When Wigan went up to the EPL 8 seasons ago under Paul Jewell, the usual sniggers were that these guys are up for their one season & fleeting moment before going back to the rightful place in the lower divisions. Yet, this small club while bankrolled heavily by Emperor Dave Whelan to reach the “Promised Lnnd”, Jewell guided them to survival in its first season of the EPL and resigned the day after 6 years.
An ill fated stint with Chris Hutchings saw the return of Steve “Potato Head I know how to spend money but will send your club broke in the process” Bruce to the club. While Bruce kept the club up in the top division and found some good cheap talents. It was his departure in 2009 that lead for the evolution which needed to happen.
Chairman Dave Whelan
Whelan couldn’t go on spending the amount of money that was given to Jewell and to especially to Bruce if the club were going to be sustainable without ridiculously huge debts. Sure, in England they aren’t as tough as in Germany when it comes to the financial side of things, but changes needed to happen. In 2009 the appointment of Roberto Martinez by the man who bought him to England was a brave choice but one that was been overall beneficial to the club in spite of relegation this season.
Apart from individuals who haven’t evolved from Australopithecus species, idiotic rugby league fans from the town who don’t get Wigan is known globally because of football ,ones who bitch about no history as if that’s a factor of winning matches on the pitch, then the great jokes about the empty seats at the stadium. It would be good to hear ones that are funny, yes Wigan fan meetings are held in telephone booths. The overall reaction and coverage has been sympathetic and slightly disappointed to see Wigan get relegated, especially in comparison to when Stoke City fall.
No Denial
The cliché the table doesn’t lie after 38 games is sadly true. The main reason Wigan are relegated was due to defending that wouldn’t be accepted in under 13s or pub leagues let alone professional football. Yes, there was a huge injury crisis especially defensively which hit Wigan hard and the biggest miss was the huge Paraguyan Antolin Alcaraz being out for so long with injury. It was clear to see how much better defensively they looked when he played, no it wasn’t fortress Wigan when he played, though without him they were shambolic which caused their demise.
Alcaraz huge loss during the season
During the season there were games that they dropped points needlessly like Tottenham and Swansea towards the end of the season. The two matches against Sunderland which they got 0 points & a few others. There are games like that all season for teams at the lower end and that’s the sport got to convert your chances.
Another area where for all of the pretty passing patterns and ball movement when Wigan are playing well, when they aren’t it’s ponderous and laborious. There isn’t enough conversion of the dominance and when there is such disruption defensively it compounds the problems even more. It’s never one specific thing, they’re interlinked to have caused this end result.
No History
Detractors say Wigan have no history, well lets’ see this season they won the FA Cup, got relegated, will play in the Europa League & the Championship next season. That’s very historical and something unlikely to be repeated. How much of a distraction was the FA Cup? Initially I thought do everything to survive and forget about the FA Cup which in the early rounds they played the second string teams. As time went on they kept winning and then it’s like shit they’re in the semi final, might as well try and win it. Thankfully Milwall were defeated, especially as it was their manager Kenny Jackett when Martinez was at Swansea got rid of him. Wigan fans no matter how much they moan don’t start fights among themselves at matches or punch horses.
Wigan FA Cup winners
No thanks to the FA and the EPL who thought it was a great idea for Wigan to play 4 matches in 11 days. The joy for the fans going to Wembley they were loving the experience reaching the FA Cup final against the newly wealthy Man City, if not for a late kick off time, so both sets of fans couldn’t get back to the north west at a good hour. Young Robles pulling off the early save with the feet set the tone, once they survived the onslaught. They dominated the rich kids and the delicious irony that it was Ben Watson scoring the winner. I do wish the late Dave Hodsgon a Latics legend was alive to see this wonderful historic moment.
Ben Watson FA Cup hero
Ideally Wigan surviving and winning the FA Cup would have been brilliant. Due to the new TV rights deal which was being negotiated for the next few years. The revenue would have set Wigan up financially, but one can’t have everything in life. The FA Cup win has definitely eased the pain. The joy of the players, Martinez and Whelan when they won, plus the Wigan fans who on Monday when they went to school, uni, work, the pub, dole office or wherever they were around the world could beam with pride witnessing such a joyous moment for the club. There can only be one first time, and it’ll never be forgotten. Glad to have seen the likable underdog win while playing attractive football and also being incorrect about the FA Cup.
Where To Now
There are so many possible scenarios with the club and for the most part they are positive. Like anything it depends on a few factors. Might as well get the first one out of the way is what Roberto Martinez chooses to do. During the silly season the running joke has been where Roberto Martinez will go, remember he was supposed to be the Liverpool manager, then he was going to manage Aston Villa, he was considered for the Spurs job, the vacant job for Burkina Faso Under 19s. Well the picture is pretty clear and the usual suspects in the press have come out and said he’ll be Everton’s manager next season. Come Monday, there should be something said straight away to kill the speculation and build properly for next season.
Martinez staying for another two seasons would be the best scenario for the club. The fact he has reduced the wage bill and Wigan have turned a profit for the first time since being in the EPL, when the costs have increased is a magnificent achievement. It’s very important for the club to be sustainable, improve the set up and infrastructure as there is only one opportunity to do it correctly. If it’s done poorly then it will take so much time and money to fix the problems. The job isn’t complete and too many in the instant gratification generation don’t understand the value of patience.
Roberto Martinez stick around please
Arsene Wenger and Jürgen Klopp managers who believe in playing technical football suffered relegation early in their careers and they have come back from it better and improved. This will provide an opportunity for Martinez to evolve as manager while sticking to his philosophy. There are areas where he needs to improve like everyone, the younger players not coming through quick enough, hoofing the ball in most cases should be banned but on occasions it’s needed. Playing out the back is fine, but the players need to create space so passes can be found.
Klopp for example was at Mainz for 7 years a small club in Germany, he took them to Europe, he was relegated with them and stayed in 2nd division trying to get promotion. He was unsuccessful and was able to do quite well at Borussia Dortmund. He left Mainz in a position where the football template for the club was set and they earned promotion.
This arrangement suited both parties and this would be ideal for Wigan as well, especially when they appoint the next manager who understands the philosophy and adds their own touches to it. Swansea is a perfect case of the previous sentence where Martinez and Sousa who get too little credit setting the right foundations for them, while Rodgers and now Michael Laudrup have improved on it. It’s vital that the club once Whelan steps down as owner that they continue on the path they have and when Martinez eventually leaves Wigan that the club are in a sound financial position and still committed to playing attractive football.
Break it Up
Thankfully the parachute payments to the relegated clubs are generous. Getting promoted at the first opportunity is vital as it’s when they are at their largest. With any small club doing well or one that is relegated the sharks are out there looking for fresh meat. It’ll be interesting to see how many players who are not off contract end up leaving, well di Santo and Figueroa are certainties, McCarthy is the biggest asset so while it would be fantastic if most players stayed together. He should be sold for a big fee, yes it’s still a business.
With the unique situation of playing in Europe next season, that is a good carrot for some players to stay at the club despite playing in the 2nd tier. This is another reason Martinez should stay, yes he feels responsible for getting them relegated, but the challenge of doing well in Europe showing that not English teams play awfully like Stoke, getting more exposure for the club, players and himself.
Naturally the player sales are going to help financially, it’s a fact of life as a small club that the best players will go at the end of the season. It’s important to get good prices for them and this is the time to bring through some young players to the first team as there will be an exodus of players.
As much as I appreciate English football for the atmosphere, stadia, excitement and entertainment which they excel at, there are other areas where they really are behind the times. Youngsters need to get playing time, as you don’t know how they will be if they aren’t tested. Clubs like Wigan are perfect for them to develop, a manager and philosophy who understands technical football, they as players are responsible for their own performances. The prevailing thing in England is a youngster has one good game, he is so overhyped and should be selected for England and one average game gets critcised harshly. The 2nd tier will give the Wigan youngsters time to get used to playing a lot of matches in a tough league, preparation for the next level.
Ben Watson goal
Apart from the FA Cup, two of my favourite memories was when they were down 0-2 against West Ham. Then the Frenchie N’Hogbia or N’Zogbia scores 2 goals and the fish Connor Sammon making it 3-2. Rodallega scoring on the last day of the season against Stoke to secure survival, which led to me running down my street waving my shirt above my head at 3am.
Relegation is far from the end of the Wigan adventure. It’s a new challenge that needs to be embraced and tackled head on. This club have great fans, play attractive football, just like families, there are squabbles but they understand and appreciate they’re living the history at the moment. As long as the club believe in the direction they’re going and continue to be financially responsible, then they will be successful as a club irrespective of the division they’re playing in.
Now hope there is a party atmosphere on Sundas at DW to celebrate the FA Cup triumph, the 8 seasons in the EPL and hammer Villa in the last game would be a fantastic end.
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