Author Archives: Ned

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About Ned

I am the son and grandson of ardent Wigan Athletic supporters, and have followed the Latics closely wherever life has taken me. This website is dedicated to discussing all Latics-related matters, with occasional summaries in Spanish for the growing contingent of Latin American and Spanish Wigan fans around the world. Thanks for reading.

Bring back Boselli

Posted by Ned in Other, Reflections and tagged with , ,

* this article was written by Jakarta Jack but somehow listed under my name. I agree 100% with his views however!

A sleepy Sunday afternoon in May 2011. I turn the television on and inadvertently come across an Italian league game.  The atmosphere in the Genoa-Sampdoria derby I am watching  is frenetic. It is 1-1.  In the 97th minute, the on-loan striker Mauro Boselli receives the ball to his right just inside the box, pirouettes and hits a cracker into the far left hand corner of the Sampdoria keeper’s net. The Genovese home crowd goes crazy.

 

Looking back to November 2010 at West Ham  – Latics are  losing 2-1 and get a penalty. Not long off the bench, Boselli steps up but fluffs it. It turned out to be the key moment for Boselli and Latics, his homesickness exacerbating the issue. Here we are a year and half later, and Boselli remains a Latics player. This columnist advocates his return.

Mauro Boselli started his career at Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires, a big club in a country that produces great players. He made 42 appearances between 2003-2008, scoring 10 goals. That he did not make more appearances for them was largely due to the form of World Cup forwards, Martin Palermo and Rodrigo Palacio. So he moved to Estudiantes de la Plata in 2008 — a small club with a ground capacity at the time of 23,000, where he was key to their Copa Libertadores success in 2009. He scored the winning goal in the final. His 9 goals made him the tournament’s leading goalscorer. During his time at Estudiantes he scored 32 goals in 57 appearances in a league where goals are hard to get. He is an Argentine international..

The Argentine came to Wigan at a time when they desperately needed goals. He did well in pre-season, but found the role of lone centre forward difficult, as had Jason Scotland before that. At Estudiantes he had played with a twin striker, Argentine international, Mariano Pavone. To find himself alone and up against the giant, physical defenders of the Premier League must have been demoralizing. At the time, service from Latics midfielders was scant, in a time when Roberto was concerned about committing men forward after some notably heavy defeats. Despite scoring a well-taken cup goal, Boselli had failed to score in the Premier League and his time was a miserable one.

His next stop was a loan move to Genoa, where he got few opportunities. His goal in the derby was the exception. He played 7 matches, netting 2 goals. He clearly missed his native Argentina and returned to Estudiantes on loan for the 2011-2012 season, where he has scored 11 goals in 29 appearances.

Mauro Boselli is a fine centre forward who never had much of a chance before at Wigan. He is a much more natural goalscorer than anyone we have. Given the improved support from the midfield and number of quality crosses now being provided from the wings, conditions suit him. Let’s hope that those who have criticized him – like those who have criticized Roberto Martinez in the past – will give him a chance. We’d love to have you back, Mauro. You can do a great job!

Roberto to hold dinner discussions in Boston with USA-based Wigan Amigos?

Posted by Ned in Other

Dear Roberto,

I’d like to open this letter with an invitation for dinner with your Latics family during your stay in Boston. I am a lifelong Latics supporter, who in his childhood would fly over from Colombia — my family’s home at the time — to watch you, Isidro, and Jesus at Springfield Park. We’d stay with my grandad, who attended the very first Wigan Athletic match in 1932. He used to send my father and I a parcel full of newspaper clippings with match reports, league tables, and footnotes on the awful refereeing that cost us important points. Grandad passed away the January before our promotion to the Premier League but was immensely proud of what the club was achieving. He loved the new stadium. His deep love of the club was passed along to my father, known on our site <threeamigoswigan.com> as Jakarta Jack, the truest Latics supporter I know.

But the family connection does not stop there. In 2008, amid torrential rain and a lively dance floor, I married your now biggest fan — Kathleen — and in doing so, inherited my American family. Her mother, Chris, watched Latics’ first Carling Cup final against Manchester United in a bar in Tanzania. Her father jumped up and down with us like monkeys as David Unsworth’s penalty kept us up against Sheffield United. Her older brother John runs the Latics supporters club in Washington, DC. I introduced them to the DW for the 3-3 draw with Blackburn back in November. Our nephew Sammy, 4, currently supports a mysterious team called “Digham” but his baby sister Anna is frequently pictured in the royal blue and we are confident he will come around. Your American Latics family welcomes you stateside!

I think I speak for the majority of Wigan supporters when I say we are immensely proud of your personal achievements and those you have choreographed at our football club. We are proud that a club of Liverpool’s size and history is interested in hiring you for what must be an incredibly tempting prospect. But what we have witnessed in the last quarter of the season was your vision realized. The defensive solidity, midfield dominance, attacking penetration — it was a joy to watch. Stylish, brave football. Sin miedo.

Your decision to omit Mo Diame and Hugo Rodallega from the starting lineup in that final stretch has meant that — as it stands — we only face losing one key player in Victor Moses, and even that is not a done deal. This presents an opportunity to really kick on next season, rather than spend the first half of it rebuilding and reshaping the team as in the past. With few of our players involved in the Euros or Olympics, we might even start the season with a fit squad. What we just witnessed in April and May was truly spectacular, but it shouldn’t mask how fragile we still are. We are asking you to give us one more year (or two). Guide us to a season of mid-table safety, maybe even an outside chance at Europe, and then make your move.

I encourage my fellow Latics supporters to leave you a message in the comments section of this post. We all have our unique history with the club, our support and love for it, but we are united in our wish for you to stay on. It is rare to be so proud not only of the sporting achievements, but the integrity and human decency of the club’s manager.

And if you have time to meet with a Latics family during your stay in Boston, we would love to have you —

Ned & Kathleen

PS- if in fact, you are on a beach in Barbados with your wife, have fun and consider a stop on the way back!


Calling all USA-based Wigan Athletic supporters!

Posted by Ned in Other

Dear Latics supporters and friends of the Amigos,

The support given us by ESPN Soccernet this season has generously extended our readership. One of the fantastic benefits has been connecting with Wigan supporters from all corners of the world. As many of you know, one of the writers of this website lives in Boston, the other in Indonesia.

While the internet and improved television coverage of the BPL has made it a lot easier to follow Wigan Athletic from abroad than it was 10 years ago, it takes special – to use a Roberto descriptor — breed of supporter to do so. Most of our overseas fans are lucky to attend one or two matches at the DW each year, and spend hundreds of pounds in airfares and accommodation to do so. Back home, we arrive at work at the crack of dawn or stay on late in order to sneak out for the 10am or 3pm kickoffs. (Or 3am if you are Jakarta Jack!) Once at the pub, we have to fight the much larger crowds of United or Liverpool — or Boston Red Sox — supporters for a TV. The cable and internet packages that most of us pay for are comparable to the cost of a season ticket. If you can afford the new shirt in the first place, you then have to pay an extra 30 quid for shipping!

But we do it happily, because we love it.

As we prepare for a proper Wigan Athletic party this Sunday in celebration of an eighth consecutive adventure in the Premier League, we wanted to take the opportunity to
create a US-based network of Latics supporters. My brother-in-law gathers a crowd weekly at Lucky Bar in Washington, DC. My wife might as well be a club employee at the rate she converts neutral, knowledgeable American football enthusiasts into Latics supporters. My father, before moving to Indonesia, would frequently run into knowledgeable Latics supporters in New York City. We interact on Twitter and receive comments under our posts from people all over the country. As my friend Dave puts it, people in the USA are ready to jump on the Wigan Wagon!

The hope is to use our Twitter feed, Facebook page, and comment section beneath this post to bring Latics supporters together in cities around the United States for the
Sunday celebration against Wolves. Even if it’s only two or three people in the room this year, those will be one or two friends you didn’t have before. And for obvious reasons, they are likely to be blessed with distinguished taste!

How?

1. Propose a venue to watch the Wolves match for Latics fans in your city on our Facebook Wall.

2. Direct message on Twitter @los3amigoswigan with a venue and time in your city for the Wolves match. Something like “Boston-based Latics supporters: lets meet at PJ Ryans at    9am” We will re-tweet you.

3. Post a comment beneath this post (if you are reading on Soccernet, please go to threeamigoswigan.com and find this post on our original site)

Enjoy!

Blackburn Rovers 0 Wigan Athletic 1: Great escape sealed by Alcaraz

Posted by Ned in Match Reports, News, Other and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Wigan Athletic will be in the Premier League for an eighth straight year, crowning a truly unbelievable run of results with an away win at Ewood Park last Monday. A draw may well have been enough from the Latics perspective, but Antolin Alcaraz’s late headed winner was fair reward for another display of cultured, confident passing in difficult playing conditions, in a venue that had not been kind to the Latics in years past.

Anything but a win would have spelled the end for Blackburn, a club in free-fall, but they seemed to have accepted their fate from the outset. This is a club in crisis from top to bottom. Injured and demoralized players, furious fans, inept management and clueless owners — however dire our season may have looked two months ago when we were relegation certainties, it never approach that sort of madness.

And so the first half was all Wigan, with Franco Di Santo and Victor Moses both going very close and Ali Al-Habsi only called into action to catch a stray chicken. If the Blackburn support deserves credit for one thing this season, it is for smuggling that chicken past security.  They did find their voices in the second half, however, and were unlucky not to be celebrating a penalty when Emmerson Boyce tangled with Junior Hoilett in the box. Indeed, there was a nervy period in that second half when Blackburn pumped the crosses in from every angle and Wigan rode their luck, but the initiative was swiftly regained in the final quarter and victory was sealed, ironically, off a set play header.

But you knew most of this already. Lets take this moment to celebrate a truly unbelievable couple months for the club.

The Good:

A fantastic away performance. Dominant in the first half, resolute in the second, and fit enough to win it late on a very heavy pitch. A goal from a corner. The team has become stronger at both attacking and defending set plays. Of the starting XI, only Emmerson Boyce and Maynor Figueroa were not Roberto Martinez signings. He has slowly but surely built a team of his own at Wigan. Congratulations to him and his players, whose commitment and skill have earned the best results and highest-level of performance in the club’s history, after a very difficult season.

The Bad:

It is never fun to watch another team and set of supporters go down.

Player Ratings:

Ali Al-Habsi: 8 — Dealt well with the chicken, and made one or two important saves when the pressure was on in the second half.

Emmerson Boyce: 7 — Almost gave away a penalty but otherwise good.

Antolin Alcaraz: 9 — Outstanding performance, capped off with the winning goal. His absence for most of the first half of the season was a huge factor in the team’s poor form.

Gary Caldwell: 8.5 — Captain fantastic was honoured with the Fans Player of the Season award in midweek, and truly deserves it. Solid again.

Maynor Figueroa: 8.5 — Honoured by his fellow players as their player of the year, a tremendous achievement for a player who has enjoyed his best season in a Latics shirt.

Jean Beausejour: 8.5 — Caused Blackburn trouble with neat footwork down the left, and supplied the cross for the winning goal.

James McArthur: 8.5 — Gets better and better, his passing is thoroughly efficient and neat, but he also has an eye for a through-ball when he gets forward. Really looking forward to watching his continued growth next season.

James McCarthy: 8.5 — The only thing he is lacking from his game is a goal or five. Unfortunately, as soon as he starts producing those, someone will snap him up. The complete midfielder.

Shaun Maloney: 8.5 — Another bright display by the little magician.

Victor Moses: 8.5 — They couldn’t handle him, but his finishing was not the best this time around.

Franco Di Santo: 8.5 — Decent game with some great build-up play, but missed a great chance in the first few minutes of the game.

Subs:

Conor Sammon: N/A — Might have gotten on the end of a beautiful right-wing delivery, but otherwise didn’t see too much of the ball. A likeable player, but how much longer will he be given to prove himself. A striker will surely be signed this summer following Rodallega’s departure.

Wigan Athletic vs. Newcastle Preview: I’m a Believer

Posted by Ned in Match Previews, News, Other and tagged with , , , , , ,

What wonderful enthusiastic support Wigan Athletic had at Fulham last Saturday. Stuck  in the worst possible vantage point in the corner behind the goal at the Craven Cottage end they nevertheless gave it all they had. The constant chanting of “I’m a Believer” made a clear statement to the team that they had loyal support, which will be crucial in the remaining three matches.

After the elation of the wonderful displays against Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea came the disappointment of that late defeat at Fulham. On top of that, favourable results for fellow strugglers. The bottom line is that Wigan Athletic remain in the mire and the only way to get out of it is to win games. On paper, the Newcastle match looks the hardest of the three remaining. One might point out that playing away at Blackburn is no joy ride and a Wolves team with nothing to play for might be a tough nut to crack. Sometimes teams play better when the pressure is off.  The good news is that QPR and Blackburn have tough fixtures remaining and Aston Villa are now in that same mire, having won only one out of their last 11 games. And Bolton? Who knows? They seem to be able to play poorly and still get good results. They have the easiest fixture list remaining, but can they continue to get away with it?

On the team front Hugo Rodallega is likely to be back and he could appear at some time in the game. Watching the Fulham match,   I got into a conversation with a young man who is an AFC Wimbledon supporter. He was taking a break from his team’s match against Torquay to bring his little brother to Fulham to watch a Premier League encounter.  He said he liked Wigan’s style of football and their organization and hoped they stayed up. However, he said that Latics didn’t seem to have anybody upfront. I explained to him that Di Santo went off injured in the first half with Sammon replacing him. However, the young man had a point. Looking back on the match and the second half in particular, Latics looked jaded and unambitious.  The tough games prior to going to Fulham had taken their toll. More worrying – probably due to fatigue – was the lack of support for the lone centre forward. The midfield was just not going the extra mile and getting into the box. Whether it be Di Santo, Sammon or Rodallega playing there they need some support.

Let’s hope that the bruised and battered among Latics’ first choice starting eleven recover sufficiently well for the Newcastle game. Newcastle are a physically powerful team, brimming with confidence, and it is going to need a lot of running and harassing to knock them off their game. Their away record reads W7D3L6.

That said, they have been  punching above their weight all season.  They have two very dangerous central strikers in Ba and Cisse, a well balanced midfield and a very solid defence marshaled by Coloccini. However, they are definitely beatable. Alcaraz, Caldwell and Figueroa have played wonderfully well in recent games against the likes of Drogba, Rooney and Van Persie. The midfield of Boyce, the Jimmy Macs and Beausejour have competed on at least equal terms with star-studded opposition in the same matches.  Back in October, Latics played pretty well at Newcastle, being unlucky to lose to a superb effort from Cabaye. They certainly matched Newcastle that day. This Saturday, with a tiny bit of luck and fair refereeing decisions, they can certainly beat Newcastle. I’m certainly a believer!