their name, and we were 19th with just three, there was no way they
could come to Goodison and carry on their momentum!
And things were looking good as we battered them during the first 45
minutes but just couldn't get the ball in the net.
Then, two minutes after the re-start, Damian Francis scrambled in his
obligatory goal against us and the game was lost.
And it hit everybody just how hard a season it was going to be!
But the tables have been turned in this one as it's Everton who are
riding high with 10 points and Wigan have managed just three so far, a
1-0 home win over Reading.
Admittedly, they have only played three games but we had only played
five when we met them last season.
And we've certainly got our tails up after last weekend's win, speaking
of which, has anyone tired of seeing ‘Pepe' bounce the ball of Johnson's
head yet? Thought not!
But Wigan are still a tough team to call as it's difficult to know
whether or not they actually improved over the summer.
They lost Jason Roberts to Blackburn but gained a similar player, and
one more likely to score against us, in Emile Heskey.
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Similarly they lost Jimmy Bullard, possibly their star performer last
season, but gained Dutch international Denny Landzaat.
David Thompson also jumped ship and got about as far away from the Ford
Estate (that's the estate in Wirral he hails from, not his first car!)
as possible by joining happy Harry's ‘revolution' down at Portsmouth.
They got Kevin Kilbane in to replace him and the winger is likely to
make a swift return to Goodison, and he'll probably bloody score too!
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They also lost part time mime artist, Pascal Chimbonda, on transfer
deadline day.
But to get six million for a half decent right back isn't bad business
so I can't imagine too many Wigan fans have lost much sleep over that
one!
So, one over-priced full back aside, they look in pretty much the same
shape as last season.
Whereas we, on the other hand, look in a lot better shape as all of
Moysies summer signings have looked mustard so far.
We will probaly line up with the same team that webbed Liverpool last
week, and surely everyone can now see that, far from being a negative
tactic, it's one designed to get the best out of Andy Johnson and Tim
Cahill.
Johnson must be a nailed on certainty to score after Wigan failed to
sign him in the summer.
And Paul Jewell has admitted that Wigan just couldn't compete with a
club like Everton, despite offering as good a financial package.
Wigan's big faced gaffer admitted: "I think it was only the tradition of
Everton that swayed him."
He then talked about the fans and Goodison pulling in 40,000 every other
week but, in fairness to Wigan, my abiding memory of last season's
encounter was just how loud the travelling fans were.
They packed out the away section and were about as loud as any fans that
graced Goodison last season, and that includes the ‘sing when you're
winning' Mancs and Kopites!
But hopefully we'll keep them quiet, like we did with that lost last
week, and cruise to another three points and go top of the league again.
And I got through the whole thing without a single mention of wools or pies…d'oh!
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