Talk about destroying your own sandcastle...
I just don’t get it. I mean, every other time we’ve managed to grab a win this season we have followed it up with a terrible result, so I suppose I shouldn’t really have expected anything else from this game. But man, talk about building ourselves up then tumbling down again in equally spectacular fashion.
In some ways, all the luck Wigan might have had in the Liverpool game was quickly righted in a half of football characterised by the lack of that special something that made Monday evening so wonderful.
Though Latics looked strong in the first twenty minutes and the more likely to score, the irony is they actually couldn’t avoid conceding a goal in this period and only managed one effort on target themselves.
Wigan’s best chance –well, when they were still in the game, anyway– came late in the first half when Jussi Jääskeläinen saved at point blank range from Charles N’Zogbia. Had that effort gone in, the game’s complexion would have completely changed and who knows, maybe the result might have been a bit more positive for the Latics.
Likewise, had Hugo Rodallega received a penalty after being upended in the Bolton area just minutes into the game, our confidence would have been just a notch higher, perhaps elevating our performance and taking us on to greater things, but we shall never know.
Maybe Wigan burned themselves out in the opening stages, so when the second goal came it completely knocked the stuffing out of any shape or desire they once had. From then on, things smacked of White Hart Lane as Bolton sealed the deal with a couple more. Yeah, we’ll gloss over that…
What is most disappointing about yesterday, however, is that the second half was so lacklustre it isn’t even worth mentioning. At all. However, I shall not dwell on the negatives because we have a busy week of football which sees Aston Villa and Burnley visit the DW Stadium. Best to forget Saturday ever happened, methinks, for it can only lead to a negativity we can ill afford right now.
A crumb of comfort can be found in the fact Wigan remain four points clear of the relegation zone at this stage, and as I’ve stated on many an occasion, I and numerous other Wigan fans will be more than happy should we be in the same situation going to Stamford Bridge on the final day of the season. There are now only nine rounds left to play, and Latics’ survival is still in their hands, which is more than can be said for certain other, less fortunate teams.
Yes, once again frustration and disappointment reign, but there is still time. We are far from doomed at this stage – plenty of winnable games still lie ahead for the Latics. The question is, can this current team pick themselves up from the canvas yet again?
Martinez can’t understand, you cannot play the same game in the Prem, as what he is used to.Attack and quick passing against top sides.Champion style against lower teams. Like:Aston Villa we WON,against next match Wolverhampton, we lost. Another one,Liverpool we Won, against Bolton we were Mudered. Because we tried to play the same style. SENOR. Changer de tactics now…….OR GOODBYE.
Technically, the Wigan players looked to be better than the majority of our players BUT, and it is a big but, many Wigan players appeared to have no “heart”. This is not the case with Bolton! Too many South Americans in the Wigan ranks methinks.
With Hull, burnley and Pompey at the Piedome, plus West Ham away, it really is in your own hands. I don’t think Wigan or Bolton will be in the bottom 3. And, by the way, it wasn’t a penalty for Wigan on saturday, Rodallega was going down before the challenge came in. He dived! Shame for that poor Mr Whelan…… NOT!
Yes, there seems to be a cutoff point (2-0 down) where the guys pretty much shut off and accept their fate.
I think Caldwell had a bit of a stinker, which was unusual as he’s the last guy I would have picked to make a fatal mistake or two. Not singling him out though, once again we couldn’t manage to challenge the keeper much.