Reason to be cheerful? One, two, three.

With the initial euphoria over, it is time for some hard reflection. We knew this team would win some games over the season, so a victory against Wigan at Upton Park was, really, the very least we should have expected; but, apart from 3 points, was there any worth in the victory?

Wigan are a strange team. One week they look dreadful, the next they surprise you. Our cause was certainly helped by the fact that they had two players suspended - and crucially Rodallega was one of them - but the previous week the Mancs had struggled to kill them off, so this was no walk over.

Let's start with the positives. Leaving aside the dreadful performance against Liverpool, we have been difficult to beat in recent weeks, either because we have scored ourselves, or because we have kept the opposition scoring down. Yes the results against West Brom and Blackpool were disappointing, but we didn't lose, did we? Away to Arsenal we defended well. Away to Birmingham, we deserved to win and, 15 minutes apart, were much the better of the two sides. But we haven't turned that into points so far. Maybe beating Wigan is the starting point. Maybe.

Yesterday, Obinna, Piquionne and Stanislas combined well as an attacking unit and Behrami and Parker clicked in the centre of midfield, to the delight, no doubt, of Noble's critics. At the back, Tomkins looked a much better partner for Upson than Gabbidon and Jacobsen put in a competent, unfussy performance before he came off. All good so far.

The trouble is, to win games you can't afford to have an obvious Achilles heel, and this team has a few. The major one now is Gabbidon. He has looked poor at centre half and he is NOT a left back. He conceded the penalty stupidly - how the Assistant Referee didn't call it is beyond me - and was also done for the Wigan goal. He is too easily turned and he ignores the basic rule of stay on your feet in the box when challenging. Even with the Wigan goal, he risked a second penalty by trying to take the ball in the box. It is a dangerous game to play. You look brilliant when you pull it off but a complete mug when you don't. Gabbidon is more mug than Einstein!

But who replaces him? Ilunga has looked hopeless. Spector is Spector. Brown is just a kid. So who else is there? The sale of Daprela looks ever more baffling as each game goes by.

Then there is Parker's habit of diving recklessly into tackles. Halsey was generous yesterday. There was one double footed challenge from Parker where he got the ball, but I groaned. Half a second late and Parker would have been off and his opponent would have been on a stretcher. Then there was that mindless clatter on the edge of our box. Parker again looked bemused when the free kick was given but there was never going to be any other outcome. He slid in, from the side and behind, and cleared up his opponent's standing leg. He should have been booked for that, no question and Wigan were given a great scoring chance from the free kick. It was a senseless challenge because Wigan had a better chance of scoring from the resultant free kick than they had in open play. It is as if Parker gets a red mist and loses all sense of what is appropriate in a given situation. He has conceded two free kicks that have resulted in goals already this season and is walking a suspension tightrope due to bookings.

Then there is Barerra. He did ok yesterday but how good is the guy? Maybe he will find his feet and start to excite us, but Etherington looks a much better player to me and selling him looks foolish.

The biggest worry about yesterday is that it could easily have finished 3-3. Wigan had a legitimate goal ruled out for offside and missed a penalty. I know we missed a great chance from open play but, the fact remains, that Wigan should have scored three against us, and if Wigan can score three, what chance do you stand against the good teams? We can't rely on our strikers netting 3 or 4 every game to get points. Stanislas looked good offensively but he can't defend, so Gabbidon was always going to be exposed; and exposed he was and at fault for the goal and the penalty. The old issue of balance therefore remains. We don't seem to be able to attack and defend in the same game - it is either one thing or the other.

So, in summary, the three points were welcome but the result does not tell the whole story. We allowed Wigan far too much of the game and looked the second best team for the first 25 minutes of the game and for a good 50% of the second half too. We created more chances than Wigan and scored more goals but so what? Wigan are one of the worst teams in the division and should have scored three goals on the day anyway, the number we mustered. So, there are reasons to be cheerful, one, two, three. But God help us when we get hit by a team with a rhythm stick, because this team still doesn't know how to cope when under pressure.

And as a footnote, any singing of the praises of Wally Downes is ridiculously premature. Wigan should have scored three. Great defensive coach? On the evidence of that game, Downes' defensive drills are as effective as his diet!