DeZeeuw King of Wigan
Posted by liam_wafc in Premiership, Wigan | 16 May 2006
What a season us Latics fans have had. Beyond our wildest dreams. A top ten finish and a Cup final appearance have made this Wigan Athletics greatest season ever, eclipsing other past triumphs.
And what about the players who made it all happen? From goalkeeper through to striker they have performed tremendously. Here are the five players who have impressed me the most, they may not have been our best palyers but they showed either huge improvement or made a sufficient improvement when in the team.
Note - Jimmy Bullard and Pascal Chimbonda have not been considered for this list due to Bullard leaving before the season and because of Chimbonda's recent actions, both would have featured in the list.
5. Mike Pollitt
Mike Pollitt was our first summer signing, and quite possibly one of the most successful. Proof of his brilliant season is that he proved to be a more popular choice than Aussie John Filan between the sticks, a goalkeeper that in previous seasons Wigan fans argued was tone of he best outside the Premiership. Although his greatest feat was his one man show against Arsenal at Highbury in the Carling cup semi-final, Pollitt also came to the rescue on numerous occasions, and in some cases kept some defeats at a more respectable scoreline. Although he and Filan have shared the goalkeeping duties, Mike pollitts performances have made him a firm fans favourite and the fans number one goalkeeping choice.
4. Jason Roberts
Some mayhave expected Roberts to be higher in the list. However for me, despite proving his Premiership credentials, went through periods of the season without making the impact his talent can make. He scored 8 Premiership goals but it was his ability to harrass players that made him such a pain to play against. He is only fourth in my list because, as i explained, For prolongued periods of the season he was not effective, after the Carlign Cup final Roberts seemed to go missing for the remainder of the campaign. Despite this, Roberts has been one of our better performers.
3. Lee McChulloch
My favourite player. It is unbelievable the progress he has made since signing for Wigan. From a poor striker to an unorthodox yet effective left sided midfielder, Lee McChulloch has a major influence in the team in my opinion. When the big Scotsman is not in the team, we look unbalanced and his aerial presence is sorely missed. He chipped in with 5 goals, one a 35 yarder against West Ham. (I will begoing into more depth about McChulloch in my next blog)
2. Leighton Baines
Leighton Baines has played against some of the best wingers in the world, in his first game he played opposite Damien Duff, Arjen Robben, Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole, and performed admirably against them all. In my opinion, Baines showed the most improvement as the season went on and (although some would say biased) how Wayne Bridges is in the England set up before him and even West Hams Konchesky is beyond me. Like Chimbonda, Baines bombed forward and joined the attack, but unlike Chimbonda, he got back and did his defensive duties. He formed a brilliant left side partnership with Lee McChulloch. It must also be noted that Baines has come up through the Wigan ranks, and along with McChulloch has risen through the leagues with the Latics. A star for the future and Ashley Coles long-term replacement.
1. Arjan DeZeeuw
A legend at the club and in my opinion Wigan Athletics best ever player. The 36-year-old Dutchman was Paul Jewells best signing of the summer, bringing back the ever popular defender back to his spiritual home after a 3-year absence. Despite his age, DeZeeuw is without a dobut a collosus at the back and the heart of the Wigan team. His performances have been fantastic, so good that many called for his inclusion in the Dutch world cup squad. An immense figure and character, loved by everyone at Wigan.
Obviously,there will be arguments over my choices, but for me the out and out player of the season is Dutchman ArjanDeZeeuw, the King of the JJB Stadium
Comments
McChulloch? Never heard of him ;-)
