch because it ain’t his fault he’s out of form and match practice. Needs must, as the mainstream media like to say. Granted, not often, but I have heard them say it.

Is it time to pray Alcaraz returns for Arsenal? Come on, Bobby, get out that magical healing cream!

Match report

What, match report? Are you crazy or something? Go here for that if you’re into sadomasochism.

Righty, I’m off to work on the Cup Final podcast special and there’s nothin’ you can do to stop me. Look out for interesting PWU-related stuff in the coming days, and just believe, will ya? πŸ˜›

Horseshoes image courtesy Cgoodwin at Wikipedia. (CC3.0)

7 thoughts on “Wigan 2-3 Swansea: Running out of luck (and defenders)

  1. Hi, Spurs! Now take a deep breath and compose thyself. Just what exactly is troubling you, my friend? It’s OK, you can talk to me about these things. πŸ˜‰

  2. Your club adds nothing to the prem whatsoever. Always a team battling to stay up and an pathetic amount of away fans always at the lane. I hate whelan for what he tried todo to e hammers as well. Glad to see your rugby town club go into oblivion. The new pompey

  3. Spurs
    how can you be so uncaring
    please look at yourself and consider your words about a husband, father and grandfather who has suffered personal and tragic family loss
    I pity your heartless soul
    you speak of things that you do not understand, is due to the lack of wisdom that comes with age?

  4. Spurs, you are entitled to your opinion but to harbour such an extreme hatred for a football club of such little significance to yourself seems a little absurd. Forgive me for being so forward, but are you also the type of person that shops at Tesco while shunning the high street traders because their shops are small and their apples expensive?

    Yours faithfully,
    Mr Stickin’ Up For The Little Guy

    πŸ˜‰

  5. Probably, but if it happens we managed eight seasons in the Prem and an FA Cup Final! Not bad for a rugby town, eh? πŸ™‚

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