Let's Hang On

City defeat and nine cup finals ahead

Posted on March 9, 2011 by ianhaspinall

Another Wigan chance goes abegging

Wigan deserved at least a point from Saturday’s game at Manchester City, but yet again it ended in heroic defeat for the Latics. Wigan matched their wealthy neighbours throughout and if it was not for an uncharacteristic goalkeeping error by Ali Al Habsi we would all be celebrating.

The first half was fairly even, with City probably creating the greater number of chances although James McCarthy had an excellent opportunity to score for Wigan. The City goal came as a result of some indecisive defending. Wigan backed off David Silva and as he moved towards goal Lopez slipped allowing him the freedom to get in his shot, Al Habsi was in a good position but inexplicably let the ball through his hands, legs and over the line.

The second half was all Wigan and even the most biased City supporters would accept that City had a lucky escape. Wigan dominated possession for long periods and expertly moved the ball from side to side alternating the point of attack and creating numerous chances. Alcaraz struck a post from Watson’s corner, Hart made a smart save from McCarthy’s piledriver and Rodallega shot tamely from an excellent scoring position. Then in the final seconds substitute Conor Sammon making his debut shot wide when he looked odds-on to score. The sense of frustration from the Wigan supporters behind the goal was all too evident.

Nine Cup Finals

Wigan still sit bottom of the league and now have nine ‘cup finals’ to redeem themselves. Four home games against Birmingham, Tottenham, Everton and West Ham and five away games at Chelsea, Blackpool, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Stoke, does not look an easy run in. Many pundits have speculated about the number of points required to stay up this season. Four wins and a draw from the remaining games would take us to 40 points, but this may not be enough and a target of 41 or even 42 may be required.

Wigan are currently in a training camp at La Manga in Spain and have two weeks rest and recuperation before the Birmingham game, this period could be crucial for Roberto Martinez to gather his troops and prepare his strategy for staying up.

Will he adjust his formation for the remaining games and adopt a more positive approach, for example 4-4-2 with possibly Rodallega teaming up with Sammon, or will he persist with his current approach of one central attacker? I personally would like to see him use Sammon and Rodallega against Birmingham, although I would not necessarily expect the same formation against Spurs. Whatever team he selects it is certainly a time for all of us, the Manager, the team and the supporters to be brave. As Roberto says ‘Sin Miedo’ (Without Fear).

Posted in Manchester City, Wigan Athletic | 1 Comment

Whelan makes pledge for the future

Posted on March 6, 2011 by ianhaspinall

Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan

Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan has spoken about the clubs finances following the audit report this week that revealed an operating loss of £4 million, with the auditors suggesting that the club could go under without his financial backing, Whelan says that he will ensure that the Latics will survive.

At 74 Whelan realises that he won`t be around forever to keep the club afloat, speaking to ESPN, he says that he will pass the club on but only to the right person.

Whelan states that he loves football and he loves the Latics and that`s why he will keep funding the club up as long as possible.

Whelan said: “There are no worries about the club surviving while I’m around’

‘The trouble is I might not be around for much longer, as I’m pushing 75. If it means being around to prop up the club for the next three to five years, then so be it, but I am looking to pass the club on.

‘When I say pass it on, I mean give it away, yes. But I will only give it away to the right person. I remember when Sir Jack Hayward gave away his beloved Wolves for £50, and I will do the same with Wigan, but the right person would have to love this club and keep it going and show me that he can do that.

‘As it stands, there is no danger to this club, I’ll see to that, but we cannot post losses – it has to run on business lines, it has to live within its means. The bottom line though is that, while I cannot go on forever, there is no chance of this club being sold to just anybody. It will have to be the right person for the right reasons.

‘The accounts say that I am propping up the club personally and they are probably right! Why do I continue to do this? Well, I love football, and I love this club.

‘I earned my first pound note playing football, and I owe it to football to keep Wigan alive.’

Whatever league Wigan are in next season, Whelan’s reign can only be regarded as a major success, promotion to the Premier League seemed an impossible dream when he took over in 1995. A long stay in the Prem and a 25,000 capacity seater seemed like a fantasy scenario back then.

Whelan has sometimes been criticised by the fans for his motives, but Wiganers cannot deny that he massively contributed to the Wigan Athletic success story. When he leaves the club he will have left the club with a great legacy and the fans should thank him for that.

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Shaun Goater’s handball and our friend Stuart Attwell

Posted on March 3, 2011 by ianhaspinall

Shaun Goater

Stuart Attwell

Latics visit Eastlands on Saturday evening for a high-profile fixture against one of the wealthiest clubs in world football. Manchester City currently lie third in the table and Wigan are now rock bottom. City’s lavishly assembled team of superstars will make it difficult for us, but there may also be other factors that come into play.

Back in May 1999 Wigan lost to Manchester City in the Second Division play-offs due to a poor refereeing decision – a blatant handball by the City striker Shaun Goater. The reason I mention this is that after the Rooney/Clattenburg fiasco last week we now have to contend with another referee with a reputation for making bizarre decisions.

Stuart Attwell is refereeing the game despite controversy in the fixture last year. Last season’s fixture resulted in Roberto Martinez being fined and warned as to his future conduct after criticising Attwell’s performance in Latics’ 3-0 defeat. Roberto was incensed by the second-half sending off of Gary Caldwell for a tackle on Carlos Tevez and later accused Attwell of lying over the reasons for the dismissal.

Martinez commented at the time, “We are all human beings and we all make mistakes, but to give a decision after something you don’t see, that is lying, you are making it up,”

“He said he saw Gary Caldwell with both feet off the ground. That’s why he gave the red card. But Gary Caldwell only went with one foot. That is a real injustice.”

It was a rare outburst from Martinez and it cost him £2,250 as the FA hit him with a fine.

Attwell was also involved in the famous ghost goal, when he awarded a goal to Reading against Watford, despite the ball being four yards wide of the goal post.

Wigan didn’t have any luck in the 1999 play off semi final when Goater handled the ball, so maybe it is time for fortune to favour us and a certain Mr. Attwell to perform his duties impeccably.

Posted in Manchester City, Wigan Athletic | 2 Comments

Rooney’s elbow

Posted on March 3, 2011 by ianhaspinall

Football matches are rarely short of talking points but Saturday’s match against Manchester United had more than most. United are probably the best team in England at the moment and look likely to win the Premier league title, but the game highlighted some disturbing decision-making by the match officials, the United staff and subsequently by the FA.

Wigan started the game briskly and put United on the back foot. Only eight minutes into the game and the petulant Wayne Rooney committed a very serious offence. James McCarthy stepped into Rooney’s path and as he did so Rooney lashed out with his elbow into the side of McCarthy’s head.

The Referee Mark Clattenburg saw the offence and those who had seen it expected Rooney to be sent off. However Clattenburg inexplicably, did not send off or even book Rooney, but just put his arm around him and said some ‘kind’ words.

If Clattenburg really saw ‘Rooney’s elbow’ then under the rules of the game it is a straight red card offence. If he didn’t see it, he should have consulted his linesman or the fourth official, and if no official saw it he should have re-started the game with a drop ball.

Subsequent TV and photographic evidence clearly shows the incident and Rooney clearly commits a red card offence. Most independent viewers have agreed that Rooney should have been sent off. However, following the game Mike Phelan was interviewed on Match of the Day and refused to accept that Rooney had dangerously used his elbow. He even suggested that there was a witch hunt against Rooney by the media. When will managers and their assistants admit that there players have committed serious offences especially when they can be as dangerous as the Rooney’s assault on James McCarthy? Why do they defend the indefensible?

The incident wasn’t the only time that the referee protected Manchester United, there were several fouls that Clattenburg preferred to ignore and one in particular by Paul Scholes, once again on James McCarthy, that deserved at least a booking. From my seat in the centre of the West Stand it seemed to me that Clattenburg was constantly looking to the United bench and Alex Ferguson in particular for approval of his decisions. I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but it did seem that Clattenburg was very concerned not to upset Fergy.

The final frustration in this affair is that the FA have subsequently failed to punish Rooney with a ban. All the TV and photographic evidence shows that Rooney was guilty. Roberto Martinez has said, if it was a Wigan player he would have been sent off and facing a long suspension. What message does this send to the other clubs, supporters and the public at large?

By the way, United went on to win the game 4-0, Rooney created the first two goals and scored the third.

Posted in Manchester United, Wayne Rooney, Wigan Athletic | Leave a comment

Big day, big team, big result?

Posted on February 25, 2011 by ianhaspinall

Phoenix Stand by Stuart Roy Clarke

Another massive game tomorrow – Wigan Athletic v Manchester United – one of the biggest teams in world football against little Wigan.

United are as usual the big favourites, our form against United since getting into the Prem is less than impressive. They have won all 12 games against Wigan in all competitions scoring 37 goals & conceding just 4. Oh dear, it doesn’t look very promising for us. However, despite Man Utd’s incredible history, players, and of course money – I’m ‘stupidly’ going to go for a Wigan win.

Perhaps it’s just the desperation of a fan who wants his team to continue to compete with the big boys in the big league, but I honestly think that we can spring a surprise tomorrow. Roberto Martinez is a hard-working manager who has always has been positive in his approach and he deserves to be rewarded for his endeavours. With a bit of luck, the new pitch and a ‘fair’ referee we can do it.

Posted in Roberto Martinez, Wigan Athletic | Tagged Manchester United | Leave a comment

Some of the main characters and a small matter of Liverpool FC

Posted on February 11, 2011 by ianhaspinall

A busy week for Wigan Athletic with lots of positives following the Blackburn result. James McCarthy receiving media attention following his two goals and his possible international switch between the Republic of Ireland and Scotland. Dave Whelan announces that he will be writing off £50 million pounds of debt from the club and Roberto Martinez giving a frank and informative briefing to the fans.

James McCarthy

James McCarthy only recently returned from a long lay off from injury but has quickly re-established himself in the side with some outstanding performances. Three goals in his last three games has made a significant difference to our results and his all round play has been top-notch. If he continues to perform at this level he will be invaluable in the relegation dogfight. The performances have not gone unnoticed by the Republic of Ireland and Scotland who are vying for his long-term international future. Whichever country he decides to go with will have a gained top player many years to come.

Dave Whelan

Dave Whelan has been much maligned by some members of our fan base. Many, young and some not so young, fans do not understand the economics of modern football. When Whelan purchased Wigan when they were in the bottom tier of English football in 1995 and he has since presided over their climb through the divisions, as well as overseeing the construction of the DW Stadium. Now he is ready to write off £50 million as he seeks to ensure Wigan are free of debt in advance of his eventual handover of the club.

Whelan says his time as Wigan chairman will be coming to a close in “two or three years’ time” and he is determined to clear the club’s debt before relinquishing his ownership. In order to do so, he will turn £50 million owed to him into equity.

Without Dave Whelan’s investment it is very unlikely that Wigan would be in the Premier League or survived there for the last five seasons. Whelan may have his faults but the great work he has done for Wigan Athletic should never be forgotten.

Roberto Martinez

This week Manager Roberto Martinez, Chief Executive Jonathan Jackson and Head of Media Ed Jones, attended a question and answer session with the fans websites. Roberto gave an intriguing insight into his thinking and his plan’s for the club. Some of the key points to emerge were:

Youth development will be key to the Manager’s plans. The team had the youngest average age for outfield players in the Premier League against Blackburn.
According to Roberto relegation is not going to happen. The next 5 games are, on paper, extremely difficult, but he’s looking at the number we will get over the next 12. He believes if we can keep everybody fit we will be okay.
A big problem for the Latics in recent years has been the lazy, negative coverage of the club by the media, which Martinez admits can sometimes have a detrimental effect on the players.
On the subject of the rapidly deteriorating pitch, Martinez says the pitch can hurt us just as much as other teams. Injuries can happen much more easily on a bad pitch.
A small, but very vocal, minority of fans have called for Martinez to be sacked. Yet Roberto prefers fans expressing their disappointment towards him, rather than taking it out on the players.

Liverpool FC
Liverpool away is never the easiest of fixtures, but since Kenny Dalglish took over their good form has gone to another level. Four wins on the trot and their last result was an away win at Champions Chelski.

I’m expecting a difficult game, but if Wigan can continue their improved form, I’m hoping we can secure a point towards our aim of staying in Prem.

Posted in Dave Whelan, James McCarthy, Liverpool, Roberto Martinez, Wigan Athletic | Tagged Dave Whelan, James McCarthy, Liverpool, Roberto Martinez, Wigan Athletic | Leave a comment

A win at last – Wigan Athletic 4 Blackburn Rovers 3

Posted on February 6, 2011 by ianhaspinall

An immense performance by Wigan Athletic as they overcame an excellent Blackburn Rovers at the DW Stadium. The match started with Rovers playing some slick attacking football and showed why they had made good progress under Steve Kean. In fact it was not long before they scored through ex Wigan favourite Jason Roberts. Wigan would have to raise their game if they were to stay in the game. As has been the case for most of the season some of the Wigan fans started to become restless with the team’s performance and in particular Manager Roberto Martinez. Roberto is the easy target when things are not going well. However, just before half time and when the usual moans and groans were emanating from the West Stand, Wigan got back on level terms. Rovers keeper Paul Robinson parried Emerson Boyce’s shot and James McCarthy followed up from an acute angle to score. Honours even at half time, but I felt that Wigan would have to be at their best as Rovers would almost certainly score again in the second half.

Fortunately Wigan started the second in brilliant fashion, four minutes into the half and Moses headed onto Rodallega who rounded keeper Robinson to finish in style. But this was only the start of what was to be an exhilarating phase. Seven minutes later James McCarthy exchanged passes with N’Zogbia and then flicked the ball up with his right foot before transferring the ball to his left foot and then into the net, it was a sublime piece of skill from one of the best young players in the Premier League.

You might expect most top-level teams to go on and consolidate their lead – not the Latics. Chris Samba almost immediately reduced the arrears from a corner, although it looked as though Roberts had impeded Al Habsi. However, just as many Wigan fans feared the worst they restored their two goal lead. Salgado tripped the on rushing Diame on the edge of the box and Ben Watson duly despatched the penalty down the centre of the goal to make it 4-2. However, the scoring was still not over and Boyce was adjudged to have tripped Dunn on the edge of the Wigan box, the decision looked harsh and referee Mike Dean was having a very inconsistent game giving some strange decisions for both sides. Dunn converted the penalty despite Al Habsi managing to get his fingertips to the ball.

The game was now on a knife-edge and the Latics fans nerves were almost at breaking point, it was essential to hang on for the three points and to move out of the relegation zone. Rovers moved Samba forward and pumped high balls into the box, but Alcaraz and Gohouri performed excellently at the heart of the defence and Wigan survived the aerial bombardment to hang on for their first win in 2011.

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Welcome to my world

Posted on February 4, 2011 by ianhaspinall

This blog is about the highs and lows of following Wigan Athletic FC. The team were promoted to the English Premier League in 2005 and despite many people’s expectations they have survived at this level for six seasons. However, at the beginning of February 2011 Wigan sit second bottom of the league and they have not won in 2011. Can they survive in the so called ‘best league in the world’? Over the coming months this blog will follow their fight for survival in a league with mega rich owners, £50m footballers, hysterical fans, and a relentless media .

Posted in Wigan Athletic | 1 Comment