I’m not actually sure how Wigan travel to and from grounds when they journey to the Big Smoke? I assume they travel on a luxury coach! So to the 31st January 2012, Wigan had just left White Hart Lane after being beaten 3-1 by Spurs. Bale & Modric getting the goals with a late consolation from McArthur. & believe me it was a late consolation.
By then Wigan had just lost 4 on the spin, losing every match in January. This was after a previous sequence of 8 defeats on the spin from September to mid November. These 12 defeats (8+4, keep up with me) had in between them seen a brief revival from Mid November to mid December of 2 wins, 4 draws in 8 games, including 2 points vs Chelsea & Liverpool.
So I’m building the picture, Wigan had potential but were indeed poor! Simple stats right there & then as the Coach made it’s way up the M1 turning left at the M6. Were; played 23, won 3, drawn 6, lost 14, scored 20 & conceded 48. Bottom of the Premier League with odds of 2/9 on to be relegated by the bookies.
Very bleak indeed, 15 points from 23 games, in fact relegation was almost certain for Wigan, with the media speculating which two other teams from 4 (Wolves, Blackburn, Bolton & QPR) would join Wigan come May?
So what happened on that Coach journey?
Bob, I assume sitting at the front alongside his backroom staff, with the players sat at the back.
I assume all grumpy after yet another defeat, the situation they found themselves in, the Transfer window closed and players who hoping to get out of Dodge City, unable too.
So what changed?
Did Caldwell stand up and give a rousing speech? Was it Al Habsi chatting to the 4 blokes who played in front of him, trying to boost confidence in a leaky defense? Or was it something as simple as Bob tweaking the formation chart on his writing pad to a 3-4-3?
We’ll probably never know, but the next time I do meet Bob, I will ask him to see if I was close with that trigger point in Wigan’s Season?
& something must have changed, because unless you’ve been living on the Moon or under a rock, you’ll know since that moment Wigan have been ‘like another team’.
Since that moment they’ve played 13 matches, won 6 & drawn 4. They’ve lost 3, recently to an 89th minute winner against Fulham, a Linesman sponsored by ‘SpecSavers’ with Chelsea & an abysmal DW performance against Swansea in early March.
They’ve beaten Manchester United (1st), Arsenal (3rd), Newcastle (4th), rivals Bolton, Stoke and FA Cup Finalist’s Liverpool.
Today they sit 16th in the Premier League but they are still not safe. What has changed though, is they now have destiny in their own hands, a destiny that could ensure an 8th Season in the Barclay’s Premier League with just 2 games to go.
There are important matches to play between now and the 13th of May & I know 650 million people will be watching the Manchester Derby come Monday evening.
But for Wigan there are there are even more important matches this afternoon with QPR, Blackburn and a mid week game for Bolton against Spurs.
From these results we’ll see where we are as we prepare to play Blackburn next Monday night?
Just I’m convinced something happened on the way home from Spurs that has inspired Wigan Athletic to play like a team, giving themselves absolutely every chance of ironically enough staying in ‘Dodge City’.
#keepthefaith
Andy
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