Wigan Athletic: Miracle Men

For the past few seasons, there has been one thing that has been constant in the Barclays Premier League. Well, in truth, there have been many things that have been constant. Manchester United have always been there and thereabouts with regards the title. Chelsea have had a new manager, Arsenal promise much but deliver little, and then there is Wigan.

Wigan always seem to be there and thereabouts too. Their whereabouts, however, seem to be at the bottom of the table. They seem to be fans of Houdini. They tend to get tangled in impossible knots and then, just as the water starts rushing into the glass chamber, seem to somehow manage to untie the knots and extricate themselves from a most precarious and hopeless position.

They, at the back end of each season, just seem to have so much belief in themselves, and indeed in the manager. They seem to come into their own as the season approaches its end and somehow manage to beat the drop. Until two games ago, they had back-to-back defeats which made people alert to the very real possibility that even Houdini might be having an off-day, or in the case of Wigan, an off-season. Surely, they could not do it.

Then they proved people wrong. Again. A draw against Tottenham – a game that they ought to have won – maybe signalled the turning tide but the latest come-from-behind win confirmed it. Wigan are not done. Not as yet. Not by a long stretch. With three games to go, escape from relegation is once again in their own hands.

I witnessed the game against West Brom today. I turned on the TV only after about 30 minutes were gone. West Brom were one up. I am not the greatest Wigan fan there is; I am not even a Wigan fan, but I do have a soft corner for them. I have immense respect for Roberto Martinez and even more for the Chairman of the club, Dave Whelan. Wigan are a modern marvel in more ways than one. Dave Whelan is a chairman who backs his manager to the hilt, so much so that Roberto Martinez reciprocated by rebuffing the advances of much bigger teams.

West Brom almost scored the second. It was a close shave. The ball is with Wigan. A foul. The referee lets play go on. A brilliant cross. Kone heads it in. One one. Wigan have started their recovery.

Over the past few years, ever since Roberto Martinez took charge, Wigan have been quite the enigma. They have always played expansive, attacking football. They embody the approach of the manager, like an extension of his self. Ever so often, however, they tend to let themselves down.

It is half time. I turn the TV off and go for dinner. I return after about 25 minutes. West Brom 2. Wigan 1. I do not know who has scored for West Brom or how. However, I find myself willing Wigan forward. Sure enough, the substitute makes contact with a cross floated in. Two two. Game on. Again.

As the season progresses, they seem to stutter and stammer towards the finish. They punch above their weight and put in performances that befit teams way above their lowly standing one week and then go and lose to teams below them. There just seems to be no consistency; they just don’t seem to be able to shut up shop. To their eternal credit, however, they seem to always bounce back. Always.

The game goes on. 75 minutes have passed. West Brom have had two penalty appeals turned down. Wigan look nervy. And then there is a counter attack. The ball is squared. Three two. The comeback is complete.

Sir Alex Ferguson once remarked of his team, ‘at this club, we never seem to do things the easy way.’ Wigan seem to be taking this philosophy quite literally. Their ever-present chairman, Dave Whelan, was seated in the stands, no pun intended. His calm exterior belied what must surely have been a fluttering heart within. He watched as West Brom attacked again and Wigan hung on again.

There is one West Brom corner. And then there is another. The ball is cleared. Somehow. Maloney wins a free kick. The pressure is released. Only, not quite. The board for added time has gone up. Five minutes, it says. The tension heightens.

Being a Wigan fan is, surely, not good for the heart. An eternal question of will they-won’t they hangs in the air at this point every season. Thus far, they have always sided with the will they when looked at from the question of survival. With 3 games to go, and that including a trip to Arsenal, survival might well be in Wigan’s hands but it, most definitely, is not going to be simple.

The final whistle sounds. Wigan live to fight another day.