Time to kill off those Wigan demons
It goes without saying, Wigan on Saturday in the eyes of most Geordies is a must win.
But while Newcastle have picked up three wins (one of them a late win thanks to Michael Owen's header in 2007) since the Latics made it to the big time, Wigan have four wins with a 2-2 draw chucked in.
Certainly for some reason, Newcastle seem to struggle against the Latics despite a bit of success.
And the 2-2 draw back in 2008 - which saw Joey Barton crocked and Titus Bramble score a costly equaliser which in the end played a big part in sending us down - is the stuff that nightmares are made of.
So when did this Wigan-phobia start?
My early memories of working for the Chronicle include the first ever day I filed copy for the once great Pink.
It was at the then JJB Stadium and in the first ever league meeting between the two sides, a Jason Roberts goal snatched a win for the Latics in 2005.
This was made all the more controversial when a late Alan Shearer header was chalked off with the ball clearly over the line.
Later that season, Graeme Souness watched his side dumped out of the Carling Cup against Wigan reserves in one of the worst performances in living memory by any Newcastle team.
Since then, we've also had the infamous spat between Big Sam and Joey Barton in 2007 which ended up with the Scouser going to prison after non-selection supposedly resulted in a pre-match blazing row.
It didn't get much better in 2008 at the JJB in a 2-1 defeat for Joe Kinnear which saw Seb Bassong sent off, Habib Beye crocked (by the same man who done Barton in Lee Cattermole) and a Damien Duff sitter that would have netted the "lost point" that would have kept us up.
Mark Viduka also won't have too many happy memories of the venue when fans chanted "You're not fit to wear the shirt" in an incident packed fixture.
Anyway about those struggles, after that first game when Wigan won 1-0 at home, I remember speaking to Shay Given and his response was: "No matter what you say Newcastle United should not be losing to Wigan Athletic."
He was right, given where the club had tumbled from.
But since then you have to take your hat off to the Latics.
They've became as Chris Hughton said "an established side" and at the moment one Newcastle should be trying to emulate in their quest for stability - well this season at least.
The idea doesn't seem like a hoot, I know.
And given we were once trying to follow in Barcelona's foot-steps the idea of being "the new Wigan" seems laughable.
But if Newcastle are toasting survival like Wigan were in May and looking to kick on again once the season comes to end, will you be complaining - or should those expectations be higher?
Either way, I think we've had our fair share of bad luck against Wigan.
Time for a change me thinks.
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Lee Ryder - Proudly born and bred on Tyneside, the Chronicle's chief sports writer has followed the fortunes of the club over the last three decades as a Toon fan and football writer.
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I always feel pig sick when I think of games against wigan. I mean, why a big club like newcastle should struggle against a small club rugby town like wigan beats me. It's like david and goliath here. This sequence of results MUST end, it's time to put these pie eaters where they belong. I'm as exctited and nervous as the rest of the fans for this game coz MY WORD we need the victory on Saturday. COMEON LADS!!!!
Really worried about tomorrow????
Lose again and could spell trouble come the end of the season.
do blackpool go out playing with fear or apprehension -NO! do they go out playing a defensive formation -NO! so why the hell do we and why the hell should we be worried about playing wigan? do they have better player than us -NO! we've got nothing to lose, we've dropped points we need 3 lets go out and beat them, they've shipped goals like water from a siv, shoot on sight i say...
If were are toasting survival next May, with or without Wigan, I'll be more than happy with that.
If we don't survive, I and a few others may be in toon toasting a few, if not all the players who will have let us down.
Let us not surrender the points before we have even kicked a ball in anger chaps.
Totally agree with toonagain. We need to be going for blood on Saturday with a formation that frightens the feces out of them, not something that the whole league has already figured out.