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James McArthur Signs new Deal

2012-05-18T12:38:07Z

James McArthur Signs new Deal

Well our Scottish midfielder has signed a two years extension keeping him here till 2016.
Means that both James's will be here till then.

Player of Season Candidate: Victor Moses

2012-05-18T12:33:59Z

Well the fifth and final installment of the player who have had excellent season for Latics. And I am finishing up with our resident starlet, Victor Moses is of course a player that is under a lot of speculation and looks set to leave this summer as he won't sign a new contract. Or more his agent is advising him not to bother, rather stupidly.

Yet in his first full season Moses has down rather well in the Premier League. It took him a while to get into it, but once the winger got us to the status as the creative player in the team, then he fitted in and took the role on. In the end Moses finished up having scored six times and made six assists in 37 games.

It is a good return for a winger who still has a lot to learn, but is going in the right direction. His performances towards the end of the season have really lead the team on to the great form that we have been in. Most notably were his performances against Arsenal and Manchester United.

In both games in showed that he can play against the countries best and beat the defenders for pace and trickery. His audacious turn against Bacary Sagna was a truly inspired piece of skill, and will live long in the memory of many Latics fans.

But it could be said that in the final third his finishing could and should be improved. Too many times this season have we seen Victor beat everyone and do the hard part right, before missing from ten yards out or less. One example of this was against Liverpool where he ran about 40-yards, got into the Liverpool box one and one before shooting straight at Pepe Renia. Great run but no end product.

In the current system though, Moses was playing more a of a free role. Wandering around anywhere in the forward positions and interchanging with Di Santo and Maloney. It is that kind of free movement that allowed him to find the space and get into gaps between defenders. This was shown in the Newcastle game, where he managed to bag two goals by moving in and out of the space.

Only way is forward for the young player.

Poll

Player of the Season

Bolton Releaseze

2012-05-18T11:23:17Z

Well its a sorry time to be a Bolton fan, are we going to rub it in? Probably they have always said they were better and bigger than us, it doesn't look like for much longer. But lets not get dragged down in the dirt over that. What I am interested in, is that fact that they have released a total of 12 players who are now avaliable on a free.

Most of them are youth players who bulked out their squad, but there are a couple of players that maybe worth a look at. We are selves are releasing players this summer, a total of about six if my fiqures are right, most of which are fringe players that we aren't to bothered about.

Yet from Bolton two players shout out for me they are the striker of Ivan Klasnic and midfielder of Nigel Reo-Coker. Both have been a round and about in the Premier League and have shown they can cut it at the top level very well.

Nigel Reo-Coker has a great pedigree and was once tipped to become one of England's top midfielders. That never really developed for the player but he is still worth a look at and I don't think he would command a massive amount of wages, so within our price range. He would be a definte started and would only strength our team especilly with the departure of Diame.

Ivan Klasnic is another prospect that I think we should look at. He has scored goals for Bolton 30 of them in 77 apperances. Which is a very good return from the Croatian international. He may comand more wages, but with Rodallega leaving there is excess there and on a free a striker who can score would be a big help.

Poll

Who should we go for?

Player of the Season Candidate: Maynor Figueroa

2012-05-18T11:07:12Z

This was meant to go out yesterday, but having gone out, and then read that Martinez was on his way to the red half of Liverpool (oh wait that is Liverpool). But anyway this post isn't about Roberto, my anger on that score will come later on.

We are here though to talk about a player who has played in about every left sided position this season. Personally I feel that it has been our Honduras left back's best season for a couple of years. Maynor Figueroa had looked slow and was caught out often last year. But he has improved over the summer, and now he has adapted his playing style to play on the left side of the centeral defence.

Maynor was signed in the quite of the January transfer window under Steve Bruce. None knew what we had signed, and we were all waiting for him to get a chance and play for the team. That took until the last game of the season, where he was to line up in the left back position against Cristiano Ronaldo.

I have to say none gave him a chance, and we felt that we would get ripped to shreds with our inexperienced left back the culprit. Hang on one minute, did Ronaldo do anything in that game? No he didn't Figgy out marked, and out classed the then best player in the world. And the Honduran international nearly even scored, but his shot just skimmed the post.

That has set the bar of his performances. With a quick recovery time, and brilliant knowledge of when the right time is to tackle a player, he has only improved. This season from the start he looked one of our better players, but he wasn't really affecting the game stuck out in the left back position.

He was a key figure at the start of the season though. Cutting inside to cover Gary Caldwell, when our center back was exposed. Although Maynor himself was being exposed. It was one of the clinchers for Martinez to change the formation.

Since that switch Figgy has only bounded ahead. He suits playing centrally using his pace to close players down getting in behind. While his aerial ability has given some added buff in the central position. While Figueroa's passing ability to spread the ball from left to right anywhere on the pitch has helped the team with his more central role.

The only unfortunate thing for Maynor is that he didn't score this season. Which I am sure doesn't matter to much to the defender. But most of his goals have been fairly spectacular.

Poll

Player of the Season

Player of the Season Candidate: Ali Al Habsi

2012-05-17T10:49:59Z

I missed one yesterday in looking at Latics's player of the season. So instead you are going to get today. The first of the two is our resident ever present in goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi. Would you believe me if I said he hasn't missed a game since signing (ones that he has been allowed to play in, he missed last seasons games against Bolton). And that is just one of the many reasons why he is such a joy to have at the club.

When Ali was signed on loan two summers. I will admit I was a bit skeptical, there were other keepers available, and when I has seen the Omanian play I hadn't been very impressed. But then two games and ten goals later, which have killed Chris Kirkland's Wigan career. Ali Al Habsi stepped up to the plate. And well the rest as they say is history.

The move for both goalkeeper and club has been fantastic. Ali has been given regularly playing time, while we got a international goalkeeper of world class proportions. Not a lot of people see Ali has that a good a goalkeeper, but for me (a goalkeeper myself) you can see just how much rare talent he has.

Flexible, agile and razor sharp reactions, its no wonder that he has managed to keep eight clean sheets for a team which finished in 15th position. That is in no small part to Ali, who even when we were leaking goals like a BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, managed to stem the tide of goals by sticking to his basic goalkeeping principles.

His kicking may not be the best in the world (we all have to have weak spot) yet even that is better than most can muster. Always confident on the ball, he has marshaled and controlled the Wigan penalty area exceptionally well this year yet again.

The link between goalkeeper and defence always has to be a strong one, and since the rise in form of Gary Caldwell. That link has only improved as Ali and Gary have managed to organise and control the movement and shape of our defence. That resulted in us conceding 13 goals since February, and even in our great spell there Ali was still making important saves. The one that comes to mind is the save to deny Yossi Benayoun at Arsenal a goal to equalise.

There have been many great saves this season for him, and that will continue for a long time, as Ali will always be a strong fan favourite. Even though he crossed the M61 divide he is loved and always will be.

Poll

Player of the Season

Dave Whelan Stands Firm Over Martinez

2012-05-17T10:21:35Z

Oh Big Dave Whelan, how football would be boring with out you. Not to mention the fact that there wouldn't be a Wigan Athletic without him. But for the moment that is beside the point. Whelan isn't known for being a quite man, and is always rather out spoken. But we wouldn't want him another way.

Over the past few days Whelan has come out and bascially told the world that Roberto will not be going anywhere this summer, unless it is a big big club. Basically he wants a big club to pay out his contract, along with the fact that he has started to remarkable things with the club. I don't think any of us want to see Roberto walk.

As it was to be expected speculation does circle round our manager continuously, and the current talk is for a move to either of the Birmingham clubs still in the Premier League. Both Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion are on the look out for new managers, and both of them have been told by Whelan, in no uncetain terms, that they aren't big enough fro Roberto.

Whelan said:

"I believe we can keep him," said Whelan. "He will go eventually to a big, big club but there are much bigger club than Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion about. I am resigned to losing him but not just yet."

Source: Express and Star

While now with Liverpool becoming managerless after the sacking of King Kenny. Martinez went straight to the number one spot to go to Liverpool. Seems everyone wants our manager, and Whelan said it is no more than speculation, while Liverpool still wouldn't be the right club for Martinez.

A Must Read!

2012-05-17T10:07:18Z

A Must Read!

Brillaint Article by the guys at Zonal Marking about how Martinez has changed wigan from losing 8 on the bounce to winning seven in nine games. A great read and intresting build up on how it has been tacticlaly developed.

The Growing List of Roberto Martinez's Suitors

2012-05-15T19:54:18Z

The season only finished two day's ago, and already there is a growing list of clubs that are following after our hot young manager. Roberto Martinezhas yet again done nothing more than a miracle with the resources and the players, to turn them around from a team that looked like having no hope of survival, to ending the season as the Premier League's in form team (more about that and what happened, next week when I sit down to right our season up).

So with that said a host of clubs have been and are being linked with Martinez and just as a public service, I thought it would be nice to list all of the clubs that have been linked with the manager and what the situation with those clubs are, and if it is likely for him to go there. So watch this article as it will keep being updated!

Aston Villa

Where do I begin with the Villans. I like them as a club, and I was more than surprised with their manager choice after Martinez turned them down last year. Yet again they are without a manager as Alex McLeish has been let go after a disappointing season.

So yet again Martinez is the leading candidate and many Villan fans are looking at him as the man to lead them out of the darkness. He would be a great manager for them, being able to work with the good group of players they have and the slightly larger rescources. However if he turned them down a year ago, why would he go there now?

Martinez was quizzed by the BBC on being linked with Villa, click here to see what he said.

Liverpool

King Kenny may not be king for much longer. The KOP legend looks like he is on his way out as his poor league form is about to catch up with him. It hasn't been a bad season for a Liverpool team in a real transition phaze. In eyes a perfect time to bring in a young and bold manager.

That would be where Martinez would come in. Bringing in his own kind of players, cheaper I imagine then the £35 million they forked out for Andy Carrol. While the attacking style we have adopted under Martinez is the way that the Liverpool fans expect their team to play, with passion and vigor.

A bigger club definatly full of history and the poptential for Roberto to drive them on. But are their bigger fish looking for him?

Barcelona

Stupid as it sounds, out manger has been, speculatively will admit linked to the Spanish giants. I have to say this would most likely be his dream job, who would turn down the chance to lead one of the most fashionable clubs in the world.

Martinez would be a very good fit as well. He plays the same style of football as Barcelona like to play. While he knows how to breathe new life into players and bring players through the youth system, which is a major part of the Barcelona philosophy.

It may not be this season that he goes to Spain, but in a few years time this move could be on for our manager.