International breaks continue to disrupt Wigan’s progress – Swansea City 2 Wigan Athletic 1

Posted on October 21, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Swansea City V Wigan Athletic 20 Oct 2012

View from the away end

Wigan were controversially denied a point a the Liberty Stadium on Saturday when Arouna Kone’s header was ruled out for offside. Strikers Pablo Hernandez and Miguel Michu had given the Swans the lead in two second half minutes and Emmerson Boyce quickly pulled a goal back before the referee’s assistant disallowed Latics equaliser.

Wigan’s team of nations travelled to South Wales following the international break and it was soon evident that many of the Latics players were feeling the effects of their international duties and long journeys. Wigan had eight of the starting line up involved in World Cup qualifiers and Maynor Figueroa and Jean Beausejour only returned to England on Friday. In contrast Swansea had very few players on international duty and must have been refreshed by the hiatus in activity.

Wigan’s performance lacked the intensity that they displayed in their last fixture against Everton. They failed to impose their passing game on a Swansea team that was also lacking confidence after a run of five games without a win.

Swansea certainly had an advantage on the day as it was clear that many of the Latics players looked off the pace after their travels. Wigan had produced a similarly poor performance against Manchester United following the last international break.

Roberto Martinez has in the past criticised the international breaks and requested that the Premier League fixtures are put back a day to give the players more time to recover. This would seem a sensible request given the distances that many of the international players have to travel to play for their home nations.

The first half started slowly with both teams tentatively sizing up the opposition and Wigan in particular looking reluctant to get forward and create opportunities. Franco Di Santo was designated to track Swansea playmaker Leon Britton and the Argentinian striker looked particularly uncomfortable in the role. He gave the ball away on numerous occasions and he often looked unclear whether to track Britton or to take up space away from the Swansea defenders. This contributed to a relatively toothless Wigan attack with only Arouna Kone and occasionally Shaun Maloney getting into forward positions.

Swansea created the better chances in the first half with Jonathan De Guzman having a shot saved by Ali Al Habsi and then another fly wide of the goal and Michu should have scored when he headed Wayne Routledge’s cross over the cross-bar. Wigan couldn’t get into their stride and were lucky to go into the half time break level.

The second half started in similar fashion with Swansea dominating possession and creating opportunities at the Wigan end. It was looking only a matter of time before the Swans would take the lead and in the 65th minute they did with Hernandez’s crisp shot on the turn following good work by Wayne Routledge.

Things got worse for Wigan two minutes later when from a corner Michu rose unchallenged at the near post and headed past Al Habsi. It was a poor goal to concede from a defensive point of view. However Wigan did get a goal back two minutes later when Emmerson Boyce spectacularly back flicked the ball into the top corner of the net.

Roberto Martinez did make some tactical changes which nearly swung the game in Wigan’s favour. Franco Di Santo was replaced by Jordi Gomez, Maynor Figueroa by Ben Watson and James McArthur by Mauro Boselli, and Wigan proceeded to dominate possession for the last twenty minutes.

Swansea were looking increasingly uncomfortable as Wigan controlled the ball and camped around the Swansea area. Latics looked to have equalised after Jean Beausejour’s driven cross was headed in by Kone, but the referee’s assistant flagged for offside. It was a marginal decision but the TV replays showed that Kone was level when the ball was crossed.

Swansea did have chances on the break as Wigan pushed for the equaliser but a combination of poor finishing and good work by Al Habsi prevented further goals.

Wigan had a fleeting opportunity to equalise in the dying minutes when Al Habsi went up for a corner and managed to get in a header from a corner but the Swansea keeper Michel Vorm saved the header.

The Swans held on for an important victory, much to the relief of their fans. Latics can only continue to rue the international breaks and hope to get back to winning ways at home to West Ham United next Saturday.

Posted in Arouna Kone, Emmerson Boyce, Miguel Michu, Pablo Hernandez, Swansea City, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Baines makes a point for Everton – Wigan Athletic 2 Everton 2

Posted on October 7, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Leighton Baines

Leighton Baines late penalty draws Everton level

Former Latic Leighton Baines rescued a point for Everton with a late penalty at the DW Stadium on Saturday. Left back Baines rifled home the spot kick on 85 minutes after Maynor Figueroa brought down Kevin Mirallas. Wigan had been on top in the first half with some determined attacking play and had twice taken the lead but on each occasion their lead was clawed back by a strong David Moyes team.

The match started in thrilling fashion with Wigan taking the lead on 10 minutes when Shaun Maloney jinked his way into the Everton box before crossing for Arouna Kone to head home from a yard out. The Everton defenders had a fair shout for offside but the goal was given by referee Kevin Friend.

It did not take long for Everton to equalise however, after a mis hit shot by Steven Pienaar became a great cross for Nikica Jelavić and the Croatian international headed home in clinical fashion.

It was end to end action now and Wigan took the lead on 23 minutes after good work by Kone. The Ivorian powered past the Everton defenders and when he got to the by line he cut the ball back to Franco Di Santo who provided an emphatic finish past Tim Howard.

Everton responded when Leon Osman’s deflected shot was superbly saved by Ali Al Habsi, but Wigan had been the dominant side in the first half with strikers Arouna Kone,  Franco Di Santo and Shaun Maloney proving a handful for the Everton back line, while James McCarthy and James McArthur were winning the majority of battles in midfield.

The half ended in controversy when Marouane Fellaini caught Maynor Figueroa in the face with his arm during an aerial challenge. The Belgian was lucky to stay on the field especially after he had earlier swung a kick at Gary Caldwell in the area, but referee Friend only issued a yellow card.

At half-time David Moyes decided to counter Wigan’s advantage by substituting defender John Heitinga, who was having a torrid time, and replacing him with Sylvain Distin. He also made the tactical decision to drop Fellaini back into midfield to counteract Wigan’s dominance.

Early in the second half Kevin Morallas had a couple of opportunities to draw Everton level when he fired over the bar and then drew a good save from Al Habsi, but Wigan were not to be outdone and only a last-ditch tackle by Phil Jagielka prevented Kone from making it 3-1.

As the game moved towards full-time it was looking as though Wigan had done enough to get the  victory, but after Gary Caldwell looked to have fouled Victor Anichebe the ball broke free and Figueroa brought down Mirallas giving the referee no option but to give a penalty.

It was frustrating for the Latics fans that the former Wigan favourite Baines stepped forward and converted the penalty. Baines has now scored three times against Wigan since transferring to the Toffees. I’m sure that Baines will always be well liked at the DW Stadium but it would be greatly appreciated if he could just stop scoring against us.

In the dying seconds Wigan had a chance to win it when after another typically twisting run by Maloney, his deflected shot looped inches over the cross-bar to deny the home team victory.

Overall it had been a very good performance by Wigan, the level of intensity was an improvement on recent games and this must have been pleasing for manager Roberto Martinez. The forwards are firing and the midfield is combative. If we can tighten up at the back then progress can be made up the table. The result should be regarded as positive given that we were up against an excellent Everton team who will be in contention for a top six spot this season.

Posted in Arouna Kone, Everton, Franco Di Santo, Leighton Baines, Nikica Jelavić, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wigan Athletic Pinterest

Posted on October 5, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Wigan Athletic Team 1970-71

Wigan Athletic Team 1970-71 L-R Ledgard, Temple, Sutherland, Roberts, Reeves, Davies, Morris, Breen, Savage, Coutts, Gillibrand, Milne, Todd, Fleming.

I’ve been experimenting with Pinterest the newish social media application and have decided it’s a great tool for pulling together all my Wigan Athletic images. Effectively Pinterest is a virtual pinboard, it allows you to organise and share all the visual information that you find on the web. You can browse boards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. So it’s ideal for collecting and sharing my Wigan Athletic material.

The Three Amigos with FA Cup

The Three Amigos with FA Cup – Jesus, Bobby and Izzy

I’ve scanned in some of my old images, programme covers, some of Stuart Clarke’s great photographs and linked to player pics and other related stuff.

Take a look at the Wigan Athletic board and let me know what you think.

Posted in Gordon Milne, Isidro Diaz, Jesus Seba, Roberto Martinez, Three amigos, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A frustrating afternoon at SOL – Sunderland 1 Wigan Athletic 0

Posted on September 30, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Stadium of Light badge

Stadium of Light

It can be an uncomfortable experience sitting with the opposition fans when you are supporting your team but this was my lot when Wigan visited the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

A Sunderland supporting friend had offered me a free ticket and given that the tickets for away supporters were £30, it was an offer I couldn’t really refuse.

My seat was on the half way line fairly high up but still a good viewing position, unlike the 400 or so travelling band who had been placed high up in the gods behind the goal.

At least they weren’t to be subjected to the very large and loud Sunderland fan who sat to my left who ranted and raved for most of the game.

Wigan started the better of the two teams and would have taken the lead except for two excellent saves by Sunderland keeper Simon Mignolet.

In the first serious attack Jack Colback gave the ball away in midfield and James McCarthy burst into the Sunderland box but his left footed effort was turned away by the outstretched boot of Mignolet.

Later Maynor Figueroa played a pinpoint pass to Jean Beausejour whose first time cross evaded the Sunderland defenders and with Arouna Kone racing in at the far post he looked odds on to score but the Belgium keeper flung himself to his left and somehow managed to keep the ball out.

Sunderland were struggling to come to terms with Wigan’s fluid football and James McCarthy had a twenty-five yard effort that fizzed by Mignolet’s right hand post.

In between these chances Sunderland did have had a rare opportunity when Seb Larsson’s curling free kick looked to have evaded the Wigan defence but Ivan Ramis cleared off the line.

Alex Ferguson’s favourite referee Howard Webb was having an erratic game and as the game progressed it seemed to me that the Black Cats were getting the majority of decisions in their favour. This was contrary to the loud red fan to my left who vociferously held the opposite view.

Early in the second half the game turned in Sunderland’s favour when Jordi Gomez was sent off for a foul on Danny Rose, from where I was sitting it looked as though Gomez had tried to get the ball but Rose came into the challenge from the side and was caught hard by the Spaniard. It was certainly deserving of a booking but referee Howard Webb issued a straight red card much to the delight of the now boomingly loud red gentleman to my left.

On such decisions games are changed. Roberto Martinez said afterwards that if it was a sending off, then Larsson should have been sent off for a similar challenge later in the game.

The sending off certainly damaged Wigan’s belief that they could win the game. They were clearly unsettled and while trying re-organise Sunderland gained the ascendancy.

Two minutes after the sending off James McClean’s mis-hit shot became a perfect cross for Steven Fletcher who produced a clinical finish for his fifth goal of the season.

It was clear that it was not going to be Wigan’s day when referee Webb failed to see Larsson’s too footed challenge on Kone. Unsurprisingly the red gentleman to my left didn’t think it was even a foul.

Roberto Martinez introduced forwards Ryo Miyachi and Callum McManaman for Emmerson Boyce and James McArthur in a last-ditch effort to grab an equaliser for the ten men but both players struggled to make an impact.

In the final analysis it had been a frustrating afternoon for all Wiganers, the team had created the better chances but had been thwarted by some great goalkeeping and inconsistent refereeing, I only had to contend with 95 minutes from the loud red man mountain.

Posted in Howard Webb, Jordi Gomez, Steven Fletcher, Sunderland, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Is Mauro Boselli now ready for life in the Premier League?

Posted on September 26, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Mauro Boselli

Mauro Boselli

Mauro Boselli grabbed a brace at West Ham United to help fire Wigan Athletic into the last sixteen of the Capital One Cup. Boselli’s clinical finishing made the difference at Upton Park as the Argentinian striker followed up his goal in the last round at Nottingham Forest.

Boselli tapped in from close range after giving Jordan Spence the slip in the 14th minute and later made it 3-1 when he beat the offside trap and then lifted the ball over Henderson from 12 yards with a clever chip.

Wigan’s other goals were scored by Ivan Ramis with a spectacular 25 yard effort and Jordi Gomez who converted a late penalty in the 4-1 win.

Roberto Martinez commented after Tuesday’s win: “He looked strong, he looked very sharp with his build-up play and then that clinical finishing in front of goal.

“I was very, very pleased with his work, it is now a matter of allowing him to settle into the Barclays Premier League. “He had real good opportunity on Saturday and today, he wasn’t afraid to get in good positions to score goals.

“He showed mental strength and how focused he is to be a success this season and to enjoy his football. If he is at his best he will be a real asset for us.”

Since becoming Wigan’s £6.5m record signing from Estudiantes in Argentina, Boselli has struggled to come to terms with the exacting demands of English football and has spent most of the last two seasons loaned out to Genoa in Italy and his former club Estudiantes.

Boselli returned to the DW Stadium at the start of this season but was behind strikers Franco Di Santo and Arouna Kone in the pecking order for a first team place.

He has been a substitute in Wigan’s opening league games but showed his willingness to fight for a first team place when he offered to play as an over age player in the U21’s game against Barnsley. In that game the team were struggling and 3-0 down but two goals by Callum McManaman and a late equaliser by Boselli earned them a 3-3 draw.

His greater commitment and determination are evident this season, but some fans are still unsure whether he has yet fully adapted to the English game. He does not have the physical presence of some strikers and it is a fair to say that his all round play needs improvement.

It is perhaps inevitable that he will not get as many scoring opportunities in England as he got in Argentina but his Capital One Cup exploits should give him the confidence to start scoring in the league.

After his performance on Tuesday night Boselli is now a strong contender for Saturday’s starting line up at Sunderland. His scoring record for Estudiantes was very impressive with 49 goals in 88 games and if he could replicate that kind of form in the Premier League it will make a huge difference to Latics season.

Posted in Argentina, Mauro Boselli, West Ham United, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Berbatov gives Fulham the cutting edge – Wigan Athletic 1 Fulham 2

Posted on September 23, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Arouna Kone grabbed a late consolation goal for Wigan

Arouna Kone grabbed a late consolation goal for Wigan

Wigan once again showed their early season frailty against a Dimitar Berbatov inspired Fulham on Saturday. The home team failed to capitalise on some golden goalscoring opportunities while making silly mistakes in defence.

Berbatov was a major contributor to Wigan’s downfall, the Bulgarian striker was a constant source of inspiration and creativity for the Cottagers.

Roberto Martinez was forced into making several changes to his expected starting line up with injuries to Franco Di Santo, Antolin Alcaraz and James McArthur which meant starts for Jordi Gomez, Ben Watson and Jean Beausejour. Fulham started with Berbatov and former Wigan striker Hugo Rodallega upfront in a positive move by manager Martin Jol.

The match got off to a slow start and the most entertaining moment came when referee Lee Probert was accidentally tackled by Fulham’s Steve Sidwell and then clattered by Wigan’s Ben Watson, much to the amusement of the crowd.

Latics had the perfect chance to take the lead when Maynor Figueroa played a diagonal cross from the left to Emmerson Boyce at the back post but, the wing back headed into the side netting.

As the half wore on it was Fulham’s two new strikers Rodallega and Berbatov who were posing a threat to Wigan’s back line and it was these two who combined for the opening goal.

Berbatov chipped the ball into the six yard box and Rodallega rose high above Gary Caldwell to head home. It was a simple goal but excellently executed by the pair. The Colombian did not celebrate too extravagantly, showing due respect to his former club.

Jordi Gomez did come close to equalising with the half time break approaching when he got on the end of a cross by Beausejour but his powerful effort crashed against the underside of the cross-bar and the ball bounced away to safety.

The match was finely balanced at half time with Wigan having more possession but Fulham holding a slender lead.

Early in the second half Arouna Kone had a glorious chance to draw the sides level. A slide rule pass by Shaun Maloney put Kone through on goal but the normally clinical Ivorian fired straight at Mark Schwarzer.

James McCarthy had another great opportunity when with only Schwarzer to beat he shot from the edge of the box, the Australian keeper parried the ball into the path of substitute Mauro Boselli but the Argentinean somehow contrived to put the ball wide.

Wigan paid the penalty for the missed opportunities when five minutes later sloppy defending allowed substitute Bryan Ruiz to play in Damien Duff and the Irishman finished clinically from ten years out.

Wigan were totally dominating possession and pressing forward to get a foothold in the game but Fulham inevitably defended in-depth with even Rodallega dropping back to act as an extra defender.

Roberto Martinez brought on forwards Ryo Miyachi and Callum McManaman for Caldwell and Boyce in a desperate attempt to get back into the game, but despite several good attacking runs by McManaman and Miyachi it was only in the 88th minute that Wigan managed to pull a goal back from Kone. The striker took the ball down on his chest and hit a low volley through a crowd of players which beat the despairing dive of Schwarzer.

Wigan had huffed and puffed all afternoon they had dominated possession 64% to Fulham’s 36% and had 19 goal attempts to Fulham’s 13. They had created some great opportunities but failed to finish, whereas Fulham had been more clinical in front of goal.

In Dimitar Berbatov Fulham had the most outstanding talent on the pitch, his deft touches, creative passing and eye for the goal made life very difficult for Wigan. His signing from Manchester United could be one of the bargains of the season. He will score many goals for Fulham this season but he will also contribute by creating numerous opportunities for his colleagues.

Posted in Arouna Kone, Dimitar Berbatov, Fulham, Hugo Rodallega, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

International Air Miles do Wigan no favours at Old Trafford – Manchester United 4 Wigan Athletic 0

Posted on September 15, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Maynor Figueroa

Maynor Figueroa – one of the few Wigan successes at Old Trafford

Manchester United cruised to victory with four second half goals against a Wigan team who looked well off the pace after travelling for two rounds of international matches.  Once upon a time Latics didn’t have internationals in their line up but now most of the squad are committed to playing for their countries all over the world.

United never really needed to get out of third gear as Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs were given far too much freedom in midfield and the Wigan defence returned to the blunders of early last season.

Wigan were without defender Antolin Alcaraz who was injured playing for Paraguay, so Maynor Figueroa slotted into the back three. Jean Beausejour returned as wing back. United started with Robin Van Persie on the bench and gave a debut to Alex Buttner at full back.

The first half started in controversial fashion when in the 7th minute Danny Welbeck went down on the right hand side of the Wigan box after Ali Al Habsi raced out to close him down. The keeper made minimal contact with Welbeck but referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot. Justice was done however, when Al Habsi guessed right and saved Javier Hernandez’s tamely hit penalty kick.

Overall the first half was closely fought with Wigan matching United in most departments. Danny Welbeck and Nani had half chances for United but Wigan had their own chances through Emmerson Boyce and Arouna Kone. Kone in particular should have done better when Jean Beausejour’s cross was deflected into his path but the Ivorian mis-kicked and the chance was lost.

The second half was a torrid affair for the Latics as they gifted United the three points with a series of defensive blunders.

United’s first goal was the result of a mistake by the normally reliable Omani keeper Al Habsi. On 51 minutes Nani’s low cross shot was spilled by Al Habsi into the path of Paul Scholes who couldn’t really miss from six yards out.

United went 2-0 ahead 12 minutes later when Giggs and Buttner combined well and Buttner crossed for Hernandez to score, he initially looked offside but Boyce hadn’t got back into position and was playing the Mexican on-side.

The setback was compounded soon afterwards when Buttner was too easily allowed to make progress down the by line beating four Wigan defenders in the process and getting in a shot which Al Habsi somehow allowed to beat him at the near post.

Robin Van Persie replaced Paul Scholes in the 70th minute and Ryan Giggs gave way to debutant Nick Powell with United already well in control. Van Persie had a great chance to make it four soon afterwards but Gary Caldwell did enough to put him off his stride and prevent a goal.

Nick Powell did make it four on 82 minutes after some more shambolic Wigan defending gifted him the opportunity. The Latics defence had just broken down another United attack but McCarthy casually gave the ball away in his own box and Hernandez pulled the ball back for Powell who drove the ball powerfully past Al Habsi.

Wigan’s usually effective midfield of James McCarthy, Shaun Maloney and James McArthur had one of their most disappointing days as they struggled close down their opponents and or to build any kind of attacking momentum.

As the game progressed towards the final whistle Wigan’s play grew more ragged and the players looked tired and weary. Wigan’s international players had travelled thousands of miles to play in the World Cup qualifiers and their sojourns had clearly taken their toll. Roberto Martinez has criticised the timing of the internationals and it was clear from this performance that Wigan had suffered because of them.

Martinez knows that there is another international break due next month. He believes that there should be a longer recovery time before you play your next game. The 48 hours before a game is insufficient time to recover for many of the Wigan players who have to travel long distances often representing countries in Central or South America.

It is fair to say that Manchester United players also have to contend with international duties but United have much greater strength in-depth and they can afford to rotate their players more often than Martinez.

Old Trafford is an intimidating venue but on this occasion United didn’t have to be at their best to beat an under-performing Wigan team who produced a catalogue of defensive errors.  All Wigan fans will know that we are capable of much better. It is to be hoped that by next weekend the international break will have been forgotten and that they will put in a much improved performance and result against Fulham.

Posted in Alex Buttner, Javier Hernandez, Manchester United, Maynor Figueroa, Nick Powell, Paul Scholes, Roberto Martinez, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Early days for online football predictions service Betegy

Posted on September 10, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Betegy - a new online service for football predictions

Betegy – a new online service for football predictions

I have been asked by the guys at Best British Bloggers to take a look at the new football predictions and betting site Betegy. The online service is due to launch later this month and has the potential to revolutionise the football betting environment. Betegy analyzes statistical data and the latest news in order to calculate the latest best odds for its users when they bet on results of football matches.

It uses a special algorithm to process and evaluate a variety of relevant statistical indicators such as results of previous matches, current league positions, goals scored etc.

Betegy covers the five most popular European leagues: England’s Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga, La Liga in Spain, Italy’s Lega Serie A, and Ligue 1 in France.

Within the last German Bundesliga season Betegy predicted 71% of the results of all matches, for Euro 2012 the accuracy for all matches was 58%, in general Betegy expects an 80% success rate.

I tried out Betegy for the English Premier League programme on the weekend of 1st & 2nd September and unfortunately the predictions weren’t as accurate as I would of hoped. In fact they only got one of the results correct, Manchester City to beat QPR, all the others ended differently than the predictions. To be fair the City win was a Betegy recommended bet, and the overall accuracy for the recommended bets across the five European leagues for the weekend was 75%.

Although Betegy is only in Beta testing phase it already integrates with the social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. On Facebook you can keep track of your favourite teams in each league and share stats with your friends and followers.

Compared to some other betting advisory services, Betegy is a social and relatively easy to use online service. Premium users are provided with detailed predictions for each match during a season and advice on how to bet aligned with their individual betting strategies. The plan is to constantly update the algorithm to ensure that the user is supplied with the most precise predictions available.

It is still early days for the service, with the launch later this month, the accuracy rate in the English Premier League will have to be improved.

Betegy claims that it can forecast the result of a football match with up to 80% probability of success. If they can achieve this success rate football fans everywhere will be flocking to sign up and place their bets.

Posted in Betegy, Bundesliga, English Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Football versus hoofball ends in stalemate – Wigan Athletic 2 Stoke City 2

Posted on September 1, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Wigan Athletic and Stoke City line up at the DW stadium

Wigan Athletic and Stoke City line up at the DW stadium

Wigan made one change to the line up which won at Southampton last weekend when the suspended Antolin Alcaraz missed out. Maynor Figueroa dropped into the back three and Jean Beausejour came in at wing back. Stoke were still smarting from their Capital One Cup exit at home to Swindon Town but they had the bonus of new transfer deadline day signings Charlie Adam and Maurice Edu on the bench.

To say that Wigan and Stoke have contrasting styles of play is an understatement. Wigan like to get the ball down and pass it around while retaining possession. Stoke have a different way, they prefer the long ball, the high ball, in fact any high ball which goes via the stratosphere onto Peter Crouch’s head. The difference in approaches could not be more pronounced. For the opening 40 minutes it was the Latics who dominated possession, the tiki-taka, the pass and move made it impossible for the Stoke players to get a foothold in the game.

The Latics zipped the ball around and denied their opponents early touches. After only 5 minutes Robert Huth gifted Wigan a penalty when he handled James McCarthy’s shot in the area and Scottish international Shaun Maloney confidently converted the spot kick.

Given the boost of an early lead Wigan took control. They looked to have secured another penalty on fifteen minutes, when Franco Di Santo appeared to be sandwiched by Ryan Shawcross and Andy Wilkinson, but Martin Atkinson turned away the Latics players appeals.

Wigan should have doubled their lead soon afterwards when Arouna Kone missed a great opportunity after Emmerson Boyce had looped Di Santo’s centre back across the six-yard area.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis encourages his often large and physical players to out jump their opponents and impose themselves physically. Set pieces, throw ins and corners are their bread and butter. So it is somewhat surprising that the Potters have signed Charlie Adam from Liverpool, a creative midfielder who can pass it short as well as long. He was introduced on 36 minutes, when Wilkinson was withdrawn with head injury, in an attempt to stem the tide of Wigan attacks. Adam was soon being encouraged to knock it long by the increasingly loud and animated Pulis.

Somewhat against the run of play, the largest man on the pitch, Peter Crouch won a penalty in the 40th minute when his heavy touch ricocheted off Maynor Figueroa’s arm and referee Atkinson awarded a penalty. Jonathan Walters calmly dispatched the penalty past Ali Al Habsi.

Wigan had dominated the opening half producing some stylish football in the process but they were clearly frustrated to go into the break on level terms.

The second half started in lively fashion with Michael Kightly driving a shot into Al Habsi’s arms, but Wigan continued to attack and after Arouna Koné had just failed to find the right pass after a run into the area, Emmerson Boyce struck an effort just wide of the right hand post.

In the 49th minute Wigan took the lead when a good break by Kone appeared to have ended but the Ivorian picked out Di Santo with an neat pass and for the second week running the Argentinean coolly found the back of the net.

Stoke rallied and began to impose their physical game launching high balls into the Wigan penalty area. Another six footer Cameron Jerome was thrown on to bolster the line as Kightly was withdrawn.

Inevitably it was Crouch who then provided the equaliser with 14 minutes remaining, leaping to nod in Walters’ cross after Emmerson Boyce switched off to a quick thrown in.

Al Habsi produced a full length save to deny substitute Cameron Jerome, before pulling off one of the saves of the season when he kept out Adam’s free-kick after it deflected off Gary Caldwell.

The final minutes were end-to-end stuff and the home fans cried out for another penalty as Shawcross tackled Wigan substitute Ryo Miyaichi in the box, but Atkinson once again waved away appeals. A point for both sides takes Wigan up to 7th and Stoke to 10th in the league table.

Two extremely different styles of football, but I know which I would prefer to watch every week. I’m also going to stick my neck out and say that Wigan’s brand of football will enable them to finish higher up the table than the Potters this season.

Posted in Franco Di Santo, Jonathan Walters, Peter Crouch, Shaun Maloney, Stoke City, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wigan’s team spirit shines through – Southampton 0 Wigan Athletic 2

Posted on August 26, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Arouna Kone

Arouna Kone scored on his full debut. Photo by Action Images/ Lee Smith

Wigan produced an impressive team performance to overcome newly promoted Southampton at St Mary’s. The Latics had Arouna Kone making his full debut replacing the newly departed Victor Moses who had completed his £9m move to Chelsea on Friday.

It was the Saints first home match since their 27 year reign in the top flight was ended in May 2005.

In a dour and relatively unremarkable first half it was Southampton who went closest to scoring when Adam Lallana hit a rasping 25 yarder but his effort was excellently turned onto the bar by Ali Al Habsi.

The teams went into the interval evenly matched. But early in the second half the match sprung into life.

Rickie Lambert – who scored 27 goals in the Championship for Southampton last season – forced Al Habsi into a good save from a header before Franco Di Santo opened the scoring for Wigan a minute later.

The Argentine striker ran onto an incisive through-ball by the diminutive Shaun Maloney and powered his shot into the roof of the Saints net from an acute angle.

Wigan then had another good opportunity when Maynor Figueroa put in a good low cross but Kone was unable to make contact.

Southampton counter attacked and Lambert had another good attempt from 25 yards saved by Al Habsi. Later Jos Hooiveld headed onto bar but Wigan had by then established a grip on the game and were dominating possession.

The pre season hard work was paying dividends as they went on a passing spree, moving the ball from side to side and in neat training ground interchanges.

For long periods the Saints just couldn’t get near the ball.

Kone had a great chance to double the lead when he slid in on goal but his side footed effort went just inches wide of the right hand post.

Jordi Gomez on for Di Santo had a good shot from the edge of the box well saved by Davis.

However, the result was sealed in the 89th minute when Jose Fonte was dispossessed by Kone on the half way line and the Ivorian raced in on goal before coolly slotting past Kelvin Davis.

At the end the game the Latics fans sang “Welcome to the Premier League” to the Saints fans. The result provided a harsh warning to Southampton about the realities of Premier League football.

It was an accomplished team performance by Roberto Martinez’s men and an indicator of the good things to come for Wigan this season.

Posted in Arouna Kone, Franco Di Santo, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment