Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates the 1998-99 EPL Title (Image Via Manchester United official site)
In my weekly column on SWOL, I take a look back at the weekend's English Premier League and domestic cup action and the talking points that it throws up, as well as any significant news related to English football at large.
Manuel Pellegrini has announced he will leave his post at Malaga at the end of the season, paving the way for his likely move to Manchester City.
Speaking at an awards ceremony in Malaga, the 59-year-old said, "On Sunday, I will take charge of my last match at the Rosaleda. I would like to thank the owners of the club for putting their trust in me.
For Wigan Athletic, it's win or bust today. A draw won't be good enough since the Latics would have to overcome Sunderland's 11 goal difference on Sunday, so if Roberto Martinez's side fail to beat Arsenal, we shall be saying goodbye to Wigan after eight consecutive seasons in the Premier League.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will be desperate for a win today to take the pressure off them and to put them in control of their own destiny when they face Newcastle on the final day of the season.
Take nothing away from Wigan Athletic's gritty and energetic performance to win the FA Cup in stoppage time but Manchester City had the tools to handle matters fairly easily, but once again faltered. Roberto Mancini and the Citizens will end this season in disappointment. After a glorious finish to last seasons Premier League title chase for City, the Manchester club will head into the summer without any trophies, and possibly without Mancini.
Wigan pulled off one of the biggest shocks in recent FA Cup final history to record a surprise 1-0 win over favourites Manchester City. Ben Watson's late goal was enough to secure win for Roberto Martinez's side, whose attention will immediately turn to trying to secure Premier League survival. You can see extended highlights of [.
I usually find myself in cool places around the world to watch the FA Cup finals, but this year I found myself in an airplane, and was thus unable to watch a surprising final where Wigan Athletics won a surprising 1-0 victory over Manchester City. Wigan are fighting relegation from the Premier League and this victory is their first FA title ever!
Ben Watson and Roberto Martinez of Wigan Athletic (Image via Wigan Athletic official facebook page)
This afternoon of May 11, 2013, Manchester City looked set to take a hard fighting Wigan Athletic side into extra time as full time in the English Football Association(FA) Cup was nearly complete.
Many people thought that Roberto Martinez was mad last summer when he reportedly passed up the opportunity to manage Liverpool or Aston Villa, but decided to stay with Wigan Athletic instead. But the sacrifice by him certainly paid off today.
Here's the last video of the day from Wigan Athletic's triumphant FA Cup Final victory against Manchester City.
Congratulations to Wigan Athletic, the club, players and supporters on a historic FA Cup Final victory against Manchester City.
Here are several post match interviews with Wigan manager Roberto Martinez, goal-scorer Ben Watson, Callum McManaman and others.
Post-match interview with Roberto Martinez:
Interview with goal-scorer Ben Watson:
Next up is Callum McManaman, who was my man of the match:
Shaun Maloney interview after Wigan's FA Cup Final win vs Manchester City:
Paul Scharner interview after Wigan's FA Cup Final win vs Manchester City
Post-Match Interviews With FA Cup Final Winners Martinez, Watson, McManaman & Others is a post from EPL Talk - Independent voice of EPL soccer fans since 2005.
Wigan Athletic came into Saturday's FA Cup Final as an overwhelming underdog that few gave a chance to test, let alone beat mighty Manchester United.
The Latics had other ideas, and didn't just come to play, they went to Wembley to win.
Wigan won their first FA Cup title in team history when Ben Watson headed home a Shaun Maloney corner kick in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to give Wigan a 1-0 victory.
The singing of the pre-FA Cup final hymn "Abide With Me" was first introduced for the 1927 match in the hope that some communal singing might provide a moment of unity between supporters of different clubs before the upcoming competition. The words to it were first written as a poem by a Scottish hymn-writer, Henry Francis Lyte, as he was dying of tuberculosis in 1847.
Man City vs Wigan FA Cup Highlights Final 2013 0-1 Ben Watson Goal Zabaleta Red Card Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Man City vs Wigan FA Cup Highlights Final 2013 0-1 Ben Watson Goal Zabaleta Red Card Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Man City vs Wigan 2013 ( Manchester City Wigan Athletic VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Manchester City v Wigan 0-1 ( Ben Watson) Wembley, London- FA [.
In one of the greatest upsets in FA Cup Final history, Wigan Athletic's Ben Watson will go down in the history books as the goalscorer who headed the ball into the back of the net to beat Manchester City one-nil at London's Wembley Stadium on May 11, 2013.
Here's a video highlight of Ben Watson's brilliant header:
WIG 1-0 CIT by lennahcadri
Wigan 1-0 Manchester City; Ben Watson Scores Gamewinner: Highlights [VIDEO] is a post from EPL Talk - Independent voice of EPL soccer fans since 2005.
Manchester United striker, Angelo Henriquez, today lifted the FA Cup after the club he is on loan to, Wigan Athletic, beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra are amongst the United players who have yet to win an FA Cup winners medal.
In one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup Final history, Wigan Athletic defeated Manchester City 1-0 today at London's Wembley Stadium.
With minutes to go before the full-time whistle blew, Wigan substitute Ben Watson came up for a corner kick and brilliantly headed the ball into the back of the net over the arms of City goalkeeper Joe Hart.
The 2012-13 FA Cup Final, one of the most prestigious days on the English football calendar, kicks off today live from Wembley Stadium in London.
The match features David versus Goliath. Wigan Athletic are in their first major final against a Manchester City side aiming to win a piece of silverware at the end of the season.
In today's FA Cup Final between Manchester City vs Wigan Athletic (Noon ET on FOX network), it's a clash between two clubs desperate to win the trophy for completely different reasons.
Building up to the suspense of this year's final, here are two videos to watch. The first is a preview of Manchester City's chances in the final as well as the road to the cup final.
Wigan Athletic are almost certainly headed for relegation this season but one bright spot in an otherwise gloomy season is the possibility of winning their first ever FA Cup. This Saturday, the Latics will face mighty Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in a match that will determine which club will hoist the famous trophy in 2013.
Something to cheer up all Manchester City fans... ... if Manchester City fans can do "cheered up" that is.
Out of all of the 78 teams in the four primary European leagues (Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and Bundesliga), Wigan Athletic have the most problematical situation between the posts.
Farewell Wigan Athletic, a flawed yet loveable Premier League team is a post from: Just Football
by Matt MacKenzie
Despite their frankly astonishing FA Cup triumph, the axe has finally fallen on one of the Premier League's most appreciated sides. A neutral's favourite throughout this season in particular, Wigan Athletic have become the latest victims of relegation to the Championship.
We love these 'ere time-lapse things, and this one's no exception. Using a single camera mounted high behind one of the goals, the FA have produced a Benny Hill-style video memento of FA Cup Final day in its entirety, with every moment from the first fan through the turnstiles right up to Ben Watson's 90th-minute winner and beyond squeezed into the space of a single minute.
Manchester City 0-1 Wigan Athletic FA Cup Final 11th May 2013
As Chris already said, Wigan's 1-0 Cup final victory was no fluke, with the Latics thoroughly deserving of the win against a strangely lacklustre City side.
Anyway, enough of my yackin' have a gander at the highlights and photos.
Rejoice, for Wigan Athletic are the 2012/13 FA Cup winners!!!
No shock or "upturn for the books" about; The Latics were the best team on the day and deservedly pipped Man City 1-0 thanks to a 88th-minute header from substitute Ben Watson who finished a grim, injury-hit season as the bloke who scored the winning goal in an FA Cup Final.
We're not quite sure if we're having our puddings pulled here, but the chaps over at Sondico assure us that Wigan 'keeper Ali Al-Habsi is to debut a new pair of 'Penalty Saver' goalie gloves today should the FA Cup Final go to a shoot-out this afternoon.
The gloveshave a "mitten style webbing" of the third, fourth, and fifth fingers to create a larger surface area which is the kind of thing that comes in handy when repelling penalties.
It's a day of goodbyes today on the final day of the 2012-13 Premier League season. Farewell to Sir Alex Ferguson, Paul Scholes, Jamie Carragher, Wigan Athletic, Reading and Queens Park Rangers.
It's also a goodbye to FOX Soccer, who'll be televising their final Premier League games today on US television before they shut down in late July or early August.
Even though the titles in Europe's top leagues have already been clinched, that does not mean there will not be any drama on the final days of the season.
The race for Champions League spots in England, Germany and Italy will end this weekend as three of the world's elite leagues close their seasons with one final matchday.
Sky Sports' director must have been cursing after this. Of all the Wigan fans they could have cut to after Arsenal scored they happened to choose the one who was about to give a middle finger salute to... well, it's hard to know exactly who he was giving it to. Had he spotted the camera [...]
We're used to seeing fans moved to tears at the prospect of their team dropping out of the Premier League. But relegation doesn't seem to have hit this Wigan fan too hard. He's up for a laugh with fellow supporters. And is he asking that steward if he can head for the exit now the [...]
Arsenal vs Wigan 4-1 Highlights 2013 Podolski Walcott Ramsey Maloney Goals Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Arsenal vs Wigan 4-1 Highlights 2013 Podolski Walcott Ramsey Maloney Goals Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Arsenal vs Wigan 2013 ( Arsenal Wigan Athletic VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Arsenal vs Wigan 4-1 ( Podolski*2, Walcott, Ramsey) Emirates Stadium, London- 14 May, 2013- 19.
With Arsenal's impressive 4-1 home victory against Wigan Athletic today, the Gunners are just one match away from guaranteeing a spot in the UEFA Champions League next season. For viewers in the United States, the match between Newcastle and Arsenal will be shown live on ESPN2 and WatchESPN.
While Arsenal will need to win on Sunday to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, a draw will be enough if Spurs draw their game.
Arsenal 4-1 Wigan Athletic Premier League 14th May 2013
As the great Irish poet Ronan Keating once sang, "life is a rollercoaster". And those words aptly describe Wigan Athletic's drama-packed season, which will end with relegation to the second tier of English football.
On the eve of Arsenal's must-win match with Wigan Athletic at Emirates Stadium,Sporting Intelligencehave released new research that reveals since Arsenal last won silverware eight years ago, 23 ex-Gunners have won 56 major trophies.
Read the article below for the complete research data.
The date May 11, 2013 will long remain in the memories of Wigan Athletic supporters. A tactical masterstroke by Roberto Martinez accompanied by a fitting late winner saw the underdogs pull off a shocking upset, one which could possibly be the best in their history. While Ben Watson will be the name to go down in Wigan's history, Callum McManaman is the one who really deserves the plaudits.
Wigan Athletic right winger Callum McManaman has been called up to England's u-21 squad for the first time, for next month's u-21 European Championship in Israel.
The FA Cup winner will be available for England's three matches in the first round against Italy (June 5), Norway (June 8) and Israel (June 11).
Tottenham will have to pay Wigan £15million to secure the services of highly sought after James McCarthy. The Republic of Ireland international is considered to be one of the finest midfielders outside the Premier League's top five and seems certain to move on after the Latics' relegation to the Championship.
There was a black mark made by some Newcastle United fans at the Premier League fixture at Wigan Athletic in March, when the fans invaded the game being played by Wigan Cosmos and Goose Green FC near the DW Stadium, and the goal posts were torn down by the idiots, and the game had to [...]
