Wigan?

[Forza Moskva]

Can someone explain to me how they're doing so well.

[liverbird]

Well to this point they've won more games than they've lost :D

[musicl]

Descent players and what seems to be a very good manager.

[Vicar]

Team speed. Their players are very quick.

[jimi hendrix]

im totally shocked by how well they're doing! its good to see. i wouldn't be surprised if they made europe!! i know that sounds a bit stupid but the way they're going would you be surprised?

[billyireland]

It's really not all that suprising at all, which is why I am kicking myself for not putting some money on them to stay up.

Start at the top, in Dave Whelan they have a very wealthy and ambitious chairman who is willng to open the coffers and spend. Let's not forget that Wigan were reportedly in for Parker and Owen this summer; obviously neither was going to come, but if they can stay in the top 8 come May, the Latics could have a realistic chance of getting players of that ilk. Next in line is Paul Jewell, who really has lived up to his name over the last few years. He kept Bradford (or was it Watford?) in the Premiership about five years back in a simlar scenario to Mick McCarthy's at Sunderland this season, or Robson at West Brom last term. Jewell's teams always play with a lot of passion and at a high tempo while remaining organised, which is enough to keep them in 90% of all their games, including against the top teams (which Chelsea and Arsenal would surely vouch for). Something crucial between these two men is that they have a good working relationship - Whelan has faith in his manager and is willing to give him money to spend, while Jewell feels secure in his job and can concentrate on his team without having to pester his chairman for funds. Furthermore, the backroom and coaching staff seem to have a good raport and work as a team, something all top clubs - or indeed those looking to punch above their weight (e.g. Everton last season, Bolton for the last three years)- need.

The progression of the club, not only in the last three years but in the last twenty-seven, is also a vital factor. Under thirty years ago Wigan were a non-league side; comfortably under a decade ago they were just trying to avoid going back ot the Conference; three years ago they were playing the likes of Hull and Swindon in the 2nd Divison ('League 1' :rolleyes: ) - do not forget this, because their fans certainly won't. Most longterm Wigan fans are so ecstatic that they are in the Premiership in the first place, one can only wonder how being in fifth at the moment could feel for them. Were they to do what Everton did last season and finish in a European spot only to come crashing back down to relegation-battlers next year, I doubt there would even be a murmur of 'Jewell out'. This leads to a further sense of managerial security to make some experiments and try out new players for Jewell - young players like Leighton Baines, who has been a revelation - that might otherwise not have happened. How often do newly-promoted sides field reserve squads against the likes of Newcastle, anyway? All the factors listed above are vital to Wigan's explosion over the last four years, from winning the 2nd Division ('League 1' :rolleyes: ) in 02/03; to challenging the top sides in the Championship in early 03/04 only to have the wheels fall off around February; to then winning promotion to the Premiership the next season; to finding themselves in a European spot at the halfway stage of this year.

The players are infact the least important part of this puzzle, if you ask me. Sure, Mike Pollitt is a safe set of hands in the mold of Martyn, behind a solid back-four. Chimbonda has bags of pace and is a constant threat while opposite him at LB you've got the defensively sound, technically proficient and always energetic Baines, with the experienced duo of Henchoz and De Zeuuw as the centrebacks. Meanwhile, Bullard, McCulloch and Kavanagh will physically match almost any midfield in the league and pack the centre of the park (while Chimbonda/Baines can still stretch the field), topped off with a classic targetman/speedster duo in Roberts & Camara and some decent options off the bench. but these are not really great players - only Chimbonda, Baines, De Zeuuw (who is far from young), and to a lesser extent Roberts and McCulloch are bonafide Premiership-standard players, imho. Much like the New England Patriots in the NFL, it's not so much the players as the system they have been put in that is saucceeding (and indeed Kraft and Bellichek's relationship can be seen as similar to Whelan and Jewell's).

Infact, one of the only things in Wigan's squad that they would find very difficult to replace is the dynamic range of how they can score goals from midfield. While Roberts will score most of his goals off crosses and headers, and Camara will either outrun his defender or get a knocked-down header from his frontline partner, they are not really a combo who will create a lot of goals out of nothing. As such, it is helpful for them that Kavanagh has a scorcher of a shot on him (and is handy at freekicks), McCulloch is close to as dangerous in the box as Roberts, Bullard is good at ghosting and scrappy goals, and a few others (e.g. Mahon) can also pull off wonder-goals every now and then. It is not easy to find a midfielder who can score goals, but to have a number of them who can score in so many ways is something that makes managers drool.

One can only wonder how much it sucks to be Nathan Ellington right now.

Anyway, I hope that cleared it up for you. I am not saying it is set-in-stone truth, but it is my opinion of why Wigan are doing so well.

[jimi hendrix]

didnt read any of that. keep it simple eh