Wigan lose out to buoyant Baggies – Wigan Athletic 1 West Bromwich Albion 2

Posted on November 10, 2012 by ianhaspinall

Wigan failed to capitalise on their recent run of good form with a close fought home defeat to a resilient West Bromwich Albion. Throughout the 95 minutes Wigan had the majority of possession but the Baggies secured the three points with some ruthless counter attacking.

Wigan confidently controlled the first 30 minutes with some great passing but without  creating any clear goalscoring chances. West Brom had been pegged back in their own defensive third and were denied the opportunity to get on the ball.

But against the run of play it was the Baggies who took the lead on 31 minutes when James Morrison met a powerful whipped cross by Chris Brunt to head past Ali Al Habsi.

This was a shock to Wigan who had seemingly been in control, but things got worse on 43 minutes when Billy Jones cross cum shot was deflected into his own net via Wigan captain Gary Caldwell.

The home side did show good resilience by pulling a goal back one minute later when Jean Beausejour produced a good low cross to the far post and Arouna Kone slotted home.

The quick response augured well for the second half, particularly as Wigan had been the dominant force. But the second half did not pan out as the Wigan fans might have hoped. It was a frustrating second period for the Latics and despite once again having the greater possession they failed to capitalise on their opportunities.

Wigan did have good opportunities when Franco Di Santo superbly set up Shaun Maloney, but from a central position the Scottish midfielder fired over the cross-bar. Then probably the best opportunity came when Jean Beausejour’s cross found Di Santo unmarked but the Argentine striker only headed the ball into team-mate Kone and over the bar.

West Brom continued to pose a threat on the counter attack and Ali Al Habsi produced a world-class save to tip Lukaku’s attempt from 12 yards over the bar.

Despite a frantic final five minutes, as Wigan desperately searched for the equaliser, the  Baggies held on to take all three points and move up to fifth place in the Premier League table. This is probably the best West Brom team seen at the DW stadium in recent years and if they continue to play in this fashion they will not be far away from a Europa Cup spot.

Overall West Brom had been resilient in defence and ruthless on the counter attack whereas Wigan had the greater possession but just lacked the killer touch. Wigan fans should not be too despondent however, as they will not come up against a team in such great form every week.

Posted in Arouna Kone, Billy Jones, James Morrison, WBA, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Martinez’s men impress at White Hart Lane – Tottenham Hotspur 0 Wigan Athletic 1

Posted on November 3, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Ben Watson Wigan Athletic

Ben Watson gets a vital winner at Spurs

All the pundits expect Wigan to be struggling against relegation and Spurs challenging for a Champions League place but on this performance you would be forgiven for thinking that each team’s prospects could be reversed. Wigan were the more authoritative throughout and should have been at least two goals ahead before at half time although they did get their just deserts on 55 minutes when Ben Watson got the winner from a corner.

Roberto Martinez tactically out thought the Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas (AVB) from the kick off. Spurs never got to grips with Wigan’s flexible formation. Wing backs Jean Beausejour and Emmerson Boyce nullified the attacking threat of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon. The away team got on the ball and denied their opponents the space to play their normal attacking game.

The much maligned Ben Watson was drafted into the side to replace the injured James McArthur and he produced an accomplished passing display against so-called superior opponents. Arouna Kone was a constant threat to the Spurs defence and on another day might have scored two or three goals. He was at the heart of many of Wigan’s best moves, on 27 minutes he played a great one-two with Franco Di Santo on the edge of the box but his powerful shot was too near to Brad Friedel.

On 33 minutes after a darting run, he played in Shaun Maloney but with only Friedel to beat the Scotsman fired straight at the keeper. Shortly before half time Kone got to the by line and dragged the ball back for Maloney, who stepped over the ball, and Watson fired over from the edge of the box.

Wigan had the upper hand and should have been two or three goals ahead before the break. In contrast, Spurs attackers rarely got beyond Wigan’s back line or stretched keeper Ali Al Habsi.

Spurs may have been missing the attacking threat of Moussa Dembele in central midfield but in theory they have much greater strength in-depth than Wigan. It will be surprising to some that the Latics played with a greater intensity than the home team.

Wigan’s winner came on 55 minutes from Maloney’s corner, when under pressure from Kone, the Spurs keeper Freidel could only push the ball out to Watson who side footed home from seven yards out.

AVB did have the opportunity to change things around when they went a goal down, but instead of going with two strikers, he only replaced his top scorer Jermain Defoe with Emmanuel Adeybayor.

As Spurs got more desperate they did manage to get some good crosses into the box but only once looked likely to score when James McCarthy cleared Steven Caulker’s goal-bound header off the line.

Wigan looked dangerous on the counter attack as Spurs went to three at the back. Maynor Figueroa fizzed a free-kick narrowly over Friedel’s cross-bar and Jordi Gomez, on for Di Santo, had a couple of half chances.

The final result was a fair reflection of the afternoon’s proceedings and will be especially pleasing to Wigan fans who suffered the ignominy of a 9-1 beating in 2009.

Spurs were booed off at the end but Wigan’s players should get full credit for a deserved victory. In previous weeks Roberto Martinez’s team have been producing some good performances without always getting the results. This latest performance shows that the team are clearly capable of establishing themselves in a mid-table position.

Posted in Andre Villas Boas, Ben Watson, Spurs, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Wigan’s fringe players disappoint in shock cup exit – Wigan Athletic 0 Bradford City 0 aet (Bradford win 4-2 on pens)

Posted on October 31, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Bradford City players celebrate

Bradford City players celebrate – photograph by Claire Epton http://www.capturedbyclaire.wordpress.com

Wigan Athletic slipped out of the Capital One Cup with a shock defeat on penalties to Division 2 Bradford City. After David Jones and Ben Watson had converted their spot kicks, Shaun Maloney fired over the bar and Jordi Gomez had his effort saved by Bradford keeper Duke.

Roberto Martinez made nine changes from Saturday’s win against West Ham United with only Ali Al Habsi and Ivan Ramis retaining their places. It was a calculated risk by the manager but most independent observers would expect Wigan’s squad players to have enough to overcome a Division 2 side. It was a disappointing performance by Wigan’s fringe players, despite dominating possession and creating many good chances they were profligate in front of goal. An early header by Ivan Ramis was disallowed for a marginal offside, Mauro Boselli wasted several good scoring chances and Jordi Gomez missed a golden opportunity when he had one on one with keeper Duke in extra time.

Overall Wigan’s play in the final third was ineffective. Roni Stam making a rare appearance in place of Emmerson Boyce wasted several good attacking plays by over hitting his crosses and the other wing back debutant Daniel Redmond rarely got into attacking positions.

Bradford rarely threatened until the latter stages and the game should have been well beyond them before that time. But full credit should be given to the hard-working Division Two outfit who defended manfully and stuck to their task through extra time and penalties.

The Bantams had a great following on the night and sold out their full allocation of 5,000 tickets however only around 6,500 Wigan fans decided to turn out for the game. There are no easy excuses for Wigan’s shock exit but it was desperately disappointing to see such a low home following despite the prospect of a good cup run.

Nearly 15,000 home fans turned out for the home fixture against West Ham at the DW Stadium but less than 7,000 decided to return on the Tuesday night. In the past I have been a staunch defender of Wigan’s crowds, as we have a 19,000 average crowd in a small town of 80,000 people which is a reasonable return, but you would expect a much better crowd for such a Cup game.

Clearly the Capital One Cup is not a priority in comparison to our Premier League status, but this was great opportunity to progress to the last eight of the competition. The club had made the game financially attractive by offering tickets at a bargain £10 but many fans did not see fit to take up the offer.

Bradford’s vociferous following certainly helped their team throughout and the longer the game went on the louder they became. If the Wigan fans had turned up in significant numbers this might have swayed the game in our favour. Surely some food for thought for all true Latics fans.

Posted in Bradford City, Jordi Gomez, Shaun Maloney, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wigan’s quality makes for unhappy Hammers – Wigan Athletic 2 West Ham United 1

Posted on October 28, 2012 by ianhaspinall
Ivan Ramis

Ivan Ramis – Magnificent left footed volley

Wigan went into this fixture without a home victory and West Ham on a fine run of form but it was the Latics who emerged triumphant. The home team controlled the game and should have won by more goals and it was only in the dying minutes that the Hammers scored a late consolation goal.

The game started with West Ham trying to unsettle Wigan with high balls to target man Andy Carroll, but it was home team who took an early lead on eight minutes with a magnificent strike by Ivan Ramis.

Ramis had turned down the chance to sign for the Hammers, so this top quality goal must have been especially galling for their fans.

The early goal gave Wigan a confidence boost and they proceeded to boss proceedings with a typically slick passing display. James McCarthy’s long-range effort tested Jussi Jääskeläinen and soon after Maynor Figueroa’s excellent diagonal pass set up Boyce who fed Maloney and the Scotsman’s strike was deflected wide. From the resulting corner Beausejour’s goal bound shot was headed away by Carroll.

West Ham did have a rare opportunity when Matt Jarvis’s curling cross evaded the Wigan defenders and Yossi Benayoun in the six yard box but Ali Al Habsi managed to make a last-ditch save.

Wigan were well on top, they were more comfortable on the ball and worked tenaciously to win the ball back when they did lose possession. The two Macs, McArthur and McCarthy and Shaun Maloney were back to their best. The returning Momo Diame, Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble were given no freedom in the midfield.

Arouna Kone was a constant threat to the Hammers back line and the often under rated Jean Beausejour had a part to play in both of Wigan’s goals. His well-directed corner on eight minutes found Ivan Ramis who produced a top quality finish. Then early in the second half after a poor clearance by Jääskeläinen, the Chilean midfielder found Franco Di Santo and then played in Shaun Maloney who fed James McArthur to fire in an unstoppable second goal from fifteen yards.

It was an impeccable team performance but my Man of the Match was Maynor Figueroa who hardly a foot wrong throughout. He won just about every challenge and played some great forward passes.

£35m on-loan striker Andy Carroll had a disappointing game but he did have a golden opportunity to pull a goal back mid way through the second half yet he failed to connect with George McCartney’s cross from only eight yards out.

Wigan’s controlled passing denied West Ham access to the ball and it was only from set pieces that the Hammer’s posed a threat.

West Ham had their best effort on target in the 92nd minute when James Tomkins effort was deflected onto the crossbar by Gary Caldwell and then in the  94th minute Tomkins headed a consolation goal from McCartney’s cross.

In his post match analysis Sam Allardyce accepted that his team were completely outplayed. Tactically Roberto Martinez had out-thought the West Ham manager and Wigan were by far the more cultured outfit. They had controlled the tempo of the game and their stylish football had prevailed over Big Sam’s long ball tactics.

Posted in Ivan Ramis, James McArthur, James Tomkins, Roberto Martinez, Sam Allardyce, West Ham United, Wigan Athletic | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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