For Wigan it’s starting to look perilous with a gap between themselves and 17th placed Aston Villa starting to open up. For Newcastle, the need to pick up three points to prevent ourselves being sucked back into the relegation mix is what should be our motivating reason for today.
Both sides need the points and both sides are capable of getting them although it could be argued that Wigan’s need is actually greater than ours as the table stands currently. It’s an interesting game in prospect, but I hope we manage to give a good account of ourselves rather than the usual non-performance our trips to Wigan have become known for.
The headline team news is that Hatem Ben Arfa has been ruled out for the remainder of the season and will undergo surgery on his hamstring. I say headline but it’s not really as we’ve coped without him for most of the season anyway and will just have to continue to do so. Other team news and assorted titbits can be viewed here in the match preview.
Full confirmation of team news will be provided at the bottom of this article and will be added by me as I’m not stuck in delays of 25 hours caused by snow on the continent like I was on Thursday. That’s also the reason why there was no match report following the Anzhi game. I’ve still only seen the goal so it would be a bit wrong to write up a report when I’ve not seen anything of the game. However if you asked me to write a report on the field in France I spent hours parked up next to I could have provided some real detail about it!
The game is live here in the UK for a change and can be viewed on Sky Sports 1. However if you’re not at the game and don’t have Sky then you’ll most likely need a stream to watch the game on. A whole host of overseas broadcasters are showing the game so getting hold of one shouldn’t be too much of a problem. If you do find one please don’t be shy with it and share the stream by leaving the link in the ‘comments’ section below.
Which neatly wraps this up and now it’s over to the players and manager at the DW Stadium to form the basis of my match report. Hopefully I can write a positive one for a change, which is something I’m not used to doing following trips to Wigan!
Howay the lads!
Wigan: Joel Robles; Emmerson Boyce, Antolin Alcaraz, Paul Scharner, Maynor Figueroa; Shaun Maloney, James McCarthy, Jordi Gomez, Jean Beausejour; Callum McManaman, Arouna Koné
Subs: Ali Al-Habsi, Ronnie Stam, Gary Caldwell, Angelo Henriquez, James McArthur, Roman Golobart, Franco Di Santo
Newcastle: Rob Elliot; Mathieu Debuchy, Steven Taylor, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Davide Santon; Cheik Tiote, Jonas Gutierrez; Sylvain Marveaux, Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran; Papiss Cisse
Subs: Steve Harper, Massadio Haidara, James Perch, Vurnon Anita, Dan Gosling, Gabriel Obertan, Shola Ameobi
No McManaman that looks bad
Big Dave(Quote)
2 fullbacks down and out. 😡
Toon TRW(Quote)
Solano, I thought the same mate .. “a bit of a naughty one” typical english understatement 😯
Munich Mag(Quote)
I fear a serious injury to the lad. That tackle was ABSOLUTELY HORRENDOUS. That the ref missed it COMPLETELY was even more shocking !
Munich Mag(Quote)
He’s out for a bit by the looks of things. The injury list is making the Europa look an impossible task
Moreno(Quote)
That was a fuking shocking tackle
Big Dave(Quote)
Awful from the ref ,they are dirty feckers Wigwam ,hang your head Macka that was dirty and you should be off.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Shocking decision from the ref (or non decision). A straight red EVERY time.
We now have lost this game in part through poor defending but also two big injuries in 23 minutes and terrible refereeing.
sjp14(Quote)
young Dummett and Newton are heading for a trophy up in Scotland – St Mirren 3-1 up, Newton getting the 3rd
M(Quote)
I hope to hell this is not the “turning point” of our season.
The poor guy Haidira. I’m absolutely incensed by that tackle. It was HORRENDOUS ! The ref is a complete **** ..
Munich Mag(Quote)
M we might need to recall them the way things are going with injuries!
sjp14(Quote)
That was a red. Another fat, useless referee, who’s too old to keep up. 👿
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
Fucking jinx @33
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
For those of you’s who think “we should be beating the likes of Wigan”…..take a good look and weep. Second best all over the park…
Munich Mag(Quote)
Well That’s a blow for the Europa task ,I know we don’t play Debbie but Hairdryers gonna be missed.
KIMTOON(Quote)
I’m in shock over that challenge. That was as bad as I have ever seen.
Stuart79(Quote)
Still mystified how it wasnt even given as a freekick. And officials want respect…
toonsy(Quote)
Not that it helps now but I hope the FA take retrospective action over it
toonsy(Quote)
Fort official could have looked at the monitor and indicated to theref how bad that challenge was
ash1001(Quote)
Cisse – 3 times offside and counting 😯
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
what a turd of a game this is
M(Quote)
Without trying to sound like a Pardew apologist I think it is hard to take any real indication of where we are based on this game. Our rhythm clearly has been affected by those injuries and noone knows where they are playing.
sjp14(Quote)
MM @89 ,End of the day they are on 24 points for a reason ,they only show up for the run in when they think they are gonna drop out the league. 🙄 On todays showing they are a bunch of dirty feckers who deserve relegation imo. Easy to beat us when they have taken out half our first choice defence.
KIMTOON(Quote)
apparently Dummett got an assist on St.Mirren’s 2nd too
M(Quote)
I hope Pards comes out and tells it straight after the match, cos that was absolutely shocking. You can’t miss blatant things like that and expect everyone to just keep quiet.
epsilonj(Quote)
Halsey is poor.
Groucho(Quote)
Halsey has been through a lot of **** in his life and pulled through but that is no excuse for being blind
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
How lads get at them
ash1001(Quote)
Groucho ,He’s always been poor.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Shreeves says its bad bad news…
Moreno(Quote)
Why the flock doesn’t Santon jink inside and just smack the flocker into the back of the net.The bloke has a tremendous dig on him 👿
Munich Mag(Quote)
The update sounds grusome- can’t even straighten it. Gonna be out for a while.
sjp14(Quote)
Half the players look ******…..you would think it was 87 mins not 37!!!
Oblong(Quote)
Sounds like Haddy’s injury is really, really serious. I’m fuming. So pissed off. Wasn’t a mistimed tackle, just pure malice.
As you said toonsy, ref didn’t give a foul for it which means the fa can and should take action.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
If I was a commentator I would take record ‘Cisse offside there’ to save my breath.
Moreno(Quote)
Yanga is doing a pretty good Titus impression today
M(Quote)
Sorry to say it but we are rubbish Toite sissoko especially
ash1001(Quote)
All the officials to blame in truth ,lino ,fourth official all should of let the ref know ,it’s Benny all over again 👿 .
Commentator just said poor lad can’t even straighten his leg to get it accessed 😯 🙁
KIMTOON(Quote)
Moreno but the look of it and the sounds of it I think it’s very bad, and I hope McManaman gets what he deserves for it, I was going to say I hope wigan get it too but I will wait to see what Martinez says about it
Big Dave(Quote)
Guti outpaced by Emerson Boyce 😯
Toon TRW(Quote)
well done Jonas
Big Dave(Quote)
Not sure where the hell our defence was then, well done Jonas
Newkie(Quote)
Great fight from El Capitan
Moreno(Quote)
Gung ho Steven Taylor. Unnecessarily.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
Well played Jonas. **** play everyone else. We had the ball forever and still didn’t get a ball in.
sjp14(Quote)
somehow Guti still have some pace. 😉
Toon TRW(Quote)
tippy tap for a bit, give it away, then they break
if this finishes only 0-1, i’ll be amazed
M(Quote)
We’ve somehow got to get in for HT and sort out our formation.
sjp14(Quote)
I’m not enjoying this at all……
Oblong(Quote)
strangely our best chance of scoring today might be from a corner!
M(Quote)
What a terrible ball.
Oblong- my wife asks me that question every weekend. Why do you waste two hours watching that **** when you don’t enjoy it?
sjp14(Quote)
The ref has been a joke but he cannot be blamed for our complete and utter lack of a threat or creativity in the final third.
We really are ***** at the minute.
Stuart79(Quote)
i dont wish bad on any player not even scumderland but u hope the boys elbow his teeth down his fricken throat the horrible *******
so annoyed at that fucking tackle sorry for language i cant think of how to write this without swearing !!!!!!!!!!!
ice pup(Quote)
Tactics were clearly to get full backs high up as they are 3 at the back and narrow. Interesting that both of our fullbacks get taken out 20 minutes in completely nullifying that plan…
Moreno(Quote)
A wigan booking 😯 😯 😯 😯
Newkie(Quote)
Sweet Jesus…
Moreno(Quote)
Papiss!
Stuart79(Quote)
Cisse…
Newkie(Quote)
Pappis! u fucking bellend
M(Quote)
Perchy telling him he should have left it…give him a shout then! Put your ****ing name in it or at least tell him he had time!
Moreno(Quote)
Can Tiote take 3 out in one go, never been so annoyed at a referee, had respect for Mark Halsey but its gone now
ash1001(Quote)
Get Ameobi on for the second half
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
Tiote’s delivery has been pathetic
Moreno(Quote)
Poor first half really, we’ve had a fair bit of possession without making anything happen. Maybe if wigan were rightfully down to 10 men we would have seen something, but we should have been doing better anyway. Not surprising when you have Tiote and Perch trying to dictate the play I suppose
Newkie(Quote)
Gan on Carver chin him!
Moreno(Quote)
sjp14
My lass asks the same every week as well! She just doesnt understand. It wouldn’t be as fun supporting anyone else though……..
John Carver is going fucking mental….Oh dear!!!!!
Oblong(Quote)
JC doesn’t take a backward step
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
carver going mental…….
ice pup(Quote)
Worst tackle i have ever seen and i don’t even think i am exaggerating.
Cisse is playing terrible again. His two last minute winners have spared him some abuse. I really think he doesn’t know the offside rule.
Is Marv even on the pitch.
Sissoko is having another poor game aswell.
All in all we had a very poor first half.
Santii(Quote)
Good on Carver! He had every right to confront the player and the ref. That was not a normal tackle. It was horrific.
By the way, who was the owd **** pushing Carver away? Carver should have nutted him!
Would like that carver uses that passion and anger on getting the players up for the second half.
Stuart79(Quote)
Have to say Wigan have been the better team. Goals are hard to come by for us. Problem is we need to keep a clean sheet in any game if we want to win. We may get lucky with a Cisse goal but I do not see us scoring more than one.
Michael12(Quote)
that guy pushing him away started that he was just telling him what the hell he’d caused …. *****
ice pup(Quote)
What a disgusting spectacle this has been…
I’ve just witnessed a player go for two footed… late… studs up… knee high tackle into a player… Then two seconds later he deliberately hand balls to stop a pass and the FUCKTARD of a referee doesn’t even award a yellow card?????
Quite honestly nothing has gone our way this game. But that has to be the worst refereeing decision I’ve ever seen.
To make things worse, the commentators are two of the worst I’ve even had to listen to and the football itself has been ****. So disappointing…
JJ(Quote)
The spring in our step since the new players have come has fizzled out. We have not been the same for a while. Then we were going forward and looking dangerous. Now we look indecisive, uncertain and just not dangerous.
Michael12(Quote)
@JJ is that the pair that said it was a 50 50 so no foul because he won the ball? i’ve got them tards aswell
Santii(Quote)