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Will Wigan Athletic Win Premiership Safety?

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Therefore it appears that if they are to remain in this league, changes need to occur. This may begin with transfers. Hugo Rodallega has reported his diminishing chance of staying at the club, as he looks to find his form once more in a potential sunnier climate. With a revolving door leaving Nicky Maynard reportedly lined up to replace him, and with new ex-Birmingham speedster Jean Beausejour joining the promising attacking depth within the squad, many top flight defensive lines will struggle to handle them. However it seems that their own defensive area is what is most frail.

With Gary Caldwell and Antolin Alcaraz supposedly in the line-up to ‘dominate’ attackers, it is hardly a back pairing that, if I was to release a through ball through the heart of the defence for an onside Fernando Torres, Andrey Arshavin or even, possibly, Andy Carroll, this would be the best opportunity for them to find their form and confidence, with the description of a ‘leaky defence’ appearing an understatement. This is the area of improvement, as Gary Caldwell, although strong and similar in style to Richard Dunne, the quality of Alcaraz beside him is poor. This would be an area of real investment over the remain couple of days of transfer window, as an experienced yet sharp centre back, left back, right back or any combination of the lot, would lead to a better defensive line as a whole.

There does remain hope for Wigan. The draws with Chelsea and Liverpool respectively helped them gain a large amount of credibility from opposing fans once more, and the advancement of Victor Moses, previously of Crystal Palace, and Connor Sammon, formerly of Kilmarnock, have provided real pace in attacking areas, just requiring a poacher to pop the chances away. Furthermore the youth prospects at Wigan appear very bright, with James MaCarthur and James McCarthy likely to become a commentators dream in coming years, as they boss the centre of midfield. The only issue is, will it be in the Championship?

Wigan have always been a neutral’s team, as fans from all over the country respect the style of play and the manner of playing like Barcelona even if you are losing like Coventry. It would take a brave man to bet against Wigan not to be relegated come May, however should they invest wisely, turning over some of the dead wood in their squad in the remaining few days of the transfer window, and at the same time putting together a string of results, I see no reason why candidates such as Blackburn, Wolves or Bolton could be victim to this terrible fate in front of them. The string of fixtures in February and early March will determine the chances of Wigan’s safety, with an away game to Bolton on the list of potential ‘must wins’. It is important for Wigan to avoid signing players like the Championship’s elite Maynard to prepare for life next year in the league below, but to work hard to stay above the summit line, as the likes of Moses, Al Habsi and McCarthy may be snapped up by other, more prosperous clubs, leaving chances of bouncing straight back up increasingly hard work.

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  • wildheart says:

    An interesting article and one that doesn’t seek to Wigan bash which makes a pleasant change.Latics fans are split into two camps darksiders and happy clappers, the former of which I am one, expecting us to go down and the latter convinced Bob will lead us the promised land. Bob is a nice guy, he has a way of playing that he wont devaite from which limits his options. His problem is trying to play Barcas football with Wigan’s players and his stubborness and inflexibiltiy will ultimately cost us. Many outside Wigan will be glad to see the back of us with our empty seats( ignoring 6 other P.L. clubs in a 15 mile radius and the smallest catchment area of any P.L. club)and rent a quote Chairman but our presence in the P.L. confirms that any club with sensible financial backing and good management can get to the P.L. and remain there.

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