Author Archives: JJ (Tony)

Proud day for Wigan as the fairy tale rolls into Wembley

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews, Other, Reflections, Specials and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,
Latics' team for their debut match against Port Vale Reserves, Thanks to Ron Hunt and WiganWorld for photo.

Latics’ team for their debut match against Port Vale Reserves,
With thanks to Ron Hunt and WiganWorld for photo.

* this post was co-written by the father and son writing team, from the perspective of the Jakarta Jack, the father. 

My father loved Wigan Athletic Football Club. Hardly a minute would go by after the final whistle before he would launch into talk about the next match. Conversations – and in some cases, monologues – about line-ups, tactics and referees were a feature of my life as long as I can remember.

His love affair with the Latics began the year the club was formed in 1932, and never wavered until his passing in 2005. His devotion to such a modest club was difficult for others to understand in a region saturated with prestigious football clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton. It was especially difficult to understand for the rugby fans in the area.

But my dad wasn’t too perturbed by that. In his 73 years as a supporter, he witnessed the transition from non-league to Division 4, all the way up to the Championship, or second division as it was known for most of his time. Wigan were second in the Championship under the leadership of Paul Jewell, propelled by the dazzling strike partnership of Nathan Ellington and Jason Roberts, when he passed away. The Latics were promoted to the Premier League four months later. They have remained there ever since.

Were you to tell my father that his Wigan Athletic would go on to spend eight consecutive years in the Premier League and reach both the League Cup and FA Cup finals during that period – he almost certainly would not have believed you. He would have beamed with pride.

Thankfully, pride is something that is passed down. My son and co-writer, Ned, once told me that,  while the inspiration for the name of this fan site was a tip of the hat to the symbolic arrival of Wigan’s Three Amigos from Spain –  a pivotal moment in Wigan’s rise up the tables and Whelan’s revolution – it also on a more personal level represented the relationship between himself, his dad and grandad, who all shared that same passion for the club.

Neither Ned nor I were at that very first Wigan Athletic match back against Port Vale Reserves back in 1932, but we each remember our first Latics experience and know the previous history thanks to my dad. We know where the club came from, and we know we are living the Wigan Athletic dream.

No matter what the result is on Cup Final Saturday, or the outcome of the relegation fight in the Premier League, Wigan Athletic have confounded people with their achievements. The club has come farther than any of us imagined in our wildest dreams, and their achievements will leave an indelible memory.

What’s more – the work that Roberto Martinez has done in his return as manager of the club has been transformative. Rather than playing the role of the little fish up for a Premier League cameo, his plan has been one of consolidation.

While Steve Bruce did a job in keeping the club in the top flight, the money he spent on players and their wages was hardly sustainable if Latics were to suffer a bad season and go down. There was no investment in youth development or infrastructure.

Martinez’s work to cut operating budgets, sell the top players in order to fund long-term growth sets the club up to survive for years to come. Sure – relegation is a threat each year and is to many clubs with more money, more fans and so on — but the club and its support are rapidly growing behind the scenes with every year that passes.

It is somewhat fitting, then, that Wigan’s rival in the final is Manchester City – not only a club with massive support, but also the beneficiary of the largest cash injection in world football thanks to their billionaire owner. In comparison with Wigan Athletic and Manchester City even David and Goliath seem evenly matched!

Only a deluded romantic would expect a Wigan Athletic squad depleted by injury, mentally worn-down, in the middle of the most intense Premier League survival fight to date, to beat Manchester City on Saturday. But if the club’s history is anything to go by, the seemingly  impossible can happen. The supporters of this club believe anything is possible because they are continuing to live it.

The Wigan Athletic story is far from over. Three matches in less than 10 days will determine whether the 2012-2013 season goes down in history as the year Wigan conquered the FA Cup, or survived for a ninth consecutive Premier League season against all odds.

But even if neither materialises, we could not be more proud of our club which takes pride in doing things in a sensible way and never gives up. Just to be in the FA Cup final, with the guarantee of Europa League football next season boggles the mind. A win on Saturday would just be icing on the cake.

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Wigan Athletic v Swansea City Preview

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews, Other and tagged with , , , , , ,

swans-preview

Following a nail-biting win at West Bromwich, Wigan Athletic entertain Swansea City at the DW Stadium on Tuesday evening. Since the Welsh team’s return to the top flight, Latics have been unable to beat them. The Swans won their last match at the DW with two beautifully taken goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson in March 2012.

Wigan desperately need to win this game, but can expect to meet resistance from a stubborn Swansea outfit. Michael Laudrup has kept up the good work of Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez at the Welsh club. They continue to play that silky kind of football the Latics boss put in place there, but under Laudrup they can also play with a more pragmatic and direct approach.

The Swans have had some difficult recent fixtures against top teams and have not won for the last seven league matches. However, they still remain in 9th place and will be hungry to get a good result.

Both Latics and Swansea go into this game without key players due to hamstring injuries. Jean Beausejour is a major loss for Wigan, an unsung player  who covers huge distances each game, covering his defence and stretching the opposition defences by receiving the ball wide. He has provided an amazing 7 assists this year, putting him on a par with attacking midfield players like David Silva and Santi Cazorla.

Miguel Perez, better known as Michu, is unavailable for the visitors, probably for the remainder of the season.  Previously a midfield player, Swansea have converted him into a striker to such effect that he has scored 17 league goals in his first season in England.

Latics fans will be hoping that Antolin Alcaraz will be able to make his return  following the hamstring injury he picked up at West Ham. He has been badly missed in the Latics rearguard over the past couple of weeks.

Roberto Martinez’ dilemma will be who to play on the left of his defence. With both Maynor Figueroa and Jean Beausejour unavailable, he does not have a natural replacement.  Roger Espinoza substituted for Beausejour in that position on Saturday. Espinoza is always brimming with enthusiasm and he has no mean level of skill, but the left of defence is not his forte.

One wonders if David Jones might be available to take over now that his loan spell with Blackburn has been completed? Jones has played in the position before and his height can be useful when defending set pieces.

Given  the absence of an orthodox left back, Martinez will probably opt for a back three and wing backs.  If Alcaraz is back he will join Paul Scharner, plus one other in central defence. Young Roman Golobart came on in the second half at West Bromwich, although he looked nervous in that pressure cooker atmosphere.   Emmerson  Boyce could play in the centre of defence, allowing Ronnie Stam to return as right wing back. Stam continues to promise as an attacker, but his defensive work can leave much to be desired.

Gary Caldwell should not be forgotten. Although said to be continuing to struggle with his hip injury, the captain made a return at West Ham, only to be consigned to the bench for the past couple of games. He might well be back before the end of the season, but one wonders if he will be risked against a pacey Swansea side.

Given the congested fixture list coming up, Martinez might use more of his squad players. Ben Watson made a return on Saturday, following the broken leg he suffered in November. Martinez used him in a hybrid role, part holding midfield and part central defender. Watson did not do badly, but his lack of pace was exposed when the midlanders broke away for their first goal.

If Martinez does opt to play someone in that position he might go with the more speedy James McCarthy. Moreover he might not want to risk Watson for a second game in three days, following his long lay-off.

Martinez will be wary of burnout for young Callum McManaman and it can be expected that Franco Di Santo will either start or come on at a key stage in the match.

Robert Martinez is hopeful of winning his 150th Premier League game at Wigan on Tuesday. His challenge will be in finding the right lineup and in getting the best out of his players with Wembley coming up on Saturday.

This is not an easy match and the nerves will be jangling. The support and patience of the home crowd will be crucial. It could go down to the wire.

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“There’s only one Bob Martinez.”

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Other, Reflections and tagged with , ,

Martinez

“There’s only one Bob Martinez.”

So sang a  group of Wigan Athletic supporters on Saturday, after their team had gained a massive three points from the trip to the Hawthorns. Once again they were starting to believe that what the charismatic Spaniard had been saying had been right all along.

Who else but Martinez could put a positive spin on a 6-1 win by relegation rivals, Aston Villa? He had been saying for weeks that other teams would get dragged into the relegation mire, although at the time most of us were looking no further than overtaking the Villans.

Martinez was quoted as saying: “We wanted Aston Villa to have a very strong ending to the season. The reason for that is I don’t think it would be healthy for any of the teams go into the final game of the season as a final, a showdown, where one of the teams has to get relegated. I think that would be very dangerous.”

There certainly is only one Roberto Martinez.  He is the man who turned down lucrative offers at much bigger clubs to continue to work miracles on a low budget at Wigan. Martinez  is the most positive and optimistic of football managers. He is the one who maintains his calm in the fiercest of storms.

His critics will say he is a spin doctor of the highest order. His fans will say that his positivity shines through and he is passionate about the club. Together with chairman, Dave Whelan, they are the ultimate “believers”, dedicated to steering their unfashionable club towards permanency in the higher levels of football.

An article in the Daily Mail  on Thursday drew derision from neutrals when it quoted Martinez as saying that Paul Scharner was one of the best centre halves in Europe.

Looking into the article more closely one found that Martinez’ original quote had been qualified with the proviso of “when he is fully focused”. When referring to the Austrian’s likely return to Hamburg at the end of the season, Martinez suggested that Scharner would return a better footballer  “because he’s a very mature player who has a strong desire to help the team keep a clean sheet rather than helping in an attacking sense like he used to.’

It was a clear example of “Martinez-speak” – publicly backing Scharner – but also letting him know that defence is what he is there for. Unfortunately the big Austrian didn’t seem to have been listening. After 29 minutes of the West Bromwich game he lost the ball when out of position in the opponents’ half, the subsequent breakaway leading to a goal for the home team.

Roberto Martinez thinks Scharner’s best position is at centre half and most Wigan fans would agree with him. But then again – will the eccentric Scharner ever learn from his mistakes?

Despite the wonderful result at West Bromwich there is still a mountain to climb if Wigan are to avoid relegation. The Swansea game coming up on Tuesday is huge and only four days before the FA Cup final.

Jean Beausejour’s injury is another bitter pill for Latics to swallow. Can Martinez continue to fire-up his players, given the demanding schedule that is coming up and  injuries continuing to weaken his squad?

One thing is for certain – Roberto Martinez will continue to believe.

Being a Wigan Athletic supporter can be a stressful experience and sometimes we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. The win at West Bromwich has helped us to see that light.

The dream of Premier League survival and winning the FA Cup remains alive. Like Martinez, Latics supporters can continue to believe.

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West Bromwich Albion-Wigan Athletic Preview

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews, Other and tagged with , , ,

“I don’t think they’ll get an easy game here. Not too many teams come to the Hawthorns and get an easy game, and I don’t think that will be the case this weekend.”

The words of West Bromwich manager, Steve Clarke, when discussing Saturday’s  visit of Wigan Athletic.

Clarke had also previously stated his preference for Aston Villa to maintain their Premier League status. Somehow he seems to think having the old enemy in the same division would help his players. Strange logic indeed.

In December of last season Wigan picked up a 2-1 win at the Hawthorns with Victor Moses scoring his first league goal for a year and Jordi Gomez netting  a penalty.  That result was to lift Latics out of the bottom three, albeit temporarily.  A  win for Wigan on Saturday would not have the same immediate effect, but would give them a real chance of getting out of that drop-zone by the end of the season.

The loss of Maynor Figueroa for the rest of the season is a huge blow for Latics. His ability to be able to play in the centre of defence or on the left flank has given his team tactical flexibility.

Roberto Martinez has been able to switch from a formation with three centre halves and two wing backs to a flat back four. Moving Figueroa to the left back position has given Wigan a more attacking option, releasing Jean Beausejour to play as an orthodox winger.

Figueroa will be sadly missed, and if rumours are true, he could be off to West Ham at the end of the season. So how will Martinez manage for the rest of the season without the services of his only experienced, specialist left back and two quality central defenders in Antolin Alcaraz and Ivan Ramis?

When Figueroa left the field against Tottenham, Ronnie Stam came in on the right of defence with Emmerson Boyce moved to centre back.  The prospect of Stam and Beausejour seemingly pushed into orthodox full back positions would have sent shivers up the spines of home fans. Although each player can be effective as a wing back, neither has enough defensive quality  to play as a full back.

However, Martinez’ experiment of playing James McCarthy in a hybrid role between the centre of defence and holding midfield was to  prove successful. When Spurs attacked McCarthy was able to drop back, effectively as the third central defender, in turn relieving the pressure on Stam and Beausejour.

Martinez might well choose to play that same formation at the Hawthorns. The Baggies have quality forwards at their disposal in Shane Long and Romelu Lukaku, not to mention Peter Odemwingie and Marc-Antoine Fortune in reserve. A firm defence is therefore essential. Another option for Martinez is to bring back Gary Caldwell to join  Boyce and Scharner in a back three.

Wigan continue to be cruelly hit by injuries and sheer bad luck. They face a confident West Bromwich team that has reached 48 points, the most they have achieved in any Premier League season. Steve Clarke has done a good job since taking over in summer, his team currently standing in 8th place. His comments indicate his desire for his team to inflict defeat on Latics.

However, in recent encounters with top teams – like Manchester City and Tottenham – Wigan have shown that they can perform at a high level. If they can reach those same levels on Saturday then three points is a definite possibility. All that would be required is that little bit of luck that has deserted them during most of this difficult, injury-plagued season.

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Expecting the unexpected

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Other, Reflections and tagged with , , , , ,
Wigan - down, but not out.

Wigan Athletic – down, but don’t count them out.

Aston Villa’s amazing 6-1 scoreline against Sunderland last night was certainly unexpected. One single result has lifted the midland club level on points with both Newcastle and Sunderland, only one point behind Norwich who they play on Saturday. Moreover their previously poor record for goal difference has been transformed by the +5 they got last night.

Villa’s win will send shock waves among Wigan Athletic supporters, who were hoping their team could overtake the midlanders. However, Latics are now 5 points behind the pack that Villa have now joined. Things are looking pretty grim.

Around the 85 minute mark of the Tottenham game on Saturday,  I was beginning to believe in my heart that Latics were going to come away with the three  points. Wigan’s second half display was quite superb. A wonderful goal from Callum McManaman had put Latics ahead. Roberto Martinez’ tactics were spot-on and Tottenham just didn’t look like scoring.

However, my head told me something different and I had to brace myself for what was to follow. Could Wigan keep up this vast effort  in those tired closing minutes? Stifling a Tottenham team brimming with talent is a not easy and takes its mental and physical toll.

Latics supporters have come to expect the unexpected from their team and Tottenham’s lucky late goal was probably not a surprise to many of them. So many times this season Latics have not had luck on their side and they have come away short-changed.

Despite much focus being on Aston Villa as relegation rivals, Roberto Martinez has constantly said that other teams will get dragged down into the fray. Let’s hope he is right. At the moment Wigan just do not have enough points, but with good results in the next two matches against West Bromwich and Swansea they can narrow the gap.

Maynor Figueroa’s injury in the Tottenham game will put him out for the rest of the season. A bitter pill for Latics to swallow, given that they were already without key central defenders, Antolin Alcaraz and Ivan Ramis.

Martinez resisted the urge to put in Gary Caldwell, when the Honduran went off injured. His decision to put in the faster Ronnie Stam proved to be tactically justified, as Tottenham’s speedy forwards were repelled. However, Caldwell will surely return for the upcoming matches, when a back three is likely to be used.

Things are looking bleak. But with Wigan Athletic, one can continue to expect the unexpected. Wigan may be down, but don’t count them out at this stage.

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