Martinez cool on current table

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez insists it would be wrong for anyone to draw conclusions from the current state of the Premier League table. If they did, Manchester United would be claiming the title, with Manchester City and Chelsea in hot pursuit.Rather more surprisingly, Newcastle could be looking at a Champions League berth and Arsenal would be in a relegation fight.Much closer to home, both Wigan and Saturday's opponents, local rivals Bolton, would be preparing to drop into the Championship.It is hardly a shock therefore that Martinez is convinced present positions are misleading."If you are looking at the table and trying to draw any conclusions now, you are going to be wrong," he said."The difference between teams from 8th to 20th is very small and there are still the best part of eight months of the competition to go."After only escaping the drop on the final day of last season, Wigan might have half expected to be in trouble again.Yet it is opposite number Owen Coyle who finds himself under the spotlight, after following a woeful ending to last term, triggered by that FA Cup semi-final hammering by Stoke, with six successive losses following a handsome opening day win at QPR."Bolton won't be near the bottom at the end of the season," said Martinez."They have enough experience and know-how and the mentality to cope with this kind of pressure."I am not as extremist as other people."When you look at their opening seven fixtures, apart from that fantastic win at QPR and the home game against Norwich all the other games were ones anyone could lose."The real start of Bolton's season is the next few months."Owen controls his squad extremely well and I don't believe he is in a bad moment at all."It might be overlooked somewhat in a region that can boast titanic clashes between the red and blue halves of Manchester and Merseyside, plus the inter-city rivalries that exist between the two areas, but the distance between Wigan and Bolton is a mere 7.6miles.The gap is not filled with hate.However, the healthy respect that exists instead is interspersed by a keen desire for victory, and these particular local bragging rights."Both clubs share the same sort of passion for these derbies," said Martinez."It is more than a football game. And the need for points is quite clear for both clubs."Like Bolton, Wigan's solitary win this term came against QPR in August.It completed a three-match unbeaten sequence against the newly-promoted sides that gave way to a lamentable September, results wise, which yielded not a single point.Yet, with the exception of a trip to Manchester City, and the first-half against Tottenham, Wigan have been in contention for long periods, even taking the lead at Everton before subsiding.It gives Martinez hope for what lies ahead, even if he cannot afford to adopt his present stance for too much longer."It is not a moment to look at the results. It is a moment to look at the performances," he explained."You can go through every game and see real good signs that will allow us to find the right formula and the right approach in the future."Yes, we want more points. But this stage of the season is the time to realise how strong we are going to be in this campaign."We will find the solutions to become a competitive side once more."

Source: Team_Talk