WIGAN got Ali Al-Habsi too cheaply in my opinion - but I still don’t think he’ll be enough to keep them up this season, or keep Wanderers out this weekend.

I was quite surprised we let him go in the summer for what we did. He’s an excellent keeper, and I’m also surprised a bigger club than Wigan didn’t come in and try and do some business. Lord knows, Arsenal could have done with someone like him.

But after spending that time on loan and getting his taste of first team football, there was no way he was going to come back as a number two.

Ali definitely deserves his shot, but I think he’s going to have his work cut out if the Latics are going to pull off another miracle escape, or stop us getting a win on Saturday.

Wigan have survived by their fingernails for the last couple of years and haven’t really improved over that course of time.

Roberto Martinez has done an excellent job to keep them where they are, and they play some decent football, but without Hugo Rodallega, who is injured, and Charles N’Zogbia, who went to Villa, they are not the same side. In fact I’d say they’re not as good as the side that survived on the last day against Stoke.

Even though other people are billing this one as the biggest game since the FA Cup final, I think it’s important we stay realistic. It’s only one game.

Yes, we need points, but we can’t go putting too much pressure on one game. That’s what did for us against Norwich in the end.

It’s important we put in a performance and after some of the defending we’ve seen, a clean sheet would be a nice little bonus as well. If we get one of those, we’ll win hands down.

Owen will be trying to deflect all the attention off the lads, and rightly so, and he’ll be his old bubbly self trying to keep the mood light.

The lads know they owe him a performance after the last few weeks, and some of the newer ones will have had a little bit more time to become acclimatised after the international break.

What’s most important is that the fans stay behind the team from warm-up to final whistle. If that happens, I’ve got a really good feeling that this is the week we turn it around.

SCOTTISH football is in a rotten state, and the sooner Glasgow Celtic and Rangers get out, the better.

Maybe I’m being defeatist, but watching us get passed off the park against Spain the other night, I was just glad we didn’t get beaten by a cricket score.

The Spanish are amazing. The little triangles they were passing the ball around meant the only touch we got for about half an hour was the kick off.

At least we gave it a go, but let’s not kid ourselves, Scottish football is in a right state.

It has affected the two big clubs who just can’t attract the players any more, and can’t buy a win in Europe. Pretty soon someone is going to suggest they go down south again. And I don’t blame them.

Financially the sport is in a mess and consequently the standard is dropped.

Something has to happen soon or we might never get it back.

I MUST be one of the “handful” of people who want to watch Wanderers on the TV outside of the UK.

I’m not really sure where Ian Ayre is coming from when he says that no-one is interested in Bolton overseas, because I see quite a lot of people tuning in over here in the United States to see what’s happening at the Reebok.

I’m sure it’s the same in South Korea when Chung-Yong Lee is involved.

Maybe we were the unlucky ones, and he pulled our name out of a hat. But I can say that since Stu Holden signed for Bolton, the level of interest has improved significantly.

I’d be interested to see what figures the Liverpool managing director is working from.