The seeds of apprehension planted last week are beginning to sprout into saplings of nervousness. After such a devastating weekend, can you blame us? But spirits are relatively high considering Wigan’s current situation – maybe it’s gallows humour, or the knowledge that we could be just a few minutes from glorious, glorious Wigan time at any given moment. Remember Newcastle this time last year?

There’s nothing like a good joke at the expense of our German cousins to lighten the mood. And with due respect to Paul, his joke was nothing like a good German joke. It was better than anything I could offer, however, so I maybe I should shut the heck up. Nah, can’t see that happening as us bloggers love the sound of our own keyboards being hammered.

I admit the first bout of phone interference was probably my fault, but please forgive this momentary lapse in concentration (because there are no doubt worse to come). By the way, I hope you enjoy these weekly ‘behind the scenes’ insights into the PWU podcast recordings. Better than if I just said ‘here’s the podcast, listen to it now’, eh? Nope? I’ll crawl back to me corner, then.

Contents: Manchester City review, again (2:10); West Ham review (7:56); the relegation scrap rages on (14:00); Tottenham preview (20:30); Wembley tickets – have you got yours? (41:00)

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.

Never miss an episode of PWU again with the oh-so-handy PWU iTunes and RSS pages, available wherever small clubs dream. And the web.

Speaking of which, I’ve been away from t’internet for a few days. Did I miss much? To catch up, I might head over to the @PWUPodcast Twitter account after I’ve cleared my living room of breakable objects in preparation for Saturday evening. I ain’t looking forward to the weekend. *Winces*

On the bright side, this recent goal drought is somewhat unwarranted and somebody is gonna pay sooner or later. It could be Spurs. Thanks for listening, ‘Ticsmen (and women).

Image courtesy Michael Trolove (CC2.0)

“Can I start the bike yet?”

They occur every season, those pivotal games that can dictate the outcome of a whole campaign. Though today wasn’t quite as important as Blackpool 2011 or Blackburn 2012 –don’t worry, contests of that magnitude are to come before the morning of 20 May 2013 arrives–, it was still critical that Latics leave the capital with at least something to show for their endeavours.

Those bemoaning Wednesday evening were largely correct in that no points were gained, but it wasn’t a totally fruitless effort. A demoralising thrashing successfully avoided, Wigan’s goal difference remained superior to Aston Villa’s heading into this weekend’s round of fixtures. Due to the fact Villa play on Monday evening, a place outside the relegation zone for at least 48 hours was the juicy prize on offer for three valuable points today.

However, you can’t play three matches in a week and not expect to suffer at least some repercussions. Ordinarily I would have backed Latics to snatch all three points with great certainty, but two big games on the road just inserted the minutest of bugs into that well-oiled Wigan (Heinz) bean machine.

On the other hand, the team has recently tapped into a rich seam of form not witnessed since the Everton triumph, so a resounding victory would not have been out of the question either. Ooh, for the latter and just a sliver of comfort….

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Oh no, our parade bus! Fetch the sellotape.

A surprisingly subdued edition considering the events of this past weekend. Perhaps Wednesday evening’s result put a dampener on proceedings, or maybe it’s the FA’s questionable decision to ruthlessly push the cup final kick-off time back to 5:15pm? Nah, the real reason is the fact our sadly neglected open top bus has unfortunately rusted in open-air storage. Oops, my bad.

After a brief rant on £115 Wembley tickets, the conversation quickly turns to this weekend’s pivotal Premier League clash with old friends West Ham – will Martinez make further changes? We then round off with Pie News and a brief analysis of why Latics have accrued just 31 points up to now. The answer? I dunno.

Contents: Millwall review (0:00) and cup final kick-off time mini-rant (8:04); Manchester City review (13:26); West Ham preview (27:24); 31 points? (43:23)

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.

For the iPad and pocket PC users out there, PWU iTunes and RSS pages are available as usual. They haven’t yet been wiped off the face of the earth by the morality police, though I should shut up or certain miscreants might get some unsavoury ideas. Remember, kids, DDoS attacks are illegal in 53 states! And the UK, probably.

Feel free to take a glance at the @PWUPodcast Twitter account if you’re into your social networking or just have five minutes to spare. I have one too, at @JesusIsAWiganer, though I’d advise caution if you plan on visiting/following. Not that the tweets aren’t safe for work, but too much JWAW can be hazardous to your general well-being, so partake of this site and associated media in moderation.

I’m off to ferret out some sandpaper and vehicle spray. As ever, thanks for listening, and come on Wigan.

James McArthur grabbed the ultimate winner in emphatic fashion

Following last week’s somewhat disappointing Swansea game, I commented that Wigan’s performances this season have either been outstandingly clinical or atrociously inadequate. Another defeat had pushed the Latics bandwagon just that bit closer to edge of a steep, craggy cliff that, should said vehicle topple off, would undoubtedly take until February or March for any surviving bodies to scale.

To cut the elaborate (and somewhat unnecessary) metaphor, we’d been experiencing far too many unpleasant results of late, even if those patches of brilliance have threatened to shine through. That relegation zone, whose constituents are so often the butt of many a ragtop’s (i.e. red-top rag’s) throwaway criticism, was creeping up on us faster than a woefully unsubtle trick-or-treater. But just in time to save the ‘pre-Halloween horror show’ headlines, Wigan pulled out an accomplished performance to dispatch high-flying West Ham.

If the ten-place gap between the two sides before kickoff this afternoon was at least some cause for concern, then the gulf between the two teams on the pitch was a welcome sight. The hosts played a consummate, controlling game that locked their opponents out for large periods and, ultimately, prevented West Ham from grabbing those points they so desperately craved following that painful encounter just under 18 months ago.

From a seventh minute corner, Ivan Ramis (or, as certain radio commentators are intent on calling him, Ivan Raymos) was in the right place with the right skills to capitalise on Wigan’s bright start. His left foot thunderbolt volley from 12 yards left Jussi Jaaskelainen floundering as the ball went from Jean Beausejour’s boot to Ramis’ and into the net in the blink of an eye.

Wigan’s early strike set the tone for the remainder of the first half. Andy Carroll and Matt Jarvis were the primary aggressors for the Hammers, but it was the home side’s controlling of possession, accurate passing and overall slickness that left a longer-lasting impression.

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