It’s true – we do act differently when we know we’re being observed. Sociology has named this phenomenon the Hawthorne effect. Okay, so Mr Cadbury Q. Hawthorne (otherwise known as Henry A. Landsberger) probably wasn’t referring to a footballing cup tie when he coined that term. But every supporter knows that as soon as those…
Good morning, peasants of Wiggum. I, the Superior One, demand your undivided attention for a brief moment. My agent has ordered me to address you, the good residents of Hell, Lancashire. I am under strict instruction to pass on his- no sorry, *my* gratitude for your role in my personal travelling show. Without the bed…
“The reason we struggled to beat any of the Big Four for so long,” spake the sage of Latics legend, “is because we gave them all too much respect.” I can’t remember whether it was Paul ‘2 Cup Finals’ Scharner or Arjan ‘2 Big Elbows’ de Zeeuw that uttered those fabled words. Which is tantamount…
That Cantona bloke was alreet, but was he really that good? He might have skyrocketed Manchester United to superstardom with a new brand of footballing ‘je ne se quoi’ in the 1990s, but would he even be considered for Owen Coyle’s first XI in 2013? Well, only if he agrees not to pinch his Irn…
If you think this week’s episode of the Progress With Unity Podcast is busy, then just you wait until the transfer burglars visit town. With the Premier League season due to kick off this weekend, the press will transform into a wide-eyed Incredible Hulk-type behemoth, foaming at the mouth at the prospect of a Wigan…
“Don’t concern yourself too much, it’s only a sideshow.” But what a sideshow, eh? Yep, it’s time for me to gush about Wembley again, so skip forward to… August 2032 when I will finally stop. And that’ll only be because I’m dead. You can write about the league all you like, and I will continue…
Welcome back, Latic fanatics, for a whole new season of the Progress With Unity Podcast! Thankfully, the festive period has been salvaged by a win over Villa, so mass depression has been successfully avoided for the time being. In fact, the overall atmosphere in the PWU studio was one of cautious optimism, but perhaps that’s…
Manchester United may be the league leaders, but one statistic was in Wigan’s favour heading into today’s daunting encounter – United hadn’t won a single game in the calendar year, while Wigan hadn’t lost in the same time period. Oh alright, that was a stupid joke – I blame it on one too many New…
Decimated by man flu and fallout from (admittedly muted) Boxing Day celebrations, the Progress With Unity team crawl wearily back to the studio, aspirin in hand, for a bit of post-Xmas musing. Excuse the occasionally clipped, slurred speech as we frequently had to be revived with piping hot tea and whisky just to make it…
Once again I joined the lads at PWU for a chat about all things Latics this past week. On the menu for this ninth edition: thoughts on that awful second half at Old Trafford, a returning Hugo Rodallega and MLS ‘superstar’ Hendry Thomas. Give it a listen to see what else we wittered on about……
Wigan Athletic, “relegation candidates” once more. Sigh. Just for once I would love to take my seat in the East Stand, fizzy beverage in hand, and enjoy a month of Latics matches without the lingering thought that a loss could send us spiralling towards a WWF-esque relegation fistfight. Just for once I would like to…
It’s been a while since JWAW’s last From the North Stand interview – more than two years, in fact. But now the time has come for its triumphant return to comed- er, I mean, this website. The special seat I keep reserved bang in the centre of the North Stand has once again been dusted…