Look I’ve already been told off for using this column to gloat once so I won’t. Let’s just say I’ve taken a lot of stick over my support of one of our players and heard a lot, lot worse said about him at the games over the past couple of years and it’s always nice to see people to come around of my way of thinking.
The reason there are different positions in football is that you need different people to carry out different tasks. You wouldn’t want a football team of eleven Joe Hart’s any more than you’d want eleven Lionel Messi’s. Although the latter example may be some spectacle. Some of the abuse that Jordi Gomez has had from the fans since more or less day one has been nothing short of disgraceful and it’s no wonder he’s been turning away from them when he’s been popping in a few goals recently.
I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve some stick. He has appeared lazy and disinterested at times, lacks that physical presence the Premier League seems to demand and we are not a football team that can afford to carry passengers. But filling a team with 11 headless chickens doesn’t necessarily win games either. The lad has struggled and been in and out of the team on a regular basis. Roberto keeps trying as he clearly has faith in him and he has finally managed a settled run in the team and this has started to yield reward for all of us including himself.
He is a cool, confident performer who can hit a dead ball as well as anyone, hold up play and pick the right pass. OK he can’t tackle and isn’t going to track back and dare I say he may drift back out of the side if we change our approach again or we need to grind out a result. For the time being it is good to see a young man winning over a tough crowd by playing his natural game of football and I look forward to seeing a matchwinning left foot screamer from Jordi before the season is out now his tail is back up. If not Wednesday then Monday will do young Gomez!
Published in the Wigan Evening Post’s 12th Man Column Wednesday 21st December
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