Tag Archives: newcastle

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!

West Brom – Wigan Preview: Living in hope

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

Let’s start with an admission. I don’t have the faintest clue what is going to happen at the Hawthorns tomorrow.

Since Roberto’s tactical switch three matches ago, we’ve seen all shades of Wigan. The best attacking performance of the season came in the Blackburn draw, which would have been a win but for Andre bloody Mariner. The best defensive performance came in the away win at Sunderland. The worst performance full-stop, began the second Mikel Arteta scored Arsenal’s first.

Football has way of clouding one’s judgement. Having most recently watched 65 minutes of capitulation against an Arsenal team at their imperious best, co-starring ourselves at our demoralized worst, it’s hard to view this next fixture with any real optimism. And yet, in the first 25 minutes of the game against that same Arsenal side, we played some of our best football all season. How would I feel if Arsenal had gone 4-0 up and Latics had finished with those excellent 25 minutes of football. Ok, still probably not great, but certainly a bit more optimistic.

If Latics were a craft beer, it would be high gravity stuff. One week I’m blabbering about turning points and the next I can’t see a way out.

The encouraging thing about this Latics side, that separates it from most sides doomed to relegation is that, in more matches than not, we look capable of winning. We haven’t been getting the points yet, obviously, but we didn’t last year either. I had an exchange with a fellow supporter on Twitter earlier today, during which we discussed the lack of goals from our forwards. He felt that Rodallega was on his way and wasn’t too sad to see the back of him. So I asked him who he’d rather see up front, Franco Di Santo or Conor Sammon? His response pretty much sums up what it’s like to be a Wigan supporter these days: “Probably Franco, but it’s hard. Sammon looks like he can score goals but isn’t. Franco doesn’t look like he can, but has.” In recent times, the match we actually won was one of the few (against beatable opposition) that we didn’t deserve to. On the other hand, quite how we didn’t beat Blackburn, Newcastle, Fulham, Norwich, Swansea is beyond me. If we’d managed even two wins out of those, we’d be 14th, the position West Brom is currently in.

So off we go to the Hawthorns, living in hope. Or faith? West Brom away was an exciting fixture last year. It may have even been the one that got Roberto Di Matteo the sack (not beating us has proven to be the final straw for quite a few teams over the years). They are usually fairly open affairs, 2-1s or 2-2s. There is obviously a lot of pressure, in last place, with fixtures against Chelsea, Liverpool, Man United, and a resurgent Stoke away coming up. But did the walloping by Arsenal lift some of it?

Most everyone is fit, to my knowledge. Emmerson Boyce and Antolin Alcaraz will be welcome returnees. Roberto has been answering a lot of questions about Hugo Rodallega, who has still not signed a new contract and has presumably been spending his time begging someone else to sign him. Which in fairness is some task since he is a striker but hasn’t scored since May. But there have been hints in there that suggest the Colombian will make an appearance at some point tomorrow. Lets just all hope it’s not on the left wing. That said, I don’t think Conor Sammon has done anything to deserve losing his place — he did well against Blackburn and Sunderland, starved of service against Arsenal. Nor has Franco Di Santo, for that matter, he remains the only Latics striker to score a goal this season.

I won’t predict a lineup this time, but will instead suggest one (assuming the same tactical system with wingbacks):  Ali Al-Habsi, Figueroa-Alcaraz-Boyce in the middle, Stam and Jones as wingbacks; McArthur & Diame in the centre of midfield; Jordi & Moses, but only if they are allowed to roam, rather than getting stuck on the wing. What’s the point of having wingbacks if it doesn’t allow these two to cut inside; Franco Di Santo up top.

Heart says: West Brom are organized and committed as all Roy Hodgson teams (except Liverpool) tend to be. But they aren’t particularly creative, so our defence holds strong and we run out 2-0 winners. C’mon Latics!!

Mind says: Hard to see a clean sheet here, but we should be good enough to score a goal. 1-1.

Wolves – Wigan Preview: It’s now or never

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


If the must-win theme in our match previews of late has been getting a bit repetitive, at least its message becomes truer by the week. Wigan has already lost two absolutely-must-win home fixtures, the first with a shambolic display against Bolton, the second a luckless affair against bogey team Fulham. The next three — Wolves away, Blackburn at home, and Sunderland away — are probably as crucial to our survival as any in the season run-in. Not only because they are matches we should expect to emerge from with some points. But because we have to emerge from them with some points. If we don’t, we go into December bottom of the table with fixtures against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man United in four of the five next games.

Assuming we don’t pick up much in that Christmas deathtrap, I think we need no less than 7 out of the next 9 points. Which means beating Blackburn at home, then beating either Wolves or Sunderland away, and drawing with the other. Given Wolves’ poor form, this may be the better chance for that away win.

The good news is that Latics have a strong record at Molineaux in recent times. We won 2-1 last year and 2-0 the year before. Their form has been poor, losing 7 of the last 9, although they won 3 of the 4 before that, and the most recent two losses were back-to-back exercises against Man City. They did draw at home to Swansea and lose to Newcastle, though, which should give us hope.

The bad news, of course, is that our form is worse. We are now on a staggering eight-match losing streak, although performances have not been as bad as the statistic suggests. With the exception of Man City away, Latics could have (in several cases should have) emerged with points. We live in hope that this will be the performance that delivers reward.

Not too much in the way of player news other than the excellent report on Mo Diame’s ankle injury not being serious. He may even be in contention for a starting spot on Sunday, and thank goodness given the rest of our midfield’s scoring record this season. Gary Caldwell is out suspended, which I daresay has been greeted with enthusiasm by many sections of Latics support. He appears to have lost a yard of pace — not that he was ever the quickest — and equally importantly, presence. I felt he was a good choice for captain when he first arrived at the club, but the defense is severely lacking the authority he was signed to provide, something has gone wrong. Roberto has a few options to replace him — none that steady — playing Steve Gohouri or Adrian Lopez in the centre with Antolin Alcaraz, or moving the ever reliable Emmerson Boyce into centre, drafting in Ronnie Stam at right-back. Or playing Gohouri or Lopez at right back. The main concern should be containing Matt Jarvis, who usually operates down Wolves’ left wing.

If Diame is fit, I would guess a repeat lineup in midfield, with Dave Jones and Ben Watson. Albert Crusat was dangerous against Fulham and should keep his place on the left, while Victor Moses will continue to provoke panic in goalposts country-wide on the right. Hugo Rodallega has been poor — a lifeless, dejected version of the livewire striker with the neon green boots that joined us under Steve Bruce. He remains the most likely player to score, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Martinez opted for Franco Di Santo, who at least looks like he wants to be on the pitch.

As for Wolves, it will probably be a 4-5-1 similar to ours, with Kevin Doyle the frontman. Matt Jarvis will be the main creative threat, while Jamie O’Hara will be energetic in midfield. Cristophe Berra is a bit of a weak link in their defense, though old Birmingham bruiser Roger Johnson always seemed to enjoy a good tussle with Rodallega, I’m sure it will be the same in different colours.

Not much more to say. We’ve played well in the last two outings but haven’t scored. We know we’ll hit the post at least once, but lets hope it bounces in this time.

Heart says: We are a bogey team for Wolves. The extra pace in centre of defense will do us well. We need to win. 1-0.

Mind says: If Wolves score first, we’ve had it. If we do, anything is possible. Realistically, 1-1, but lets hope I’m wrong.

Newcastle 1 Wigan Athletic 0: Unlucky Latics beaten again

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

Never has a league loss given supporters so much cause for optimism. Perhaps it’s a knee-jerk reaction, having spent last week in the gutter following the depressing home loss to Bolton, but I’m tempted to say the first 45 minutes at St. James’ Park were the best we’ve seen of Wigan since Roberto Martinez took the job. Only the goals were missing. Ultimately, we tired, Newcastle improved, and their sustained pressure culminated in a sublime Yohan Cabaye strike that settled matters.

But those 45 minutes set a new benchmark. Ali Al-Habsi hardly touched the ball until the final minutes of the first half. The defense was alert, strong, and neat in distribution. The midfield was physical, energetic and inventive. And the attack was pacey, if hesitant when it mattered the most. Anyone out of the loop would have assumed Latics were the in-form, unbeaten side, not Newcastle. If we start the Fulham and Wolves fixtures in the same way, they should be over by halftime.

Unfortunately, the goals never came. The match commentator shared a damning statistic midway through the first half. Hugo Rodallega has only scored twice in his last 19 Premier League matches. This time, he had two chances. The first, a quick-thinking through-ball from David Jones. The second, an incisive ball from Ben Watson deep from midfield. Both times, the Colombian snatched his shot toward the near post, failing to test Tim Krul. But the best chance of the match had already fallen to Victor Moses, who volleyed from inside the box after Hugo had guided the ball into his path, only for Krul to pull off a magnificent reflex save. Towards the end of the encounter, Mo Diame was inches from poking home a Victor Moses cross, and headed agonizingly wide.

Goals will continue to be a concern, but even at our best, we don’t expect to score many. Which is why the defensive effort in this match was so encouraging. Not only were the first-choice back four restored to the lineup for the first time this season, so too was the spirit of last year’s relegation battle. Antolin Alcaraz was at his best, powerful, intelligent and composed, without risking the ball with unnecessary dribbling. Gary Caldwell was all heart, flinging himself in front of shots from the opposition. Emmerson Boyce was quiet but effective enough, although he did get beat by Ben Arfa in the second half, while Figueroa had a tough afternoon with Gabriel Obertan’s electric pace. In midfield, Ben Watson, Mo Diame and David Jones battled valiantly and will surely be the starting three against Fulham after that performance.

Further ahead, Albert Crusat and Victor Moses provided pace down both flanks that has been badly lacking, although both faded in the second half. Crusat looks a useful little player with speed and a nice touch, though his finishing on this showing was ineffective. It was his first start in a Wigan shirt, and will need time to get used to his teammates before judgement is passed. Victor Moses faded in and out of the match, was unlucky not to leave with a goal and an assist to his name. Rodallega worked hard, did everything right except finish his opportunities. With the departure of Charles N’Zogbia, he has become the club’s marquee player. He needs to rediscover the goalscoring touch that earned him said status.

A Neutral Would Say

Wigan were unfortunate not to get anything out of this one. Poor finishing let them down.

Player Ratings

Al Al-Habsi: 7.5 —  Might as well have been drinking mojitos in the first half, but much more active in the second, excellent as usual.

Emmerson Boyce: 6 — Good first half, tormented a bit in the second by Hatem Ben Arfa, who dangerously slipped past him on more than one occasion.

Gary Caldwell: 8 — A captain’s performance, he was commanding and all-action. Put his body on the line, making several crucial blocks in the second half when the pressure was on.

Antolin Alcaraz: 8 — Strong, classy, looked back to his best. Clearly out to make amends for his mistakes against Bolton.

Maynor Figueroa: 5.5 — Struggled with Gabriel Obertan in the second half, unable to get forward.

Ben Watson: 9 — Excellent. Truly got stuck in, and played some exceptional passing football. His best performance for the club.

Mo Diame: 8 — Played his part in a very tough battle with Newcastle midfielder Tiote. Worked his socks off, and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet late in the game. Probably should have done better with the headed chance, but it’s a good sign that he continues to get in goalscoring positions.

David Jones: 7.5 — Very good performance as the attacking tip of the midfield triangle. Has an eye for a through ball and his left foot provides balance.

Albert Crusat: 6.5 — Looked lively and positive in the first half, with some neat touches and lots of pace. His final pass let him down on several occasions, but looks really promising.

Victor Moses: 7 — What a shame his volley did not go in. He continues to be Latics most dangerous player, but cursed with bad luck. His late crosses should have resulted in goals as well.

Hugo Rodallega: 6 — Worked hard and his build-up play was good, but the team needs him to finish his chances.

Subs:

James McArthur: N/A — Odd choice to come on after the Newcastle goal as he lacks the pace to be much of an attacking threat.

Conor Sammon: N/A — Ran around like a bull in a china shop, his work rate is exceptional. Unfortunately, didn’t have the ball in dangerous areas.

Wigan Athletic – Newcastle: Morale may be low but strongest XI are finally fit

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


Under normal circumstances, this match preview would address a history of relative success against Newcastle with measured optimism. I’d point out our last result at St. James Park (2-2 draw that we should have won), and the fact that Newcastle tend to be in that mid-table pack that has been very much accessible to us in our Premier League years; a much bigger club, but one that tends to let its guard down when minnows like us turn up.

But we won’t discuss such things because these are not normal circumstances. While we’ve slumped to six consecutive defeats and half our supporters are calling for our manager’s head, Newcastle have enjoyed their best start to a season in years. They may not have the glamour of the Shearer, Ginola, Asprilla era, but they look something they haven’t in years — solid. They’ve uncharacteristically invested well, and while Alan Pardew is no rocket scientist he has created an organized, talented and competitive side. Getting rid of Andy Carroll and Joey Barton can’t have hurt the atmosphere in the locker room either — or at the very least halved the team’s collective criminal history. Midfield pair Tiote and Cabaye are one of the most underrated partnerships in the league, while Hatem Ben Arfa, Jonas Gutierrez and Gabriel Obertan offer pace and invention from the wings. Demba Ba has started to click up front after a slow start, and Leon Best, despite always looking thoroughly workmanlike, scores more frequently than our strikers do.  The defense has been playing together for several years and you can tell. If anything, the only possible weak link — the player I would try to expose if I were Roberto — is rejuvenated ex-Wiganer Ryan Taylor, who is doing a job at left back. Steve Bruce used him as a left midfielder and it looks like Pardew has caught on as well. He may lack pace, but if you can keep him on the pitch long enough to take a few set pieces, he can win the match for you.

So while it is very possible Ryan will wreak havoc with his corners and free-kicks, there is at least hope that Victor Moses, and possibly even Hugo Rodallega if he’s down that wing, can get past him without too much fancy footwork and cause some problems.

I don’t anticipate any surprises in the lineup, but will breathe a huge sigh of relief if our strongest back four is finally restored, albeit nine games into the season. In midfield, I imagine Roberto will stick with McCarthy for his tackling ability, despite his poor attacking contributions of late, while Rodallega should be on the pitch from the start on the left wing. The bench too, should look strong. Crusat, Maloney and Sammon offer attacking options, while Dave Jones seems to have leapfrogged James McArthur in the pecking order. Hendry Thomas has been frozen out — a shame, because on his day he is the best tackler at the club. One of last weekend’s villains, Steve Gohouri is the most versatile defender available and worth a bench spot, although Van Aanholt really did little wrong in his appearances and could provide defensive cover. And the old Ronnie-Stam-for-Emmerson-Boyce-after-a-crap-first-half is a Martinez favorite, so he’ll probably be there. My best guess for the starting XI: Al-Habsi; Boyce, Caldwell, Alcaraz, Figueroa; Watson, Diame, McCarthy; Rodallega, Moses, Di Santo.

Results have been bad, but performances have largely been decent. The squad is finally fit. There is of course, plenty to lose, but three points in this forgiving league table would see us to mid-table. Unfortunately, no one else has beaten Newcastle this season and it’s a big ask away from home. But nothing much — except the eradication of mindless defensive mistakes — is expected. The stage is set for our boys to bounce back as they’ve done for us so many times in the past.

Heart says: Massive defensive performance, with a Victor Moses goal, 1-0 Latics.

Mind says: Early lead, eventually crumbling to sustained pressure. 2-1, Magpies.