Fixture list gods are shining on us

The fixture list gods are clearly shining on us, and willing us out of our current mini-slump. Firstly they present lowly Sunderland on a plate, fresh from eight straight League defeats, and now they offer Wigan Athletic following five consecutive losses including a morale-sapping 4-0 midweek derby defeat at Man Utd.

Admittedly however, Wigan's own mini-slump has never been as dire as our own. They only lost by the odd goal to both Chelsea and Arsenal, and unlike us, they had a Cup win over Newcastle amidst the League defeats. However, their 'surprise package' status is rapidly fading, and they will be keen to put some more points on the board and will no doubt see Saturday's game as the perfect place to start. Hence all is set fair for a fairly ugly and hard-fought battle.

Two months ago, we would have been heading to Lancashire fully expecting another away win, but right now a point would at least build on our fragile confidence as we enter the busy Xmas period. If Darren Bent is indeed injured, this would clearly be a blow given he has refound his scoring boots, and none of his obvious replacements (Bothroyd, Bartlett, Lisbie) fill me with great confidence, particularly in a lone role.

If I was a betting man (which of course I'm not anymore as it's banned in NY), I would have a small investment in a 0-0 draw.