Why did we ever doubt it? Once again, Latics are punching (and in some cases kicking, but the less said of that the better) their way to a respectable position considering a season of largely average results. Sticking with the weather theme, it’s a bit like staying inside with a cup of cocoa while neighbours are frantically clearing their paths, then waiting for the snow to melt before sweeping away the discarded crisp packets and half-consumed bottles of Fanta.

With a bit of luck, you’ll be hearing similar (admittedly dodgy) analogies between now and the end of the campaign, hopefully involving that fabled trophy in town this afternoon. Speaking of which, did I mention there are less than nine days until the FA Cup semi finals? I must draw your attention to a variety of pre-Wembley events going on next week, some of which may involve the PWU Podcast. Oooh, spoilers! Hey, it’s like waiting for your Christmas presents, isn’t it?

Where’s Wally-style task: try and spot the moment a participant carefully and quietly extracts an Uncle Joe’s from the bag before noisily dropping it on the table, provoking a Muttley laugh from another participant (perhaps myself). Here’s a hint: it’s somewhere around the 42 minute mark.

Contents: Norwich review (1:31); QPR preview (20:12); Joseph’s Goal bash update (48:07)

Get involved!

Progress With Unity is currently the only Wigan Athletic fan podcast on the web. If you would like to get involved or have any topics you’d like to be discussed please get in touch with Barry at wigan@vitalfootball.co.uk, marking your email PWU Podcast.

The PWU banter continues over on Twitter at the @JesusIsAWiganer and @PWUPodcast accounts. The former is mine, despite the slight naming discrepancy – those of you who listened last week will know the tale of ‘too few characters’, but I’m already wasting too much bandwidth by repeating this for the umpteenth time this month. Better save space somehow… erm, right. PWU iTunes and RSS pages exist. Also, cheers.

Summer fun in the South Stand

Don’t you just love the British weather? In preparation for Wigan’s first Premier League match post-vernal equinox, I bought in three crates of ice cream to keep cool on the toasty warm East Stand. But instead of worrying how I might sneak them past the turnstile stewards, I was left with three solid blocks of totally unlickable frozen milk melded to the floor of my metal garden shed come Friday evening. Best laid plans, eh?

At least some of our international recruits have escaped Wigan’s March snow by reporting for international duty in such exotic, far flung corners of the globe as South America, Australia and Spain. Though these post-international domestic fixtures are infamously fruitless, if ever there was a week we’d prefer our men to be out of the country, it’s this one – the household heating bill for one person tallies in at £5.34 more than a seat on a bog standard budget airliner round-the-world flight.

Oh yes, the dreaded international hoodoo was still going strong as the scarf-and-gloves-clad players emerged from the West Stand tunnel at approximately 2:55pm. Huddles of spectators wiped icicles from their brows and put palm to palm, not necessarily to greet their heroes, but in an attempt to generate some collective warmth.

Could Latics defy the unseasonably inclement conditions and jet lag to break a second curse –the first being that wretched ‘Curse Of The DW’– in as many league games? Well, wait a sec while I power up the Calor gas heater and don my fingerless gloves, for I shall now tell you the tale of this afternoon’s game.

Read the rest of this entry »

With no Latics game to discuss/moan about, the Progress With Unity team are in buoyant, upbeat mood ahead of another ‘big game’ of cliché proportions. Savour the atmosphere, for I doubt you will hear jokes as good as this until Wigan are mathematically safe and/or in possession the FA Cup. And I’m not entirely sure which of those is the more feasible at this point.

Of course, there is still plenty to chat about, from Wembley to Wembley, Wembley and Wembley. Oh, and there might have been a mention for our hero Howard Webb, but I think it got lost in another sea of Kevin Friend jokes. Agh no, I promised myself I wouldn’t mention that for the sixth week in a row…

Contents: International musings (1:28); Sunderland under threat? (6:00); Norwich preview (11:39); Arouna Kone (16:52); who’d be a referee? (18:40); Wemb-er-lee… (32:10); Jesus *is* a Wiganer? (35:27); Joseph’s Goal pre-Wembley bash (36:20)

Get involved!

Progress With Unity is currently the only Wigan Athletic fan podcast on the web. If you would like to get involved or have any topics you’d like to be discussed please get in touch with Barry at wigan@vitalfootball.co.uk, marking your email PWU Podcast.

Did you know that PWU have a Twitter account, and that you can tweet them your questions and comments? Well I didn’t until it was brought up in the recording. I did know about the PWU iTunes and RSS pages, but that’s only because I repeat this same sentence in a slightly different fashion for each edition of the podcast.

Thanks for listening, and thanks for not swearing out loud. I’m sure your neighbours will echo that sentiment.

Shark image courtesy Peter Southwood (CC3.0)

As the predicted end of all human civilisation –henceforth to be known as ‘The Massacre of the DW‘– rapidly approaches, the Progress With Unity team reconvene to scrutinise another slightly disappointing weekend over a Christmas whisky or two. Spirits are quickly raised, however, by breaking news that the Boxing Day bananas will be allowed entry to Goodison Park, so it isn’t all doom and gloom.

There is also an unexpected mention for Latics legend Super Mario Melchiot, who we all like very much and wouldn’t dream of directing libellous statements towards. Mario, there are a few mince pies left over from the Christmas party, so send us your address and we shall mail them to you along with a friendly post-it note. (Please don’t sue us!)

Unlike Paul Scharner, PWU won’t necessarily be having a Christmas holiday as another edition is planned for next week. But before then, there is a special surprise in store for all you lucky people out there in Podcast Land. If you’ve been good boys and girls, check back around Christmas Eve for your ‘main’ present this year!

Don’t forget that you can follow the Progress With Unity Wigan Athletic podcast on Twitter, iTunes or via the old faithful RSS feed. Of course, you may want to wait and see if the world does indeed end before then, otherwise you’ll look a bit stupid, eh?