Well, if the knives were being sharpened for Bruce before today’s game, they’re certainly out for him now – along with the spoons, the forks, the spatulas, and any other items of cutlery you can think of. I know you can hardly blame the manager for the calamitous goal that Westwood and the previously impressive Brown contrived to construct for Wigan in injury time, but the fact is that it’s his team now, and it was his players who didn’t win.

So, what to do today against Wigan, who’ve had a stinker of a season so far. It doesn’t take Professor Brian Cox to understand that we needed to keep them down at the bottom with a decent display, but above all a win. It seemed that we’ve now got the defence sorted out and look solid at the back, so Brucie’s next job should have been to get the midfield to click. The obvious change was Larsson for Elmo, because he can cross the ball – probably better than anyone else in this division – and that leaves what to do with the rest of them.

Westwood
O’Shea Brown Turner Bardsley
Larsson Catts Colback Sess
Rico
Bendtner

Wigan got the first shot in as we kicked North, straight into Westwood, who promptly hoofed it all the way to Al Habsi – as if that man wasn’t going to see enough of the ball later. We were looking a whole lot brighter than last week, and Larsson was pinging in the sort of crosses that attackers thrive on. As we screamed at Bendtner for drifting out wide again, he cut in from the left and fired in a shot which Al Habsi spilled. Rico was first there, but the keeper blocked it, and the ball broke loose. Thankfully, Larsson had the presence of mind to hit it high into the net and give the bugger no chance. Nine gone, and it was looking pretty canny.

Immediately, O’Shea fed Rico down the right, and he cut inside onto his favoured left to fire in a low shot that Al Habsi tipped round the post. In came Seb’s corner, in came Brown with a thumping diving header – and there was Al HAbsi again. Apart from the keeper, Wigan looked truly awful, putting together a string of passes that would have embarrassed a drunk on a Sunday morning. Sess was fouled right on the left edge of the box, and Seb whipped in a shot that Al Habsi parried, with the ball breaking to Bards 25 yards out. You’re right – he thumped in in, Al Habsi saved it.

Colback broke up a rare foray into our box by Wigan with a great tackle, and we broke down the left, winning another free as Sess was chopped down on the touchline. No booking for the perp, nor for their number 2 who kicked the ball away. As expected, Seb zipped in a wicked delivery, it fell to Turner two yards out, and his toe-ender was somehow saved by Al Bloody Habsi.

As half time approached, we carved them apart down the right, and Seb’s cross was taken by Rico, who turned and rolled the ball to Bards in the sort of space normally taken up by six or seven houses. Instead of doing the usual and blasting it, he opened up and tried to curl it into the far side – resulting in an awful spooner that sailed high and wide. They went down our end, got into the box for the second time, and won a penalty for a trip that the TV has since shown to have been by an imaginary boot. No matter, Gomez planted into the net as Westy went the wrong way. In the two added minutes we continued to dominate, but a half which could have ended four or five nil to us, and should have ended two nil, ended level.

The second half started with the same 22 on the field, but the ref, having let virtually anything go, decided to let nothing go – which baffled a lot of the players. Sess carried the ball a full sixty yards in to the box, but his cross was cleared, then he found Bendtner, who sliced his shot wide. We produced a slick move to get Colback in at the back stick from O’Shea’s cross – I’m not sure what happened next, but it didn’t go in and our players went ballistic, claiming either a handball or that it had crossed the line.

As the half wore on, we began to allow Wigan more space to come forward, and Catts surrendered possession three times in the centre of the field, resulting in a couple of dangerous attacks. Well they would have been dangerous, if Wigan had been bothered to make anything of them, although Salmon (Scottish second division recruit giving us a hard time – Bendtner take note) did gallop into the box with Brown but take an outrageous dive. At least he was getting stuck in. Bards was suffering after aggravating his injury sustained when he had a shot blocked in the first half, and left the field on the hour, along with Catts, to be replaced by Gardner and Vaughan.

Colback dropped to left back, and the two subs took over in the centre of midfield. We had a couple more chances, but Wigan had got hold of the midfield and, despite being overjoyed with the prospect of a point, were forced into attacks by our lack of ability to boss matters. Turner took a card for the team as he blocked his man on the edge – the fact that the free-kick ended up somewhere on the roof of the swimming baths showed that weren’t up against anything special. It started to get a bit raggy, and Colback earned our third yellow with a silly pull. Rico curled one a yard wide as we kept pressing when we c ould, but we didn’t really give their defenders enough to worry about in the air – Bendtner seemed content to win easy headers but allow his marker to win those that looked like hard work

They replaced Stam with McArthur, but it was us on the attack next as Colback’s cross squeezed past everybody as it flashed across the goal, and Ji came on for O’Shea with seven to go. Larsson dropped to right back, reducing his effectiveness, but he did set Ji away down the right and the Korean found Rico, who forced yet another save from Al Habsi. Four minutes were added, which Wigan seemed content to waste away in any way possible, and as a miserable draw beckoned, Westwood and the previously impressive Brown conjured up a Wigan goal of a comic magnitude that will grace football blooper DVDs for years to come. One played it to the other, Brown fell over, Wigan rolled in to the middle, and it was tapped into an unguarded net for a horrific finish to the day’s events.

Winning was the main thing, the fashion would not have mattered, and we should have had it sewn up by half time, comfortably. Allowing a team of Wigan’s limited ability – they try to play the game at a level way above the capabilities of their players – to get back into the game was bad enough, but allowing them to win is shocking.

Man of the Match? Easy – Larsson. He crosses, he scores, that should do. Of the rest, Westy had precious little to do until 93 minutes, and Brown had been the pick of the defence until 93 minutes. O’Shea did a few decent things, as did Bards, and Turner was his usual committed self. Sess ran and ran, dribbled and dribbled, but the central midfield was disappointing – both mark 1 and mark 2. Rico trotted about behind Bendtner, who should have made their defenders work and awful lot harder that they did.

Time to go, Steve?

Keep the Faith.

Sobs' Book click here...