Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - 'It's sometimes useful to look at something from a different perspective...'

Alan Rogers:

It's often said that it's sometimes useful to look at something from a different perspective...and this was something I had a chance to experience first-hand last Saturday. We had friends visiting from Toronto, and we used this as an excuse to experience the Latics hospitality facilities for the first time this season. First of all, I was keen to see how the hospitality regulars were coping with the up-and-down season. Were they ready to riot, were they happy, or were they past caring? To be perfectly honest, it was fairly quiet...firmly reinforcing the West Stand stereotype! However, to be fair, the majority in the padded seats near me got solidly behind the home team and urged them on, particularly in the first half. Interestingly, there were also a few Birmingham fans sitting near us...but more of that later.

Also, I normally sit near the front of the West Stand, so it was interesting to compare the view from the back. And I can confirm, after comparing notes with my usual viewing companions, the outcome of the match was horrible from all angles! My 'Canadian' mate was quite philosophical. He'd been watching the new Toronto MLS franchise in recent months, and he reckoned Saturday was the best live game he'd seen in months! His opinion was that at least both sides had been trying. John and I started school together in Wigan on the same day at the age of four, and have been mates ever since. He emigrated to Canada many years ago, but comes back regularly and always takes in at least one Latics game. His honest view was that Birmingham looked a different class, but he wasn't completely disappointed with the home team. 'Loads of promise', I think he was mumbling at the end of a long, alcohol-filled day.

My final example of a different view of our footballing lives was from Birmingham fans. We shared a table with three ex-firefighters from Brum (I asked them if they knew Barry Worthington...one of them just tapped his nose and winked....). They turned out to be fantastic company, and it was fascinating to hear their enthusiastic view of what is happening at Birmingham, and also comparing it to our situation. Maybe at some time in the future I will dive deeper into this subject but, for now, let's just say the future seems to be looking very bright for Birmingham. They were also fairly honest about their summary of the match. After 20 minutes or so, they looked visibly rattled, but after 90 minutes they were definitely more relaxed! Before the game, they were asked to be respectful as they were 'behind enemy lines', as it were, and all the Birmingham fans in that area behaved properly.

All in all - apart from the result - it had been a great day, and we ended up calling in at the Joseph's Goal event in Whelan's. Don't remember too much - it had been a long day - but I do remember being impressed by Shaun Maloney's upbeat attitude after a bad result. Others may still disagree, but to just listen to Shaun tells me he really cares and will get it right. A great end to a good day with old mates. Thankfully, it isn't always about the result!

Matt Auffrey:

We are still awaiting our first goal, our first point, and our first win of the New Year, but there has certainly been plenty of action going on behind the scenes to keep us entertained. We paid our first transfer fee of the new window en route to securing Joseph Hungbo’s signature, while also signing a young, physically-imposing striker in Will Goodwin on loan from Oxford. We also received a generous fee for Josh Stones from York City, despite the young striker never scoring a single league goal for Latics during his short stint in the first team. However, we are well aware of how quickly plans can change and recent injuries to key players in the middle of the pitch have forced the club to shift its approach for the rest of this window.

Our midfield will now miss Tyrese Francois, Matt Smith, and Baba Adeeko for an extended period of time. Shaun Maloney made it clear during a recent interview that the January transfer budget was already tight, and the need to now recruit a center midfielder threw a big wrench in our plans for shaping the squad. Does this mean the fans should adjust their expectations for the next four months? The Birmingham match last weekend left us on the wrong side of a lopsided scoreline. However, Birmingham’s super-enhanced spending power doesn’t make their side the best measuring stick for tracking our own progress.

Perhaps, it makes more sense to look ahead to our FA Cup tie at Mansfield on Saturday as a better gauge for how we should expect to compete over this next stretch. Although Latics controlled large facets of our first meeting in late October, Mansfield was clinical when it mattered most, and left The Brick as 2-1 victors. The Stags have won four of their last five fixtures, which has positioned them comfortably in the division’s upper mid-table places. They won’t be short on confidence playing in front of their home crowd.

There should be little question that Maloney will play our strongest line-up knowing how highly he values this competition. If we start Saturday’s match with the same prowess as the Birmingham match, there’s a good chance we will be the side that strikes first. Winning this weekend coupled with the prospect of drawing a big opponent in the next round of the competition could give the team a big lift ahead of a winnable stretch of league games. Two losses on the trot to automatic promotion contenders should not dictate a downward trajectory of the rest of this season. This team is more than capable of reestablishing positive form again - even if it is only for a stretch of a few games. Refinding the FA Cup magic that helped us grind out winning results in rounds one and two could be just the catalyst we need to get the ‘Believe Bus’ running on all cylinders again. Bring on Saturday!

Lowey:

A lot of people base their opinions on a football club on what happens on the pitch, but so much good work goes unnoticed behind the scenes. The Junior Latics team works so hard not just on matchdays, but in the community to make such a difference to our junior supporters. If you follow them, you may have noticed a social media post over the weekend regarding one of their engagement team, Katie (my daughter), who is heading to Tanzania to take part in a volunteering scheme, and while there will be attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for charity. Anyone with children who have visited the Family Zone may have had their face painted by her.

Kilimanjaro is the tallest free standing mountain in the world and has a number of routes to the top varying in time and difficulty. The quickest and most expensive route (Umbwe) has a very low success rate, whereas the slower cheaper route (Lemosho) you have a much higher chance of success due to the body having more time to acclimatise to the altitude. On this route, you actually climb and then come back down part of the route - literally one step forward and two steps backwards. If this sounds familiar, you may have worked out where I'm going with this piece? In recent times, we have tried to climb the football pyramid with a quick ascent and spending money to ultimately fail quite quickly. Now it’s time to take it slow and steady...small steps to achieve our more realistic goals which, at times, mean a step backwards, but there is an ultimate plan.

This goal may not be good enough for some as often portrayed on social media as demonstrated again this week by the vocal few. We want signings in quickly? Okay, Josh Robinson signs. 'Why have we signed another right-back?' We need attackers. Okay, January 3, Joe Hungbo signs. 'Not another winger, we need a forward'. Should have had one in by now (three days into the window btw). January 5, Will Goodwin signs. 'Rubbish we needed a permanent striker not another loan (I doubt those complaining have actually seen him play?). All the above genuine complaints I've read this week. Hopefully by the time the Latics flag (yes, it is packed) is planted at the summit, we also will have climbed the table and achieved our goal this season. I'm sure both will succeed!

Tony Moon:

Mamma Mia! Here we go again. My my. We lose two games and t’ toys are chucked...Mamma Mia! They’re gonna blow again. My my. Why do they think we’re always f … lummoxed?

Yes, we’re all broken hearted, cos the Wrexham loss, it really smarted. Why, why don’t they just accept a loss? Mamma Mia, yes we really know My my, they just don’t want Shaun as our boss.

Pa pa, pa pa, pa pa, pa pa, pa pa, pa pa, pa pa, pa pa. Da da de daaaa, da da de de daa, da da de daaaa, da da de de daa.

We’re broadly in mid-table and half way through the season. We’re seven points clear of the drop, but still there’s those who see reason.

To whinge and to groan, at every slightest chance. They’re compelled to moan, all too often they lose control. They’ve got no heart and they’ve got no soul.

Just one look - they say we’re going to lose. One more look - and then out comes the abuse … woa-oa-oah!

Mamma Mia! Here we go again. My my. New players written off when signed. Mamma Mia! They’re gonna blow again. My my. To call 'em miserable would be kind

Yes, they’re all broken hearted, blue when Joe Hugill’s started. Why why must they always be so glum?

Mamma Mia, yes we really know. My my, it’s cos their brains are in their b** (not much rhymes with glum).

Pa pa, pa pa, pa pa, pa pa, pa pa, pa pa, pa pa, pa pa. Da da de daaaa, da da de de daa, da da de daaaa, da da de de daa.

Let’s all be glad that those December fixtures are out of the way…and a seven-point haul could have been much worse. Roll on the rest of January!

Sean Livesey:

Another mad seven days in the world of Wigan Athletic, and it doesn’t feel like slowing down anytime soon. Following the Huddersfield postponement, Latics were straight out of the blocks with two permanent signings in the form of Josh Robinson and Joe Hungbo. Regardless of position, it’s heartening to see two promising young talents arrive at Wigan Athletic on permanent deals. It reduces the reliance on loan signings, and of course points once more to us becoming an attractive proposition for players again. Robinson is an interesting one, a dedicated right-back who can also play as a centre-half. In contrast to our current centre-backs, who can play as right-backs. His pedigree looks very good and, although he’ll take time to get up to speed, if he can replicate the success of Matt Smith since he arrived from Arsenal’s Under-21s, he’ll be a very shrewd signing.

Equally Joe Hungo, a name that’s been around for a while now, but he’s still only 24 years old. He’s had some big moves since becoming a professional at Crystal Palace, and an eye for goal if not necessarily prolific. With Dion Rankine out for the season, it made sense to bring in another winger, although we remain light up top. Will Goodwin arrives from Oxford with some U's fans - and a whole load more from Cheltenham - telling us, on his day, he can be one of the best forwards in the division. He’s had virtually zero game time since Oxford beat Bolton to reach the Championship through injury, which means we can look at it one of two ways. He’ll be fresh for the challenge ahead, especially after getting over a challenging injury, or he’ll take forever to get up to speed, and any benefit we may have gained will be wasted. The arrival of Goodwin led to that Wigan pastime of writing off a player before he’s kicked a ball for the club which, as Mudhutter’s own Martin Tarbuck pointed out, so was Will Keane when he arrived in the autumn of 2020...and his two-and-a-half-year stay with us didn’t turn out bad did it?

I wasn’t there on Saturday, but the live text made it sound like we were flying...well for 10 minutes anyway. But that’s the difference at our level. We can have all the play and all the chances, but if we’ve no one to take them, a side like Birmingham will take advantage - as they did to great success. A number of Brummies commented we were one of the better sides they had faced this season. Which is heartening but, unless we start to convert our chances, all of that good play will mean nothing come the end of the season. It’s been a punishing festive period, even with the Huddersfield postponement. But all eyes turn towards Mansfield, and the FA Cup on Saturday - kick-off 6pm! I’m sure the global audience will be buzzing to see this League One clash in all but name. A chance to reach the fourth round is obviously massive, but equally is to get back to winning ways. We should have won at Wrexham but didn’t. Since then, it’s been a stuttering time with postponements and a defeat to Birmingham. Ahead of a busy and winnable stretch of league games, Latics need to get back to winning ways, and what better way to do it than booking a place in the fourth round in the process?