What's gone wrong at Wigan

[Les_bradds_lad]

TWO years ago they made history. Now, they are fighting to secure their future in the Championship. With the last of their FA Cup heroes nearly all gone, Paul Kendrick asks: What’s gone wrong?

“If I hadn’t seen such riches, I could live with being poor,” warbled Manchester rockers James in their ‘90s anthem ‘Sit Down’.

Epic lyric, which pretty much sums up Wigan Athletic at the moment.

Even by Latics’ standards it’s been an incredible week at the DW Stadium.

Last Friday, I was among a press pack waiting, we thought, for the manager’s thoughts ahead of the crucial clash with Huddersfield.

What followed almost beggared belief, the most dramatic press conference in years.

Shaun Maloney? Off to Chicago. Ben Watson? Off to Watford. Callum McManaman? Probably off to West Brom.

The man who scored the FA Cup-winning goal, the man who put the corner in, and the man who won the corner in the first place – all on their way.

Talk about drawing a line under that famous day at Wembley in red

[Les_bradds_lad]

and they would remain if Roberto Martinez or Jose Mourinho took on the job.

Wigan’s last 42 matches have produced seven wins, 14 draws and 21 defeats.

Relegation form over the course of a full season.

The reality is that the playing squad have not translated their quality into results since relegation from the Premier League.

We all enjoyed the run to the FA Cup semi-final last term and the unforgettable European tour, even if those extra demands probably helped to contribute to an ultimately failed promotion push.

This time, there are no such excuses, with first-hurdle exits in both domestic cup competitions, and Europe a rapidly-fading memory.

Of course, we can’t ignore key departures such as James McArthur, Jean Beausejour and Jordi Gomez.

But after the injection of £10m on nine new players last summer, the results have been underwhelming to say the least.

And that’s not to blame the new players single-handedly.

It’s difficult to comprehend that this playing squad – tipped

[Les_bradds_lad]

Excellent piece from This Northern soul

We spent a fortune on players in August around £10m. Reinvesting the “McArthur Money” plus more, with a view to getting back in the Premier League and it hasn’t paid off, in fact those players have let the club down terribly

I personally believe that most of the squad are more than capable but Jackson used the analogy of a lack of “chemistry”
For whatever reason we have had a bad player power situation where none of them are pulling their tripe out

Either way, it shouldn’t have been a gamble but it was and six months later it hasn’t paid off.

Parachute payments fall next season by £8-10m. That’s £10m less we have to spend/balance the books with.

Not only that, but you have to consider that we only managed to avoid making a £10m loss the year before due to the cash received in the form of the now infamous McCARTHY MONEY (and Kone) quite a lot of which was banked

For comparison, similar sized clubs to us Blackburn lost £43m last year. Bolton

[Les_bradds_lad]

And even if he did, what guarantees would there be that he would achieve the same outcome?

The feeding frenzy at the top of the game is such that the top clubs are only getting richer and richer and we are probably better off out of it in our little new found world of financial hardship. A £100m gets you very little.

The begging buckets aren’t out just yet but we need to learn to stand on our own two feet as a club because the money we collected during the good days nearly all went back out into agents and players pockets

Even if Dave Whelan has decided no longer to fund the club from his own pocket (i.e. let us run at a loss and cover the cash shortfall himself) then he is still guaranteeing the overdraft.

And a football club without a secured overdraft is a bust football club.

The only thing I feel that we as fans still need clarity on, is what is becoming known as the “Barbados question”.

What is the plan for the Whelan family for the long term future of our football club?

Da

[Les_bradds_lad]

Whichever way you look at it, there are tough times ahead.

Most rational fans know that we have punched above our weight for many years, thanks to Whelan’s investment.

They know that even when the ground was full our income was low. Our season tickets are cheap, we don’t have the pull of bigger clubs and our fans are predominantly based in Wigan with relatively low income.

Take away the money the Premier League gives us and the money is no longer there. Even though we’re no longer in it, we remain a slave to it.

Whereas the results leave a lot to be desired, the signings (linked and actual) point to a future where we have lower paid but hopefully more industrious players.

And seeing as he’s not going anywhere, well for all the stick he’s been given, maybe a few people (least of all myself) will have to learn to accept Mackay.

Despite having the worst record of any Wigan Athletic manager, it maybe took a week like this to realise just what he has got to work with.

We’ve still see

[Les_bradds_lad]

We just need to see some fight on the pitch and we will respond. Over to you Malky.

[Spikeym]

Les , very well put, could not agree more with what was written by your good self ,we need to stick in there and give the club our full support, even in these bad times, It will get better I'm sure.

[Les_bradds_lad]

It wasn't my pennage spike it came from Northern Soul but thought I would share it with the minnions on here