Category Archives: Other

“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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Dream alive as Wigan edge Hawthorns thriller

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

macca

A wounded and embattled Wigan Athletic side somewhat miraculously emerged with three points to keep their dream of a survival and FA Cup double very much alive. Despite fielding a makeshift defence, going behind twice, and suffering yet another injury to an important first team player, Wigan pulled three exquisite finishes out of the hat and then held on to the 3-2 result for dear life.

Results elsewhere saw Aston Villa defeat Norwich, who may well become Wigan’s chief relegation rival with only a three-point lead and games against West Brom and Manchester City to follow. Newcastle’s draw at West Ham keeps them two points ahead with games against QPR and Arsenal. A victory for Wigan against Swansea on Tuesday would really shake up the table, potentially even meaning a draw on the last day of the season against Villa could be enough for both sides to survive.

Back at the Hawthorns, a nervy first half exposed Wigan’s defensive frailties with West Brom’s speedy front trio of Shane Long, Romelu Lukaku and Markus Rosenborg causing all sorts of problems. Employing Jean Beausejour and Ronnie Stam as orthodox full-backs was always likely to heap pressure on the central pairing of Paul Scharner and Emmerson Boyce, but with Ben Watson making his first appearance since breaking his leg back in 2012, no one was breathing easily. The opening goal stemmed from a loss of possession in midfield by Scharner. Lukaku’s excellent through pass caught the Austrian out of position, and Rosenborg sped past Watson before squaring for Long to score.

Wigan’s response was encouraging. Shaun Maloney won a free-kick on the edge of the box and shot narrowly wide, before being fouled in the build-up to the first equalizer. Referee Lee Probert thankfully played the advantage allowing Beausejour to bend a cross in from the left for Arouna Koné to expertly finish.

The Latics started the second half energetically but were soon pegged back after the unmarked Gareth McAuley buried a towering header from a corner. Minutes passed before Roberto Martinez made an influential double substitution, replacing the defensively poor Stam with Roman Golobart and midfielder Jordi Gomez with James McArthur, whose first touch was a spectacular goal. A lovely bit of skill and another lovely left-footed cross — this time by Maloney — was curled to the far post past West Brom keeper Ben Foster, where McArthur was waiting to finish with a diving header.

With the excellent traveling support now in full voice, Wigan went in search of the three points but were still unable to boss the midfield. Minutes slipped away and West Brom threatened to take the lead a third time before Maloney — the team’s heartbeat — created another moment of magic. Receiving the ball from Roger Espinoza — on for the injured Beausejour at left-back — the Scot left two defenders for dead with a stepover and a shimmy before slipping the ball into the path of Callum McManaman who made no mistake.

An incredibly nervy fifteen minutes ensued, but Wigan held on for three points of gold.

The Good:

Not many teams beat West Brom at The Hawthorns, and you can see why. Wigan had very little in the way of chances but scored three excellent goals. West Brom went close on a number of occasions. This was arguably the trickiest of the three “winnable” fixtures left in Wigan’s season, and they got the job done.

Shaun Maloney, Wigan’s little magician, did it again. The finishes were excellent, but it was the skill he mustered to create the chances when no one else could that won Latics the game.

The Bad:

Beausejour’s injury is another cruel blow after losing the other left-sided defender on the books, Maynor Figueroa, a week earlier. The Honduran Espinoza looks set to play an important role in what remains of the season, unless a central defender is pushed wide.

Wigan cannot keep shipping two goals a game and expect to win. Thankfully, the finishing was of the highest order today. All fingers will be crossed for an Antolin Alcaraz return against Swansea.

Player Ratings:

Joel Robles: 7 — Showed safe hands and dealt with crosses with more authority than previous matches. Made two or three very good saves.

Emmerson Boyce: 8 — Deserves huge credit leading a patchwork defence, made several crucial blocks.

Paul Scharner: 6 — Worked his socks off, covered lots of ground, and you can see what it meant to him. But he did make some mistakes, one of which proved costly.

Ronnie Stam: 5 — Good in attack, bad in defence.

Jean Beausejour: 6 — Beautiful cross for the goal. Did better than Stam but struggles in one-on-ones with faster players. Still, will be sorely missed.

Ben Watson: 6 — Assumed the defensive midfielder slash centre-back role that James McCarthy played against Spurs. Did well, given his lengthy absence, but attempted far too many cross-pitch Hollywood passes for a man who hadn’t played a competitive match for five months. Still, some good interceptions and tackling and a welcome return.

James McCarthy: 7 — Worked very hard and did a lot of important tackling but gave the ball away a few times and couldn’t control the midfield as he so often does. Headed off the line in the last minute to save the three points.

Jordi Gomez: 6 — Not a major contributor, substituted for James McArthur.

Shaun Maloney: 8 — Wigan’s best player. Although limited to a wing role for most of the match, he created two of the goals single-handedly and was involved in the build-up of the other. Relieved the pressure on his defence by drawing fouls in crucial moments.

Callum McManaman: 7 — Very positive. Unlucky with his finishing until he got the winner. Took it very well.

Arouna Koné: 7 — Fantastic finish from a quality centre-forward who really looks at home at Wigan.

Subs:

James McArthur: 7 — Fantastic finish and good midfield shift. Surely he will start the next match?

Roman Golobart: 6 — Very nervy upon introduction. Earned a yellow card with a crude lunge, put his keeper under pressure with an over-hit backpass, but his physical presence and Boyce’s help at right-back somewhat stabilized the defence.

Roger Espinoza: 6 — Looked uncomfortable at left-back but did a job for the team.

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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Wigan Athletic v Tottenham Preview – Can Caldwell do it?

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

Tomorrow Wigan Athletic face a  resurgent Tottenham side currently in fifth position, desperate to reach the top four and thereby gain a place in the lucrative Champions League. Very difficult opposition for a team like Wigan, in the relegation zone.

The nerves will be jangling for both Latics and Spurs, with so much at stake for the two clubs, at opposite ends of the table. The odds favour Tottenham, who have caused Wigan so much damage in  previous years. No Latics supporter will forget the horrible 9-1 drubbing at White Hart Lane three seasons ago. However, they will also point to stoic performances, which produced 1-0 wins at that compact London stadium in November of this season and in August two years earlier. Wigan have surprised the Spurs before and can do it again.

The loss of Antolin Alcaraz – for what looks like three weeks – is a body blow for Wigan. The question is whether Gary Caldwell can step up to the plate and make a seamless transition. This time last year Caldwell’s form was a revelation and it led to a player, who had many fierce critics among the fans, being voted ‘Player of the Year’.  Can he do it again this year?

Alcaraz had been building up a defensive partnership with Paul Scharner. With the two together the aerial threat of the opposition had diminished and the defence had conceded a lower proportion of goals than over previous months.

Caldwell will have to forge an understanding with Scharner, not an easy matter, given the Austrian’s maverick tendencies. The interaction of those two strong personalities will prove pivotal in Latics’ attempts to avoid that trap door of relegation.

Despite his frustrating ways, Scharner has already proved to be an excellent January loan signing. Wigan fans cannot help but warm to his effort, his  excellent interceptions and his technique in the tackle. We are told that Paul Jewell never really trusted him as a central defender, but Scharner has always had the skills to excel in the position. However, years after Jewell’s reign, doubts still remain of the Austrian’s ability to be a reliable team player.

Providing Caldwell and Scharner can forge a strong partnership Latics will approach their remaining games with a strong defensive backbone. It is going to be particularly crucial tomorrow. Dealing with Bale and co is never easy, but Wigan have done it successfully before and can do it again.

Gary Caldwell has had a difficult season, having been dogged by niggling injuries. Fans have rarely seen him at his best. This is the time for him to show what he can do. He has shown himself capable in the past and much will depend on his performances.

Roberto Martinez will certainly consider the opposition when he decides on his lineup. Given that Tottenham are likely to start with a lone striker – Jermain Defoe or Emmanuel Adebayor – he may well revert to a conventional back four. This would push Jean Beausejour into a left wing position. Up front he can choose between Franco Di Santo and Callum McManaman, to join Arouna Kone. Jordi Gomez will most likely continue to operate as a midfield anchor, although Martinez might think of putting in James McArthur to neutralize the threat of the Tottenham midfield.He might also consider packing the midfield by including the two of them with James McCarthy.

A tough game for Wigan, with the odds stacked against them. However, Wigan Athletic have proved their resilence, time after time. Providing there is strength in the centre of defence, an upset is by no means impossible. Believe Latics!

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