2010–11 Wigan Athletic F.C. season
# 2010–11 Wigan Athletic F.C. season

The 2010–11 English football season was Wigan Athletic F.C.'s 33rd season in the Football League and their sixth consecutive season in the Premier League.

## Season review

### Pre-season

Following a mixed first season in charge of the club, manager Roberto Martínez decided to make several additions to the playing squad. Wigan's most expensive summer signing was Argentine striker Mauro Boselli, who signed for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £6 million. Dutch defender Mario Melchiot and Austrian midfielder Paul Scharner both left the club after their contracts expired. Gary Caldwell was named as the new club captain.

There were also changes behind the scenes, with general manager John Benson leaving the club to join Sunderland, re-uniting with former Wigan manager Steve Bruce. Director Maurice Lindsay also stepped down to take up the position of chairman at Preston North End.

Wigan's first pre-season friendly was a 3–2 win against Östersunds FK, with new signing Boselli scoring twice. Their next friendly was a 1–1 draw against Oldham Athletic, featuring trialists Laurent Merlin and Sekou Baradji. Baradji also joined the squad at their pre-season training camp in Austria, but would ultimately not be offered a contract.

### August

The season started badly for Wigan with two heavy defeats at home – a 4–0 loss against newly promoted Blackpool and a 6–0 defeat to reigning Premier League champions Chelsea. Things improved with a 3–0 win in the League Cup against Hartlepool United, followed by a shock 1–0 away win against Tottenham Hotspur – the same fixture in which they suffered a club record 9–1 defeat less than twelve months earlier. The club was active on transfer deadline day, completing the signings of Tom Cleverley on loan from Manchester United and Franco Di Santo on a three-year deal from Chelsea. Charles N'Zogbia also remained at Wigan after having a bid accepted for him from Birmingham City, but failing to agree personal terms.

### September

After an international break, Wigan's first game of the month was against Sunderland, which saw Lee Cattermole and Titus Bramble appear at the DW Stadium for the first time since leaving Wigan. Despite Cattermole being sent off in the first half, Wigan failed to capitalise on their man advantage and drew the match 1–1. The Latics then slipped into the bottom three after a 2–0 home defeat to Manchester City in the following game. The club progressed once again in the League Cup, winning the match 2–1 after a late comeback against Preston North End. The club finished the month with a goalless draw at Birmingham City.

### October

On 2 October, Wigan Athletic picked up their first Premier League home win of the season after defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–0. Two weeks later, the club drew 2–2 away against Newcastle United, with Charles N'Zogbia scoring both goals for Wigan against his former club. Wigan extended their unbeaten run with a 1–1 draw at home against Bolton Wanderers, but midfielder James McCarthy suffered an ankle injury which kept him out of action until the end of January. In the following game however, Gary Caldwell returned to the line-up for the first time since his hip operation during the summer as the team reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup following a 2–0 victory against Swansea City. On 30 October, Wigan were beaten 2–0 by Fulham.

### November

Wigan started the month with a second away defeat in a row, losing 2–1 to Blackburn Rovers. Results then improved in their following two home games with a 1–1 draw against Liverpool and a 1–0 win against West Bromwich Albion. The club lost 2–0 in its next match against Manchester United, finishing the match with nine men after Antolín Alcaraz and Hugo Rodallega were sent off. Two more away defeats followed, against West Ham United and Arsenal in the quarter-final of the League Cup, during which Victor Moses dislocated his shoulder, meaning he would be out of action for three months.

### December

Wigan came from behind twice to draw 2–2 with Stoke City in their first game of the month. The team then extended their unbeaten run with a draw against Everton, a win against Wolverhampton Wanderers and another draw with Arsenal. On 31 December, the club completed the signing of Adrián López on a free transfer.

### January

Wigan lost their first game of the month against Newcastle United, the club's first defeat at home since September. This was followed by an away draw against Bolton Wanderers.

## Transfers

### In

| Player | From | Fee | Date |
| - | - | - | - |
| Mauro Boselli | Estudiantes | Undisclosed | 29 Jun 2010 |
| Antolín Alcaraz | Club Brugge | Undisclosed | 22 Jul 2010 |
| James McArthur | Hamilton Academical | £400,000 | 23 Jul 2010 |
| Ronnie Stam | Twente | £2,000,000 | 30 Jul 2010 |
| Steven Caldwell | Unattached | Free | 23 Aug 2010 |
| Franco Di Santo | Chelsea | £2,000,000 | 31 Aug 2010 |
| Adrián López | Unattached | Free | 31 Dec 2010 |
| Conor Sammon | Kilmarnock | £600,000 | 31 Jan 2011 |

### Out

| Player | To | Fee | Date |
| - | - | - | - |
| Mario Melchiot | Umm-Salal | Free | 8 Jun 2010 |
| Tomasz Cywka | Derby County | Free | 30 Jun 2010 |
| Tomasz Kupisz | Jagiellonia Białystok | Free | 14 Jul 2010 |
| Titus Bramble | Sunderland | Undisclosed | 23 Jul 2010 |
| Jason Scotland | Ipswich Town | Undisclosed | 23 Aug 2010 |
| Jon Routledge | Hamilton Academical | Free | 1 Feb 2011 |

### Released

| Player | Date |
| - | - |
| Rachid Bouaouzan | 1 Jul 2010 |
| Paul Scharner | 1 Jul 2010 |
| Richard Kingson | 1 Jul 2010 |
| Olivier Kapo | 6 Aug 2010 |

### Loans in

| Player | From | Start date | End date | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Ali Al-Habsi | Bolton Wanderers | 15 Jul 2010 | End of season | |
| Tom Cleverley | Manchester United | 31 Aug 2010 | End of season | |

### Loans out

| Player | To | Start date | End date |
| - | - | - | - |
| Antonio Amaya | Rayo Vallecano | 27 Jul 2010 | End of season |
| Jason Koumas | Cardiff City | 7 Aug 2010 | End of season |
| Jon Routledge | Hamilton Academical | 12 Aug 2010 | January 2011 |
| Lee Nicholls | Hartlepool United | 9 Nov 2010 | 8 Dec 2010 |
| Chris Kirkland | Leicester City | 24 Nov 2010 | 31 Dec 2010 |
| Mauro Boselli | Genoa | 14 Jan 2011 | End of season |
| Lee Nicholls | Shrewsbury Town | 31 Jan 2011 | 28 Feb 2011 |
| Lee Nicholls | Sheffield Wednesday | 24 Mar 2011 | 27 Apr 2011 |

## Player statistics

As of 24 April 2011

| # | Pos. | Player | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total | Discipline | Discipline |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| # | Pos. | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | | |
| 1 | GK | Chris Kirkland | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Steve Gohouri | 26+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Antolín Alcaraz | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 4 | MF | James McCarthy | 24 | 3 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 24 (3) | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Gary Caldwell | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | Hendry Thomas | 22+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 27+2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | Franco Di Santo | 9+16 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 11+18 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Ben Watson | 23+6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 29+6 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Mauro Boselli | 5+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | Charles N'Zogbia | 32+2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0+4 | 1 | 32+5 | 10 | 2 | 1 |
| 11 | FW | Victor Moses | 8+13 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 | 11+15 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | GK | Mike Pollitt | 0+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | Steven Caldwell | 8+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | Jordi Gómez | 9+4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3+1 | 2 | 15+5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | Tom Cleverley | 19+6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23+6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | James McArthur | 3+15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9+15 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | Emmerson Boyce | 20+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23+2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | Jason Scotland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | Conor Sammon | 1+6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | Hugo Rodallega | 34+2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35+2 | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| 21 | MF | Mohamed Diamé | 30+6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 33+6 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | Ronnie Stam | 17+8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22+8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | Adrián López | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | GK | Ali Al-Habsi | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | Daniël de Ridder | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | DF | Maynor Figueroa | 32+1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 36+1 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | Jordan Robinson | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | DF | Román Golobart | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | FW | Callum McManaman | 0+3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 3+4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | DF | Jordan Mustoe | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | MF | Daniel Redmond | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | DF | Adam Buxton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 46 | GK | Lee Nicholls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 51 | MF | Callum Morris | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Starting 11

    Considering starts in all competitions

| No. | Pos. | Name | MS | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 26 | GK | Ali Al-Habsi | 39 | |
| 2 | RB | Steve Gohouri | 27 | Emmerson Boyce has 23 starts |
| 5 | CB | Gary Caldwell | 26 | |
| 3 | CB | Antolín Alcaraz | 38 | |
| 31 | LB | Maynor Figueroa | 38 | |
| 21 | DM | Mohamed Diamé | 34 | |
| 6 | DM | Hendry Thomas | 28 | |
| 10 | RW | Charles N'Zogbia | 32 | |
| 8 | AM | Ben Watson | 28 | James McCarthy has 24 starts |
| 23 | LW | Ronnie Stam | 21 | |
| 20 | CF | Hugo Rodallega | 35 | |

## Match results

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |
| - | - | - |

### Pre-season

| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Venue | Scorers | Attendance | Match Report |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 17 July 2010 | Östersunds FK | Win | 2–3 | Away | Boselli 38', 48', N'Zogbia 60' | 3,370 | Report |
| 20 July 2010 | Oldham Athletic | Draw | 1–1 | Away | Gómez 47' (pen.) | 1,959 | Report |
| 26 July 2010 | Rudar Velenje | Win | 1–4 | Away | Gómez 6', McCarthy 10', Scotland 27' (pen.), Boselli 71' (pen.) | – | Report |
| 29 July 2010 | Gençlerbirliği | Draw | 0–0 | Away | | – | Report |
| 4 August 2010 | Real Zaragoza | Lose | 1–3 | Home | N'Zogbia 45' | 3,500 | Report |
| 8 August 2010 | Dundee United | Win | 1–3 | Away | Boselli 38', 48', Moses 82' | 3,161 (275 away) | Report |

### Premier League

**Results per matchday**

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ground | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | A |
| Result | L | L | W | D | L | D | W | D | D | L | L | D | W | L | L | D | D | W | D | L | D | D | L | L | D | W | D | L | L | W | D | L | W | L | D | D | W | W |
| Position | 19 | 20 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 16 |
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Venue | Scorers | Attendance | Match Report |
| 14 August 2010 | Blackpool | Lose | 0–4 | Home | | 16,152 | Report |
| 21 August 2010 | Chelsea | Lose | 0–6 | Home | | 14,476 | Report |
| 28 August 2010 | Tottenham Hotspur | Win | 0–1 | Away | Rodallega 81' | 35,101 | Report |
| 11 September 2010 | Sunderland | Draw | 1–1 | Home | Alcaraz 86' | 15,844 | Report |
| 19 September 2010 | Manchester City | Lose | 0–2 | Home | | 15,525 | Report |
| 25 September 2010 | Birmingham City | Draw | 0–0 | Away | | 22,186 | Report |
| 2 October 2010 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Win | 2–0 | Home | Gómez 64', Rodallega 85' | 14,042 | Report |
| 16 October 2010 | Newcastle United | Draw | 2–2 | Away | N'Zogbia 22', 23' | 44,415 | Report |
| 23 October 2010 | Bolton Wanderers | Draw | 1–1 | Home | Rodallega 59' | 17,100 | Report |
| 30 October 2010 | Fulham | Lose | 2–0 | Away | | 25,448 | Report |
| 6 November 2010 | Blackburn Rovers | Lose | 2–1 | Away | N'Zogbia 74' | 24,413 | Report |
| 10 November 2010 | Liverpool | Draw | 1–1 | Home | Rodallega 52' | 16,754 | Report |
| 13 November 2010 | West Bromwich Albion | Win | 1–0 | Home | Moses 70' | 16,085 | Report |
| 20 November 2010 | Manchester United | Lose | 2–0 | Away | | 74,181 | Report |
| 27 November 2010 | West Ham United | Lose | 3–1 | Away | Cleverley 85' | 34,178 | Report |
| 4 December 2010 | Stoke City | Draw | 2–2 | Home | Collins 30' (o.g.), Delap 40' (o.g.) | 15,100 | Report |
| 11 December 2010 | Everton | Draw | 0–0 | Away | | 32,853 | Report |
| 26 December 2010 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Win | 1–2 | Away | Rodallega 10', Cleverley 20' | 26,901 | Report |
| 29 December 2010 | Arsenal | Draw | 2–2 | Home | Watson 18' (pen.), Squillaci 81' (og) | 17,014 | Report |
| 2 January 2011 | Newcastle United | Lose | 0–1 | Home | | 15,277 | Report |
| 5 January 2011 | Bolton Wanderers | Draw | 1–1 | Away | Stam 80' | 18,852 | Report |
| 15 January 2011 | Fulham | Draw | 1–1 | Home | Rodallega 57' | 18,820 | Report |
| 22 January 2011 | Arsenal | Lose | 3–0 | Away | | 59,552 | Report |
| 25 January 2011 | Aston Villa | Lose | 1–2 | Home | McCarthy 80' | 16,442 | Report |
| 1 February 2011 | West Bromwich Albion | Draw | 2–2 | Away | N'Zogbia 20', Watson 43' | 25,358 | Report |
| 5 February 2011 | Blackburn Rovers | Win | 4–3 | Home | McCarthy 34', 55', Rodallega 50', Watson 65' (pen.) | 18,567 | Report |
| 12 February 2011 | Liverpool | Draw | 1–1 | Away | Gohouri 65' | 44,609 | Report |
| 26 February 2011 | Manchester United | Lose | 0–4 | Home | | 18,140 | Report |
| 5 March 2011 | Manchester City | Lose | 1–0 | Away | | 44,864 | Report |
| 19 March 2011 | Birmingham City | Win | 2–1 | Home | Cleverley 26', Figueroa 90+1' | 16,421 | Report |
| 2 April 2011 | Tottenham Hotspur | Draw | 0–0 | Home | | 18,578 | Report |
| 9 April 2011 | Chelsea | Lose | 1–0 | Away | | 40,734 | Report |
| 16 April 2011 | Blackpool | Win | 1–3 | Away | Rodallega 3', N'Zogbia 45+1', Eardley 67' (o.g.) | 16,030 | Report |
| 23 April 2011 | Sunderland | Lose | 4–2 | Away | Diamé 52', Di Santo 90' | 39,650 | Report |
| 30 April 2011 | Everton | Draw | 1–1 | Home | N'Zogbia 21' | 17,051 | Report |
| 7 May 2011 | Aston Villa | Draw | 1–1 | Away | N'Zogbia 10' | 36,293 | Report |
| 15 May 2011 | West Ham United | Win | 3–2 | Home | N'Zogbia 57', 90+4', Sammon 68' | 22,043 | Report |
| 22 May 2011 | Stoke City | Win | 1–0 | Away | Rodallega 78' | 27,566 | Report |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Venue | Scorers | Attendance | Match Report |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Round 2 | 24 August 2010 | Hartlepool United | Win | 0–3 | Away | Collins 3' (o.g.), Gómez 77', Moses 86' | 3,196 (281 away) | Report |
| Round 3 | 22 September 2010 | Preston North End | Win | 2–1 | Home | Gómez 86', N'Zogbia 90+1' | 6,987 | Report |
| Round 4 | 26 October 2010 | Swansea City | Win | 2–0 | Home | Boselli 52', Watson 90+2' (pen.) | 11,705 | Report |
| quarter-final | 30 November 2010 | Arsenal | Lose | 2–0 | Away | | 59,525 (510 away) | Report |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Venue | Scorers | Attendance | Match Report |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Round 3 | 8 January 2011 | Hull City | Win | 2–3 | Away | Diamé 21', 77', McManaman 56' | 10,433 (710 away) | Report |
| Round 4 | 29 January 2011 | Bolton Wanderers | Draw | 0–0 | Away | | 14,950 (2,937 away) | Report |
| Round 4 (R) | 16 February 2011 | Bolton Wanderers | Lose | 0–1 | Home | | 7,515 | Report |
