Brighter days are surely ahead at the DW Stadium

In this article, one shall refrain from dwelling too long on the negative aspects of this weekend’s demoralising defeat at the hands of Fulham (or, as that old football game used to call them, ‘Emptypig’). Instead, it is the purpose of today’s post to convince the Latics fan that it isn’t all as bad as you think. I am aware this is an almost impossible task, but shall nevertheless attempt to alleviate the reader’s anxieties regarding our favourite(?) football club as we look to the future and, with a bit of luck, happier times.

Much has been made of Roberto’s supposed ‘stubbornness’ with regard to tactics, in particular his formations. He has drawn criticism, especially in the previous three months, for his “inflexibility” and seemingly unwavering advocacy of 4-5-1. It is indeed true that this is his favoured configuration, but it must be noted that we witnessed elements of 4-3-3, most notably when Latics were attacking, and 4-4-2, when Franco Di Santo was drafted into the fray. The latter failed for the lack of an Albert Crusat who, ironically, was withdrawn in favour of the Argentine. On the evidence of this, I’d be happy to stick to 4-5-1 (or, to be more positive, 4-3-3), thanks.

Besides, I’m becoming increasingly convinced the starting XI that donned the Latics shirts at 3pm on Saturday is our strongest. One might claim it’s a sad state of affairs when your so-called best lineup is struggling at both ends of the pitch, but the fact remains that we’re lumbered with them for at least a couple of months. It is imperative for Roberto, and the club’s fans, to show some faith in our search for consistency. Whilst I’m sure Bob and indeed the vast majority of Latic fanatics are more than aware of our failings, it can’t be denied we’re also going through a bad run of form, at least collectively.

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Living in the North West of England, something you’re never surprised to see is inclement weather. Wigan artist Lawrence Isherwood painted street scenes to an almost exclusively dull, smoggy backdrop, whilst Winstanley band The Verve seemed to be obsessed with rain – see ‘Grey Skies’, ‘Stormy Clouds’ and ‘Valium Skies‘ for a small taste. One problem – there is precisely one person of northern descent in the Latics squad, and that’s our sub keeper, Mike Pollitt. Well, you could count Caldwell and McArthur in this grouping, but I guess as Scots they’re more used to snow.

Nevertheless, the club’s ‘foreign legion’ of honorary Wiganers ought to be acclimatised to a bit of autumnal weather by now, despite the rather lengthy summer we seem to have experienced this year. The need for points has become pressing of late, so will this change in the weather bring about an upturn in fortunes in the coming months? We can only hope, but for now, minds are fully concentrated on this afternoon’s game; what went right and, more importantly, what went wrong.

If last week’s improved performance was heartening, then this afternoon’s was totally the opposite. Not in terms of commitment, for it would be unfair to ask for anything more – the full-time boos were somewhat unjustified, as paradoxically Wigan’s best football of the season was to be seen in what was ultimately a dismal defeat.

Latics totally dominated the first half in terms of possession and created far more chances than the visitors. Indeed, it was a wonder that Wigan hadn’t scored by the half time break with Moses, Rodallega and Crusat causing Fulham’s backline all sorts of problems. There were long periods in which the Cottagers couldn’t even get a foot on the ball, such was the home side’s grip on proceedings.

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Not exactly Vegas: The 'relatively unglamorous' DW Stadium

Given Wigan’s horrific recent run of losses, a Pools player would mark this game as a sure-fire away win. But, as I have often discovered to my disappointment, games never transpire precisely as you expect them – there are always two or three games that spoil your chances of winning the £10,000 jackpot. From a distinctly Blue point of view, let’s hope Wigan’s contest with the Cottagers turns out to be one of those matches, a game that bucks the trend and puts a long-awaited end to our two-month wait for Premier League points.

All seems fine on the injury front for Latics, as though there are minor doubts over the hamstrung Franco Di Santo and James McCarthy, both should be fit for selection. Hugo Rodallega has also recovered from a small knock sustained during the match with Bolton to take his place in the starting XI once again.

The visitors will be without Phillipe Senderos, Simon Davies and Aaron Hughes, while Bryan Ruiz returns from a knee injury for the Europa League challengers. The ‘relatively unglamorous‘ (Match of the Day’s words, not mine) surroundings of Robin Park await Fulham’s travelling faithful, who make the long trip north to a rainy Wigan hopeful of a first win in three games.

Indeed, the Cottagers are experiencing something of a blip in form having lost their last three games over a period of eight days. Latics fans will know how tough such congested periods can be, even if our most recent ‘nightmare week‘ did not contain the cream of the European footballing crop (no offence to Crystal Palace, of course). Whereas a rested Fulham are expected to turn things around sooner rather than later, Wigan’s bad week snowballed into a grim month and eventually a horrific two months, which is somewhat apt considering Halloween (no puns this year, I promise) is just around the corner. Of course, there’s always the opportunity for a drastic change in fortunes, and a fully-fit (fingers crossed) Latics squad will be hungry for success.

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It was nice to actually be able to get to a game for a change, to sample the (very tense) atmosphere of the DW once more after a string of working Saturdays. The old camera, complete with new batteries, was brought out once more for some pre-game snaps from a decent viewpoint in the East Stand.