My greatest ever Latics XI

It's been a while since my last blog on transfer deadline day, we saw our first victory against Pompey last Saturday which some felt was against all odds but the joy from that was soon knocked back down with defeat against Chesterfield in the JPT. Apart from that not much to really discuss with regards to Latics I think we're all in agreement that an improvement on recent performances against Notts County is a must and I include the management as well as the playing staff in that.

Changing the subject I've got to say I take my hat off to the generation of Latics fans who have never seen us play at a higher level, at school I used to get dogs abuse from mostly Utd "fans" (as City were mostly on the same level when I was at school) as I'm sure most of us did. But I can imagine that in the schools today with our lack of success and the rise of our illustrious neighbours that the peer pressure would now be worse than it was 10-15 years ago.

When I first started going to Latics, Boundary Park was a different place to what it was today. I remember parking up at my Aunties and walking down coming to the bit where Cumberland Drive meets Sheepfoot Lane and seeing the road closed off for crowds of people. Then hearing the crowd from outside the ground, and if a player walked by they'd get mobbed for autographs, then when you got in the ground the PA system would be playing Radio Latics. I recently saw a team photo from 1994/95 season and it featured a lot of players I used to idolise, they weren't as great as the team from the Glory days but this week I've decided to be a Footballing anorak and put together what I think is the most inspirational XI players I've seen pull on the Royal Blue:

GK: Paul Gerrard - It was a toss-up between him and Les Pogliacomi for the number 1 Jersey but I couldn't forget some of his match winning performances which gave him the number 1 spot for the England Under 21s and eventually led to £1.5 Million sale to Everton. It's a shame he never played at the highest level because he had the potential but it was great when he came up against us playing for Forest that he got a good reception from the fans. One of my regrets from last season was that I missed his return to the side and when he saved the penalty but it's good to see him back working for the club.

RB: Neal Eardley - To me this player got an unnecessary amount of stick from the fans towards the end of his time. Part of his problem was that when Richie Wellens left nobody ever came short for the ball and that's when he was his most effective. But to me this player was always going to make it at a higher level because he did exactly what a modern full-back is suppose to do and that was pose a threat coming forward along with being able to stop the threat down the left. He recently signed a new, one-year extension to his contract at Blackpool on 26 August 2011.

LB: Neil Pointon - This was a player that used to frighten the hell out of opposition players as well as have a wicked left foot which would cause all sorts of problems. One moment which sticks out in my mind was his scissor kick against Arsenal which if it had gone in would of been up there as one of the greatest goals ever. I tried to copy him for years after that in the playground but I never quite found out his trick. He is now a Youth Coach at Bolton Wanderers.

CB: Sean Gregan - The Man Mountain, something which I feel is desperately missing in the current squad. This man was a leader who would not only give 100% every time but he also had a positive impact on the players around him. Much has been said about Dave Penney's side which somehow scraped to 18th in the table but I think the clubs survival was largely down to this man. Hardly anything got past Gregan in the air and unlike other defenders of his ilk he was also pretty handy on the deck. It's a shame he had to leave when he did and he is now a player/coach at Darlington 1883.

CB: Fitz Hall - Probably the biggest travesty about the club in the last 10 years was how Hall didn't leave the club for more than £1 Million. Plucked from the Footballing Wilderness of the Isthmian Premier Division, Fitz Hall was probably one of the greatest finds the club ever made. He made his debut against Stoke and came into a side that was servilely exposed for pace in a recent game with Cardiff (I blindly refuse to mention the score) and not only did he add his pace to the back line but his calm composure on the ball and ability to pick out a pass made him an instant hit and he was ever present in a defence which picked up 20 clean sheets in the league in the 2002/03 season. Had the league been 2 points for a win instead of 3 then the club would of got Automatic Promotion but sadly the play-off heart break to QPR and then the demolition of what to most of us fans under the age of 30 would class as the best Latics side we've ever seen was nothing short of a tragedy. Fitz was sold to Southampton for a measly £200,000 and went on to play in the Premiership for Saints along with Palace, Wigan and QPR. He recently signed for Watford

RM: Lee Richardson - An unsung hero to me, one thing which we generally remember from our time watching Football no matter which club you follow is great goals. I remember some of the crackers scored by this man, not just the two stunners he scored on his debut but there is a video on YouTube showing most of the goals he scored. He was one of those players who would create space for himself and could come up with something out of what looked like a lost cause. I know he played most games at Centre Mid but I felt I just had to include him. He now works as a psychologist with Lancashire C.C.C. following a spell as manager of Chesterfield.

CM: John Sheridan - I had to include this man simply for the effect he has had on the club, he came in and offered his expertise to what was a sinking ship, if it wasn't for the creativity of this man who knows where we might be today. He wasn't one of those midfielders who charged around the pitch yet he was always able to create space for himself, he played many a killer ball and for a while when he was injured the team struggled to pick up points. He came out of retirement when the club was close to financial meltdown and his first match back was against his former club Sheffield Wednesday where he became a household name in English Football and a hero amongst a generation of Wednesdayites. He was recently sacked by Chesterfield and I hope that he finds a club sooner rather than later.

CM: Richie Wellens - Some midfielders are good at breaking up play, others are good at creating chances. This man could easily do both, to me this was one of the most influential players in recent times and certainly one of the best signings Ronnie Moore ever made. They say that a great midfielder you shrink the pitch it seemed to me when he was with us that no matter where you looked Wellens was chasing a ball down. He is now leading Leicester City's midfield in their attempt to reach the Premiership.

LM: David Eyres - It was a toss up between him and Ricky Holden, they were both sensations for the club but I felt I saw more of Eyres than I did of Holden. I still think to this day that we'll never have a player as good at dead ball situations, some of the free kicks he scored appeared to defy the laws of physics my personal favourite being the last minute winner at Stockport. He went on at Latics until he was 42 years old, just another year would of seen him break the oldest player record. He now works as a Football Agent following a spell in non-league.

ST: Andy Ritchie - It goes without saying that this man should be included, like a lot of players from the glory years I didn't see him at his very best but I certainly saw enough to suggest that we've not had many other players like him. What sticks out for me was his two hat-tricks in two home games in December 1994 especially the latter one against an in form Wolves team managed by Graham Taylor in front of a packed Boundary Park. Andy Ritchie is to Oldham Athletic like what Garlic is to Italian Cooking.

ST: Luke Beckett - Like I have mentioned with other players I feel personally that players who should feature in this should be players who not only played well but made an impact on the club and you have to go back to March 2005. Before the transfer window came into place we made a signing who bagged six goals in 9 games which rescued the club from a relegation scrap. He was one of those players in the Roger Palmer mould who would pop up when you wouldn't expect and bag us a goal, the following season Beckett scored 18 in 34 games as the club just missed out on a playoff spot. He is currently playing for Goole in the Northern Premier League Division One North.

That's my team I'd love to see what the younger generation of fans would have as their greatest XI