Ok, so the point that Wigan won’t just turn up and let us run through and score next Sunday is an obvious one so we can let the red-top rags off on that one, they do have to attempt to bolster their waning sales figures after all. However the convenient overlooking of Stoke City and their part to play in the title race is insulting to the Potteries club and their achievements this season.
Whilst Wigan have secured Premier League survival again this season, Stoke have pushed on and made themselves a very real mid-table side capable of beating or at least bloodying the noses of the big boys.
As Chelsea supporters we will of course immediately look back at the 7-0 spanking we dished out to Pullis’s side last weekend and bear little hope of them holding out at Old Trafford. It needs to be pointed out though that both Sunderland and Aston Villa have suffered similar fates at Stamford Bridge this season and have both still had comparatively successful seasons. Each time the opposition manager has applauded Chelsea’s attacking thrust and bemoaned their own uncharacteristic mistakes.
This being the case it isn’t complete fantasy to think that Stoke could make United work hard for their result next Sunday – after all Sir Alex Ferguson only 10 days or so ago was pointing out what a gritty, determined side Stoke are and how difficult a fixture Chelsea faced against them.
Back to the real point then. We all know the connections between the Wigan top brass and United, there really are no surprises in the noises coming from their manager and chairman – however an interesting point made by a Wigan fan site needs highlighting.
During the 2006-2007 season West Ham United were saved from relegation by the form of one Carlos Tevez, signed the previous summer on loan from a consortium along with Javier Mascherano. The Hammers were fined £5.5million by the Premier League for contravening ownership rules, with a protracted legal battle fought between West Ham and Sheffield United over the true cost of relegation, which the blades felt was a direct consequence of the Hammers’ rule breaking.
The story is one we all remember, however there is one detail that should be made more of in this current scenario. Sheffield United were relegated after a ‘winner stays up’ match against…wait for it….Wigan Athletic.
Those of you who remember this tale in detail will also remember how, title secured, Manchester United suffered a very strange home defeat to West Ham on the final day of the season which similarly secured their survival – the key player on that day? Carlos Tevez. The main beneficiaries of the entire situation? Manchester United.
Whilst we’re stepping into the realms of speculation to suggest United’s performance that day was directly linked to the ease with which West Ham parted with Tevez even though murkily arguing their own valid ownership of the player, the main point to draw from this is United’s performance on the day directly endangered Wigan’s Premier League status.
Allowing West Ham to win meant the consequences of Wigan’s match against Sheffield United were huge – and a massive amount of work by the historically less successful Lancashire club would have been dashed aside. Thankfully for them a penalty scored and points won against the Blades was enough to secure survival (and the resignation of burned out manager Paul Jewell having beating the drop) so the issue is less messy.
So as we move into the final day of Premier League football for this season just remember that Stoke City are placed higher in the table than Wigan after a long, hard season. That Wigan Athletic don’t owe United any favours at all when it comes to crunch matches, and that Chelsea stand 90 minutes away from league title.
Forget the bullsh*t, ignore the media nonsense – we’re on the precipice of our most successful ever season.