Category Archives: Other

WIGAN ATHLETIC-WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS PREVIEW: LET’S KEEP BOB AND DAVE!

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

What an emotional time it has been this season for Wigan Athletic supporters. It has been a roller coaster ride and there was a period when even the most positive of our supporters were moving towards the dark side, touting for Roberto Martinez’s resignation. What a change there has been in recent weeks. The post match interviews with Roberto Martinez and Dave Whelan at Blackburn revealed a mutual love for the club on behalf of manager and chairman. Moreover they showed that strong professional bond between two men who have the utmost respect for each other. That Wigan Athletic are moving on to an eighth season in the Premier League is testimony to the belief of the two men that Latics can compete with the best. The interviews reduced me to tears.

Emotion is one thing but how can we measure a successful season in the Premier League for Wigan Athletic? The cynics in the national media tip our club for relegation each year, but somehow we continue to maintain our status. Let’s look at the statistics to compare this season with those previous in the Premier League.

Our most successful season was our first in the Premier League in 2005-06 under Paul Jewell, finishing in 10th place with 51 points and reaching the League Cup final. The next most successful seasons were under Steve Bruce – 11th with 45 points in 2008-09 – and 14th with 42 points in 2007-08, when he rescued us following a disastrous start to the year under Chris Hutchings. Roberto Martinez’s teams have twice finished in 16th place, last season with 42 points and with 36 points in 2009-10. Paul Jewell’s 2006-07 team finished 17th with 38 points, winning at Sheffield United on the last day of the season to avoid relegation. We are currently 15th with 40 points. A win against Wolves would seal this position, but would not take us  any higher since the teams above us have 44 points. However, it would place us above Aston Villa, who tried to convince our manager to join them last summer.

Wolves have succumbed to relegation after teetering on the edge for the previous two years. Their decision to sack Mick McCarthy in February and replace him with his assistant Terry Connor was hard to fathom. They have just appointed ex-Cologne manager Stale Sollbaken, a Norwegian whose most successful time was in winning five consecutive Danish league titles with FC Copenhagen. He played a handful of games for Wimbledon in the 1990’s. He will have a difficult task revitalizing a demoralized squad. Nevertheless Wolves have fine players in strikers Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher. The previously excellent winger Matthew Jarvis has had a mediocre season, but remains a threat. Any of these three players would be a welcome addition to the Wigan Athletic squad next year, although their transfer fees and wage demands might be beyond our current parameters. Wolves fought out a goalless draw with Everton last weekend, despite having only 9 shots on goal (0 on target) compared with Everton’s 21.

Form predicts a win for Wigan Athletic on Sunday. Latics’ lineup is likely to be the same as that at Blackburn. A  bumper crowd will be at the DW Stadium to celebrate the recent achievements of the Latics team. This is likely to boost our average attendance statistic which currently stands at 18,447, already well up on last season’s 16,812 and the 18,006 figure in Roberto Martinez’s first season. Latics’ league performance over this season does not  statistically  reach the level of the Bruce era and Jewell’s first year. However, the quality of football we have seen over the past couple of months far outshines that shown at any time during the club’s history. Moreover there are grounds for genuine optimism for the future, with a good squad and young players continuing to come through.

The Wolves game provides an opportunity to not only congratulate the players on their mind blowing recent performances, but also to let Bob and Dave know how much we appreciate what they have done for our club. Were either of them to leave we would be back to square one. They are an amazing double act and we need to do all we can to persuade them both to stay. Let’s congratulate them both on being true believers who keep the faith!

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.

BLACKBURN ROVERS – WIGAN ATHLETIC PREVIEW : Another demon to exorcise?

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

This topsy turvy season for Wigan Athletic is drawing to a close. They are three points above the relegation zone and their last games are against the bottom two clubs. A good position to be in, compared with a couple of months ago when they were the bookmakers’ favourites for going down. Over the past weeks several demons have been exorcised. Latics had not gained even a point against Manchester United in six years of trying, but on April 28th they managed to break the spell and beat the champions. Who would have guessed that they would also go on to win at Arsenal and Liverpool? However, further demons remain. Since joining the Premier League in 2005 Latics have gained only one solitary point at Blackburn, that being in 2005-2006. It has been consecutive losses ever since.

Latics come into this game on a high after a superb 4-0 victory over high flying Newcastle. Blackburn have lost 6 out of their last 7. Their display at Tottenham last week suggested they had thrown in the towel. Rarely will one ever see a team in grave danger of relegation play with such little passion. The 2-0 scoreline was flattering. Tottenham were poor but should have scored a hatful. Blackburn had zero shots on goal.

So which Blackburn will we see on Monday night? Will it be their final fling, with a gigantic effort to stave off relegation? Or have they already accepted their fate? Given the local pride at stake I would expect the former and expect them to throw everything they can into the game. Then again, which Wigan Athletic will we see? Will it be the one which has surpassed all expectations with great results against top clubs, or will it be that stale team that lost recently at Fulham?

On the playing front Latics have a clean bill of health, with only Ronnie Stam doubtful. A big factor in their recent run has been having a settled team, being free from injuries and suspensions. One expects the same starting lineup that faced Newcastle. Being Blackburn one can expect an aerial barrage, although Steve Kean’s team try to play a better brand of football than the horrible stuff that typified Sam Allardyce’s sides. Indeed they have flair players in the Canadian Junior Hoilett and Argentinian Mauro Formica. Added to that is the goalscoring expertise of Yakubu  and the tenacity and experience of Blackburn-born David Dunn in midfield. This Blackburn side can play but have been largely in a self-destruct mode over the past couple of months.

What better time to exorcise another demon? Latics are playing well, Blackburn badly.The form book suggests a win for Wigan. After almost 7 years of not winning at Blackburn the time has come. Keep the faith, you believers.

WIGAN ATHLETIC 4 NEWCASTLE UNITED 0 – A VINTAGE DISPLAY FROM LATICS

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

Wigan Athletic once more played with confidence, style and determination, as they had against Manchester United a little over two weeks ago. This first half display with four spectacular goals completely blew away a 4th placed Newcastle team that had arrived full of confidence after 6 consecutive victories.

From the start the Jimmy Macs – McCarthy and McArthur – ruled the midfield, barely allowing the visitors a touch of the ball. This laid the foundation for the wing backs to play more like wingers and the forward players to slice holes in the Newcastle defence. The little genius, Maloney, was orchestrating it all from midfield and the end result was a fluid attacking style with more than a touch of class. Vintage football indeed!

The first goal arrived in the 13th minute when Moses got the back of his head to wing back Boyce’s cross for the ball to loop past Krul. The second arrived two minutes later when another of those beautiful curling crosses from the other wing back, Beausejour, was making its way towards Di Santo at the far post. The unfortunate Coloccini got in its way but the ball ricocheted to Moses who hit it home with aplomb. The third was a real gem with Di Santo putting Maloney through on the left. The little man raced inside to put the coolest of finishes past Krul with a low drive to the far post. Then as half time beckoned Di Santo showed us his superb technique in lobbing Krul, the ball reeling into the top left hand corner leaving the goalkeeper helpless. A breathtaking first half.

The second half could not live up to the first, with Newcastle coming more into the game. The dangerous Papiss Cisse (11 goals in 11 games for Newcastle, 37 in 65 previously for Freiburg in the Bundesliga) was to draw a fine save from Al Habsi and to hit the woodwork twice during that second half. Latics did have chances. Moses drew a fine save from Krul and Sammon almost scored after a great run, his effort being blocked practically on the line by Coloccini.

Latics had 57% of the possession, having 6 shots on target compared with 2 for the visitors. Wigan committed 15 fouls and Newcastle 12. Two yellow cards for Latics, one for Newcastle.

The Good
The first half performance was probably the most spectacular in Wigan Athletic’s history. This was no fluke, but more the result of a long process of building the foundations for future success. Over the past weeks Roberto Martinez’s vision has been put into practice by the players. Interesting that in a post match interview when asked what has been the basis for the recent successes, Shaun Maloney put it down to work rate. Latics now work really hard to get the ball back when they lose it. Moreover there are players making 30-40 yard runs on a regular basis. It is this increased work rate that means that the centre forward is no longer alone, but supported by team mates coming in from all directions. The change to the defensive trio and wing backs was the catalyst that helped the players change their mind sets and play to their strengths. A central defence that was leaky has now become a rock. Confidence now surges through the Latics’ ranks, in place of the fear that was present for so long this season.

The Bad
Following a performance like that – on the back of wins against Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal – Roberto Martinez has become a target for speculation among the media. Why would a manager who can produce teams that can play that kind of football want to continue to work on a shoestring at Wigan? Let’s hope that this speculation does not upset the momentum that the team has built up. Losses for QPR and Blackburn today make it increasingly likely that Latics will maintain their Premier League status.

Player Ratings

Ali Al Habsi: 8 – Another good display.

Emmerson Boyce: 8 – Tireless in his efforts to support the attack and solid in defence.

Antolin Alcaraz: 9 – In top form again. Looks a quality player.

Gary Caldwell: 9 – Superb yet again.

Maynor Figueroa: 9.5 – In the best form of his Latics’ career. His interceptions and powerful tackles have been so important over recent weeks.

Jean Beausejour: 8 – A complete player. What a January signing!

James McCarthy: 9.5 – Took the initiative from the start. Hugely energetic and technically gifted.

James McArthur: 9.0 – Superb yet again. Runs himself into the ground for his team. Put in lots of neat passes too.

Shaun Maloney: 9.5 – The little magician engineered most of Latics’ best moves. Took his goal superbly.

Victor Moses: 8.5 – Took his goals well and was a constant threat to the Newcastle defence.

Franco Di Santo: 9 – Another superb exhibition of leading the line. Brilliant goal.

Substitutes

Conor Sammon: – Once again gave 100%. Unlucky with a fine run in the final minutes.

Jordi Gomez: – Came on and fitted in seamlessly.