Rock Bottom

As we approach the business end of the season it would be no great surprise to see at least one team slowly cast adrift at the bottom of the Premier League. It would be rare to see the table remain this tight through to the very end so who, if anyone, is likely to come a cropper in the coming weeks? Sadly, after considering the various candidates, Wigan have the look of a team who could finish bottom of the heap. They are 5/2 with SkyBet to do just that.

The main problem is that it’s always hard to see where the next Latics win is coming from. They led out of form West Brom well into the second half in midweek but, in truth, they never really looked like holding on. The home game against Blackburn on Saturday now looks massively important and falls into the category of ‘must-win’. This is partly because of the fixture list that follows on after that which includes trips to Anfield, Eastlands and Stamford Bridge and home games with Man Utd and Spurs. Ouch.

The other difficulty facing Wigan is that other sides around them seem to have grounds for optimism. West Ham have already been given a new lease of life by Robbie Keane’s arrival and the explosive form of Victor Obinna. Wolves seem to be plagued by bad luck but actually seem to play well enough and fight hard enough to merit a rise up the table eventually. They’ve also shown they are capable of defeating big sides on their day - something Wigan were doing last season but less so now. That said the Molineux club are starting to look like the only realistic rival for the dreaded bottom spot. One thing’s for sure, if finishing above any side looks like a challenge then finding three to avoid relegation is a daunting prospect!