Wigan at home - Preparing the Last Rites

Never mind Save our Season, today's game is more about "Save our Souls"! Before the players leave the dressing room today, a priest will administer extreme unction, with oil blessed and administered to the players' eyes, lips, nostrils, lips, hands, feet and loins, as he says, ""Through this holy unction and His own most tender mercy may the Lord pardon thee whatever sins or faults thou hast committed  by sight by hearing, smell, taste, touch, walking and carnal delectation." Fortunately the sins and faults do not have to be individually listed or we would be waiting for a month of Sundays before the players get out onto the pitch!

This team is already dead and buried. Even if we win today, I see no way back. The news that Noble may be out until the New Year is just the latest nail driven into our relegation coffin. As England stagger, punch drunk, in the first test of the Ashes, I still hold out hope that we can come back Lazarus like; but England have fighters in the form of Strauss, Collingwood, Trott, Prior, Swann and Broad. Show me a fighter outside of Parker in this West Ham team. Never mind poor ability and poor tactics, the biggest factor is that the players are utterly gutless. Wigan will fight today, we will have all the punch and determination of Audley Harrison!

Debate is raging about Cole but tell me, why is his confidence so fragile? The guy is huge, quick and experienced. Why isn't he punching his weight? Why isn't he imposing himself? Why isn't he making opposition centre backs cower for cover? Yes the supply is poor but so is Cole's attitude. He looks for excuses before he looks for the ball and the back of the net.

Look at Upson. Where is his leadership? Why isn't he in the face of his own players and in the ribs of his opponents? He can't be arsed that's why. He is off in January so why is he still captain?

Look at Dyer. Does he have a pain threshold? The guy will limp out of a contest because of a mouth ulcer!

Look at Green, he is SCARED under crosses. It is pathetic to watch.

Look at Ilunga. He doesn't give a toss.

And we could go on.

I don't expect anything today. The team already have their excuses written. "So many injuries, bad refereeing decision, manager's tactics, individual mistakes, you could see the effort, Wigan played well...blah, blah, blah." It doesn't matter to them. Dyer will collect his £83,000 regardless of the result. Parker has his release clause should we go down. Boa knows he might have a future in the Championship. Ilunga is probably dreaming of an easy life in the South of France, away from the nasty cold weather of England. Behrami already has his exit strategy planned. "Roma, Roma, where for art thou Roma?" Cole fancies Liverpool. He might even fancy Stoke now. Obinna is only on loan anyway. And we can go on.

This is a poor Wigan team and last week's sending offs have made them weaker. But so what? Blackpool came and out fought us. West Brom came and out fought us. Fulham came and out fought us. And we looked happy with a point in each of those contests. A draw looks nailed on to me. And nailed on is an appropriate term, because this cross is of our own making, and I see no resurrection.

"vos votum ut reddo hic. Per is sanctus unction quod Suus own plurimus tener misericordia may Senior ignosco thee quisquis sins vel mendum sententia festinatio trado..."