Wigan chief blames Steve Bruce for Spurs thrashing
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan knows exactly who is to blame for his side's 9-1 thrashing at Spurs at the weekend – Steve Bruce!
Remarkably, Whelan has suggested that the Wigan whipping at White Hart Lane had more to do with the Sunderland manager than the current incumbent Roberto Martinez.
Which would be like Niall Quinn blaming Roy Keane for Sunderland's defeat at Spurs earlier this month!
Whelan said: "9-1 is a serious, serious defeat and we have got to get our heads up and I am sure Roberto will be working on the lads now to get them going again and get their heads back in the air and get some pride back in Wigan Athletic.
"He is Wigan's manager and I have complete faith in him and I know the supporters have.
"He has got a difficult time. He inherited a team that was a little bit weak on reserves when Steve left.
"Steve actually had a few dodgy signings just before he left Wigan and he has inherited those dodgy signings, so I can't blame Roberto one iota.
"I am absolutely 100 per cent behind Roberto. He's a great manager and he will pull this team around."
The Wigan chairman's comments are unlikely to impress Bruce, who has generally had an excellent relationship with Whelan.
But the remarks will add extra spice to this weekend's game when Bruce makes his first return to Wigan, the club he left in the summer for the Stadium of Light.
Meanwhile, Wigan's players have offered to refund supporters who travelled to the thrashing at White Hart Lane.
Defender Mario Melchiot admits the result was embarrassing and, along with the rest of his well-paid team-mates, will pay away fans the cost of tickets.
Melchiot said: "We feel that as a group of players we badly let down our supporters yesterday, and this is a gesture we have to make and pay them back for their tremendous loyalty.
"There is not a lot else to say, just that as a group of professionals we were embarrassed by the way we performed, we feel it was below our standards and this is something we feel we owe to the fans.
"Now we have to draw a line under the game, focus completely on training this week and bounce back on Saturday.
"We are professionals, we will take it on the chin and move on but it's important that we do not take our supporters for granted."
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Weather for Sunderland
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 6 C
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