Bogle’s on fire, is your defence terrified?

Omar Bogle aims to be the new hero at Wigan Athletic after bagging a brace on his first start for the club.

Times really are bad for the former Premier League side, especially as the most popular player in the world looks set for a spell on the bench for the near future. Fan favourite Will Grigg hasn’t come close to what he achieved at the club last season both on and off the field, and is now set to be replaced by new signing Bogle.

Grigg banged in 25 league goals last season, and also lit up stadiums around the world with even opposition fans singing his name at times, but sadly the striker’s time with the club is now under threat.

Omar Bogle signed in January on a two and a half year deal, and has immediately hit the headlines with a double against Norwich on his full league debut.

More importantly however, he has his own chant. Yes, unbelievably he has his own song too. Wigan fans won’t believe their luck. Another forward to both bang in goals and keep the spirits high at the DW at least until the end of the season has arrived, what are the chances?

His adoring Grimsby fans have tweaked the song ‘Tender’ by Blur to accommodate their beloved former striker, which will undoubtedly catch on with the mighty Wigan ultras if he keeps up his goal scoring. He has made an impact on the home supporters already, but don’t be too surprised if they create another uniquely magnificent chant of their own.

At 24, Bogle has spent the majority of his career in the Conference North, with impressive goal tallies during his time there. He was awarded the Player of the Year award in 2014/15 and topped the scoring charts with 29 goals. He was then instrumental in Grimsby’s promotion to League Two, scoring two goals in the National League play-off Final at Wembley, a feat even Messi and Ronaldo cannot add to their illustrious honours list. 90,000 spectators certainly didn’t flow in to witness Grimsby that day, nor any day since, but Bogle was subsequently snapped up by Wigan in an instant.

His decision making could be questioned however….somehow seemingly rejecting Hull and Swansea in favour of a move to the renowned DW Stadium, with the club on the brink of relegation.

The former Celtic academy player was one of eight Wigan signings on deadline day, so the guy certainly won’t have any trouble making friends.

Maybe he was just following suit, much like the 102 other players signed by Wigan since their Premier League relegation in 2013. That, rather incredibly and very importantly, is not a joke! This ridiculous figure, working out at an average at 12 players per window, certainly bewilders me as to why Bogle decided to make the same fateful journey as many others did.

It could have even been due to the thrill of playing next to the likes of cult heroes Gabriel Obertan and Will Grigg, or maybe even to wear the same jersey as some of his striking idols like club greats Emile Heskey, Hugo Rodallega and even former gaffer Paul Jewell. Bogle must put on the shirt every weekend with the hope of emulating these legends of Wigan.

The heroics of Grigg and his song surely cannot be outdone, but Wigan need Bogle to do at least half the job his legendary companion did last season or the Latics really are in trouble.