In this age of technology, Sky Sports and ESPN aren’t the only ones covering Premier League games. In fact, I’d suggest some of the fan-made videos uploaded to the Internet, whilst not exactly of the best quality, offer an insight the big stations’ HD and 3D cameras don’t, and that’s the fan’s eye view.
Following Latics’ exciting comeback against West Ham at the weekend, many supporters took to YouTube to share their own piece of memorabilia from what could be an historic game, certainly one of the most memorable of recent times.
To start us off, here’s a superb view of Charlie’s first goal courtesy a West Ham fan who had the foresight to whip out his phone:
Take a bow: Al Habsi played his part in a critical win
When we sit and look back upon Latics’ spell in the Premiership, whether it be a period of six years or longer, there will be certain encounters that really stand out. Games you can be proud to say “I was there,” moments that will stay with you forever – Charlie’s winner against Arsenal last year, Hugo’s smash and grab job at Tottenham earlier this season. I’d be willing to place a bet that Sunday’s game will certainly come high on the list, if not for the relative lack of real memorable moments this campaign, then for sheer drama created by the importance of a win in this situation.
In some ways, it was reminiscent of Wigan’s win over Burnley towards the end of last season thanks to Hugo Rodallega’s late, late show in what was, at the time, a rather important clash. As a whole, however, Wigan v West Ham 2010-11 was actually nothing like that game. For one, the quality of football was a bit higher (well, for the most part), and a total of five goals will be more than enough to satisfy a neutral. Add into the equation a (wholly necessary) ‘do or die’ attitude on the part of both teams and you have a fantastic game that will go down in Premier League history as a classic relegation battle.
You wouldn’t have been able to predict at half time, however, the events which would transpire between 5.00 and 6.00pm that afternoon. West Ham led 2-0 thanks to a Demba Ba headed brace, and as it was announced over the tannoy that fellow relegation-battlers Birmingham were 1-0 down against Fulham, everything was going to plan for the Hammers.
The media is a strange beast. In the week following our bruising at Old Trafford, I note that many critics labelled Latics unlucky to lose 2–0, which completely surprised me. Little Wigan actually garnering what might be termed ‘praise’, let alone mainstream coverage? Never!
What’s more, we’ve turned out far better performances this year and only managed draws or dismal losses. Where were the papers to bemoan our fortunes then? Oh, that’s right, digging dirt on Wayne Rooney and creaming over Chelski and Man City as usual. But that’s okay. Here in this small part of North West England, we know our place in the hierarchy.
I’d love for us to keep plodding away, do our time in the Prem in the hope of eventually tasting a modicum of success akin to our début season in England’s top flight on our way to a Europa Cup campaign. Maybe then attitudes will change, but in the meantime we can continue enjoying a good old moan –the Latics fan’s single greatest pleasure– about anything and everything you could care to mention. All in good fun, you understand.
Pre-game, it’s no surprise all eyes and ears were on today’s opponents, the ailing Hammers. Rock bottom of the table and five points adrift of the safety zone, the West Ham marketing people dubbed today ‘Save Our Season’ day, and with good reason. Read between the lines and you may interpret this as ‘Save Our Manager‘, but that doesn’t sound quite as good, somehow. To many, this was Judgement Day in more ways than one, with Avram Grant perched precariously on an extremely thin ledge above the abyss that is temporary unemployment.
Yeah, should Avram be ordered back to the Job Centre, he would almost certainly crop up later in the year at Notts Forest or somewhere. Big deal. West Ham United is far bigger than any manager (except maybe Barry Fry) and a loss today would be a great blow to their confidence — not fatal by any means, but demoralising nonetheless.
Readers that regularly frequent the DW, and indeed any other football ground at which Wigan Athletic may currently be playing, can’t have failed to noticed the flag marked ‘WAFC: The Religion’ resting proudly amongst the hardy band of Latics hardcore supporters — who some might term ‘nutjobs’, but not I — chuntering amongst each other in a typically northern fashion.
In many ways, football is indeed very much like a religion, a sentiment I’m sure millions of supporters nation- and even worldwide will readily echo. For starters, it seems crazy that anyone would deliberately put themselves through the catastrophic lows and often unbearable suffering of another straight defeat or loss to a passionately hated local rival. Yet, just like a ‘proper’, ‘officially’ established religion, they continue to do so, retaining their blind faith in the hope they will be rewarded next Saturday. Or Sunday, Monday or Tuesday if you’re one of the Big Four. Cheers, Sky.
Without going too deep into the ‘money in football’ argument (which I also discuss briefly in an interview for the Bert Trautmann’s Neck blog, which, by the way, is certainly worth a read) or indeed any sort of sociological theories that will most likely bore you to tears, it seems strange that we put our faith in a team of businessmen more intent on making money than seeing the club they actually have some sort of emotional attachment to do well (Liverpool, Manchester United, numerous other top flight teams). In some cases, the overwhelming urge to succeed can lead to financial ruin (Portsmouth) and the almost unthinkable: complete disappearance from the face of the earth (Chester City, Scarborough FC etc.).
Yes, religion and money are undoubtedly interlinked in a greater capacity than we would care to imagine. It’s a sad fact that these days football clubs are marketed as brands you might casually subscribe to just to ‘look cool’, when in actual fact one’s fanaticism for runs much deeper than that. For evidence of this, you need look no further than the recent spate of what have been termed ‘phoenix clubs’, fans’ attempts to re-establish another club and start afresh at a lower league level. The real fans, the ones that travel to watch their team each weekend, don’t care about the money or pretty much anything else apart from football.
Dan Farrimond 2008-2011. The views expressed on this site are those of biased northerners and should not be taken entirely seriously. Jesus Was A Wiganer is in no way affiliated with Wigan Athletic, Jesus Seba or the Wiganer Pub, Hindley.
