James McArthur netted his first goal for two years

A late, late resurgence from a generally tepid Latics wasn’t enough to make up for a weak first half as Tottenham chalked up another relatively comfortable three points at White Hart Lane. The hosts dominated much of the game, and by the time of Wigan’s pseudo-comeback in the final fifteen minutes, the match was effectively over as a contest but James McArthur’s 80th minute strike provided some consolation for Bob’s basement battlers.

Come 7pm, attention centred on the Wigan starting lineup amid rumours of a possible last-minute Hugo Rodallega exit. David Jones returned to the squad but had to settle for a place on the bench alongside the much-discussed Rodallega, who would possibly be used as an impact player later on. In a mainly defensive starting setup, Martinez’s packed the backline and looked to erect an impregnable wall which would at least provide a firm base from which to perhaps launch a late raid. Note that I said ‘looked to’ there, for things would be rather tough without the still-injured Antolin Alcaraz. Actually, it would have been an arduous task for the best of defences, let alone our own under-strength backline.

Following the trend established of late, it wasn’t a great first 45 minutes for Wigan, who were under pressure right from the off. Tottenham could have been two, maybe three ahead by the half hour but for the odd piece of Al Habsi excellence and superb McCarthy goal-line clearance. The Latics defence could not hold out for much longer, however, and the hosts finally took a well-earned lead as Latics finally crumbled to let Gareth Bale in for a simple goal at the back post bang on the half-hour mark. Just four minutes later, Tottenham doubled their lead through Modric to tighten their already solid grip on the game and leave Wigan with the proverbial Ben Nevis to scale.

Younes Kaboul forced a great reaction save from Al Habsi early on

Latics had their own half-chances, most notably in the first ten minutes through Franco Di Santo. Having won his side a free kick around the halfway line, he was mere centimetres away from putting the visitors 1–0 up, narrowly missing Ronnie Stam’s deflected cross deep inside the Tottenham area. But the half was all about defending for Wigan, who held out for a good period before folding in disappointing fashion. Frustration was creeping into the Wigan passing game, and the Spurs showboating began as early as the 40th minute, an indication of how simple it had become for the hosts.

Forced into a change of emphasis, Latics set to work cutting the deficit as the second half began. Victor Moses shot a couple of feet over the bar from just inside the penalty area on 51 minutes, an attempt which sparked a good period of possession for the visitors, who now appeared a little more likely. Ronnie Stam and Jordi Gomez each got away a shot from outside the area, and though they were both non-threatening, Wigan were at least showing a bit of fight.

The visitors were now chasing the game, however, and finding it hard to make any headway in opposition territory as Tottenham remained strong in defence. Worse, the hosts were about to go 3–0 ahead as, on 64 minutes, Bale provided another quality finish to show the Wigan attack line how it’s done. Under pressure from Ben Watson, the Welshman slotted the ball past Al Habsi superbly to put the game beyond any remaining doubt borne out of the Wigan mini-revival.

On the face of it, Hugo Rodallega's non-involvement was somewhat perplexing.

Latics were now playing to salvage any scraps of pride they could from this lost cause, and at least gave it a go. Their attacking ranks were depleted when Di Santo left the field extremely lucky not to have broken his leg in a 50-50 challenge with Assou-Ekotto. He was replaced by Hugo Rod… sorry, Conor Sammon as the game entered its final, no doubt torturous final quarter of an hour. Curious, one would say, that the one attacker with the quality to really trouble the Tottenham defence would be relegated to Wigan’s third-choice front man. Deadline day politics, perhaps?

Wigan fans were given something to smile about as the game ticked over to 80 minutes when James McArthur fired his way onto the scoresheet from 16 yards. It was his first for the club, and seemed to spark something of a second wind for Wigan, who so very nearly made it 3–2 just minutes later as Ronnie Stam’s cross passed through Conor Sammon’s legs just feet from a gaping goal. With nothing to lose, Albert Crusat was drafted into the action with the visitors in the ascendancy. One sensed it was a bit late with the game already lost, but as the match entered four minutes of stoppage time, Wigan were at least showing some promise.

James McArthur went close to a second as the Wigan passing game really started to click; Stam was once again the provider as the Scot just couldn’t keep his strike down. In fact, by the final whistle, the Blues had had enough chances since McArthur’s consolation to draw level. It was the first half which doomed Latics, however, and another second-half draw was for naught but confidence heading into next week’s north-west derby against City-conquerors Everton. Said result goes to show that absolutely nothing is a given in this league, and though things aren’t looking too bright right now, you’d be a fool to predict how Saturday’s game, and indeed the remainder of the season, will turn out. One thing’s for certain: when you’re bottom of the league, you can’t drop any lower – at least not until May 2012.

Mohamed Diame was the catalyst for a Wigan fightback

Hot on the heels of a miserable seven-day period which saw three defeats for Wigan, this week has been a bit more positive. News that Hugo Rodallega will not be out for as long as was first feared is a massive boost as, while the Colombian won’t be available for at least a month, we should see his return long before that mental Christmas period. Well, it’s always crazy around that time of year and we shall need all the bodies we can muster.

In slightly more bizarre news, the Evening Post has reported that “dozens of footballs” were pilfered from Christopher Park, leaving the Latics lads to play training games with invisible balls. It’s been a rip-roaring success, as Conor Sammon has never scored so many goals in a single two-hour kickabout session. Kind-hearted locals have donated spare socks to be rolled up and covered in newspaper as replacements, while Robin Park Tennis Club have also given eight tennis balls to be used while the search for the ball thieves continues. Our ball skill hasn’t necessarily improved, but five members of the squad have been granted places on the ATP tour. “I’m already ranked British #8,” boasted Ben Watson of his Wimbledon chances.

Despite equipment setbacks and a less than full-strength backline, a week’s rest will have improved confidence somewhat. After all, when you’re getting hammered, the best thing to do is completely put it out of your mind by doing nothing, right? I’m no psychological expert, but watching telly and eating pork scratchings certainly makes me feel better. Sometimes.

In the continued absence of Antolin Alcaraz and Emmerson Boyce, it was pleasing for Steve Gohouri to be deemed fit enough for his first start of the season. Patrick van Aanholt retained the left back slot, while Diame returned to his just-behind-the-attackers position. I would call it a traditional number 10′s role, but I don’t know if MoMo is quite up to that tag just yet. Maloney and Sammon deputised on the bench, ready to pounce should Martinez require a second centre forward at any point during the game.

Maynor Figueroa: Saint *and* sinner

It was a frightful first half for Wigan, who went into the break 2-0 down and quite lucky not to be completely out of it. Maynor Figueroa looked shaky in the centre of defence, and boy were Tottenham exploiting this; it was first van der Vaart who capitalised upon the Honduran’s error to put the visitors a goal up within four minutes. Then, on 23, Gareth Bale easily got the better of Figueroa to head Modric’s corner well past Al Habsi. He could have had another later in the half, but at least Maynor settled down to make some good challenges. He never looked comfortable however, due in part to his playing out of position, but mostly Tottenham’s relentless attacking play.

It wasn’t just Figueroa having problems. Latics were losing the midfield battle, and the long ball up to lone frontman Franco Di Santo just wasn’t working. The likes of McCarthy and Watson saw very little of the ball, while Diame struggled to make any impact. He did have one foray into the opposition penalty area, but found no real support and saw his run checked just metres from goal.

Though Victor Moses made a promising run to earn Latics a free kick just outside the area, and indeed could have scored from the resultant cross, he saw scant possession. When he did receive the ball he, much like most of his team-mates, only succeeded in giving the ball away. All of this amounted to precisely zero shots on the Spurs goal in the first half.

Gary Caldwell filled in well at right back

The second period was far more encouraging for the hosts. They looked a much brighter side, and were rewarded on 50 minutes when Mohammed Diame turned wonderfully to score with his right foot from just outside the area. A superbly placed shot, Brad Friedel had no chance. The Spurs defence may have been guilty of a slight lapse in concentration on this occasion, but Diame must get all credit for the finish. All of a sudden, the game was well and truly back on.

The visitors almost hit back right away, earning themselves three consecutive corners forcing clearances by van Aanholt and an improving Maynor Figueroa. Wigan saw through this initial response, however, and emerged the other side with renewed hope of a positive result from a contest that seemed all but lost just minutes ago.

Though things had improved markedly, Latics’ attempts were hindered by Steve Gohouri’s 63rd minute sending off. Gareth Bale, chief architect of many a Spurs attack, was upended in the Wigan half and Stevie G would have to depart thanks to a second booking. It proved a substantial problem, and Gary Caldwell had to do the job of two men filling in at right/centre-right back. Nevertheless, Wigan continued to push in the face of Tottenham’s wave of pressure and enjoyed some success with the long ball. The introduction of Conor Sammon and James McArthur on 73 minutes contributed to this, with both providing a bit of spark in the opposition half.

The fresh legs of James McArthur provided impetus late on

The sending-off was a great fillip for Tottenham, but though they pressed, they couldn’t get that all-important killer third goal. Sole remaining forward Emmanuel Adebayor soldiered on for more than 25 minutes after sustaining an eye injury in a tackle with Figueroa midway through the second half. He was very reluctant to continue, wandering over to the bench twice or more in the next fifteen minutes to say he could not. Big Harry, lacking in forward presence on the bench, nixed any chance of a substitution and the Togolese frontman would have to play on despite impaired vision.

The home side experienced a second wind with less than five minutes to play. Throwing everything forward and with the home crowd behind them, they created a great chance through Ronnie Stam who unfortunately could not find that final pass to James McArthur, who was surely in on goal. The aforementioned Scot also got away an ambitious effort from all of 40 yards, attempting to catch Friedel off guard, but the American was equal to it. Conor Sammon created a half-chance, bringing a long ball under his possession on the edge of the area before skewing his shot well wide for a goal kick to the visitors.

Wigan’s final opportunity came from a free kick deep into 4 minutes of injury time when Victor Moses won a foul just two metres from the Tottenham 18 yard box. McArthur laid the ball off to Van Aanholt, whose cross/shot was blocked. A tame end to a fiery ten minutes for Latics, which may have seen an unlikely equaliser.

Under serious pressure and with ten men, the second 45 minutes may qualify as one of the best spells of football Latics have played this season, especially in contrast with the dire first 45. I know that isn’t saying an awful lot, but there was much more urgency and attacking threat, even if shots on goal were once again few and far between. It wasn’t good enough for a result, however there are signs we may just be in the ascendancy after such a terrible couple of weeks. This was a top 5 (4?) side, after all. If you happen to find any of those lost balls, please return them to the club because we could do with just a bit more practice.

Heurelho Gomes denied Conor Sammon and Tom Cleverley in the second half

This game, according to John Toner of 101greatgoals, represented a “unique opportunity” for the Latics. Spurs, no doubt with half an eye on Tuesday’s Champions League bout with European heavyweights Real Madrid, travelled to Wigan with just two fit central defenders and a damage limitation mentality to ensure no more injury worries ahead of their huge midweek encounter.

For Latics, *this* was the big game. Forget nights out on the continent, this is the real deal; Blackpool, Everton and the odd trip to London await Bob’s relegation battlers, and each is a must-win. Not many outside the borough would give Latics a chance, but then we’re well used to that under Martinez. Fans were more expectant ahead of today’s game, and as it happened they had every right to be.

It wasn’t all positive for Wigan, however. It seems we’re all too comfortable on the ball but unable to find that killer punch in the final third, even with Sammon and Di Santo having a go at some point in the 94 minutes of play this afternoon. If the league was won on draws alone, Wigan would be up there with the best of ‘em, keeping the ball and waiting for the perfect pass like no other. Until Sepp Blatter awards an extra point for a clean sheet, however, Latics will continue to struggle.

The midfield dominance is there, but it’s all too obvious we’re missing a proper goalscorer with that forward-thinking instinct. Sure, Charles N’Zogbia can do that, as can Cleverley on his day. They’re midfielders at heart, however, very good at distribution and beating the man, but it’s unreasonable to put pressure on them to score goals. Passes don’t win games, goals do.

Don’t get me wrong, today was a relatively good day, a solid performance missing only the odd goal that would turn us from an average/poor team to a half decent one. Martinez is keen to stress how the players are the ones that win games, not him. I presume he means guys like Boselli and Di Santo, big money strikers brought in to score the goals, but for one reason or other they can’t. Whether it be through lack of skill or the wrong tactics, it can’t be denied we’re missing one vital element crucial to any football team, and that’s the ability to actually score. In that respect, you’d say we have a handicap on all other teams battling for their Premier League lives.

Tom Cleverley, Victor Moses and Charles N’Zogbia all had a go at scoring today, but it’s unreasonable to rely on them entirely. Hugo Rodallega, our most prolific source of goals recently, wasn’t completely blameless (as he never is), but played a great part in some of the good things Latics created. And yes, we did a lot right, bossing the game for large periods and dominating possession at key moments.

Tottenham held their own, most notably for ten to fifteen minutes in the first half and the final 20 minutes of the game, but lacked the wide men to really put Latics’ defenders to the sword. Wigan threw everything they had at the visitors and created a couple of clear opportunities, but were on each occasion denied by a bit of excellent last-ditch defending or good reaction save. In short, this didn’t exactly feel like we were playing a Champions League contending club, and you could see the confidence rise as we came to terms with that.

In a way, you could say the game actually more closely resembled our clash with Birmingham two weeks ago. The main exception to this was the fact Wigan came out fighting rather than flailing like a Sunday league team that hadn’t met previously. Much better, but no real opportunities to speak of in that initial period of pressure. After a spell of Spurs attacking play, Latics fought back with some shots of their own. However, once again we failed to find the target, mostly firing hopelessly over after some good build up play. Victor Moses came closest with a shot that cleared the crossbar by a foot or two, and N’Zogbia had a bit of a pot shot from outside the penalty area. His strike, too, would sail wide of the mark.

Wigan looked more like scoring in the first 25 minutes of the second half, and could have done so just 180 seconds after the restart as N’Zogbia got the home side’s first shot on target, drawing Gomes into a save at his near post. At least now some pressure was being exerted on the opposition goalkeeper, who at one point looked to be taking painkillers for a presumed minor injury.

Hugo Rodallega had perhaps Latics’ best chance, but saw his no doubt goalbound shot blocked by two Tottenham defenders in a great piece of defending. The crowd sparked into life and Latics continued to press, snubbing out potential dangers adequately and getting forward whenever the need arose.

Victor Moses helped Latics pressure the Tottenham backline

Ironically, things began to decline as Martinez introduced Conor Sammon for a 25-minute cameo up top in the sole striker position, with Victor Moses making way. By and large, it didn’t really work that well, even with a faux-4-4-2 setup so many fans have been calling for. Most of this can be attributed to Spurs’ second wind, which saw Peter Crouch, on for Jermaine Defoe, carve out some of the best chances for either team. I’m also tempted to point to the international exertions of certain players as a reason for any lethargy which began to creep into Latics’ play, but then Tottenham would undoubtedly have had similar problems.

Eventually, Martinez resolved to change things up a bit more. Rodallega and N’Zogbia were withdrawn with less than ten minutes to play, to be replaced by Diame and Di Santo. It was a real punt, but somewhat remarkably, this combination almost paid dividends as Conor Sammon found himself with an opportunity to bag the winner with 87 minutes on the clock, only to see his stab superbly saved by Gomes. Ben Watson had one last chance in the final minute of the game, curving his free kick just a foot over the bar after Di Santo drew Sandro into a foul on the edge of the Tottenham area.

A point against a top five team is no real disaster. Three points, though, was definitely not out of the question and could have taken some pressure off the games to come. As it stands, Wigan are still in with a shout of survival, but with Chelsea to come next I fear being cast adrift, and fast.

Peter Crouch looked slightly off-colour, and was replaced by Pavlyuchenko at half time

Just when we really needed it, how’s about that for a Latics ‘dream week’? I don’t recall back-to-back wins under Martinez since the last time Halley’s Comet was visible from Earth to the naked eye.

Actually, it was January, but it seems like far, far longer – after all, we’ve conceded a whole raft of goals and more than a modicum of frustration since.

By contrast, it seems like only yesterday that Latics were taking an absolute spanking at the hands of today’s opponents.

You’ve got the mainstream media to thank for that, because if it were up to me I’d have subjected anyone who ever even so much as mentioned WhiteHartLaneGate to the pleasure of having a large horse leave a nice pressie on their front lawn. I’m not talking about an XBOX with FIFA 10 here, and you know it (though certain PES fans may strongly disagree).

Oh how the boot was on the other foot this afternoon. Tottenham showed none of the attacking threat of that fateful evening in November, the likes of Lennon and Defoe a mere shadow of their former selves. Add to the mix an on-song goalkeeper full of confidence off the back of a clean sheet in a three-nil victory on Tuesday (and yet to concede a competitive goal this season), some resolute Latics defence and you have one large upset with which the press can have a field day. At least until Man United pasted West Ham later in the afternoon.

Ali Al-Habsi was certainly the stand out performer of the afternoon, pulling off a number of highly important saves to keep Latics’ clean sheet intact for the duration of the game. It was somewhat lucky considering Younes Kaboul”s wonderful 86th minute opportunity, perhaps the only occasion when the Omani looked more than a little suspect as he rushed off his line.

Younes Kaboul missed a glorious chance to salvage a draw

Thankfully, his header sailed past the post and Latics fans breathed a collective sigh of relief. This chance would have put Spurs back on level terms after Rodallega’s 79th minute cross-keeper strike. Carlo Cudicini got a big hand to the ball but could not prevent it from crossing the line for Wigan’s first goal of the 2010 campaign.

Hugo’s chance was the third of three magnificent opportunities for the Latics, all of which came within sixty seconds of each other in a spell of football from out of nowhere. First, Alcaraz somehow managed to balloon the ball over the bar from all of four yards when it looked certain he would score.

Undeterred, Wigan came again, with Jordi Gomez volleying Rodders’ cross a foot over the crossbar. The third time worked a charm, though, and the increasingly vociferous Latics fans had even more to shout about as Little Wigan pinched the lead.

On your marks: Ronnie Stam played a key role on the left

Previous to this trio of chances, Latics threatened to threaten but could not muster any others of note apart from Steve Gohouri’s strike that rattled the crossbar within the first twenty minutes.

Half time came and went without Tottenham breaking the deadlock, Roman Pavlyuchenko failing even to make as much impact as his predecessor, one Peter Crouch, who was withdrawn at half time. Jermain Defoe showed moments of promise, drawing a couple of saves from the Latics keeper, but was largely subdued by the likes of Gohouri and Boyce.

Wigan came more and more into it as time passed, and though their strike was somewhat unpredicted, they deserved their lead and eventual win. By the 80th minute, Spurs had become visibly deflated. They got a second wind with a few minutes left on the clock but did not make their chance, the aforementioned Kaboul header, count for anything more than ‘what could have been’.

Are things starting to work for Martinez?

From then onwards, Latics predictably played the time-wasting game, winning a series of corners and throw ins to frustrate the hosts and waste valuable minutes, ultimately seeing out the final stages without too much alarm.

And that was that, really. Latics performed a smash-and-grab to get their Premier League season off the mark and pull themselves out of the relegation zone. I know we’re only three games in, but my goodness was this an important victory, not only for Latics but Martinez also. I believe Whelan has every faith in his man, but do the fans? After today, maybe some of the more aggressive anti-Roberto clan will be silenced, or at least subdued for a short while.

The boo boys can console themselves in the fact that, thanks to other results falling our favour, things aren’t much different than they were going into the weekend, which gives us a bit more time out of the relegation zone. Well, hopefully we won’t fall into it at all, but at least there’s a bit of breathing space there.

I swear, Alex, I have no idea where your biscuits have disappeared to...

Is Roberto Martinez in training to be the next Alex Ferguson or what?

Seasoned football watchers will be well versed in the big Scot’s blame-shifting tactics; the referee wasn’t fit enough to keep up; the fourth official didn’t add enough/added too much stoppage time; the grass was too long; somebody stole our half time Jaffa Cakes.

The problem is, Manchester United are one of the best sides in the country and Fergie can get away with it because he’s just so awesome. When Roberto Martinez attempts it, it looks, well, foolish. Unfortunately it smacks of desperation, something we really do not need to be making obvious to our fellow relegation battlers who will no doubt see this as weakness.

Mind you, it’s not as if Bob could focus on his team’s performance which, for the most part, wasn’t quite there. Much like against Bolton and Notts County (to name but a couple, actually), Latics had their best spell of pressure for about 25-30 minutes in the second half, and this would have been fine if it resulted in a goal. Problem is, it didn’t.

The first half, by contrast, was more circumspect. Wigan more than competed, but then we did at White Hart Lane in November and we all know what happened after that. Sorry for bringing that up yet again, because even though I didn’t/haven’t seen the game on Sky Sports yet I’m guessing Andy Gray et al did that enough yesterday afternoon – and all week, come to think of it.

Spurs probably had the better of the early stages with Wigan just coming into things in the latter part of the first period. Rodallega drew a fine save from Gomes and N’Zogbia sent a shot just over the Tottenham bar, which I suppose was a creditable effort. No goal, though, and Tottenham had one of their own on the 30-minute mark when Jermain Defoe broke free of the Latics’ offside trap to tap in at the back post. To be fair to the Wigan defence, they kept their line well and on this occasion just couldn’t keep up with Defoe’s pace.

Speaking of Defoe, he was visibly riled up by a challenge from Gary Caldwell shortly after, and both men can perhaps count themselves lucky they didn’t find themselves in ref Alan Wiley’s notebook. In fact, it’s a wonder there weren’t a few more bookings as the tackles flew in left, right and centre (but mostly centre) from both sides. Not that things were unduly heated, just a might physical.

I do Wigan a disservice, actually. They gave it their all, and whether it was fallout from a tough contest on a heavy pitch against Bolton or just plain bad luck, it just didn’t happen. Again. Even with the earlier introduction of Victor Moses and the best efforts of Rodallega and co., all Latics could muster in the second half, efforts-on-target-wise, was a cross come shot fumbled by Gomes in the Spurs goal.

Chris Kirkland was called upon late in the second half

The hosts became increasingly desperate, pushing forward for an equaliser as time was running out. Unfortunately it only let in first Defoe, then Crouch — both expertly handled by Chris Kirkland — and finally Pavlyuchenko, who came from the bench to make it 2-0 with fifteen minutes to play, and the game was already over when he grabbed a second deep into injury time.

There was a somewhat unusual (and perhaps unwarranted) hype surrounding the afternoon that built an expectation for Latics to somehow emerge with a win. Whilst hope springs eternal, and with this Latics team there’s always the chance (there’s a Lawro-ism if ever I heard one), even the most hardened Ticsmen will concede that realistically, Wigan weren’t likely to salvage much, if anything, from the game.

This didn’t stop the floods of complaints from the ‘casual’ Liverpool and Man United fans on an afternoon out — yes, they were in the West Stand and I did hear them constantly asking what the Liverpool score was — that they were glad they don’t have a season ticket at the DW.

This is unfortunate, as days like this are obviously not going to help in the pursuit of building up a future supporter base. But come on, they’re used to watching a team with the cream of European talent and billions of pounds to buy the best of the best – we struggle to get even one decent player a season, and even then we flog them to Man United.

I feel we’re simply going through a bad patch at the moment, and that sooner or later we’re bound to find the back of the net again. There’s no doubt time is beginning to run short now, but at this stage we’re still in a better position than Hull, Wolves, Burnley and poor old Portsmouth. The onus is on them to do something, and as long as we stay out of the relegation zone for the remainder of the season, it’ll be mission accomplished.

It’s been a week to forget for the Latics, who’ll be glad of six days’ break before the next test: Birmingham away. Alex McLiesh’s side are virtually assured of staying in the Premier League now, but will complacency set in and allow Wigan to steal the points? We can only hope.

The final word in this report must go to James McCarthy, who gave an excellent impression of himself in the centre of midfield and hardly put a foot wrong all afternoon. For me, he was the Latics man of the match, and I can just see him becoming an Ireland/Scotland regular in years to come; he’s still a teenager, and has plenty of time to improve even further.

Just thought I’d finish on a success story there to lift the gloom of a six-game stretch without a win for the Latics. Things could always be worse – you could be a Portsmouth fan.

If you cast your mind back to November, you may remember a very special match preview for what proved to be a highly notable game in this season’s Premier League. Those who haven’t completely blanked the weekend from their minds (and I’m very sorry for once again evoking repressed memories here) will remember that Dan Fitch of tottenhamblog.com very kindly provided his thoughts in the build up to our previous encounter with Spurs.

Well, the JWAW readership enjoyed that feature so much they asked, nay, demanded Dan return to comment on the rematch at the Dee Dubya. Actually, it was Mr. Fitch himself who posited the idea of a similar interview for this weekend’s encounter – the vast majority of Wigan fans have spent the last three months pretending Tottenham don’t exist, and who could blame them?

Nevertheless, I think we’ve sufficiently recovered from the events of that fateful afternoon at least to the extent we can forgive and forget, chalk it up as a freak result and apply any other coping mechanism your psychiatrist could care to mention.

I think we’re gonna have to sooner or later, as there’s no escaping the fact a team that put nine past our defensive line in their last encounter with us is visiting the borough this Sunday afternoon. And we’re going to have to play them again.

~ ~ ~ ~

JWAW: Dan Fitch, editor of tottenhamblog.com, the last time I spoke to you was before what has since been termed ‘the incident which must never be mentioned again under penalty of stoning’. However, much as it pains me, I think we’d better address the issue of that game sooner rather than later because I feel it’s looming over us like a four match ban for punching someone when the ref isn’t looking.

Dan: Yes, we somehow beat you 9-1, which I can only apologise for. As you will have noticed from our recent results, it was completely out of character for us.

I’ve still no idea how it happened really, as at half time I was thinking that 2-0 would be a good result. It was just one of those days when every shot seemed to go in.

I think that you were a victim of playing far too openly against us. Teams like Wolves and Hull have got results at White Hart Lane, by merit of just putting everyone behind the ball, whilst Wigan tried to play football. It’s to your credit, but I imagine is reasonably annoying from your perspective.

Do you think a win of such magnitude filled Spurs with a renewed/continued flair and self-assurance, or did it have the inverse effect and create a sense of overconfidence that ultimately led to one or two disappointing performances?

It certainly didn’t seem to help us, as afterwards we went on a four game run without a win, culminating in a home defeat to Wolves.

This side, like many Spurs teams before it, doesn’t have much bottle and the weight of expectation after such a big win, may have counted against us.

To what extent has the loss of Aaron Lennon dented your charge for the top four? Would you say you’ve struggled to fill the void created by his absence?

We’ve really missed Lennon. First we tried to play Modric and Kranjcar on the flanks, but were far too narrow. Then Bentley came in and whilst he’s played well, we still really miss the pace of Lennon and (a couple of years ago I wouldn’t have thought I’d ever say this) his crossing ability.

They say that there’s an outside chance that he might return against you. If he does play, at least you can rest safe in the knowledge that Erik Edman is now safely away from your left back spot.

What about other injuries? How are you coping with the loss of Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King’s recurring knee problems?

Woodgate being out hasn’t been that much of an issue, as Dawson has really stepped up this season and made one of the centre back roles his own. King is more problematic, because he can’t play more than once a week. This has meant that whenever Ledley’s fit, Bassong has dropped to the bench.

Bassong has looked solid this season and sometimes he hasn’t deserved to be dropped. It can’t do much for his confidence or our hopes of building stability within the back four.

If it was any other player with these injury problems, then I’d say that they should just be the understudy to our regular central defensive partnership. With King though it’s different, as he’s the best Tottenham defender that I’ve ever seen and yes, I am including Judas in that.

It’s looking like a real scrap for that final Champions League berth, especially with Manchester City struggling to take advantage of their games in hand. Is your initial prediction of 6th still likely, or do you think you’re still in with a good chance of grabbing a European place?

I think 6th, or even 7th seems most likely. Everyone is still dropping points, but I just can’t see us being consistent enough to capitalise upon it. Perhaps when Lennon’s fit…

Even if we finish 7th though I’d still expect that to be good enough for a Europa League spot. Villa play United in the Carling Cup and though a lot of big teams have gone out of the FA Cup, I still wouldn’t be surprised if the finalists came from within the top seven.

It seems Harry’s laid out his stall to take the FA Cup seriously, unlike certain other Premier League managers and supporters this season. In your opinion, which should hold a higher priority for Spurs at this stage, the cup or the league?

It’s actually quite ridiculous that everyone is so fixated on finishing in such an arbitrary position as 4th. We finished 3rd in 1990, but back in those days it was no reason to crack out the bunting.

Winning the FA Cup again would mean more to me and perhaps the general public would be supportive of us getting to Wembley again, now that Chas and Dave have split up.

Having said that, 4th place is sadly more important these days because it would allow us to recruit better players and make larger steps forward. There should be no priorities though. We have a big enough squad to compete on both fronts.

I’ve heard one or two rumbles that fans are not so happy with Big Harry at the moment. If you did finish just outside the European spots/failed to win the FA Cup, would you still be happy with the progress you’ve made this season, or do you think you would subscribe to the ‘Redknapp Out’ brigade?

A lot of Tottenham fans aren’t happy unless there’s a revolution every couple of years and there’s a new messiah to look towards.

I have issues with a lot of Harry’s decisions, but despite his faults, you can’t really claim that he’s doing a bad job with any validity. We’re now in February and within a couple of points of a Champions League spot. If we were offered that at the start of the season, everyone would have taken it.

Who would we get to replace him anyway? Unless you can bring in a Mourinho or a Hiddink, then we’re better off just building some much needed stability at the club.

Latics have had three penalties this season, scoring one and missing two. This has cost us two points in the long run, points that would have been very welcome in the almost inevitable relegation battle to come. I see most of Spurs’ missed pens have come in the cup this season, so at least they haven’t been too costly in terms of your overall league position. However, is this inability to score from 12 yards a worry as you look to mount a serious challenge in the league run-in?

Yes, because it has wider ramifications. Defoe and Huddlestone have recently missed penalties for us. These players have had good seasons and have both represented England, so it’s not technique that is an issue here, but a lack of bottle.

When the going gets tough, Spurs collapse. That’s why I can’t see us making the Champions League, because even if we hang on within touching distance, eventually there will be a crunch match and we won’t be mentally tough enough.

What are your hopes for this weekend’s game? Are you confident of bouncing back from a couple of less than convincing performances or do you fear the worst?

Yes, I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised if you reaped some revenge. Forget 9-1, I’d be doing handstands if we edged it 1-0. I can see it being another draw.

Any players we need to keep an eye on this Sunday?

Our only attack minded player who is really playing well at the moment is Gareth Bale. I’m so pleased for him, because he’s clearly always been a talented player, but he’s had his doubters at Spurs.

He’s now proving those doubters wrong and was brilliant last week against Bolton. I hope your right winger is good at tracking back.

Good luck this weekend, because on the evidence of the pitch at the DW on Wednesday, you’ll certainly need it.

Yes, I’d heard about the pitch. Long balls up to Peter Crouch it is then.

Thank you very much once again for taking the time to be interviewed, Dan!

~ ~ ~ ~

Keep an eye on Dan’s blog for a reciprocal interview addressing, amongst other things, Roberto Martinez’s Premier League debut season, the signing of Victor Moses and of course ‘that game’. He carries out similar interviews for each of Spurs’ games, so his site is certainly worth a look, even if you aren’t a Tottenham fan.

• For the Latics perspective on this weekend’s game, see JWAW’s match preview at tottenhamblog.com (coming soon)

Got any Scotch?

Remember on the old Saturday afternoon videprinter, whenever anyone scored more than six goals they used to spell it out in letters, as if to rub it in the faces of the losing team? Yeah, well, I’m glad they don’t uphold that custom anymore. Incidentally, I’ve done it in the title of this post, so if you’re a Wigan fan, don’t read it.

We’ve seen it so many times this season I really need not cite specific incidents. When Wigan go 2-0 down, it really could be any number against: we become so dejected and humiliated we stop caring and might as well be stood at the bar or playing Nintendo or something. Maybe we ought to have abandoned this afternoon as a bad project and conceded the game midway through the second half, because it really did become unnecessary torture.

The finger of blame naturally points at the defenders in situations such as this, and indeed Edman, Bramble and Boyce are mostly at fault for… well, at least seven goals. But we shall not dwell on that one too much, because for the really bad game the back four had it was more of a case of not being good enough. We really struggled to keep up with Lennon and Defoe for all ninety minutes, and were quite flattered by the half-time scoreline.

Actually, I do Wigan a little bit of a disservice in that respect. They fought well in the latter part of the first half and could have pinched one, but you know what? I don’t think it would have made a bit of difference, because Spurs would have got a hatful anyway.

We did manage to score somewhere in the middle of this, Paul Scharner squeezing one past Gomes when Latics were three — or was it four? — goals behind. It’s simply typical of the bloke’s arrogance that he should think he could be anywhere near as good as Thierry Henry and get away with a blatant handball… but he somehow did. No doubt that’ll inflate his ego to proportions so large his haircut will be scaring passing air traffic in Wigan next weekend. Though the passing movement in the buildup was pleasant and rather encouraging, it’s hardly worth mentioning, especially because we had to resort to foul methods to even get a shot on target in the second half.

At least we’ve sorted the issue of whether Figueroa will come straight back into the starting XI against Sunderland, and if you can’t work that out then maybe you should go back to your Subbuteo or shopping at Tesco or something.

Best to forget this afternoon ever happened… I’ve already prepared an alibi for Titus Bramble: he was having tea and watching cricket with me all afternoon. It was really rather spiffing, and he says we ought to do the same next Saturday at 3PM.

• Please God, no
• Save me from this

Screenshot from Hamlet advert copyright Hamlet.