Wigan only survived on the last day. So why do they sign? Titus the terrible

Bramble, still only 25, has agreed a threeyear deal worth £25,000-a-week following his release by Newcastle, where he became a figure of ridicule in some quarters.

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The former England Under 21 stopper was notorious for the lapses that plagued Sir Bobby Robson - the manager who signed him from Ipswich five years ago - Graeme Souness and Glenn Roeder.

Sam Allardyce made it one of his first tasks as Newcastle United boss to show Bramble the door last month.

But having fended off interest from Birmingham and Portsmouth to make his first signing, new Wigan manager Chris Hutchings insisted he can help Bramble eradicate the errors and re-establish himself on the Premiership stage after failing to justify the price tag and expectations at St James' Park.

"It may have been too much too soon," admitted Hutchings. "When he was at Ipswich everybody wanted to buy him and Bobby paid the money and saw the potential.

"Now I've got to make sure I improve on what Bobby and the other managers there did with him.

"All players make mistakes. Rio Ferdinand is prone to a lapse every now and then. People do have lapses of concentration and once or twice Bramble's been caught out.

"It's something we need to work on along with his heading, his tackling, everything else. We're looking to improve him and build around him.

"He's got a point to prove because he's up there with the best centre-halves, but I don't think his confidence will be in doubt.

"He played a lot of games for Newcastle at the highest level, so it's a feather in our cap that we've got him."

Hutchings needed a centre-half following the departures of Arjan de Zeeuw, David Unsworth and Matt Jackson from a squad that only avoided relegation on the last day of the season under Paul Jewell.

And he revealed that he spoke to Robson last week before going ahead with the Bramble deal.

"I wanted to get feedback on Titus and his character," added Hutchings.

"I spoke to Bobby and he gave him a fantastic reference - it probably doesn't come any higher than that. You don't spend £5m on a player and not rate them.

"Titus is better than what we had last season with all due respect to those players. We knew we needed pace and power and he's got that in abundance."

Bramble is on holiday in New York but in a statement he insisted he had no regrets about his time on Tyneside and is looking forward to a fresh start at Wigan.

"As soon as I spoke to the manager my mind was made up," he said. "He made it clear he wanted to sign me and that felt great.

"His reputation as a coach who improves and develops players is excellent. Other clubs did approach me, but I know this is the right move at the right time of my career."

Hutchings also looked to Newcastle for his second signing - last night securing Bramble's former team-mate Antoine Sibierski on a free transfer.

The French former Manchester City forward, 32, snubbed a move to Bolton and has signed a two-year deal at the JJB. He scored eight goals in his one season at St James' Park.

Wigan are also keeping tabs on Sheffield Wednesday's Northern Ireland winger Chris Brunt, 22.