Latics Land Japanese Star

The Latics have completed the season long loan signing of Japanese international Ryo Miyaichi, from Arsenal on Monday evening.

The signing is a real coup for the Latics as they have beaten off a whole host of rivals to the signature who looks set to play an integral part in manager Roberto Martinez’s side, this season.

He becomes the first ever Japanese player the club has ever had, and becomes the third addition to Martinez’s squad.  

Ryo Miyaichi

This will be Miyachi’s third loan spell away from parent club Arsenal since he joined them back in January 2011. He followed a spell with Feyenoord in Holland with a 6 month stint with Latics rivals Bolton at the back end of last season.

He went on to make 12 appearances for Bolton and netted in the FA Cup win at Millwall, but was unable to help in the fight against relegation.

To date his chances in the Arsenal first team have been limited to only League Cup ties, but he comes to the DW with a growing reputation as one of the hottest prospects to have come of Asian football.

He recently made his full international debut in May, when he appeared as a substitute against Azerbaijan, having made a number of squads prior. He has represented Japan across various age levels and exposure to first team football in the Premier League, will ensure that he becomes a feature of his national side.

Many believe long serving Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, was keen to see Miyaichi move to a club that plays a flowing passing style of football.

With the impending transfer of Victor Moses to Chelsea, Miyaichi is seen as the perfect short team solution as the market currently doesn’t represent true value for money.

Having come through a full pre season with Arsenal, he is certain to be involved in the curtain raiser to the Latics eighth season amongst the elite.

Latics Look To End London Hoodoo

Roberto Martinez takes his side to Arsenal on Monday evening, in the first of two trips to the capital this week, as they go in search of their first points from the principal since August 2010.

In doing so, they have to overcome an inform Arsenal who after a torrid start to the season, are finishing strong and are well on course for a Champions League spot.

Victor Moses

Wigan have never won on the road to Arsene Wenger’s men, since their arrival into the top flight. Their famous comeback victory in April 2010 is their only victory in thirteen previous attempts, but lately the Latics have made a habit of ending records.

Confidence is high amongst the squad at present, but Martinez is keen to see his side retain their focus ahead of the run in. Speaking to the press following their historical victory against Manchester United, on Wednesday evening, he called for calm: “It would be foolish to think we are out of the bottom three and we will stay there.”

The Spaniard will be keen to ensure that his side continue with their impressive run of form which has seen them win, three out of their last four games, and have only lost twice in their last ten.

Despite being the lowest scores in the top flight, the recent form of the supporting front men, Victor Moses and Shaun Maloney, has played a huge part in their splendid run of results.

The Latics have indeed won more on the road this season, with four victory’s coming away from the DW, but if they can get anything from tomorrow’s encounter they will surely see it as a bonus.

The final four games will be seen by many as the crucial stretch of games, a run in that sees them travel to fellow strugglers Blackburn Rovers and ends with a home clash against basement side Wolves.

Martinez believes that the battle to avoid the drop will, once again, come down to the final game of the season: “I think it will go down to the last game of the season because the fixture list has been a bit peculiar.”

Fans will hope that this is not the case, and will be confident that experience of survival from seasons past, will serve their side well, in the final month of the club’s seventh season in the top flight.

Ahead of the clash, Martinez is likely to stick with the same XI for the sixth consecutive match with front man Hugo Rodallega likely to be involved from the bench, following his return to training.

Franco Di Santo

Results elsewhere over the weekend have been encouraging with QPR losing at West Brom, and Blackburn suffering a crushing defeat to Swansea.

As was the case on Wednesday this game will be seen by Wigan as a bonus, if they continue with their impressive run of results, and with a bit more luck from the officials, they may well return to the North West with something. 

Rodgers’ Welsh Dragons Breathe Fire into the League

As Swansea beat Arsenal at their own game on Sunday, their exhilarating performance finally has the rest of the league standing up and taking notice.

After their opening weekend thrashing at the hands of Manchester City, not many would have had the Swans in the top half of the league, just over half way through the season.

Brendan Rodgers

The man who has worked beneath one of the best, in Jose Mourinho, refused point black to change his philosophy. Many before him have played great football Hull City and most recently Blackpool, but both sides ultimately failed in their goal of survival and growth in the top flight.

What has impressed me most is their solid defensive unit, and to their credit, their record has been immense. To date nine clean sheets is nothing short of remarkable. The signing of the season for me if Michel Vorm, an outstanding acquisition from Dutch outfit Utrecht for only £1.5 million leaving a number of clubs wondering how they missed out on him.

The captain, Ashley Williams looks like a player at ease at this level and the loan signing of Steven Caulker from Tottenham has proven to be yet another masterstroke from Rodgers and his backroom staff. Former Wrexham man Neil Taylor has emerged as one of brightest talents in Welsh football, in fact they did very well to hold of strong interest from Newcastle in the summer.

Joe Allen has been at the heart of all that is good from the Swans going forward. Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer have been the best pair of wingers the league has seen in a number of seasons. And then there is Wayne Routledge who finally found the net in their first away win of the campaign at Aston Villa.

Goals have been hard to come by at times this season but they did not panic and kept the faith with former Watford man Danny Graham who has come good and netted his seventh goal of the season to cap of a wonderful team display on Sunday.

Swansea have proved that playing as a team does get you success and sticking to your principles does pay off. It would have been easy for Rodgers to listen to the experts and stop ‘playing football’ because nothing was expected of his side.

With seventeen games left to play they are only fourteen points from the promise land of the forty points mark. Indeed they have been on runs where results have not quite gone and the best example being their home game against QPR where they were second best for the majority, but their solidity and ethos ensured they would have a share of the points.

Danny Graham

They have also turned games at key points such as they did against Fulham when Vorm denied Clint Dempsey from the spot and Graham netted a wonderful goal to secure all three points.  

Tactically Rodgers and Norwich City’s Paul Lambert, are miles ahead of the likes of Ian Holloway and the now departed Neil Warnock. They are a new breed of manager who are fantastic for the game, they want their teams to play football and are not afraid to stick with what they think is best for their sides.

Going forward Rodgers has the platform at Swansea to establish them in the top flight, and what a credit they have been to the whole of Wales, a worthy edition to the league and long may it continue. 

The Return of the King rounds off memorable Third Round weekend

As Thierry Henry buried his 227^th goal for in the red of Arsenal the Emirates erupted amid emotional scenes, it was pure drama and theatre it just had to happen didn’t it?

Arsenal were poor it was as it was all set up for Henry’s moment in the spotlight. Arsene Wenger fielded a strong starting team albeit resting Robin Van Persie, a signal of intent that this is a competition that he targets to end their trophy drought.

Theirry Henry 

Back at the club where a statue of him had been erected last month it immediately felt like he was back where he belonged. On a number of occasions this season the Gunners have struggled to break teams down and perhaps tonight it was the Henry effect but in all honesty what harm can a twenty minute cameo have at the end of a game that is heading nowhere?

It worked tonight and even at this stage the deal looks to have been a masterstroke by Wenger, look at the effect Gary McAllister and Henrik Larsson had in the North West when many had written them off.

For what it was worth Leeds were fantastic and he can be immensely proud of his team as they battled hard and their great support can head back up north with a pride in their youthful side.

Leeds’ are overdue a return to the big time their fans have suffered more than most over the last decade when it looked like they had the world at their feet.   

They now must turn their attentions to the chase for promotion to the Premier League only one point outside the playoffs and if they battle like they did tonight they should do so and Grayson is the right man to do that.

Simon Grayson

It was not a classic to round up the third round weekend but it is a game and a moment of genuis that will long live in the memory of Arsenal fans right across the globe. 

Are City Great Pretenders or the real deal?

As Roberto Mancini’s men fail to capitalise on United’s slip as their title aspirations are assessed at the midway point of the season.

After the dramatic scenes at Old Trafford on Saturday, which saw Steve Kean’s youngsters, leave with all three points, surely it was advantage City as they lined up against a depleted Sunderland on New Year’s day.

Over the last few weeks City’s lead at the top has been cut down, to only goal difference and United were quickly making headway on the front with consecutive 5-0 victory’s.  Against the odds things did not go to plan on Saturday, but at 5pm on Sunday Fergie’s New Year’s day took a turn for the better.

A trip to the Stadium of Light was always going to be a tough game for Mancini and considering they have a tricky game against Liverpool on Tuesday he started with Silva and Aguero on the bench.

Adam Johnson and Edin Dzeko were given a chance to stake a claim for a place in the first XI in what is going to be a crucial 2012 for everyone involved with the blue half of Manchester.

For all of their dominance, they were unable to breakdown a robust and determined Sunderland backline which was brilliantly marshalled by Lee Cattermole and John O’Shea. The ferocity of the challenges was proof in itself, that the home side wanted it more, the vast majority of the men in sky blue were left wanting.

Edin Dzeko 

Dzeko was poor and he has not backed up his early season form at all, compare his form with Dimitar Berbatov who has been banging them in over the festive period despite not having a look in all season. Both players are in the same boat at present but I know who I’d rather call upon. 


Another black mark on what was a torrid start to 2012 for City was Yaya Toure’s passing, at times it was woeful and ineffective as he lacked the fight and easily outfought by David Vaughan and Cattermole. Also let's not forget the amount of times that the industries Stephane Sessegnon was able to make inroads into the City back-line, this will be a major a concern for Mancini and his backroom staff. 

The sucker punch was always waiting to happen, but as Sunderland saw off yet another City move in the final minute of added on time you’d be forgiven for thinking they had wasted their best chances with Nicklas Bendtner and Sessegnon going close in each half. But excellent work from Sessegnon saw the South Korean import Ji Dong-won with virtually the last kick of the game, set Martin O’Neil off on one of his trademark celebrations.

 Stephane Sessegnon 

Worryingly for City they failed to win away from home once again. In fact their last win on the road in the league game at the start of November at QPR, a game where they also conceded twice and arguably were lucky to come away with all three points.

By no means is this a crisis, come May, City will have made great strides in twelve months but experience is key and Fergie’s know how is going to prove pivotal in the run in, he has been there and done that.

There is no doubt about City’s time will come and the current United side are in no great shape, it is going to make for a fascinating run in. If Tottenham and Arsenal maintain their runs they will certainly have some part to play as well. I just can not help thinking this season has come too soon for City, but it will not be too long as they will learn to press home the advantage when presented to them in years to come.