Green sitting on fence with divided loyalties for derby
1:00pm Thursday 9th February 2012 in Latest By Marc Iles
SCOTT Green will not be touching base with Owen Coyle or Roberto Martinez as two of his former team-mates lead their clubs into a relegation six-pointer at the Reebok.
Heading up the youth system for League One Yeovil Town, the former midfielder-turned-full-back can’t help but keep a certain distance this weekend.
While he would normally drop a message of support in the build-up to a game, Green will be leaving well alone for a game he thinks could define the winning team’s season.
“I wish Owen and Roberto all the best, of course, but I’ll be leaving them to it on Saturday,” he said. “It’s such a huge game for both clubs, and three points for either of them could be the difference between staying up and going down to the Championship.
“I keep in contact with them both, but they know I’ve got a foot in the two camps, so I think I’ll keep my phone in my pocket for now. It’s a touchy one.”
Green signed for Wanderers in 1990 and helped them into the Premier League in a seven-year spell that saw him rack up 276 appearances and score 31 goals.
In 1997 he moved down the road to the Latics for £300,000 and helped the upwardly mobile club to promotion from League One, playing a further 213 games.
“I spent more than three-quarters of my career in Lancashire and have some really great memories,” Green said. “Looking at both clubs playing in the Premier League now, I’d like to say I played my part and it would be great to see them both survive.”Watching the two clubs from afar, the 41-year-old reckons three points are up for grabs to the set of strikers who discover their goalscoring touch.
“You look at both teams and they create chances, plenty of them,” he said.
“They get the ball in the right areas but the problem has been sticking it in the net.
“The likes of Kevin Davies, David Ngog and Hugo Rodallega are top players but you don’t really have anyone in there who are natural goalscorers. It’ll come down to who takes their chances on the day.”
Although Wigan battled for a point against Everton last weekend, on the day Wanderers succumbed to defeat at Norwich, Green believes Coyle’s men will be too hot to handle at home. “Owen has got them playing again,” he said. “I think Bolton will just edge it, if I’m being honest.
“It looked like they had turned a corner until last week but I still think they will have too much. ”
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