Sponsored by
Fear factor costs Latics
Marouane Fellaini and James McCarthy compete for the ball
JAMES McCarthy admits Wigan Athletic paid a high price for the fear factor in the camp as Everton sneaked a point at the DW.
Latics looked like recording a first win in 10 games on Saturday when they took the lead deep into the final quarter through a Phil Neville own goal.
But the nerves were evident as Latics became decamped in their own half, and the pressure told when substitute Victor Anichebe headed home with eight minutes left.
The result leaves Latics rooted to the foot of the table with only 14 matches remaining, ahead of a massive derby against Bolton next weekend.
“We’re obviously disappointed in there – to be ahead going into the last 10 minutes and not win the game is very frustrating,” McCarthy told the Evening Post.
“We got the goal I felt we deserved, but maybe we got a little nervous towards the end and it was disappointing to concede from a set-piece.
“We had a decent shout for a penalty at the end, but the referee thought otherwise and it’s just not going for us at the moment.
“It could be a big point for us, but the over-riding feeling is of disappointment because we put ourselves in a winning position.
“It’s gone now, though, and we need to look at next week’s game at Bolton to try to put it right.”
The result means Latics are still without a win at home since the end of August, and the Republic of Ireland midfielder acknowledges it’s a stat they must put right – and fast.
“We wanted to get three points on the board for the fans who have stuck by us, and it adds to the frustration that we weren’t able to do that,” he added.
“I thought we were very poor in the first half, but in the second half we were brilliant and we really had a go at a top, top side.
“For us to have had large spells of possession against a team as good as Everton, and looked dominant at times, is a good sign.
“The mood in the camp is still great – we’re all sticking together and we know we can do it.
“The gaffer instills confidence in us week in, week out, in training and that won’t change.
“Next week will be massive.
“It’s a derby, and we know that we need to take maximum points.
“There’s still 14 games to go, 14 cup finals, and if we can end the season as strongly as we did last season and the season before we’ll be fine.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Wigan
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 24 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
Stuart T
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 04:19 PMMONA - Your wishes may come true, I have just read this on Yahoo - Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan could be about to sell up. The Sun says there are whispers that rock-bottom Wigan could be the next Premier League club to change owners. And if the rumoured identity of the people behind moves to tempt chairman Whelan to sell up is correct, there are tricky times ahead for the football authorities. If he does sell, we must all thank him for where he has taken us, we have a great ground, a good club and maybe soon, a good gate!
mona
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 11:42 AMI do not wish to malign the manager or his players. I simply wish to make the point that he is clearly not up to the job. He may need help as do most of the players to reach their full potential or to be told they are not good enough. After 3 years it should have been as clear as day to Mr Whelan that this is not so and his lack of leadership shines like a beacon. Every reign has it's end. I believe that for the good of the club he should walk away and let somebody with a more positive approach takeover. He's done what he intended and no one can argue with his achievements. But unlike yourself I believe the club is in a perilous state and will not survive the championship. An opportunity to build on his success has been squandered. Please no spin about 7 years and rescue from the bailiffs.
WAFC1
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 07:01 PMI'd refer you back to post 13, as bad as this seasons been (it's still salvageable), the clubs been on a great journey and is well positioned for the future. If the managers faults are going to be picked apart, his achievements cannot be overlooked or put down to luck, luck may play a part during one game, but over a season you fully deserve your final finishing position.
mona
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:46 AMN'zogbia was encouraged to play for himself, as is Moses. This enhanced his transfer value with no little help from Whelans broadcasting mate. For the few matches it paid off there were far many more, as is the case today, that we lost. That villa were "interested" in Martinez and paid £10m speaks volumes for their wisdom. Al habsi was available for a song and we got stung for £4.5m and at the same time lost £6.5m on Boselli.Diame will leave for nothing at the end of his contract. Cleverly was injury prone and missed as many matches as he started. Martinez was scared to leave him out because of the fergie factor. A better coach would have eased Mcmanaman in with much greater effect( if we are to believe that he is the new wonder kid... "is he injured"). Fantastic management .?????Wigan tried to stay in the Premier league at the expense of driving the debt through the roof and now stand destitute and homeless.
wisechoice
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:52 PMI heard a rumour Roberto Martinez is guaranteeing 3 points this weekend, someone should tell him there's easier ways than breaking the 30mph speed limit?
WAFC1
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 08:26 PMThe important distinction is the manager didn't sell any jewells, his hand was forced becuase we can't afford to keep them, at least not in the numbers we once did. What he did do was get N'Zogbia playing the best football of his career, something he hasn't continued at Villa, and with signings like Al Habsi, Diame and Cleverly kept us up on a shoe string, in general though I do agree his transfer policy has been one of his weakest points. As for the Prem being a privallage and opportunity for clubs, it is, but there's a balance between getting carried away to the 'next level', and the consequences if you fail. Porsmouth tried go from a relegation struggler to a mid-upper table side, Leeds attempted to become a Champions League regular, both crashed and you're now seeing teams like Villa not even seriously attempting to qualify for the CL.
mona
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 06:42 PMThis manager sold the remaining jewels handed down to him and has failed to recruit adequate replacements and by his own efforts is operating at a loss. Furthermore he has failed miserably to develop the talent that he has available. Indeed some players have actually regressed under his guidance. He has also continually played a system which has shown his inability to understand the strenghs of the players he has at his diposal. I am appalled that Whelan has taken a back seat and allowed this to happen. To do this would not have required any more money and under better management could undoubtably have saved a goodly sum, kept the better players and increased the saleable value of the entire squad. Under the circumstances the only asset the club has is membership of the premier league. To give that up and fail to exploit to the full the opportunities that this priviledge affords is disappointing. The reason that the only option is to keep the club in the family is because, with no assets it is unsaleable. Mr Whelan is in temporary charge of the club like all owners and I for one am more than concerned about how his tenureship will end. The more spin that comes out of the PR machine just makes it worse.
WAFC1
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 05:01 PMEveryones on the same page about Whelan reducing his personal funding of Latics these past couple of years and the club having to cut it's cloth accordingly. The only difference is some see this as a neccessity given the owners in his seventies and he needs to pass on the club to his family without it being a burden, or find a new owner. You can go back and forth regarding the merits of the manager, but he did fulfill his job description in the previous two seasons, managers with a polar opposite approach in similar jobs like Holloway, Warnock and McCarthy have took teams down, and may do so again.
Lyndon36
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 12:42 PMReason we are in this predicament is rather self explanitory if you look at prevoius seasons finishing positions. 10th, 17th, 14th, 11th, 16th, 16th. I think these speak for themselves. As WAFC says, DW has done a lot for the club, but as Mona has stated its the way in which he has done it. You only need to look at the positions to see that DW has over the last 2 years lost all interest in the club. He did what he set out to achive, (get to the Prem), but now he has done and achived that its time to look for something else to do. There are a lots of "IF's" out there, but if DW was serious about making Wigan a strong stable team he would not have signed RM two and a half years ago. RM is only doing what the puppeteer tells him to do.
jerseyman
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 12:10 PMThe reason we lost 2 points is we cannot defend we have defenders who appear to be stuck to the floor whenever the opposition sends over a decent cross
mona
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:51 AMCan't argue with what he's done. It's the way he's done it and the pitiful result.
WAFC1
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 11:28 PMI'd look at it as the man who helped take us from the foot of the old Division 4, playing in a dilapidated stadium on the brink of going out of business, to a 15 year rise up the leagues, 7 years (and counting) in the Prem, a Carling Cup Final and Freight Rover win, playing in an all-seater stadium he's pledged to give the club, and having wiped much of our debt out. Wouldn't have past that journey up for the world, and don't particularly think we should feel down on our luck because we may 'only' be playing in the Championship next season, plenty of our rivals down the years would swap places with us.
wisechoice
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 09:52 PMJAMES McCarthy admits Wigan Athletic paid a high price for the fear factor in the camp as Everton sneaked a point at the DW. “It’s gone now, though, and we need to look at next week’s game at Bolton to try to put it right.” “The mood in the camp is still great – we’re all sticking together and we know we can do it. The above is what James McCarthy says in this article? Given a win at Bolton is a must; the above does not bode well? It’s great a team stick together, but then to put out words such as “try to put it right” lets a chink or light in?
mona
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 08:32 PMYes this the same man that got us into debt, has done nothing to arrest the decline in playing standards and left us without a stadium.
WAFC1
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 06:43 PMWhy would I relish relegation, I'm looking to deal with what may happen starting with a shake-up of the team, I'd look to build it around Boyce, Beausejour, McArthur and McManaman before seeing who else is available. It is pointless to 'bleat' on about the club being viable, the clubs books are available to all, three years ago we would have gone bust if relegated without a bailout from Whelan, today I'm more content we no longer need to rely on heavy subsidisation from a 75 year old.
Page 1 of 2
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.