AROUnD THE
GROUnDSXI
BEST: John Filan, Mario Melchiot, Arjan
de Zeeuw, Emmerson Boyce, Leighton
Baines, Charles N’Zogbia, Jordi Gomez,
Antonio Valencia, Andy Liddell, Nathan
Ellington, Jason Roberts.
WORST: Vladimir Stojkovic, Antonio
Amaya, Jake Buxton, Andrew Taylor,
Olivier Kapo, Don Cowie, Emyr Huws,
Leigh Jenkinson, Andy Delort, Jason
Scotland, Mauro Boselli.
PLAYER
B: A shy young lad called Nathan Levi
Fontaine Ellington [far right] – one of
the most prolific forwards we’ve ever
seen. Sadly, we never got to see him
star for us in the Premier League [he
went to West Brom in 2005 instead].
W: Josh Windass: dear, divisive,
disliked. There wasn’t room for
both him and his ego at Wigan.
MOMEnT
B: On the day we were promoted to
the Premier League in 2005 [right],
there were men with tears in their
eyes as the unthinkable happened:
Wigan, from the Northern Premier
League to the top flight in 25 years.
W: Entering administration last year
ripped the heart out of the club and
town. There had been no warning.
GAME
B: Our 2013 FA Cup quarter-final at
Everton. Home fans handed out flyers
advertising travel to Wembley for the
semis – we were 3-0 up at half-time.
W: Our 2014 FA Cup semi-final loss to
Arsenal. No one expected us to defend
the trophy as well as we did, especially
when we’d been relegated, had to put
up with half a season of Owen Coyle in
charge and had a Europa
League campaign to contend
with. But under Uwe Rosler we
battled manfully and were only eight
minutes away from winning until Per
Mertesacker levelled. The subsequent
shootout defeat was soul destroying.SIGnInG
B: Valencia spent nearly three years at
Wigan, then joined Manchester United
for £16 million – still our biggest sale.
W: For over £2m, Grant Holt played for
more clubs on loan from Wigan (three)
than he scored goals for Wigan (two).MAnAGER
B: I’m not sure anyone else will deliver
an FA Cup for this unfashionable club.
Roberto Martinez [above] kept us in the
Premier League for three seasons with
an ever-decreasing budget, and in the
season he didn’t manage that, his side
gave us the best moment of our lives.
W: Warren Joyce had managed Man
United’s reserves for six years, and it
soon became visible that the Whelan
family had made a dreadful mistake.nICKnAME
B: ‘Boozy Joe’ – not because of Jean
Beausejour’s fondness for a tipple, but
Wiganers’ pronunciation of his name.
We also had ‘Crackers’ because... er,
Michael Jacobs.
W: Antonee Robinson is known as ‘Jedi’
due to being a Star Wars fan. I mean...CULT HERO
B: Isidro Diaz was one of ‘The Three
Amigos’ with Jesus Seba and Martinez,
and set the Third Division alight. The
tricky winger scored a few memorable
goals and warmed up some very cold
afternoons in the mid-90s.
W: Pascal Chimbonda cost £500,000
from Bastia, and was so outstanding
that he got into the 2005-06 PFA Team
of the Year. Unfortunately, he threw all
of that goodwill out the window
by handing in a transfer request
at Highbury soon after the final
game of the season.CHAnT
B: “Will Grigg’s on fire...” For one
heady summer, the re-versioning
of Gala’s Freed From Desire rocked
dancefloors and terraces across the
EFL. Shame Michael O’Neill ruined
the fun by not handing him a single
minute of action at Euro 2016.
W: “Easy, easy, easy...” [Rolls eyes]HARD MAn
B: De Zeeuw made nearly 200 outings
across two spells, famously clattered
Cristiano Ronaldo after showboating in
the 2006 League Cup Final, and is now
a police inspector. You wouldn’t mess.
W: Unsure if he counts as a hard man,
but Liam Ridgewell – purely down to
his ludicrous beard.BEST&WORST
Pie At Night’s Sean Livesey has been right through the mill – crazy transfer requests, crap nicknames and all...
WIGAn ATHLETIC
86 December 2021 FourFourTwo