Misogynistic Spud-head or Managerial Genius?

"If we're not careful, we'll be playing in high heels and skirts and playing netball."

- Steve Bruce

With Steve Bruce's acrimonious departure from Birmingham City now complete, and Latics chairman Dave Whelan explaining it all away as "two women having a fall-out" (Brenda Spencer and Karren Brady), it is now all down to the potato headed Bruce to drag Latics from the mire in which they find themselves.

Bruce, unpopular with many Latics fans after showing the door to Roberto Martinez and nine other players before deciding we were merely a stepping stone for his ambitions and ditching us for Crystal Palace, will return £250,000 in image rights to Birmingham City and Bernard Cribbins.

Reportedly on a handsome £40,000 a week at his new club, this shouldn't dent his bank balance too badly, but he will need to conjure a sharp turn in Latics fortunes in order to sway the doubters amongst the clubs' supporters.


And these doubters have a point. Explaining away his exit from the club the first time as being down to his wife wanting to live in London, it begs the question: Why is he back in Wigan? And since when has a man whose view of women is straight from the Mike Newell stable of misogyny, ever taken a female's feelings into account on his single-minded drive to Premier League management?

He will watch Saturday's match at Arsenal from the stands, and from there will be able to witness the monumental task ahead of him in order to repay Whelan's faith, and convince those who think he is not up to scratch.

Online Pro-Evolution Soccer League

We have been contacted to plug a spanking new online Pro-Evolution Soccer League, which we have been told is being run for players who want to have fun.

Thankfully for us at PARALATIC (who will be entering a team) rubbish players are encouraged to join as it’s all about enjoyment.

The organizers are local men of high standing, but stress that the league is open to supporters of any team, from Latics to Leicester to Liverpool to Leigh RMI.

Please visit their website at this link: www.pro-evo-league.co.nr

The £50,000 Pair of Boots

Dave Whelan today questioned why the well-off Pascal Chimbonda needed an £18,000 loan from his agent Willie McKay when he moved from Latics to Tottenham in 2006.

Chimbonda, 28, was questioned by City of London police last week on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and bailed until October.

The police are anxious to establish that any loans paid to players are not for the purpose of avoiding tax because loans are not taxable.

Yet Chimbonda talked Whelan into loaning him £50,000 for a pair of boots (and a car – Ed) when he initially signed from Bastia in 2005.

"Chimbonda told me he was skint and wanted a loan” said Whelan, "we are a football club, not a bank and I said I didn't loan players money.

"But he wanted to buy a car and didn't have a decent pair of boots, [so] we organised a bank loan of £50,000 for him, with a warranty that the money would come out of his wages if he didn't pay it back.

"He paid the bank, as far as I know, and we just guaranteed it."

Chimbonda went on to sign a new, improved contract at Latics before his £4.5m switch to White Hart Lane.

"I can't believe Chimbonda would have needed another loan," said Whelan.

His totally above-board agent, Mr. Willie “Totally-Above-Board” McKay said: "I have done this before for many of my players if they are short. If it was underhand why would I give him a cheque from my bank account?"

Wigan Athletic v Fulham Preview

Fulham travel to the JJB tomorrow (Saturday) looking for their first away win this season, whilst Latics have not yet lost at home.

Kevin Kilbane is banned for this game only after his dismissal at Newcastle.

Recent signing Salomon Olembe is not yet fully match-fit. Antonio Valencia (knee) and Denny Landzaat (fractured eye socket) are also out.

Defender Aaron Hughes is set to make his debut for Fulham after an ankle injury.

Striker David Healy should start for the visitors and new signings Danny Murphy, Seol Ki-Hyeon and Shefki Kuqi are expected to be on the bench.

Recent talk has all been about Emile Heskey’s excellent performances for England, but other teams should beware that Latics don’t utilize him as England do, with Hutchings trusting to Heskey’s other skills, rather than simply using him as a holding player.

Indeed, in this vein, Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez said of the England Striker: "I have always liked Emile, I think he has been given a hard time but it is nice to see an English team whack the ball up to a centre-forward to head down for the little striker to score”.

Latics (from): Kirkland, Melchiot, Granqvist, Bramble, Boyce, Brown, Scharner, Koumas, Sibierski, Heskey, Skoko, Bent, Aghahowa, Bouaouzan, Cotterill, Hall, Olembe, Pollitt.

Fulham (from): Niemi, Warner, Keller, Volz, Baird, Stefanovic, Bocanegra, Hughes, Davis, Smertin, Murphy, Seol, Davies, Healy, Dempsey, Konchesky, Kamara, John, Kuqi.

Referee: Rob Styles (Waterlooville, Hampshire)

History

Fulham started its existence in 1879 as Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School, founded by worshippers at the C of E church on Star Road, West Kensington, which still stands today with a plaque commemorating the team's foundation. They won the West London Amateur Cup in 1887 and, having shortened the name to its present form in 1888, they then won the West London League in 1893 at the first attempt. One of the club's first ever kits was half red, half white shirts with white shorts worn in the 1886-7 season.[3] Fulham started playing at their current ground Craven Cottage in 1896, their first game against now defunct rivals Minerva F.C.

Latics' Rachid Bouaouzan in Action

Here's a video of our new signing Rachid Bouaouzan in action for Sparta Rotterdam.

Bouaouzan gained notoriety in Holland when he broke the right leg of striker Niels Kokmeijer in a first division game in December 2004 (seen in this video).

Kokmeijer, then with Go Ahead Eagles, suffered multiple fractures and was forced to retire from the game. Bouaouzan was suspended for the rest of the season by Sparta, a sentence greater than the 10-game penalty handed down by KNVB, Dutch football's governing body.

However, in an unprecedented move, Bouaouzan was taken to court by the Dutch government and Kokmeijer on a charge of battery. In August 2005, he was found guilty and received a suspended six-month jail sentence and ordered to serve 200 hours of community service.

Thanks to Handsome Jimmy Bullard for finding this, and well done Chris Hutchings for signing a tackling midfielder. Bravo!