Wigan Athletic - Securing Survival

[JCMUtdfan1]

Wigan win Capital One Cup!

After years of trying under Conroy, Wigan have finally won the Capital One Cup. Wigan have progressively closer, even making the final last season but they lost to Man United. Arsenal appeared to have a weakened team out but Wigan were taking the competition seriously, fielding a full strength side. We caught up with the Wigan manager after the game to get his view on the game. "It was a relief more than anything to finally win the Capital One Cup, after years of trying. It was a close game but I think we deserved to win it in the game as we had the better chances. I'm glad that we could finally win this trophy to add it to the list. Wigan have also put one foot in the Champions League quarter final after the 2-0 win over Benfica. It will be interesting to see if Wigan can continue to challenge for trophies on multiple fronts.

View attachment 372377
Champions League Round of 16
Wigan vs. Benfica

February

Premier League
3/2/18
Wigan 5 vs. 1 Everton
Adryan(15) Ademilson(59, 85) Mamaev(63) Lacazette(83)

Great win at home to Everton.

10/2/18
West Brom 1 vs. 1 Wigan
Ademilson(1)

Got off to a great start but couldn't hold on for the win.

14/2/18
Wigan 3 vs. 1 Aston Villa
Adryan(20, 39) Wellington Nem(55)

F.A Cup 5th Round
17/2/18
Birmingham 2 vs. 2 Wigan
Barkley(5) Savic(24)

We should be winning this as they're at the bottom of the table and we went 2-0 up so we have no excuses for that.

Capital One Cup Final
24/2/18
Arsenal 0 vs. 1 Wigan
Batth(7)

At last! We've finally won it and it's at least one piece of silverware this season.

Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg
27/2/18
Wigan 2 vs. 0 Benfica
Adryan( 6) Ademilson(35)

A very good win with no away goals conceded which should see us through.

View attachment 372384​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Wigan Falter in League and Knocked out of F.A Cup

It's been a bit of a mixed month all told for Wigan supporters so far. There have been ups and downs in the league, winning two and losing two. They are still top of the table but City and United are closing the gap on them so Wigan cannot afford any more slip ups. To add to the disappointment for Wigan fans, Arsenal got their revenge for the Capital One Cup defeat by beating them 2-0 in the F.A Cup 6th round. Wigan would have liked to get further in the competition but it doesn mean they can focus on the league and the Champions League. On the positive side for Wigan fans they are through to the quarter finals of the Champions League and they have a good chance of reaching the semi finals as they play Valencia.

View attachment 372385
Champions League Quarter Final
Wigan vs. Valencia

March

Premier League
10/3/18
West Ham 1 vs. 0 Wigan

Don't know what happened here, we had plenty of good chances to score but could not finish at all and a terribly underhit backpass by Rodriguez was what gave them the goal.

F.A Cup 5th Round Replay
14/3/18
Wigan 4 vs. 2 Birmingham
Lacazette(48, 57, 60, 90+2)

Lacazette ran the show this game but our defending was a bit suspect at times.

Premier League
18/3/18
Wigan 3 vs. 1 Tottenham
Doumbia(23, 35) Mamaev(28)

A really good win against a strong Tottenham side. Almost makes up for the West Ham loss.

Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg
21/3/18
Benfica 3 vs. 2 Wigan
Caulker(81) Ademilson(90+3)
(Wigan win 4-3 on aggregate)

A bit of a weird game. When Caulker scored it made it 1-1 but they scored twice to make it 3-1 but we got a really late goal to make it safe.

F.A Cup 6th Round
24/3/18
Arsenal 2 vs. 0 Wigan

**** performance by us and we deserved to go out.

Premier League
28/3/18
Man City 2 vs. 0 Wigan

Another **** performance and we can't afford to keep losing league games.

31/3/18
Wigan 1 vs. 0 Newcastle
El Shaarawy(34)

Back to winning ways but only just.

View attachment 372393​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Title Race Goes Down to Last Day

Wigan Athletic and Manchester City have been going back and forth all season and it's coming down to the last day. Wigan have the firm advantage as they're two points clear and have a much higher goal difference than Man City. This means that Wigan will have to lose to their bitter rivals Bolton while Man City have to win against Arsenal. Even if Wigan draw, City still won't be able to win the title. Both teams have been dropping points but City more than Wigan as they've been competing in Europe as well. Wigan were knocked out in April on away goals against Valencia. They managed to win the first leg 2-1 but that away goal proved important as Wigan couldn't find the draw or the win that they needed to go through. Wigan haven't been in great form recently as they've had two successive 0-0 draws against United and Arsenal but it's been enough to give them a great chance of winning the title.

View attachment 372819
April/May

Champions League Quarter Final 1st Leg
4/4/18
Wigan 2 vs. 1 Valencia
Barkley(27) Ademilson(52)

A good win but the away goal could be dangerous.

Premier League
7/4/18
Stoke 2 vs. 2 Wigan
Doumbia(62, 78)

I really would have liked to win this but they kept equalising.

Champions League Quarter Final 2nd Leg
10/4/18
Valencia 1 vs. 0 Wigan
(Aggregate score: 2-2, Wigan go out on away goals)

Premier League
14/4/18
Wigan 4 vs. 2 Liverpool
Batth(45) Barkley(47) Mamaev(53) Lacazette(90)

A good win against one of the tough teams in our run in, not many games to go now.

18/4/18
Chelsea 2 vs. 3 Wigan
Mamaev(14) Batth(37) Lacazette(66)

Another great win against another tough team. Defending's a bit suspect but away from home I'm just happy to get the win, only Arsenal and United to worry about now.

21/4/18
Wolves 1 vs. 4 Wigan
Adilson(21) Adryan(41) Ademilson(49, 52)

City dropped points last game so we're a lot closer to winning the title.

28/4/18
Wigan 4 vs. 1 Birmingham
Matuidi(46) Ademilson(54) Savic(56) Iturbe(89)

5/5/18
Man United 0 vs. 0 Wigan

It's only a draw but away to United that's not a bad result.

13/5/18
Arsenal 0 vs. 0 Wigan

City dropped points again last game so a win here would have won us the title but the title race goes down to the last day.

View attachment 372821
(This table is only for the end of April but we're two points clear going into the last game)

​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

View attachment 372830​

Lineker: Hello and welcome to the last Match Of The Day of the season as the title is still to be decided. We're not promising it will be as exciting as last season where the two teams at the top faced off against each other but we'll do our best. Wigan are the team in the commanding position as they only need to win or draw to claim the title. Man City have a tough challenge as they'll face Arsenal who have been performing well of late. What do you think's going to happen guys?

Shearer: Well it's been a long season and both teams deserve to be in with a shout at the end of the season but I think Wigan have done enough to win it. They're at home against their bitter rivals which would normally give them enough drive to win the game but I think they'll do enough.

Lawrenson: I'm not too sure Alan, Wigan have had two goalless draws in a row and if they fail to find their feet in front of goal they could find themselves falling at the last hurdle. It would be terrible for Wigan fans, especially after the pain of last season.

Lineker: Ok, well let's look at the teams and see how they stack up against each other, we'll start with Man City vs. Arsenal:
City:

Hart

Azpilicueta Varane Kompany Clichy




Garmash Tiote

Nasri Aguero Bijl

Dzeko


​

Arsenal:

Szczesney

Jones Subotic Vermaelen


Corchia Medel Baines


Ramsey Alaba

Griezmann

Juanmni

​

Lineker: Both have strong teams so it's going to be a close game, let's have a look at the other lineups.


Wigan:

Ruffier

Savic Caulker Batth Rodriguez

Abu

Matuidi Adryan

Iturbe Nem

Ademilson

​

Bolton:

Bogdan

Trippier Bennett Hanley Cresswell

Gunnarsson Spearing

Mirallas Davies McGeouch

Austin

​

Lineker: And in comparison, it looks like Wigan have a much stronger squad than Bolton. It should be an easy win for Wigan on paper but football's not played on paper and surprises can happen. Let's see what happened, Jonathan Pearce will be commentating on the Wigan-Bolton game and Guy Mowbraw will be commentating the Man City-Arsenal game.

1'​

Pearce/Mowbray: The teams kick off on the last day of the season to decide the title.

1'​

Mowbray: Early chance for Man City as Nasri shoots from long range but Szczesny saves comfortably.

4'​

Pearce: Goal!! Wigan get off to a cracking start as Danny Batth climbs at the near post to head past Bogdan. Fantastic start for Wigan who seem to want to seal the title early.

5'
​

Mowbray: Bad news for City fans as Wigan have gone 1-0 up, they need a miracle now.

12'​

Mowbray: A chance for City to go 1-0 up as Dzeko nearly headed home from a corner.

15'​

Mowbray: Goal! City have taken the lead as Dzeko tapped in from close range after a shot from Tiote. City are holding up their end of the deal and they need Bolton to start playing.

25'​

Mowbray: Goal! Arsenal have equalised! Corchia nets from close range after a Ramsey cross. City need another goal to have any chance of winning the title.

27'​

Pearce: Chance for Wigan, Wellington Nem shots low but Bogdan tips it round for a corner.

28'​

Pearce: Another chance for Wigan, it really should have been 2-0. Caulker heads over the bar from a couple of yards out. How did he miss that?

41'​

Pearce: Goal! Ademilson fires the ball low into the bottom corner after Adryan was tackled in the box. Surely Wigan aren't going to be caught now?

42'​

Mowbray: Even worse news for City fans as Wigan are 2-0 up. It's all but over for City now.

45'​

Pearce/Mowbray: Half time and it looks like the title's going to Wigan.

68'​

Mowbray: City have a chance to take the lead as Aguero shot from just outside the box but Szczesny was there to save. City are running out of time.

90+1'​

Pearce: Goal! Barkely smashes the ball home from close range after a chance for Ademilson. That goal wraps up the title for Wigan and the fans are going wild.

90+2​

Pearce: It's full time here! Wigan have won the title with a commanding performance here against Bolton, there only looked as if there could be one winner here.

90+3​

Mowbray: It's official, Wigan have won the title as their game has just finished. City would still like to win the game and they have a chance, a corner is swung in and Kompany gets his head on it but it's cleared off the line.

90+4'​

Mowbray: One last chance for City as Nasri takes a long range free-kick but it's held by Szczesny. As Szczesny clears it's full time and City can only manage a draw, it's been a long season but in the end they've just come up short.


Lineker: Well that wraps it up, a deserved victory for Wigan which wins them in my view a deserved title. It's been a long season with a lot of ups and downs but this is definitely the biggest highlight for Wigan fans.

Shearer: I agree, I think it is a deserved title for Wigan as they've been great all season, hardly dropping points and performing well in just about every game.

Lawrenson: Yeah, you have to say that Wigan have been the star performers this season and no other team has been as consistent as Wigan when it comes to putting in great performances.

Lineker: Well that just about wraps it up for another season but before we go let's have one last look at the Barclays Premier League table:

View attachment 372843

​

Lineker: As you can see Wigan have won by four points to claim only their second Premier League title in their history. Here at Match of the Day we'd like to congratulate them on their achievement and see you next season.

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

End of Season Review

We managed to make up for the disappointing end of last season by winning the league by four points, beating Man City to the title. We also managed to make up for the disappointment of losing the Capital One Cup Final by beating Arsenal 1-0 to win it for the first time since I've taken over. The Community Shield is an added bonus and it's another trophy for the stats even though it's not a majorly important one. I was a bit disappointed not to reach the semis of the F.A Cup but we did come up against a good Arsenal side and we didn't play well at all. Hopefully we'll be able to add another F.A Cup soon as it was the first trophy I won with Wigan and I'd like to win it again. We were also unlucky not to reach the semis of the Champions League and we had a really good chance as we played Valencia but we went out on away goals which was a bit annoying. Hopefully we'll be able to build on that for next season.

Did I meet my targets?
​

​

Reach the Capital One Cup Final - Yes
Reach Quarter Finals at least of F.A Cup - Yes
Reach First Knockout Round of Champions League - Yes
Challenge for the league title - Yes
Keep at least 30 clean sheets - No (21) I think we need to tighten our defence a little

Season Highlight

Pretty tough as we won the Capital One Cup and reached the Champions League quarter final for the second year in a row but I think it has to be the fact we won the league back.

​

Season Low-light

Not too many to choose from this season as we did well but we did get knocked out of the F.A Cup by Arsenal which was disappointing. I think it has to be losing the quarter final of the Champions League to Valencia as we should really be beating them over two legs.

Results from last season
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Wigan Team of the Year
View attachment 372906

Fans Player of the Year
View attachment 372908

Manager of the Year
View attachment 372917

Footballer of the Year
View attachment 372918

Premier League Team of the Season
View attachment 372919

Other Competitions
View attachment 372920View attachment 372921View attachment 372922View attachment 372923

F.A Cup - Chelsea beat Bolton 2-0
Champions League - Barcelona beat Valencia 2-0
Europa League - Marseille beat Wolfsburg on penalties after drawing 1-1
European Super Cup - Tottenham beat Arsenal 1-0

European Rankings
View attachment 372924​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Wonder-kids Update

As I've been buying a load of wonder-kids in my career at Wigan, I thought it's time for a round up to see who I've bought, how much for and where they are now with regards to my squad. By the way I'm classing the players as wonder-kids if they were the age to be a 'wonder-kid' when I bought them.

Wellington Nem:

View attachment 373240
Bought on 24/8/12 for £3.5m from Fluminese.
Status: Vital first team member.

He's been in the first team since the day he came and has performed well for me. He's a really versatile attacking midfielder who slots into both my 4-3-2-1 formation and my 4-1-2-1-2 formation. He's scored plenty of goals a quite a few free-kicks. Basically everyone buys him so I'd recommend him as well.

Adryan:

View attachment 373259

Bought on 9/6/13 for £875K from Flamengo.
Status: Vital first team member.

Been on the fringes of my first team when he first came in but is now one of my key players. He's been great in my advanced playmaker role in a CM position and he can really run a game. He's started scoring plenty of goals as well as assisting them and has really developed well.

Ademilson:

View attachment 373258

Bought on 14/6/14 for £5.25m from Sao Paulo
Status: Vital first team member.

Another player who came straight into the first team when I bought him and has more than repaid his price tag. He can be a bit inconsistent at times but he's a deadly finisher and has done really well in Europe.

dos Santos:

View attachment 373257

Bought on 29/6/14 for £875K from Barcelona
Status: Vital first team member

Not too sure whether to class him as a wonder-kid or not but I will anyway so what the ****. He was a steal at £875K from Barcelona and again went straight into the first team. He's been incredible for me as he bosses the game as a deep lying playmaker in a DM position. Well worth buying if you can find him on your game.

Nono:

View attachment 373256

Bought on 24/1/15 for £8K from Real Betis
Status: Sold to Wolves during the 2015-16 season for £2m

The only reason I picked him up was because of the incredibly low price but he never really got into the team. He played a couple of games but that's about it. I probably should have developed him more and sent him out on loan but I think I needed some cash so I sold him.

Roberto:

View attachment 373255

Bought on 9/6/15 for £800K from Internacional.
Status: 1 season away from breaking into the first team.

He's destined to be a great player for our team but he needs another season to develop. I played him a bit in pre-season and he played well but we have a lot of high quality DM's so I'm going to let him develop.

Neco:

View attachment 373254

Bought on 25/8/15 for £900K from Santos.
Status: On loan for experience.

When I bought him he had a 5 star PA but I think he must have had a bad injury as that's gone down a bit since then. If he doesn't break into the first team I should be able to get a decent profit off him.

Banegas:

View attachment 373253

Bought on 31/8/15 for £4m from River.
Status: First season in the first team.

A highly capable defender who's good with his feet as well as in the air. He's going to be a star for my first team within a few years as I've taken him off the loan list and I'll be using him this season.

Adilson:

View attachment 373252

Bought on 1/9/15 for £1.8m from Internacional.
Status: First full season in the first team.

A very good midfielder who started to play in my first team last season but only played sporadically until the end of the season. In that time he proved himself a very good player and I'll be using him in my first team more often this season.

Leal:

View attachment 373250

Bought on 1/1/16 for £3.5m from Castilla.
Status: On loan for experience.

A goalkeeper with a great potential. He's done well out on loan and he's just gone out on loan as a first team regular to Sevilla who finished fourth in La Liga last season which shows what a good player he his. Will replace Ruffier when he starts to deteriorate.

Smith:

View attachment 373249

Bought on 3/1/16 for £1.2m from Southampton.
Status: On loan for experience.

The main thing that attracted me to him is the fact he's English as it will help with Champions League regulations and he does look like he'll be a good winger in the future.

Harvey:

View attachment 373247

Bought on 9/6/16 for £600k from Southampton.
Status: On loan for experience.


Another good, young English player who will hopefully become part of my first team defence in a few years. A lot of my defenders this season have been English so hopefully he'll continue this tradition.

Else:

View attachment 373246

Bought on 9/6/16 for £2.3m from Blackburn.
Status: On loan for experience.

I think I paid over the odds for this player a bit as he's English and will probably end up as cover for my right back unless I sell him on to get my money back.

Foster:

View attachment 373245

Bought on 7/7/17 for £2m from Man United.
Status: On loan for experience.

A brilliant young English striker who looks like he'll be the spearhead of my attack for years to come. He's been at Sunderland on loan the last season or two and has done really well so hopefully he'll do well for me.

Heydari:

View attachment 373244

20/7/17 for £3.2m from Everton
Status: On loan for experience.

I'm not sure why I ended up buying this player as his potential doesn't look great but I'm going to give him a chance when he's developed.

Desborough:

View attachment 373243

Bought on 1/1/18 for £12.75m from Arsenal.
Status: On loan for experience.

The famous rush of blood to the head signing as I probably played way over the odds for him. He does have a good potential and he is English so I'm hoping that he'll become my first choice right back in a few seasons.

Sokambi:

View attachment 373242

Bought on 17/1/18 for £7.5m from Roma
Status: On loan for experience.

Another rush of blood to the head as again I probably paid way over the odds but hopefully he'll prove his worth or at least I hope I can get my money back on him.

Agrela:

View attachment 373241

Bought on 31/1/18 for £2.5 from Maritimo
Status: On loan for experience.

A really promising young goalkeeper who would have been replacing Ruffier if Leal hadn't coming along earlier but if something happens to Leal he should be able to come in and do well.


As you can see I have a lot of wonder-kids to choose from and I've bought a few more in this transfer window so I will have even more to choose from. Hopefully these players will be the core of my squad in a few seasons time.​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Pre Season

View attachment 374193

Friendly
18/7/18
Wigan 5 vs. 0 Club Brugge
Banegas(7) Ademilson(26) Foster(48) Adilson(76) Matuidi(82)

23/7/18
Beijing 1 vs. 4 Wigan
Foster(2) Adilson(29) OG(33) Kelly(60)

28/7/18
Jiangsu 0 vs. 0 Wigan

30/7/18
Guangzhou 1 vs. 4 Wigan
Ademilson(23) Lacazette(27) Adilson(67) Barkley(69)

1/8/18
Exeter 0 vs. 2 Wigan
Matuidi(87) Ademilson(90+4)

4/8/18
Hull 0 vs. 4 Wigan
Adryan(4, 36, 55) Adilson(19)

8/8/18
Wigan 1 vs. 4 Bayern
Ademilson(11)

Community Shield
12/8/18
Chelsea 0 vs. 1 Wigan
Lacazette(41)

Third consecutive Community Shield!

Summary

A pretty good pre-season as always but this time of year is always about getting fitness up and learning tactics what we've done. I was a bit disappointed with the Bayern result which is making me re-think our 'big game' tactic which is currently a 4-1-2-1-2. I think it's too narrow for a team who's main tactic utilises the wings but I'll work on it during the season. Also the Community Shield was a pleasing result as it's our third consecutive Community Shield but Chelsea were without Cech which is lucky as they're our first game of the season.

Transfers

No real outgoing transfers this season as we had a successful campaign last year so why fix what isn't broke? The only real change is Sulejmani going to Celtic on loan for £110K a month which I didn't think was too bad as they're paying around 80% of his wages. I thought he would be surplus to requirements this season so I tried to sell him but no-one would buy so that was the best I could do. Inbound this season are a few players to train up and hopefully break into the first team squad in a few seasons. Apart from that I let Rob Green go as he was complaining about not getting enough game time and I brought in Michel Vorm on a free as cover for Ruffier.

View attachment 374211View attachment 374212

My Aims For This Season:

Reach the Capital One Cup semi finals
Reach the F.A Cup semi finals
Reach the Champions League semi finals
Challenge for the league title
Keep at least 30 clean sheets

Board Aims For This Season:

Reach the semi finals of the F.A Cup
Reach quarter finals of the Champions League
Qualify for the Champions League through league position

​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Winning Start For Wigan

Wigan have started the campaign to retain their title in a winning fashion, following up their Community Shield win over Chelsea by demolishing them at the DW Stadium. This was followed up by a comfortable win away to Swansea to show that Wigan are meaning business this season. They've also been handed a relatively easy group in the Champions League with the exception being Real Madrid though they are expected to qualify comfortably. What the pundits and fans alike will be wondering this season is what competition will the Wigan manager place the most importance on, the Premier League or the Champions League?

View attachment 374265
Champions League Group G
Real Madrid
Wigan Athletic
Werder Bremen
Dinamo

Capital One Cup 3rd Round
Wigan Athletic vs. Tottenham

August

Premier League
19/8/18
Wigan 4 vs. 1 Chelsea
Adryan(17) Caulker(45) Doumbia(76) Wellington Nem(90+1)

A very good win but we did take advantage of the fact that they were missing Cech in goal.

25/8/18
Swansea 0 vs. 3 Wigan
Wellington Nem(pen 43) Doumbia(67) Adilson(88)

A good win away from home against Swansea.

View attachment 374266

​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Wigan Smash Real Madrid 5-0!

A remarkable result happened in Wigan's first Champions League game of the season as the 9 time winners rocked up to the DW Stadium expecting to roll over the small northwest side but it didn't quite happen that way. Wigan were 2-0 up 10 and were 4-0 up at half time. The galacticos of Madrid were perfectly neutralised by Wigan's back line and the front men were clinical in their attacks. Adryan was on top form, bossing the midfield from the start and bagging a hat-trick to round off his evening. Wigan have been just as clinical in the league, dispatching opponents with ease and it looks like they'll definitely be the team to beat this season. In other news, Conroy has taken the Senegal managerial post that has recently become vacant, with an aim to take them to the African Cup of Nations which he will do after sealing qualification with them this month. Wigan fans will be hoping that he is able to balance international management as well as club management.

View attachment 374274
Capital One Cup 4th Round
Wigan Athletic vs. Arsenal

September

Premier League
1/9/18
Wigan 3 vs. 2 West Brom
Iturbe(46) Doumbia(55, 61)

This game was a lot more comfortable than it looks as their goals were a penalty and a last minute consolation.

15/9/18
Leicester 0 vs. 5 Wigan
Kelly(14) Barkley(31) Doumbia(36, 51) Savic(72)

A great win away from home, looking good this month.

Champions League Group G
19/9/18
Wigan 5 vs. 0 Real Madrid
Adryan(6, 33, 76) Batth(11) Iturbe(26)

OH MY GOD!!! I can't believe this result! We took an early lead and I assumed they'd just pull us back in but we stormed away with it! They had really weak full backs so we just exploited them the whole game and it really shows!

Premier League
22/9/18
Wigan 7 vs. 0 Fulham
Ademilson(1, 63, 81, 90) Barkley(26, 54) Banegas(49)

We are really demolishing so far, our biggest win with me in charge.

Capital One Cup 3rd Round
26/9/18
Wigan 4 vs. 2 Tottenham
Wellington Nem(10) Adryan(15, 85) Batth(54)

Another great win against a tough opposition, morale is superb for just about everyone.

Premier League
29/9/18
Blackburn 0 vs. 3 Wigan
Adryan(26) Doumbia(53) Matuidi(86)

Only three goals? What's going on?!

View attachment 374279View attachment 374280

Senegal

View attachment 374286

African Cup of Nations Qualifying
7/9/18
Benin 1 vs. 2 Senegal
Koulibaly(22) Pape Diop(72)

An eventful first game in charge as we went 1-0 before being pegged back, then we had a man sent off but still managed to grab a goal and hold on for the win. That's qualification in the bag.

11/9/18
Senegal 3 vs. 0 Sierra Leone
Gueye(14) Djilobodji(31) Ba(59)

(Forgot to take screenshot of table)​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Wigan Falter in League but Cruise in Cup Competitions

After the 5-0 thrashing of Real Madrid, it looked as if this Wigan team were unbeatable, but that notion was quickly dispelled as City turned the game around to beat Wigan 2-1 as Wigan lose in the league for the first time. Not only did Wigan lose to City this month, they were close to being beaten by Tottenham but they managed to salvage a draw from that game. Meanwhile in the Champions League Wigan are still going strong and demolished another team as they beat Werder Bremen 6-0 away from home. Wigan have also managed to negotiate their way through the Capital One Cup 4th Round, beating Arsenal comprehensively as it's looking like Wigan will defend their title.

View attachment 374624
Capital One Cup Quarter Final
Wigan Athletic vs. Everton

October

Champions League Group G
2/10/18
Werder Bremen 0 vs. 6 Wigan
Barkley(2) Ademilson(11, 33, 44 pen, 66) Matuidi(16)

I don't know what's happened to us but we're smashing teams, even in the Champions League! Ademilson's on top form too.

Premier League
6/10/18
Wigan 1 vs. 2 Man City
Doumbia(26)

Good start but two goals in the last 10 minutes lost us the game. Disappointing to lose at home as well.

20/10/18
Wigan 2 vs. 0 Everton
Wellington Nem(27 pen, 70 pen)

Champions League Group G
23/10/18
Wigan 3 vs. 0 Dinamo
Barkely(38) Ademilson(72) Caulker(89)

Another win and clean sheet in the Champions League, looking good.

Premier League
28/10/18
Tottenham 1 vs. 1 Wigan
Batth(80)

A little disappointed we didn't win but we're away from home so I suppose it wasn't too bad.

Capital One Cup 4th Round
30/10/18
Wigan 4 vs. 1 Arsenal
Matuidi(31) Caulker(66) Ademilson(86, 90+1)

Not expecting a win this comfortable, especially as it was just after the Tottenham game.

View attachment 374645

Senegal

View attachment 374640

Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying Group L
12/10/18
Senegal 4 vs. 0 Sierra Leone
Ba(39, 83) Sarr(55) Gueye(70)

View attachment 374642​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Wigan Narrowly Lose in Madrid

Wigan had a chance to secure top spot in Madrid and had great chances to do that but Real showed their quality as they ran out 3-2 winners in Madrid. However it wasn't a simple as it seems for Real as Wigan missed not one, but two penalties in the game which ultimately cost them the game. Wigan have a history of being poor at penalties as they tend to lose most of the penalty shoot-outs they're in and do miss a lot of penalties in open play. They will need to improve on this but as long as they keep creating chances in open play then it may not be as big a deal as people are thinking. The Madrid game was the only game Wigan didn't win this month as they look to be taken a tight hold on the title race and next month Wigan will need to win against Werder Bremen to top their group as well balance the other competitions their in to keep the supporters accustomed to the success they've enjoyed recently.

View attachment 375623
November

Premier League
3/11/18
QPR 0 vs. 1 Wigan
Ademilson(15)

Champions League Group G
7/11/18
Dinamo 0 vs. 3 Wigan
Ademilson(42, 90) Banegas(44)

A solid win and Real dropped points against Werder Bremen so we should top the group.

Premier League
10/11/18
Wigan 3 vs. 0 Norwich
Caulker(2) Adilson(11) Banegas(35)

14/11/18
West Ham 0 vs. 2 Wigan
Ademilson(20) Barkley(37)

17/11/18
Newcastle 1 vs. 3 Wigan
Ademilson(12) Doumbia(78, 90+1)

24/11/18
Wigan 3 vs. 1 Cardiff
Doumbia(45) Adryan(57) Batth(87)

Champions League Group G
27/11/18
Real Madrid 3 vs. 2 Wigan
Caulker(50) Adryan(79)

We really shouldn't have lost this, especially as we missed TWO penalties!

View attachment 375624View attachment 375625

Senegal

View attachment 375640

Friendly
21/11/18
Denmark 0 vs. 1 Senegal
M.Diouf(88)

Not a bad result I think.

​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Wigan Come Out of 'Month From ****' Top of the Table

The fixtures were not kind for Wigan Athletic this month as they not only had to play the last game in their Champions League group, they had to play over-achieving Stoke as well as Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool and Chelsea back to back. Not only did they finish the month top of the table, they only lost one game which was away to Man United. It was a pretty good month overall for Wigan as they managed to finish top of their Champions League group as well as reaching the Capital One Cup semi-finals again and they'll play Norwich which they really should be winning. It means more chances for silverware come the end of the season but it means a higher chance of fatigue as they try and balance the increased fixture list.

View attachment 375626
Capital One Cup Semi Final
Norwich vs. Wigan Athletic

F.A Cup 3rd Round
Wigan Athletic vs. Crystal Palace

December

Premier League
1/12/18
Stoke 0 vs. 1 Wigan
Adilson(20)

Capital One Cup Quarter Final
4/12/18
Everton 0 vs. 1 Wigan
Doumbia(86 pen)

A narrow win but we deserved it over all.

Premier League
8/12/18
Wigan 4 vs. 0 Bolton
Barkley(21, 48, 72) Adilson(89)

Champions League Group G
12/12/18
Wigan 2 vs. 0 Werder Bremen
Doumbia(88) Ademilson(90+2)

A draw would have been enough because of our superior goal difference but we got the win in the end.

Premier League
16/12/18
Wigan 1 vs. 0 Arsenal
Doumbia(55)

Good start to the tough fixtures.

22/12/18
Man United 2 vs. 1 Wigan
Doumbia(47)

Disappointed not to win but we were away from home I suppose.

26/12/18
Liverpool 0 vs. 1 Wigan
Batth(64)

A good win away from home as we're picking up more points than I thought we would here.

29/12/18
Chelsea 0 vs. 0 Wigan

Not a bad point considering the tough games we've played in quick succession.

View attachment 375628View attachment 375629​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Wigan Reach Capital One Cup Final

The aggregate victory of Norwich, which was never really in doubt due to the gulf in class between the teams, puts them into the Capital One Cup final for the third season in a row. They will be playing Manchester City which will be a tough final and they've not had an easy ride in the other two finals they've been in. They faced Manchester United in the first final which they lost 1-0, they then faced Arsenal in the second final which they won 1-0 so they're 1-1 when it comes to the Capital One Cup. The Champions League draw has been kinder to Wigan as they'll play Galatasaray, a game they should be winning. Wigan also reached the fifth round of the F.A Cup where they'll face another tough game as they play Man United at Old Trafford. With the Champions League games starting again next month, Wigan's fixture list will be even more hectic than it has been in the past couple of months.

View attachment 375637

F.A Cup 4th Round
West Brom vs. Wigan Athletic

F.A Cup 5th Round
Manchester United vs. Wigan Athletic

Champions League Round of 16
Galatasaray vs. Wigan Athletic

Januray

Premier League
2/1/19
Wigan 2 vs. 0 Swansea
Iturbe(21) Caulker(76)

Capital One Cup Semi Final 1st Leg
9/1/19
Norwich 2 vs. 4 Wigan
Ademilson(7) Adryan(21) Barkley(52) OG(77)

Bit of a topsy turvy game, we went 2-0 up then got pegged back to 2-2 before taking a two goal lead again. That should see us through.

F.A Cup 3rd Round
12/1/19
Wigan 5 vs. 0 Crystal Palace
Iturbe(2) Doumbia(4, 29) Mamaev(13) Caulker(53)

Premier League
15/1/19
West Brom 0 vs. 1 Wigan

This was a terrible game as we really should have got at least a draw.

19/1/19
Wigan 2 vs. 1 Leicester
Lacazette(22, 35)

Lacazette saved us as it was another performance from the team.

Capital One Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg
23/1/19
Wigan 1 vs. 1 Norwich
Doumbia(33)
(Wigan win 5-3 on aggregate)

We should be winning games at home but we're through so it's not too important.

F.A Cup 4th Round
26/1/19
West Brom 1 vs. 4 Wigan
Mamaev(26, 38) Batth(44) Doumbia(56)

This is what we should have done in the league.

Premier League
30/1/19
Fulham 1 vs. 2 Wigan
Mamaev(35) Adryan(77)

We made this tougher than it had to be as we went 1-0 down to the team who hasn't won all season.

View attachment 375639

Senegal

View attachment 375638

Friendly
5/1/19
Tunisia 0 vs. 1 Senegal
Ba(8)

8/1/19
Senegal 0 vs. 1 Wales

Disappointed with this game for obvious reasons.

12/1/19
Egypt 0 vs. 0 Senegal

Not a terrible result against a strong African team.

African Cup of Nations Group G
21/1/19
Angola 0 vs. 2 Senegal
Mendy(34) Djilobodji(78)

A good start to the tournament.

24/1/19
Senegal 7 vs. 1 Burundi
Djilobodji(14, 20, 47) Sarr(18) Ba(41, 56) Sane(57)

Easy win against the group's whipping boys.

30/1/19
Senegal 3 vs. 0 Nigeria
OG(23) Sane(30) Mendy(66)

A great win against the toughest team in our group which means we top the table.

View attachment 375635​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Conroy Loses Capital One Cup and African Cup of Nations Finals

It was a month of 'what if's' for Conroy and his teams this month as he and his teams lost in not one but two finals. The month was quite mixed for Wigan as they lost a couple of games, one in the league and a heavy defeat to Man United in the F.A Cup. However the month started well for Senegal as they negotiated their way through two difficult rounds as they faced Cameroon and Ghana. After beating two of the best teams in Africa to get to the final, when they were up against Nigeria who they beat 3-0 in the group stage it looked as if it would be a walkover. However Nigeria came back stronger and took control of the game. Senegal will have to wait until the win their first Africa Cup of Nations, but will Conroy stay around for that long? Wigan looked to defend their Capital One Cup against Man City but again they showed their ineptitude at penalties as they lost 4-2 on penalties after drawing 2-2. Wigan will hope to put this disappointment behind them as they look to win consecutive titles and have a crack at the Champions League.

View attachment 375757
February

Premier League
2/2/19
Wigan 2 vs. 0 Blackburn
Doumbia(1) Naughton(27)

5/2/19
Man City 1 vs. 0 Wigan

Disappointing as I would have liked to got at least a point.

10/2/19
Wigan 2 vs. 0 Tottenham
Adryan(39) Lacazette(55)

That's more like it, a good win against one of the tougher sides.

F.A Cup 5th Round
16/2/19
Man United 3 vs. 0 Wigan

We were just terrible, moving on.

Premier League
20/2/19
Wigan 4 vs. 1 QPR
Banegas(14) Doumbia(56, 89) Wellington Nem(82)

Wellington Nem's first game back after 3/4 months of injury and he scored a cracking goal.

Capital One Cup Final
23/2/19
Wigan 2 vs. 2 Man City
Ademilson(31, 48)
(Man City win 4-2 on penalties)

Ademilson kept us in the game and it looked like we might sneak it but we couldn't keep our composure in the shootout.

Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg
26/2/19
Galatasaray 1 vs. 1 Wigan
Caulker(84)

We really should be winning this game, hopefully we'll get the win at home but they did play well.

View attachment 375758

Senegal

View attachment 375759

Africa Cup of Nations Quarter Final
3/2/19
Cameroon 1 vs. 1 Senegal
Babacar(82)
(Senegal win 5-4 on penalties)

A great win against a really tough side. Didn't think we'd win this.

Africa Cup of Nations Semi Final
7/2/19
Senegal 1 vs. 0 Ghana
Mendy(64)

We've had a really tough draw for these knockout rounds but Ghana having a man sent off early on helped a lot.

African Cup of Nations Final
10/2/19
Senegal 0 vs. 2 Nigeria

Not sure what happened here as we dominated them in the group stages, maybe it was the pressure but I'm not sure.
​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Wigan Face Barcelona in Champions League

Wigan have a history of not getting easy draws in a lot of their competitions but for Wigan fans it's getting ridiculous. The could have faced Palermo, Valencia or even Inter would have been a better draw but they face the might of Barcelona. Wigan have achieved the board's expectations of reaching the quarter finals but the manager said at the start of the season that he wants to reach the semi finals at least. It will really be an indication of how far Wigan have come if they can work their way past Barcelona but fans will say that they smashed Madrid 5-0 so Barcelona will go a similar way. That may be a bit ambitious but there's no doubting that Wigan are a very good team now and can give anyone a game on their day, but can the beat Barcelona? In other news Conroy has resigned as manager of Senegal, the disappointment was just too much to bare after losing the African Cup of Nations defeat and he doesn't want to wait two years to play in another tournament.

View attachment 375765
Champions League Quarter Final
Barcelona vs. Wigan Athletic

March

Premier League
2/3/19
Everton 0 vs. 2 Wigan
Barkley(5) Doumbia(46)

13/3/19
Wigan 2 vs. 1 West Ham
Batth(31) Mamaev(36)

16/3/19
Norwich 0 vs. 3 Wigan
Doumbia(26, 57) Adilson(40)

Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg
20/3/19
Wigan 2 vs. 0 Galatasaray
Batth(38) Adilson(55 pen)
(Wigan win 3-1 on aggregate)

View attachment 375767​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Wigan Topple Barcelona!

Wigan have done what many thought would be impossible after the Champions League draw but Wigan have reached the Champions League semi final but it was an incredibly tight affair. After a goalless draw in Barcelona, Wigan might have put themselves in a weaker position as they had no away goal as insurance if Barcelona scored. However in the game at the DW, Wigan went out attacking and deserved to take the lead but they couldn't find a way past the keeper. Their cause was helped after Lucas Leiva was sent off after 63 minuted and it was helped even further when Messi was taken off injured with a few minutes to go. At the end of the 90 minutes it was another goalless draw as the game went to extra time and even though Wigan dominated, they couldn't find a goal so it went to penalties. Wigan have been known for their poor performance in penalty shootouts but in this game Ruffier took the game into his own hands as he saved all four of the Barcelona penalties to put Wigan through to face Man City in the semi finals. In other news Wigan had a chance to win the league away to Bolton but they lost 3-1 so they'll have to wait a bit longer to try and win back to back titles.

View attachment 376429
Champions League Semi Final
Man City vs. Wigan Athletic

April

Premier League
6/4/19
Wigan 2 vs. 2 Newcastle
Kelly(11) Matuidi(81)

Not sure what happened as we were 2-0 up with eight minutes to go.

Champions League Quarter Final 1st Leg
9/4/19
Barcelona 0 vs. 0 Wigan

Not a bad result away to Barcelona but I would have liked an away goal.

Premier League
14/4/19
Cardiff 0 vs. 5 Wigan
Adilson(4, 25 pen, 58 pen) Caulker(48) Ademilson(84)

Nice solid win with a first hat-trick for Adilson.

Champions League Quarter Final 2nd Leg
17/4/19
Wigan 0 vs. 0 Barcelona
(0-0 on aggregate, Wigan win 2-0 on penalties)

We've done it! We made it past Barcelona but we should have done it in normal time really as we dominated the game. When it went to penalties I feared the worst but Ruffier was a wall in goal as he saved all 4 Barca penalties to see us through!

Premier League
20/4/19
Wigan 4 vs. 2 Stoke
Lacazette(25) Mamaev(36) El Shaarawy(41) Ademilson(90)

Another good win against Stoke who've done really well this season.

27/4/19
Bolton 3 vs. 1 Wigan
Ademilson(13)

Not happy with this as a win would have won us the league and allowed us to focus on the Champions League games against City. We have a really tough run-in in May as well, hopefully we haven't choked it here...

View attachment 376438
​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Wigan Defend Premier League Crown

Wigan Athletic have done what many people would have thought impossible at the start of Conroy's reign in charge but they've successfully defended their Premier League crown. Nobody would have thought it was possible for Wigan to even achieve a top half finish, let alone win the Premier League and defend it while doing so well in other competitions. The game that won the league for Wigan was a 4-1 thumping of Manchester United at home. The league now looks like something that Wigan are expecting to win rather than are hoping to win as it's now their third Premier League crown and they're starting to become more confident within themselves about their chances of winning. The next level for Wigan now is Champions League success and they've already had relative success by reaching the semi-finals this season but for Wigan to become a truly great club, they need a European trophy under their belt. Conroy did put a lot of emphasis on the Champions League this season and it showed as they did tremendously well but if they're to keep increasing their stature, they need to win it sooner or later.

View attachment 376445
May

Champions League Semi Final 1st Leg
1/5/19
Man City 3 vs. 2 Wigan
Caulker(40) Ademilson(42)

Disappointed with this game really as we managed to comeback from a goal down to go 2-1 up, then Mamaev got sent off on 54 minutes and City piled forward and scored twice to win the game. If it was 2-1 to us or 2-2 even, I would have made us favourites to go through.

Premier League
4/5/19
Arsenal 1 vs. 1 Wigan
Banegas(77)

Annoyed with Mamaev again as he was sent off after 74 minutes this time. We went 1-0 up but they scored a last minute equaliser. It's looking like Mamaev's time is coming to a close here if he's going to continue like that...

Champions League Semi Final 2nd Leg
7/5/19
Wigan 0 vs. 1 Man City

A bit disappointed we didn't get a goal but City defended well and their goal was a dubious penalty. It just wasn't out year this year it seems.

Premier League
15/5/19
Wigan 4 vs. 1 Man United
Ademilson(26) Barkley(55) Adilson(76 pen) Iturbe(78)

A great way to win the league, back to back titles for us is very impressive.

19/5/19
Liverpool 1 vs. 2 Wigan
Adilson(66) Iturbe(75)

A nice way to end the season though we had to come from a goal down to win.

View attachment 376447

​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

End of Season Review
​

Another great season for us as we managed to defend our league title. We won it pretty convincingly too as we could have won it in April but we wobbled against Bolton which meant we had to wait a bit longer but we thumped United to win it which was pleasing, even as a United fan. We were unlucky in the Capital One Cup as well, losing in penalties as we reached the Final for the third time in a row so hopefully we can continue that next season. We also won the Community Shield for the third time in a row which is nice to do, even though it doesn't add anything to the 'Hall of Fame' points or anything like that. The F.A Cup was a bit disappointing as we were humbled by United in the 5th Round so hopefully next season we can get further than that. The Champions League was one of the highlights as we reached the semi-finals and we should have got further and probably would have if it wasn't for some refereeing decisions. We're making progress though so it's promising for next season.

Did I meet my targets?
​

Reach the Capital One Cup semi finals - Yes
Reach the F.A Cup semi finals - No
Reach the Champions League semi finals - Yes
Challenge for the league title - Yes
Keep at least 30 clean sheets - Yes (30)

​

Did I meet the board's targets?​

Reach the semi finals of the F.A Cup - No
Reach quarter finals of the Champions League - Yes
Qualify for the Champions League through league position - Yes

Season Highlight

Another tough decision this season as we defended our league title, reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and beat Barcelona on penalties. I think though it has to be our 5-0 win against Real Madrid, I couldn't believe it when it happened and I don't think I'll forget it anytime soon.


​

Season Low-light

Only a couple to choose from really, the Capital One Cup defeat wasn't great as well as losing the African Cup of Nations final. However I think the Champions League semi-final defeat was the low-light this season.

Results from last season
View attachment 376583View attachment 376584View attachment 376585View attachment 376586

Wigan Team of the Year
View attachment 467343

Fans Player of the Year
View attachment 376590

Manager of the Year
View attachment 376609

Other Player Awards
View attachment 376595

Premier League Team of the Season
View attachment 376611

Other Competitions
View attachment 376591View attachment 376592View attachment 376593View attachment 376594

F.A Cup - Arsenal beat Man United 2-1
Champions League - Man City beat Juventus 2-0
Europa League - Leverkusen beat Arsenal on penalties after drawing 0-0
European Super Cup - Barcelona beat Marseille 3-0

European Rankings
View attachment 376613View attachment 376614​

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Any feedback on the story guys? Just wanting to know if people are enjoying it or if there are any ways I can improve the layout

 

[JCMUtdfan1]

Pre-season

View attachment 377080

Friendly
21/7/19
Chunnam 1 vs. 1 Wigan
Foster(1)

25/7/19
Jeonbuk 1 vs. 4 Wigan
Adryan(3, 53, 68) Wellington Nem(88)

28/7/19
Daejeon 0 vs. 2 Wigan
El Shaarawy(65) Barkley(81)

3/8/19
Hoffenheim 2 vs. 4 Wigan
Iturbe(2, 39, 90+1) Foster(77)

6/8/19
Wigan 2 vs. 0 Schalke
Ademilson(29) Caulker(59)

Community Shield
11/8/19
Wigan 2 vs. 2 Arsenal
Ademilson(29) Wellington Nem(89)
(Wigan win 4-3 on penalties)

Yet another Community Shield win, Wellington Nem kept us in it late on and we won the penalty shoot-out which surprised me.

Summary

Not a bad pre-season again with a nice win at home to Schalke. Foster got a couple of goals again which is good as hopefully he'll be banging them in in the league sooner or later. This season I'll be bringing Roberto up to the first team so hopefully he'll play well for us. I still need to develop my 'big game' tactic as I didn't really do it last season. I did make a 4-2-3-1 which I used in the first leg against Barcelona and Man City in the Champions League and it didn't do too badly considering the games so I may tweak that but I am thinking of a 4-2-2-2 with wingers and two DMs or a 4-2-3-1 with DMs instead of CMs for extra security. The Community Shield was a nice touch as well, four in a row now and I was surprised that we won our second consecutive penalty shootout.

Transfers

Again no real outgoing transfers this season apart from Mamaev going to Fiorentina for £11.25m which I thought was a good fee seeing as though I picked him up as a free transfer. I thought with Roberto coming up to the first team that he would get more game time with Mamaev gone, plus his disciplinary record was a bit suspect at times. I have had two bids from Barcelona for Banegas, one for £31m and another for £45m. I rejected them both as I'm hoping that he'll be the core of my defence for many season to come. I forgot to say that last season that Roma made a £15.75m bid for Adilson which is showing that my regens are playing well enough to attract attention. Just a quick mention on that tangent, I was offered the PSG job at some point during that season which I obviously turned down. Finally I brought in another keeper on a free to cover for Ruffier again.

View attachment 377093View attachment 377094View attachment 377095

My Aims For This Season:

Win the F.A Cup or the Capital One Cup
Reach the Champions League semi finals
Challenge for the league title
Keep at least 30 clean sheets

Board Aims For This Season:

Reach the semi finals of the F.A Cup
Reach quarter finals of the Champions League
Qualify for the Champions League through league position
​