Wigan Athletic v Manchester City
Steve Bruces first match in charge of Wigan was at home to high flying Manchester City, He made a number of changes from the team put out by Frank Barlow to face Arsenal the week before, and the future looked bleek when Titus Bramble dropped what has become a regular clanger after only 30 seconds, allowing Geovanni to round the helpless Kirkland and squeeze the ball into an unguarded net.
The response after that though was fantastic, Wigan seemed like a totally different team, all of a sudden all eleven players where hungry and all eleven were closing down, meaning the fans responded with terrific voice, and after 35 minutes we got our reward, and Koumas's cross was met by the on-rushing Scharner who headed past the despairing Isaksson. Then we had to hang on as Mario Melchiot was sent off for a poor two footed challenge on Stephan Ireland, we held on for the point.
Steve Bruce Rating: 7/10 - A Good Result to high flying Mancester City, but it could have been so much more.
Bolton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic
His second match in charge saw us visit The Reebok Stadium, and with Gary Megson only taking over as Bolton manager just before Bruce took over at Wigan, it was a battle of the newest managers in the league, and on this evidence, Bolton seemed to have got the best value for money. 2 Quick-fire goals saw the score at 1-1 with Wigan scoring them both!
Scharner put through his own net very early on, with the now departed Denny Landzaat spared his blushed when he calmly side-footed the pall past Jaaskelainen to pull the scores level. After Anelka missed the oppurtunity to take Bolton into the lead again by blazing over the bar from the penalty spot, he was busy setting up Kevin Nolan who cooly finished to make the score 2-1.
Then Wigan Spent around the next 10 minutes camped inside not only Boltons half but in their penalty area, although the goal would not come. a Goal on 70 Minutes saw Davies direct a Diouf free-kick into the net, 3-1 Bolton. A last minute goal saw the Wigan fans leaving the stadium, unable to face the embarassment of a 4-1 defeat to Bolton.
Steve Bruce Rating: 3/10 - An awful result, no excuses for Bruce, he had no answer to a Bolton team that finished their chances.
Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers
In one of the most amazing games i have ever seen at The JJB Stadium, Mark Hughes brought a good Blackburn team with a fantastic frontline of Benni McCarthey and Roque Santa Cruz expecting to easily take the 3 points and dent Wigans hopes of staying up. The match ended up an 8 goal thriller, with 2 hat-tricks, a missed penalty and a red card.
Wigan Went 3-0 up within 36 minutes with Landzaat, Bent and Scharner scoring the 3, and with Benni McCarthey missing a penalty, everything looked amazing for Wigan, untill Roque Santa Cruz rolled past his marker and fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner, and all of a sudden, it's 3-1. Then Santa Cruz tapped home from just a few yards out, and then headed in from 6 yards, leaving the christmas hat to come out, and for "Santa" to celebrate a hat-trick and draw the scores level at 3-3!
Then a Valencia Cross for Bent to head home made it 4-3, and with 10 minutes left to go Agahowa crossed for Bent to tap home, and take the match ball, unless Santa Cruz had got their first!
Steve Bruce Rating: 9/10 - Not only did wigan come around 15 seconds away from the best first half performance i'd every seen, they then let Blackburn come back level, but we fought our way back to make it a 5-3 win, fantastic, what every fan wants to see.
Fulham v Wigan Athletic
A match between two teams very much in a relagation fight saw Wigan take another point, leaving them a point nearer to Premier League Safety! This match never really got going, until the opening goal was fired past Niemi like a bullet, by the then prolific Marcus Bent.
Wigan had just 20 minutes to hang on for another vital 3 points, but just 8 minutes later Dempsey did the honours and the scores where level at 1-1! A decent game, with the small travelling support we took giving it everything!
Steve Bruce Rating: 5/10 - Didn't do anything wrong, but failed to keep the defence tight when we went one goal to the good, although it was another point.
Wigan Athletic v Newcastle United
This was a great opportunity for Wigan to build on what could be seen as a good run of results but it was also a great opportunity to rewards the 5,000 traveling Toon supporters for what could be described as one of their worst Premiership displays ever by a Toon squad with their 2-2 draw against rock bottom side Derby.
Wigan started quite shakey but United were even worse, their long ball tactics were just not being deployed well and our back 4 of Melchiot, Scharner, Bramble and Kilbane had them in their pockets all match.
The match looked like it would be a stop start sort with Fronment Sibierski and Bent not providing enough chances. However, on the 65th minute it must have seemed like Déjà vu for Latics fans as Ryan Taylor powered in a superb free kick past the helpless Given! The Latics faithful were busy singing Tom Hark by the piranhas whilst the Toon faithful were booing their manager. What a fickle lot!
Steve Bruce Rating: 7/10 Quality for sticking with Taylor's free kicks and realizing his potential and also for keeping us on a 3 match unbeaten run.
Wigan Athletic v Aston Villa
Another home game in succession provided us with a tough challenge against a good Villa side chasing Europe. A determined Latics wanted to carry on their unbeaten run and started the match with a new look confidence about them.
Then up stepped Titus Bramble on the 26th minute to fire in a tremendous header off a free kick. Could we get another win here?? Curtis Davies and Agbonlahor answered that for us with 2 crosses not being cleared by the Latics back 4 resulting in a 1-2 win for the Villains. One goal in front the resulting in a 2-1 loss meant our unbeaten run had ended after a humungous 3 matches.
Steve Bruce Rating: 6/10 Determined performance but with a slippery pitch and an injured team, Bruce didn't have enough to change the game when it was needed. Didn't do enough tactically to keep a much improved Villa side in the second half from not scoring.
Liverpool v Wigan Athletic
A tough trip to Anfield followed in a hope of preserving Steve Bruce's excellent record there and maybe some points for Wigan from the big 4 in their history, but surely that wont happen to the much invested Liverpool side.
The night looked as bleak as the weather when Fernando Torres scored early on in the second half but the Wigan fan's chanting persevered with the one and only Titus Bramble slotting in a superb shot past Reina! 10 more nervous minutes followed until finally Steve Bennett blew for the final whistle!! Jubilant scenes followed and Wigan Athletic had finally gotten a point from the big 4 in their 21st attempt!! An air of optimism was injected into the fans and also the team!
Steve Bruce Rating: 10/10 Couldn't fault the performance from keeping it at 0-0 til half time and equalizing after going 1-0 down. He rallied the players on and weren't afraid to make changes. An all round better result than the same fixture the season before.
F.A. Cup 3rd Round Sunderland v Wigan Athletic
After a tough midweek battle with Liverpool, the Latics traveled up the North East to The Stadium of Shite to watch 2 completely different squads square off in the F.A. Cup…sponsored by Eon =)! Wigan were dominant throughout and remained in charge against a disappointing Sunderland side who's only good effort on goal was there own goal in the 56th minute.
Denying Agahowa his first goal however the famous but hardly ever seen somersaults came out to warm up the traveling fans. Scharner and Cotterill got the other 2 goals to bag the 'Tics a 3-0 romp.
Steve Bruce Rating: 8/10 Changed the squad just the right amount and at the right time after a busy Christmas period, let the fringe players show their talent and thus giving Brucie a good old headache of who to pick for the remaining league games. The chimes of Que Sara Sara were ringing round Latics fan's minds!
Derby County v Wigan Athletic
This day was all about getting the 3 points right from under our old manager's nose! The game was a scrappy one with a number of cards being handed out and Clumsy Claude Davis was sent off which meant Jewell shuffled the pack into an even more defensive formation.
Chance after chance was wasted by the Latics until Denny Landzaat was replaced by Super Sibierski and within 60 seconds a superb strike to the back of the net was in full force from the Frenchman's boot. It was a goal!!!! Super Sub-ierski was the hero of the day and this sent the traveling fans absolutely wild! Chants of We Are Staying Up followed after them match with Super Mario Melchiot celebrating as if we'd won the Auto Windscreen Shield!
Steve Bruce Rating: 9/10 Made the tactical change to replace a holding midfielder for a striker/midfielder at just the right time, and has even reported to have made the best substitution of his career at Pride Park. Good chances created and another 3 points notched up at his stay with this great club.
Wigan Athletic v Everton
Wigan were in front of the Sky Sports cameras for the first time this season and were eager to impress the watching crowd. However the exact opposite took place and Titus Brambles second howler of the season meant a praying Andy Johnson slotted home a simple shot through the helpless Kirklan'd feet.
3 Minutes later a corner, again conceded by Bramble, let Jolean Lescott score a simple tap in to make it an underserved 2-0 lead heading into half time. Bramble did make some brilliant tackles in the second half and a Jason Koumas' free kick in the second half was met by Phil Jagielka and an own goal was scored. He certainly has a habit for helping out the Latics aint he?? Overall the performance was less than inspiring but the performances of Valencia and new boy Palacios brought delight to the 18,820 Latics Faithful's faces inside the JJB.
Steve Bruce Rating: 6/10 not an inspiring display from the team and with the manager being an immense centre back in his career, you wouldn't expect such bad defensive howlers be happening in a team who maybe has the best back 4 we've ever had.
Wigan Athletic v Chelsea
Wigan Followed Evertons visit to the JJB with another game on television, with the BBC cameras coming to town. Unfortunately Wigan lost this game, although there was a late chance of Wigan taking it to a replay, Wigan looked vulnerable to conceding with Chelsea having many chances to take the lead, and on 53 minutes Anelka diverted a Belletti through ball into Wigans net past the on rushing Kirkland.
On 82 minutes they doubled their lead with England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips giving Wigan a huge task of winning the game with 8 minutes to go, which they nearly did! Antoine Sibierski came on and his shot flew into the top corner leaving Petr Cech no chance, with 3 minutes and injury time left, Wigan needed one goal, and when Marcus Bent was put through on goal it looked like theyd get that goal, only for his shot to hit the bar and fly into the North Stand.
Steve Bruce Rating: 7/10 following a performance which many expected for 86 minutes, Wigan came to life with the last 5 minutes looking like Chelsea were playing United rather than Wigan! Although Wigan went out of the cup, they'd given a good account of themselves!
Middlesborough v Wigan Athletic
Wigan Went to Middlesborough determined to end a losing run of 2 games, although they failed to do this, Marlon King made his debut although it wasn't one to remember, as Fabio Capello watched as Middlesborough struck through Aliadiere on 19 minutes, and although Wigan attempted to pile on the pressure there only real chance was a Heskey header, and the few away fans went home disappointed.
Steve Bruce Rating: 4/10 Bruce started with a 4-3-3 formation with Heskey, King and Bent starting up front
Wigan Athletic v West Ham United
After Wigans dismal display against Middlesborough many fans were not sure what to expect, with much improved West Ham travelling up from London, and after a first half that lacked chances an oppurtunist header from everyones favourite left midfielder turned left back Kevin "Zinedine" Kilbane after a long ball was played into the area, Kilbane calmly lobbed over Robert Green to take the points in an otherwise boring match, in which Wigan fans turned on a certain member of the West Ham support to try and liven up the match.
Steve Bruce Rating: 7/10 reverted to the 4-4-2 we're used to at the JJB and it paid off with a much need victory.
Sunderland v Wigan Athletic
There is no doubt in my mind that Sunderland committed a crime and robbed Wigan of all three points in this match! Not only did Wigan have all the best chances, and come with wave after wave of attack, they rattled thre woodwork on 2 seperate occassions and had a shot scrambled off the line, only for Dickson Etuhu to Head past Kirkland at the end of the first half, and for Daryll Murphy to score what must surely be goal of the season to steal what were Wigans 3 points and to edge Sunderland away from the drop, for now!
Steve Bruce Rating: 6/10 We Lost, but there was nothing wrong with Bruces Tactics or instructions, Wigan were fantastic, just didn't get "the rub of the green"
Wigan Athletic v Derby County
Wigan took a valuable 3 points in indifferent fashion against down and out Derby, fighting to no get the lowest point ever title. After a first half hardly full of chances, Mario Melchiot backhealed a shot which may or may not have crossed the line but it wasn't given, and Wigan went into the break comfortable at 0-0.
Not long into the second hald a scramble in the box saw Paul Scharner finish from just a couple of yards out, the relief around the JJB was clear to see, and when a superb Wilson Palacious cross field ball picked out Vancia who cut inside to unleash an unstoppable left foot drive, Wigan were 2-0 up and had the 3 points in the bag. Chants of "Going Down" were loud, clear and very much aimed at the Derby fans, and this result was exactly what Wigan needed!
Steve Bruce Rating: 7/10 Put a team out which got the result we needed, the strikers still weren't scoring though
Manchester City v Wigan Athletic
The Setanta Sports camera followed Wigan into Eastlands, in which Wigan named the same team, except Jason Koumas who came in for Kilbane. Wigan set there stall out, defending from the front and trying to hit City on the break. Wigan were still without a real chance when Benjani ran through on goal, only for Kirkland to deny him.
He had another fantastic chance when Vassell crossed although he put that wide too! Wigan nearly took all 3 points when Heskey put palacious through, only for Joe Hart to deny him, and the for Palacuos to fire over, none the less, a fantastic point!
Steve Bruce Rating: 7/10 Set us out to sit back and defend which we did perfectly, and looked dangerous on the counter attack, although our strikes didn't score, again.
Our Conclusion
We reached a simple conclusion, Steve Bruce has completely changed our fortunes, Whelans £3 million looks like lose change compared to the amount we will save if Bruce keeps us up!
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