“I told you we should have taken out home insurance.”

The FA Cup Final is in just seven days, yet it felt a lifetime away as I nervously crossed yet another date off my calendar. Despite the prospect of silverware, there was no dancing in the streets quite yet, as Wigan Athletic had unfinished business to attend to. Nope, I ain’t talkin’ ’bout the 1986 Oscar-nominated film of the same name, I’m talkin’ bout our relegation (talking ’bout our reee-le-gation!)… scrap.

It’s strange how these match reports become more and more like those on the BBC Sport website as the tension racks up just a notch, forcing me to scramble for vaguely humorous references to lighten the mood. Oh wait, now I come to think of it I’ve been doing that since 2009. Like one does with the whole of the Daily Mail, just read on and forget I ever wrote this blasted paragraph.

You know the situation, but for the benefit of those reading this as a stand-alone article on your iPad 43.5 in 2025, I shall provide a bit of background info. Latics needed to win. That enough for ya, George Jetson?

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Whelan: “No holidays until you win three games!”

I don’t normally apologise for my post title puns but in this case I shall make an exception, because that one was bad enough to make you choke on your early evening prawn sandwiches. Much like the first goal on Saturday, then.

As you might expect from a weekly Latics podcast, the Tottenham game is covered in minute detail, from the (non-)impact of Gareth Bale to Callum McManaman’s progression as a Premier League player.

After some of the usual griping, it’s time for the PWU panellists to get on their soapbox and rant because the end of the season draws near! West Brom and Swansea – two gargantuan games that could decide the fate of Wigan Athletic in the 2012-13 Premier League campaign. But then you did not need me or any other wannabe mainstream journalist to tell you that.

Just take a deep breath and keep all your digits crossed, guys.

Contents

Tottenham review (0:00); West Brom preview (28:00); Swansea preview (40:00); Wemb… oh wait, best not mention that until next week.

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.

A friendly word of advice: bookmark the PWU iTunes and RSS pages so you don’t miss next week’s simply unmissable episode. Not that I can see into the future or anything, but there’s going to be heated debate whatever happens in the coming seven days. Will Latics remain in the Premier League this time next week? Ooh, the tension is excruciating.

New!!!!: the Progress With Unity app. Exciting eh? I wouldn’t have included so many exclamation marks otherwise. If you’re interested, there’s more info here.

Yes, made it through this whole post without mentioning the c*p f*nal! Oh, screw it…

*Post*-match discussion

Perhaps the Progress With Unity Podcast‘s most appealing factor is its participants’ tendency to embark upon journeys of nostalgia that lead to endless tales of seasons past. Of course, you could class this as a drawback (particularly where editing is concerned), but isn’t that why football exists? So we can ramble on for hours about the minutest details of that 58th minute substitution or seemingly meaningless pass back to the keeper?

The seventeenth edition of said podcast is no exception to the rule, due in no small part to my own role as guest ‘host’. Yes, it has taken just over four months for this blogger to pluck up the courage to venture into the world of ‘live’ audio broadcast presenting. And let me tell you, it certainly wasn’t worth the wait…

Don’t let that put you off listening to it though. I think it turned out pretty well considering my relative inexperience at keeping to any sort of rigid agenda, which, as you should know by now, is not exactly my forte.

If you don’t fancy entering the JWAW URL into your browser every seven days (I know I don’t), you can follow the Progress With Unity podcast on Twitter, iTunes or just use the trusty RSS feed.

Image courtesy mjtmail @ Flickr (CC2.0)

The Scottish connection: James Morrison won the battle over Scotland counterpart Caldwell, who was eventually subbed

Ambling towards the DW Stadium this afternoon, there was a noticeable buzz that gradually increased in intensity the closer I got to those prominent white arches on the Wigan skyline. And no, I’m not dreaming of Wembley again, but you can’t deny there’s a certain similarity to the design of most modern football grounds – to me, the Reebok and the McAlpine (as it was known) look as though they could be twin brothers.

Maybe it was the early autumn sun forcing its way through those unseasonably woolly clouds, or perhaps it’s the effect of two straight Premier League victories. Though such events are genuinely rare and ought to be celebrated wherever possible, I was in slightly more downbeat mood as I strolled past the large array of programme sellers, sideshows and expectant fans alike.

Now, you could attribute my own realism to the effects of a streaming cold I suffered not two days ago, or you could say it’s out of respect for the opposition. Much like ourselves, The Baggies have been doing pretty well for themselves in the past couple of seasons. This year, one suspects an even more creditable finish beckons… but Latics, too, have their own designs on mid-table ‘mediocrity’.

You would think home advantage plays a big part in these contests, which are by their very nature speculative and close-fought. In this sense, I suppose a quiet confidence was somewhat acceptable, but nothing is ever certain where the Premier League is concerned.

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