Wigan Review

Edgar Davids Joined : 06 Jun 2007 Posts : 3552

Guardian Unlimited writers' prediction 19th Odds: 5,000-1

Wigan would love you to write them off. Go on, do it, just like you did at the beginning of 2005-06; just like you did before, and even during that season's Carling Cup semi-final against Arsenal; just like you did when they went to Sheffield United this May, needing nothing less than a win. Ever since barging into the Premiership two seasons ago, Paul Jewell's Wigan have revelled in proving their doubters wrong.

The only problem is: this is no longer Paul Jewell's Wigan. Replacement Chris Hutchings has been in this spot before, and Latics fans can only pray he learnt from the experience. Hutchings lasted just 12 league games after replacing Jewell at Bradford in the summer of 2000, and was sacked in early November with the club sprawled at the bottom of the Premier League on seven points.

The similarities between the two scenarios - Hutchings stepped up from the backroom staff at Bradford after Jewell had secured Premiership safety with an unlikely last-day win (though that time it was over Liverpool) - are obvious, but also widely overstated. The Bradford side Hutchings inherited had just finished its first season in the Premiership, most of it spent in the relegation zone; Wigan have been established for two years now and had looked safe until West Ham's late charge.

Nevertheless, the squad Hutchings takes over is Nicole Ritchie-thin. He has gone out of his way to avoid the mistakes he made handing out huge pay packets to even bigger egos at Valley Parade, but Wigan fans must be concerned at the number of cracks that haven't even been papered over.

At £5.3m, Jason Koumas may be the most expensive new signing, but he should also prove the most canny. With Lee McCulloch departed to Rangers, Wigan desperately needed fresh attacking impetus in midfield and despite playing much of his career at a lower level Koumas has the talent to trouble top-flight defences. Alongside the 22-year-old winger Antonio Valencia, who returns from Villarreal for a second season's loan, he will offer a spark of creativity to a hard-working but uninspired midfield.

Up front Emile Heskey may remain a figure of fun to many, but he brought far more embarrassment to opposition defences last term than to his employers, scoring nine and, more importantly, holding up the ball and bringing others into play. Sadly, what could have been an effective partnership with Henri Camara looks to have been dashed by the latter's recurring medial ligament problem and rumoured desire to leave. The depth behind those two is miserable - neither Julius Agahowa nor Caleb Folan look up to standard, though Antoine Sibierski, who scored eight for Newcastle last term, could help.

Defence, however, is the biggest concern. No replacement has yet been found for Leighton Baines, meaning Kevin Kilbane will most likely have to start out of position at left-back in tomorrow's curtain raiser against Everton. Alongside him could be three new faces - Mario Melchiot should start at right-back, and Andreas Granqvist and Titus Bramble could pair up in the middle. Melchiot may have performed well at Rennes last season and Bramble has a point to prove after becoming a scapegoat at Newcastle, but to date both have been below-par Premiership performers. The depth is almost non-existent.

With very little disparity in talent level between the league's bottom five sides - possibly excluding Derby - Wigan can avoid relegation, but much is going to come down to Hutchings. Jewell cited the emotionally draining nature of the job when standing down and as the manager's energy seeped out last term so Wigan's performances began to spiral downwards. Interestingly, in a league table based only on half-time scores, Wigan would have finished tenth last year. Their second-half form, on the other hand, was the worst in the league, with just 15 goals scored and 37 conceded.

It will be up to Hutchings, then, to restore the self-belief and fearlessness that characterised their first year in the league, a side that drove home advantages rather than letting them slip in a nervous bid to hang on. The evidence of Bradford doesn't bode well. It's time to find out whether Hutchings enjoys being written off as much as his predecessor.

In: Titus Bramble (Newcastle - free); Antoine Sibierski (Newcastle - free); Mario Melchiot (Rennes - free); Andreas Granqvist (Helsingborgs - undisclosed); Jason Koumas (West Brom - £5.3m); Michael Brown (Fulham - undisclosed); Antonio Valencia (Villarreal - loan); Carlo Nash (Preston - undisclosed).

Out: Matt Jackson (Watford - free); Arjan De Zeeuw (Coventry - free); Lee McCulloch (Rangers - £2.25m); Leighton Baines (Everton - £6m).