Isn’t it funny how one heavy loss –which, I must reiterate, was largely expected– can change the mood at a club to such an extent? Well, I say ‘club’ when I mean ‘the fans’, because after the shenanigans of last week, Roberto remained as philosophical as ever. Should we expect anything else? The guy’s a…
I swear I’ll never fully understand the mainstream media as long as I live. Prior to last week’s clash with Liverpool, every big time Charlie and rag tag red top was writing us off before a ball had been kicked. What happened? They ended up with egg on their faces as, by some fluke, Wigan…
Bit of a fractured week, this, with FA Cup, Premier League, Champions League and Europa games all thrown into the mix spanning a seven day period. For Latics, however, the equation was rather simple: win tonight and face another Cup match against Fulham on Sunday. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Though Martinez was keeping his usual…
We’re now on a rapid road to the all-important closing stretch of the 2010-11 Premier League season, a series of 8-10 games which could see Latics hang on for their very lives or, conversely, roll over like a subservient dog begging for its belly to be tickled. Will we be up with the big boys…
If Tuesday night was a must win game, then I’m not sure what today was. You know that expression, “a real six pointer”? Though this wasn’t one of those in the truest sense of the word, Wigan sure could have used six points, planted firmly in the relegation zone and looking increasingly hopeless as they…
Having lost against Aston Villa, I would have thought a win in this game was pretty important considering the state of the table. Recognising this fact, Martinez ditched the old 4-5-1 in favour of more attacking formations he’s been experimenting with of late, Franco Di Santo retaining his central striker position with Rodallega and N’Zogbia…
With the Premier League (quite obviously) a massive priority, Latics made eight changes to the starting lineup for this ‘big’ local derby (as the Wigan Evening Post termed it), and they don’t come much bigger than Bolton. Well, maybe Preston. Or any of the Manchester Clubs. In terms of match practice, anyway, today’s game was…
So there we were, one whole month later than originally planned, on a Tuesday evening at the DW. One thing remained the same, however – this was a significant game in Latics’ season. Villa, now with a £24m(?!) Darren Bent on board, found themselves mixing it with us at the foot of the table, but…
Considering some of the cracking football played by our hosts of late, it won’t come as a surprise that I was expecting a major damage limitation exercise this afternoon, a prediction that would (inevitably?) prove a reality. In the first half, a relatively out-of-form Latics really struggled against the quality of Fabregas, van Persie et…
It may have been a draw, but it certainly wasn’t a bore. Much like last season’s equivalent clash, neither team could claim to be at their best, but this bottom-of-the-table clash produced a relatively open game, at least in the second half. Though tentative early on, things began to pick up around 20 minutes in…
In a season such as this, managers are caught between two rather large, and in some cases expensive, stools when it comes to the FA Cup. It’s the oft-touted story; to use the competition as an opportunity for fringe team players to gain much needed match practice in preparation for challenges to come, or treat…
Oh man, I really feared the worst with this one. After our most dismal performance of the season against Newcastle, the smart money once again seemed to be on Wigan for the drop as Big Bob’s side lingered in nineteenth place looking a bit toothless up front. With certain members of the squad looking a…