Wigan Athletic: The 12th man - 'I know this is tempting fate, but things are looking a lot better'

Sean Livesey:

That's more like it. We said we needed a reaction after this international break and what a reaction we've seen. Two wins, four goals scored, zero conceded and a huge step forward after such a damaging last few weeks. Both wins were fantastic in their own way, but distinctly different performances. Against Gary Caldwell's Exeter City (more on that later) it was a full on backs to the wall performance. Latics went ahead via the fantastic play of Stephen Humphreys and Martial Godo and looked comfortable in the first half. Second half saw Exeter launch attack after attack but the Latics defence held on and Jordan Jones capped off a fine individual performance with a virtuoso goal. It was a brilliant performance in the second half, a very different performance than what we've seen in the last few weeks but showed that when we're up against it we can stand firm. That wasn't the case earlier this month so should give the side faith that they can grind out results. Gary Caldwell who I spoke of having a lot of respect for last week came across as extremely bitter following the match. Our performance, according to Caldwell, was embarrassing and not like the Wigan he knew. Considering Caldwell and Maloney are well known as close friends, and Graham Barrow was Exeter's assistant last season before coming back to Wigan whilst Caldwell was assistant to Maloney at Hibernian I'll put his comments down to sour grapes as opposed to anything based on reality. But Caldwell was right in one sense, this isn't the Wigan he knew, it's a club that has had its heart ripped out by continuous financial mismanagement, an administration the club had barely recovered from and a close brush with liquidation a year later. It isn't the club he knew that was bankrolled by Dave Whelan. We're a million miles from that but we are building something here, something special and all it needs is a little bit of time. That was evidenced even more on Tuesday evening. If Exeter presented a tough challenge, that was dwarfed by the visit of Oxford. Oxford as with Portsmouth have been in this league a long time, they have a squad that have been together a long time and they've found a way to win. They arrived second in the table with only two defeats to their name all season. They had the better of the opportunities in the first fifteen minutes but once those fifteen minutes had passed Latics grew into the game and led thanks to Stephen Humphreys' goal. In previous week's Latics may have gone into their shell and retreated but instead with great counter attacking play Latics kept Oxford to long range shots and very little of note. The midfield of Baba Adeeko and Liam Shaw looked in complete control for the 90 minutes. Callum Lang who has been unfairly maligned this season came on and sealed the three points with a fantastic free kick. It could have been more with Josh Stones hitting the bar and having a great chance saved. Many were quick to criticise the manager last month. Conveniently ignoring the very real problems the club were still experiencing. Those same issues were ignored with Gary Caldwell's salty comments after Saturday's match. We're a team made up of free transfers, academy graduates some of whom hadn't played a senior game before the start of this season and the odd senior player we've been unable to move on. It isn't the same Wigan Athletic, it never could be but we can build something special under Shaun Maloney. Give them time and let ‘em gel, who knows where they could end up.

Caddy from the 5:

Never change Tics fans, never change. From the seeds being planted of relegation, a bad team going nowhere and a duff manager last week to booking hotels for the Play Off Final, this team should be walking Div3 and a Pep Maloney masterclass this week, it's a funny old game as Jimmy Greaves once said...Two wins in a week and zero goals conceded will up the spirits of any man but our fan base really is something else, there's no middle ground at all. We're either peak Man City or worse than Bolton with some, as I said last week there's a good side in there and we need to just show it and hopefully we've turned that corner. A lot of the credit must go to Shaun Maloney. He's definitely showing a more ruthless streak and not afraid to make 'the difficult decisions' lately - leaving Wyke out completely favouring Josh Stones v Oxford and bringing Jordan Jones back into the fold, both decisions showing why he's the manager and not the twitter massive - he just needs to embrace the bald now to become up there with Guardiola, Martinez and Gaz Shannon.Two more home games on the bounce and hopefully after them we could be sitting pretty away from the relegation battle and plotting our play off charge - it never happens that way with us though does it! - and after the backs to the wall all hands on deck at Exeter and barring Bolton,the best display of the season against a very good Oxford side we should be looking upwards now not looking down because again, we HAVE got a good side taking shape and in the immortal line we need to 'let Latics gel' there's still Kerr, Matt Smith and Wyke to name a few to return as well so keep the faith chaps and all will be alreet. Lastly, a special doff of the cap to Callum Lang is needed for showing that footballers are human this week, after a stuttering start to the season he finally got off the mark with that worldie of a free kick and never forgot the celebration he said he'd do when little Alfie - a lad that's having a bit of a hard time at the moment visited Christopher Park earlier in the season, even taking him onto the pitch at full time to help the team celebrate, a Strongbow anytime for you Callum - things are going OK at the moment so if you can get down to the DansonDome on Sat, get yourself there because someone's going to get a good hiding soon I can feel it…

Alan Rogers:

Reasons to be cheerful – part three. (Only the most ardent Ian Dury fans will know that there wasn’t a part one and two. And everyone else will probably be shrugging their shoulders and muttering “Who cares, what rubbish is he wittering on about this week?) I was looking for a clever way to lead into this week’s new-found feel good factor but probably failed dismally - never mind – here goes. I think that the first reason to feel happier this week revolves around the scenes at the final whistle on Saturday. The undisguised joy on the faces of players and staff alike was amazing and I think it showed a bond that continues to develop as the weeks go by. There were a few social media malcontents who suggested that all was not well within the team – I think that anyone who witnessed the scenes at the end of the game would quickly put those rumours to bed. Secondly – Thelo Asgaard. He’s a young lad who has had more than his fair share of negative criticism over recent weeks – and longer. To be fair, he’s had a difficult shoulder injury and has been playing in seemingly different positions each week. But last night once again he started to show touches of the class that we know he has but perhaps has been missing recently. The pass he put through for Stephen Humphrey’s goal was sublime. Finally, Callum Lang. Another young man who we think is a lot older, probably because he’s spent the last few seasons fighting to keep the club alive. I think that Callum is his own worst enemy – mainly because he tries so hard each game – always gives 100% - and quite often it boils over. This happened again last night – a fantastic goal that lifted the whole stadium but then a few minutes later a needless yellow card. But hopefully his goal will spur him on for the rest of the season and get some of his more vociferous critics off his back. However, I will say that he is definitely not captain material; in fact, one of the very few issues I have with the manager is the “leadership team.” We really are missing a true leader, a Sam Morsy or Max Power (perhaps if he hadn’t received the abuse at Blackpool he may still be with us – but then again who knows?) and I don’t see anyone within the team who can fill that role at the present time. In years to come Charlie Hughes will be a top skipper but at the moment I think it’s unfair to lumber him with the extra pressure. Also, although the last two results were fantastic – we need to be honest and admit that we still have a long way to go in certain areas. The second half on Saturday was awful but we managed to hang on with a mixture of grit, willpower and good luck. And the first 15 minutes on Tuesday looked ominous until we slowly began to turn the tide. It seems churlish to complain when we have just gained six hard-fought points but we need to be realistic. We need a leader – preferably in midfield. And I’m not really bothered if he isn’t a great player! (I’ll probably get some stick for that!). We need someone who can motivate the team but who can also deliver rollockings when needed. We need someone who knows how to talk to the officials – who will go right up to the line but won’t cross it and get booked. Finally, we need someone who can frighten the opposition – from what I’ve seen we have plenty of youthful enthusiasm and skill within the team – but we need maturity, we need a fighter – an enforcer, a leader. Unfortunately they don’t grow on trees but this type of player has to be a target in January. Continuing on the subject of leaders – I would like to say a few words about Sir Bobby Charlton. I don’t honestly have much to say about his short time with us in the 80s but I have been privileged to bump into him a few times since. The last time was the 11th April 2012. We were playing United at home and we had lost the previous fourteen meetings. I had friends over from Canada and had arranged hospitality for all of us. I was waiting to meet them in reception when I noticed a lady struggling to open the main door – the steward was busy dealing with someone else. I moved across and opened the door for her and she gratefully thanked me. “He’s never here when I need him!” she exclaimed. I assumed she was talking about her husband and I looked back towards the door and noticed a figure surrounded by a crowd of people. He finally broke away and came through the door – and there stood Sir Bobby. I realised that I had been talking to Lady Norma and she was still standing next to me. “I was just saying to this gentleman,” she began, “that you are never here when I need you! He had to open the door for me!” She said it as a gentle rebuke – suggesting that this was a situation that happened on a very regular basis. They smiled at each other, Sir Bobby thanked me and they began to move towards the lifts. As he passed me, Sir Bobby grinned and rolled his eyes – as if to say – “What can I do?” I only thought about it later that Lady Norma must have spent all her life sharing her husband with the public and they both accepted it with great patience and dignity. Sadly, the night didn’t end too well for Sir Bobby and his team. As we all know, Super Shaun Maloney scored a wonder goal that finally ended our woeful run against United and as we celebrated in the lounge afterwards, I noticed a group of United officials leaving. Amongst them was Sir Bobby and to be fair to him he was still smiling as he left. RIP Sir Bobby.

Colin Garner:

I rather enjoyed Tuesday night! I'll be honest I was surprised to see Charlie Wyke not in the squad, but, this is why SM is a football manager and I'm not. The first 20 minutes were a little uncomfortable to watch in my opinion but that soon changed. I have to say how impressed I am with Jordan Jones of late, he's actually quite a good player and Baba Adeeko, well, he's got some future ahead of him. Here's one for you to save (no pun intended) Sam Tickle will be England goalkeeper within the next 10 years, you heard it here first! I'll put money on it. If we can keep up how we have been playing the past couple of games then it's going to be a successful season,remember it's a building season this year....Lerrum Gel. The highlight for me was Langy scoring & celebrating with young Alfie, what a moment, quite emotional to be fair, Alfie's a little star! I've heard a lot of people were criticising Lang regarding the way he "shh'd" some fans but let's be honest here if you can't take it, don't give it. We as fans have not half given him some abuse, some will say deservedly but he's only human and now everyone seems to be up his backside again..weird bunch our fanbase. Hopefully that goal might be the boost and start he needed, but if not he still contributes to the team. Next up Shrewsbury visit the DW, let's do what we can do best and get behind SM and the lads! Up the tics!

Tony Moon:

Well that wasn't bad, was it? Though some still found time to whinge about Aasgard, for his Alice band crime. And after ten minutes, some had written us off, and were ready to chuck t’ towel in and go home (erm cough, cough). But slowly we started to get into t’ game, and then Thelo found Humps who was spot on wi’ his aim. The pass was sublime, a hot knife through best butter, a joy to behold for any Tic or Mudhutter. And then in t’ second half, as the confidence grew, the movement was better and the passing slicker too. But the nerves were still there with just the one goal lead, so though we still worried, there was really no need. Because we get a free kick, and up steps Callum Lang, to curl it in perfectly into t’ top corner wi’ a bang. The delight at the end was a joy to behold, and not just for the fans, but for t’ players who didn’t fold. They’ve been on a bad run and they’ve geet lots o’ stick, but not as much as t’ manager, who’s been called “clueless”. So roll on this sat’day, wi’ another home game, to give joy to us fans (that, or else cop for t’ blame). Aye, it doesn’t take much for the mood to turn round, for delight to sweep o’er us, or misery abound. But that’s it you see, it’s the way for the Tics, you’re either our heroes, or else you’re just p…people who we don’t rate very favourably.

Charlie Keegan:

Another win for the Latics, our sixth of the season in fact, and another 2-0 victory since returning from the International Break. There were talks of Maloney’s side “turning a corner” after our comeback victory over Fleetwood in the cup, but is that really what is going on here?

Before welcoming second-placed Oxford United to the DW on Tuesday night, I was very worried about how the game would go. Our 2-0 victory away at Exeter City seemed a huge smash-and-grab job, and I was not convinced that we could get away with defending like that against a more clinical side. The fact that Liam Manning’s side are already just two wins from matching their total wins tally from last season, shows how much of a danger that can be to their competitors in League One.

When Shaun Maloney’s team selection was announced, I was very surprised to see Charlie Wyke not listed in the 18-man squad. We know that his suspension is over now, but Maloney mentioned in his post-match reaction that “he has been brilliant so far, but I have to show faith in the lads that went to Exeter”. This tells us that there is serious competition for places now in the squad, and Maloney wants every single player to fight for a starting spot despite their form over the season. I like this way of thinking, and it allows for freshness in rotation, but I hope that the players understand the reasons and don’t drop their heads. The season is a marathon, a team game, and no player is guaranteed their spot every week.

Oxford United started the game exactly as many would have expected - high press, comfortable in possession, options left, right, and centre, but they were met with a strong defensive display from the Latics. We overcommitted at times, exposing gaps in our midfield and defence, but the commitment from the team to correct those mistakes was very impressive. You just have to look back at Jordan Jones’ bursting run across the box to deny Tyler Goodhram a sight on goal, following a searching cross from Greg Leigh in the 23rd minute, to see that defensive commitment in action.

We need to talk about that first goal. Wow. When Liam Shaw picked the ball up in the middle of our own half, I instinctively yelled “FORWARD”, and he wasted no time in doing so. Ahead of him was Thelo Aasgaard, who I must admit I have felt a little flat about this season so far, but he did very well to collect the ball with his back to the goal, hold off the defender, and slot a perfect ball through to Stephen Humphrys who knew exactly where he needed to be. Against the run of play, but a sensational counter-attacking goal. That is exactly what Shaun Maloney has been looking for when he says Latics need to be “better in both boxes”. Defend well, and take your chances.

I felt that the goal rocked Oxford a little, and I don’t think their fans can shy away from the fact that their two games prior to this one have been far from good either. A double sending-off in a 2-1 victory over Bristol Rovers, followed by a 92nd-minute equaliser at home to Blackpool last time out, tells me that one of nerves or burnout is starting to creep in after their mightily impressive start to the campaign. You could say that this was a perfect time for the Latics to face them as we needed another win, and they were capable of being attacked. The start of the second half was exactly what I wanted to be seeing. No changes, but every player was more informed after the Gaffer’s halftime notes on how to go in search of a second goal. Aasgaard, Godo, and Hughes, all with big chances in the first 10 minutes back out there, and we looked far more in control of the game than Oxford did.

I cannot fault Maloney’s substitution choices at all. Pearce on for Humphrys just allowed us to keep freshness at the back left, with Jones then pushing forward to join the attack more. Lang on for Aasgaard allowed us to take the fight to them further upfield, also giving Lang the chance to get back out there and prove a point. Finally, Stones and McManaman on for Jones and Godo allowed us to press their back line even more and pin them back to deny late surprises.

What was that about Lang going out there and proving a point? 81 minutes. Free Kick. Edge of the area. Step up, Callum Lang. What a strike, and what a way to take the pressure off your own shoulders. He deserved that goal, and I am absolutely made up for him. He can kick on now and allow himself to play with more freedom.

At the end of the 90, I felt that Oxford barely had any ideas left on how to try and break us down, and I must say that Shaun Maloney got his game plan executed exactly right on the night. His squad is playing with confidence now, and even those coming from the bench look hungry to contribute well.

We are still 21st, and we can’t get ahead of ourselves. There is a major mountain to climb for the remaining 33 league games of the season, but to that, I say trust the process. Trust Shaun Maloney, trust the players and get behind them all to believe that we can have a great season. I really do believe that we turned a corner after the Fleetwood cup game, and we are starting to see the strength of the side after we have "Let Latics Gel".

Next up is 15th-placed Shrewsbury. Again, this game will not be easy, but we have the confidence now to push forward and go in search of a third consecutive win. Don’t worry about the League position, that will sort itself out in the end. Let’s just take each game as it comes, and I am excited for this one. Up the Tics.

George Chilvers:

There is nowhere on Earth, I would suggest, quite like Latics social media. A short week ago it was like a Norwegian crime drama of 54 two hour long episodes filmed in black and white, where only three characters appear. We were doomed, Maloney should be sacked, our squad is woefully lacking. And suddenly the mood has changed with two wins with exactly the same players that have been called all names under the sun over the past few weeks.A battling performance at Exeter gave great hope, particularly with a 97th minute goal to increase the lead. A refreshing change from shoring up the defences and clinging on, which of course we all know never works. And then against second in the table Oxford on Tuesday everything seemed to click. Well, after the first 15 minutes it did. I feared for us as Oxford seemed confident on the ball, but as Tommy Gore described it, they were all bark and no bite. Our team has a great amount of good young talent who are still learning the ropes, but on Tuesday some of the knots became untangled, and I'm sure the experiences of both losing and winning will set into the team psyche. The tactical side of the performance was brilliantly planned by Shaun, but of course the best laid plans are only as good as the players who put them into reality, and it was delightful to see that the team have taken stuff on board, and I know this is tempting fate, but things are looking a lot better. It would be hard to name a man of the match on Tuesday: Baba Adeeko and Martial Godo ran their socks off, Thelo put in a shift just harrying, Jordan Jones was a revelation, and the rest of the team all played their part, including the subs. Callum Lang's goal was top class. The only person who didn't really put in much of a shift was Sam Tickle, who spent the game quite comfortably on his own while the action was taking place elsewhere.Two home games to come that are (tempting fate) winnable, and our smooth progress up the table can continue.I spent the weekend in Denmark watching football (four games in three days) with two Superligaen games, but in particular one in Division.2, which is third tier like our League One. Oh for the days when you had first, second, third and fourth divisions. Anyway just a brief word that watching our League One games is like watching Brazil at their best back in the day compared to Danish Division.2. It was enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but there weren't the tactical niceties. It was like watching Northern Prem or even North West Counties. But you know what? There's nothing wrong with that.

Matt Auffrey:

63 days. 1 league win. A very rough spell of Latics football has officially reached its end. Take away a mid-September home victory over Cambridge and the past two months have been nothing short of disastrous on the pitch. Fortunately for us, Shaun Maloney made adjustments during the international break and the ensuing results have been outstanding. We’ve scored early goals, we’ve defended resoundingly, and we’ve put games away with late goals. We’ve been rewarded with a total of 6 points from back-to-back 2-0 victories, and the winning feeling could not be any more welcomed. There was obviously a good bit that happened behind the scenes during the international break that helped turn the tides in our favour once we returned to competition last Saturday. Most of these developments may never come to light, but one crucial event of recent times that we do have some insight on was the EFL Cup fixture against Fleetwood several weeks ago. The match played out as the quintessential ‘tale of two halves’ where a horrendous performance over the first 45 minutes sparked three halftime changes. We’d flip the game on its head in the second half with three unanswered goals and would go on to win the match in penalties. It’s no coincidence that the group of players who helped spur the comeback efforts against Fleetwood - Stephen Humphrys, Jordan Jones, and Josh Stones - have all played major roles in our last two victories against Exeter and Oxford. Throw in the contributions of Liam Shaw over the last two matches as well, and it couldn’t be more apparent that squad depth has been a major factor in our turnaround. The performance against Oxford, while far from flawless, was certainly up there with our best of the season so far - likely right behind the 4-0 victory at Bolton. Credit to the gaffer for instilling confidence in the lads against a side that came into the match flying, and for setting up the team in a manner that countered Oxford’s strengths very well. With our next three league fixtures also taking place at the DW, there is every reason to believe that we can turn consecutive victories into our longest unbeaten run of the season. Shrewsbury come to town on Saturday, and with them come more familiar faces of ‘Latics Past’ in Tom Bayliss and Chey Dunkley. Their only away victory of the season so far was a red card-aided affair at Fleetwood in late August, and a 3-0 midweek loss at Barnsley shows they are a side who are there for the taking. Yet, we know very well that nothing will be given to us, and it will take another comprehensive performance to leave the DW with a positive result. We are far from a finished product, but we are currently a much better version of ourselves than we were several weeks ago. We’ve shown that we can win matches home and away and that we can bring the game to any team in this division regardless of their form or table position. There should be no excuse for us not to give maximum effort in front of another buzzing home crowd this weekend. We are back on course after spending a long while adrift. Let’s keep the spirits high and do our part to propel the lads to another three points.