[The Deadly]

Yeah I was speaking from a timing perspective too. I'm looking forward to Sunderland lining up next season with substandard Italian loan players.

[Wykey]

He did *OK* at Celtic, but he also turned them into Leicester, from a footballing point of view.


Fair enough, I can see what you mean - I suspect they'd probably made a decision to get shut of O'Neill and bring Di Canio in maybe at the end of the season and then got a bit nervous that Di Canio might go somewhere else so rushed things along.

Which given it seems likely Moyes isn't going to stay with us, there's a good argument to say we should have done. Or we'll end up with Kenwright's first choice, Gary Megson.

[chrysostom]

Not the plucky Roberto Martinez?

[Wykey]

When Walter Smith was sacked, Kenwright had 'identified' former Goodison "legend" Gary Megson as the man to move the club on and take over. Walter Smith heard about this and apparently turned his car around, headed back to Goodison and told Kenwright "You've got to be * joking, are you out of your mind" and then set about extolling the virtues of a young and forward thinking Preston manager as his replacement.

I like Martinez, I think he's got a lot about him, but I think the restraints of our ownership would have his career going backwards. He's in a no lose at Wigan, the chairman loves him, the fans love him, the town loves him and I think even if they went down Whelan would allow him the time to rebuild and recover. So I'm not sure he'd come to us at the moment (and frankly he shouldn't).

[Yudster]

I like Martinez. I like Wigan. I hope he stays. He seems committed, but who can tell?

[chrysostom]

Wykey - that Megson story is brilliant, I've not heard it before!

I like Martinez, I like Wigan's squad - but I dislike the status the football club has among the townspeople. There's a really good article on it here.

If my local club was in the premier league and a season ticket cost ~£300, I couldn't imagine not going.

[The Deadly]

Roberto Martinez and my dad have never been seen in the same place together. Fact.

[Wykey]

I like Martinez. I like Wigan. I hope he stays. He seems committed, but who can tell?

I kind of hope he does too - I think they're a great fit for each other, and I think Whelan is one of the most admirable Chairmen in football (even though his comments about the tackle the other week were a little odd).

[Wykey]

Wykey - that Megson story is brilliant, I've not heard it before!

I like Martinez, I like Wigan's squad - but I dislike the status the football club has among the townspeople. There's a really good article on it here.

If my local club was in the premier league and a season ticket cost ~£300, I couldn't imagine not going.

Yeah, it's a funny story, but it's also symptomatic of the chairman - people credit him for sticking by Moyes and for employing him in the first place - but if he'd got his way the manager would have been Megson - he's stuck with Moyes because there's simply no other option (and hasn't been for 5 years).

Wigan's a rugby town, always will be - I lived there for six or seven years and lived next door to a bloke who'd been going since they were non-league, I was made up for him when they got promoted, and made up for Whelan who is a Wigan Football man through and through (with a tremendous social ethos too).

The population of Wigan's only 80,000 or so AND they've never really cared about football (and those that do have traditionally supported a Manchester or Liverpool club) so they don't really do as badly for crowds as it seems. To put that in context, I remember Newcastle getting 8-10,000 from a City of 250,00 and no other clubs nearby (Tyneside has nearly a million people).

[Yudster]

It is definitely true to say that football in Wigan will never rival Rugby League for popularity. Even I support the cherry and white, and I am a fairly recent convert to League.

[dimtimjim]

and I am a fairly recent convert to League.

Maybe its just me, but I find something very sexy about women who love sport...

[Yudster]

I think its just you.

[dimtimjim]

[Bruvva]

It is definitely true to say that football in Wigan will never rival Rugby League for popularity. Even I support the cherry and white, and I am a fairly recent convert to League.

Used to go see Warrington a lot when I was at uni, remember the PA guy asking us nicely to stop swearing during a rousing rendition of "who the * hell are wigan?". The song was changed to "Who the * hell are that lot?".

It annoys me slightly that Warrington have actually become quite good now I don't get to see them.

[Yudster]

I have no idea of the proper "code" in terms of who is supposed to hate who in League. Jon was a Wigan fan so I became one, in the absence of any previous attachment. Wigan were really struggling the first couple of seasons I started to follow them, but they are awesome now.

[Bruvva]

I have no idea of the proper "code" in terms of who is supposed to hate who in League. Jon was a Wigan fan so I became one, in the absence of any previous attachment. Wigan were really struggling the first couple of seasons I started to follow them, but they are awesome now.

They were THE team back in the early-mid 90s or so, annoyingly successful, people disliked them because of that really. That and the fact that Wigan really is a hole, and that's coming from someone who voluntarily went to Warrington on a regular basis.

[Yudster]

Its kind of like rugby for people with ADHD. It lacks the subtlety and complexity of Union, but it has great appeal in its speed. The things I don't like about it are the pansy scrums (I mean WHY BOTHER??!), the fish-on-land flapping around they do for no apparent reason when tackled, and the fact that you don't have to actually win the ball - just dig in long enough and they have to give it to you. I do like the explosiveness of it and the quickness though, its a very exciting game to watch.

[Bonanzoid]

You guys need a rugby thread?

St. Johnstone guaranteed another top 6 place in the league on Monday, followed up with a fairly dull 0-0 away to Caley. A largely positive week for us!

[Bruvva]

Its kind of like rugby for people with ADHD. It lacks the subtlety and complexity of Union, but it has great appeal in its speed. The things I don't like about it are the pansy scrums (I mean WHY BOTHER??!), the fish-on-land flapping around they do for no apparent reason when tackled, and the fact that you don't have to actually win the ball - just dig in long enough and they have to give it to you. I do like the explosiveness of it and the quickness though, its a very exciting game to watch.

The scrum's an interesting point, I'm beginning to more see the point of them in league these days, they're just there to tie up the forwards while the ball gets out to the backs. Compare that to union (the recent Wales v England game is a good example), how many scrums were actually completed in that game? A vast majority ended up being penalties or free kicks to Wales for reasons that, frankly, only the referee knows (who by the way is awful and a bigger example of "look at me, aren't I IMPORTANT?" you will never see in international sport) and it destroyed the flow of the game. In fact that leads on to your point about winning the ball, that's really rare in union as well, the ball is only ever turned over when the attacking team has a penalty awarded against them (or ballses things up). I realise that makes me sound like a Union hater and I'm not at all but there are real problems with it as a game.

Anyway, football, Kidderminster still top of the conference - woo! Probably won't last, Mansfield are one point behind with two games in hand but considering Kidderminster didn't win a match until their 11th of the season (lost the first 5, drew the next 5 then finally won at Cambridge), getting into the playoffs is actually quite impressive.

[Wykey]

Its kind of like rugby for people with ADHD. It lacks the subtlety and complexity of Union, but it has great appeal in its speed. The things I don't like about it are the pansy scrums (I mean WHY BOTHER??!), the fish-on-land flapping around they do for no apparent reason when tackled, and the fact that you don't have to actually win the ball - just dig in long enough and they have to give it to you. I do like the explosiveness of it and the quickness though, its a very exciting game to watch.

American Football without the forward pass and pads.

Which is no bad thing, or surprise really.

[Wykey]

The scrum's an interesting point, I'm beginning to more see the point of them in league these days, they're just there to tie up the forwards while the ball gets out to the backs. Compare that to union (the recent Wales v England game is a good example), how many scrums were actually completed in that game? A vast majority ended up being penalties or free kicks to Wales for reasons that, frankly, only the referee knows (who by the way is awful and a bigger example of "look at me, aren't I IMPORTANT?" you will never see in international sport) and it destroyed the flow of the game. In fact that leads on to your point about winning the ball, that's really rare in union as well, the ball is only ever turned over when the attacking team has a penalty awarded against them (or ballses things up). I realise that makes me sound like a Union hater and I'm not at all but there are real problems with it as a game.

Anyway, football, Kidderminster still top of the conference - woo! Probably won't last, Mansfield are one point behind with two games in hand but considering Kidderminster didn't win a match until their 11th of the season (lost the first 5, drew the next 5 then finally won at Cambridge), getting into the playoffs is actually quite impressive.

There was a very interesting show on Radio 5 last week (or possibly the week before) with Brian Moore talking about the current problem with scrummaging and the refereeing of it.

I don't profess to understand the finer points, but essentially the problem is the professional game means the scrums are too powerful and engage outwith the laws of the game (and the refs don't understand what they're doing so can't ref it properly and resort to guessing) and there's also a problem with modern skin-tight jerseys meaning the props can't bind onto each other properly.

[Bruvva]

Millwall fans then...I know parts of South East London haven't moved on since the 80s but, really.

However, in Conference news, two defeats for Mansfield in three games have ensured that the title and promotion to the oh so glamorous league 2 will go to the last game. Assuming the inbred bull botherers in Hereford do the Harriers a favour then we'll see a final day where Kidderminster will need to better Mansfield's result to win the league. Hurrah for tight finishes.

[Bruvva]

Newcastle and Sunderland fans then, I know parts of the north east haven't moved on since the 70's but, really.

[chrysostom]

City vs. Wigan has the potential to be an interesting final, but more than likely Wigan will be steamrollered by a vastly superior petro-dollar fuelled side.

They really need to incentivise the FA cup with something better than the Europa League. I think that taking away the 4th Champion's League spot from the league and giving it to the winners of the FA cup would be much better. It would weaken our representation in the competition though, meaning the league would never agree to it.

[Yudster]

I don't know which I am less surprised by - Suarez's behaviour or the comments of Liverpool fans afterwards. Do they really not care about their club? Football can be a strange world.