 Friday, 11th Jan 2008 08:32 Is it time to trot out the tired cliché; "the season starts here"? Derby County v Wigan Athletic An unrecognisable Derby team could take to the Pride Park pitch on Saturday and we're playing Paul Jewell's old team - time for the second win of the season? A lot of fans really think so - but a word of caution. Wigan are no pushovers and the Bookies still have them as favourites to win. It's easy to be disparaging about a team like Wigan. The name conjures up a picture of flat caps, cobbled streets and meat and potato pies. It's far more famous for the Warriors of Rugby league and yet - Wigan Athletic have managed to establish themselves as a Premiership team - and under our current manager. It would be fair to say that Wigan were everyone's favourites for relegation following their promotion into the Premiership. They had never been there before, their manager was inexperienced, they weren't a 'big' club and their star striker Nathan Ellington was sold to West Brom. Paul Jewell set about the task by making several judicious buys including Henri Camara, Stephane Henchoz & Pascal Chimbonda. It worked a treat. By November of their first season they were second in the Premiership. They finally finished the season in 10th place and reached the League Cup final - their first major final. Sadly they lost to Manchester United but it was a dream debut first season. The second season was not so good however. Despite several signings, the team did not appear to be as strong as the previous season. Losing key players such as Henchoz and Chimbonda, and lengthy injuries to key player such as Camara left Wigan struggling with the relegation fodder. Some pundits were suggesting that Paul Jewell's men were a one season wonder. Jewell made important signings in David Unsworth, Caleb Folan and Julius Aghahowa in an attempt to stave off relegation however it needed a 2-1 win at Bramall Lane on the final day of the season to keep Wigan up. That they held on, relegating Sheffield United in the process and with only ten men speaks of the fighting spirit of Paul Jewell's team. Chris Hutchings was appointed as the new manager When Jewell resigned after the game. The Stress of the season took its toll. Steve Bruce was appointed new manager at a cost of £3 million in compensation to Birmingham. Results have picked up since and Wigan currently lie seventeenth - just above the relegation places. Current Wigan Squad No. Position Player Last 5 games Fulham 1-1 Wigan Danger Men Marcus Bent is Wigan’s top scorer with seven goals. He’s scored 107 goals so far in his career and the best description of him is a natural finisher. Keeping him out is a tough job – even with a good defence. He got a hat-trick against Blackburn in December. Austrian Paul Scharner has four goals to his name this year. Emile Heskey has only one however he was playing really well in the early part of the season before he broke his foot. The Rams The first half of last weeks match against the Wendy’s was probably the most embarrassing half of football I’ve witnessed at Pride Park. ‘Pride’ Park is looking an increasingly silly name for the stadium. Paul Jewell had to do something and he has. Robbie Savage, Laurent Robert and Emanuel Villa join Danny Mills in the squad for Saturday. Hossam Ghaly & Roy Carrol may join them before the end of Friday depending on how fast things move. Paul Jewell has proved to be a man of his word when it comes to signing players. What does this mean for the current squad players? Hopefully it means that some of the under performing midfielders can either shape up or ship out. That means you Giles Barnes, Gary Teale and Eddie Lewis. Giles Barnes has been disappointing this season. Although he scored last week he again played in fits and starts. He's capable of much more and though he may think his future is away from Derby, he has to realise that occasional flashes of brilliance will not make him a first choice player at any so called big club. He should ask Tom Huddlestone. Gary Teale & Eddie Lewis just look to be out of their depth at this level. Particularly Lewis. Some creativity has come from Teale but he often seems to be on a different wavelength to the rest of the team and spends time berating other players for his own failings. So who will fill the midfield roles? I would like Matt Oakley to stay in the centre. With the right support (which looks to be Robbie Savage) he should be free to revert to his normal game of getting forward to support the strikers and passing the ball out to the creative players. The creative players in this case should be Robert and Barnes. An alternative would be to play Ghaly in the midfield and Oakley as an attacking player instead of Barnes. Hopefully a more aggressive midfield will relieve some of the pressure on our defence. Poor Darren Moore is looking more and more cumbersome in defence and the attitude of some of the Derby faithful to him is unforgiving. At least he's playing. More than can be said for our other centre halves. Mick's team: Caroll, Mills, Davis, Leacock, Johnson, Savage, Oakley, Ghaly, Robert, Villa, Miller (Depending on work permits and late signings and injuries). What the bookies think Wigan are favourites at 5/4 so they obviously aren’t impressed with our new midfield. The Rams are at 7/4 while the draw is at 11/5. Marcus Bent is the favourite to score at 7/4 while Kenny Miller is at 5/2. In common with most big institutions, William Hill can’t even be bothered to update their site with the odds for our new players – or indeed our injured players. Information for travelling fans Drinking: There are very few pubs very close to the ground but if you come by train, the locale around the station is fairly inviting. The Crown and Cushion at the junction of London Rd always seems to be full of away supporters. The Brunswick is a must for any real ale fans and the Alexandra next door is my personal favourite. Fans tend to mingle in these pubs and as long as you’re not being aggressive, the atmosphere is good. The Waterfall opposite the station is okay as well. If you are driving, the Navigation Pub on London Rd opposite the parking area is your best bet. Having said all of that, there’s always the chance that the Derbyshire Police may insist that the pubs close for this game given the number of travelling fans expected. Driving: Wigan to Derby is about 90 miles. Take the M6 then head south until J16 or J15 (not much in it) then A500 to the A50 through Stoke. Follow the A50 to Derby and stay on it until the turn off for Alvaston. There will be traffic around Alvaston however if you stay on London Rd you can get to the parking areas described below. Parking: It used to be at the old Wilmorten College site however that is now a building site so away fans should park at Catalyst on London Rd opposite the Navigation pub. It’s about 10-15 minutes from the ground. Don’t be tempted to park at Pride Park shopping centre unless you fancy being clamped. You can also park for a £5 at the hospital further up London Rd near the hospital and the Railway station. Another alternative is to take the Derby Ring road towards the City Centre and pass the exit for Pride Park on Brian Clough Way (A52) and head for Pentagon Island. Take the first exit and turn left and after a few hundred yards you will come to The Cattle Market Car Park. It’s about 10 minutes walk to the ground from here. Mick’s Prediction I think this game may be more difficult than some of our fans think. The bookies don’t share our enthusiasm for the signings and although this is a new team, confidence takes a while to be restored. I’m going for a Rams win if only because it’s Paul Jewell’s old team we’re playing.
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