LUKE MARSDEN: Fans need a say in Wigan Athletic's future

Yes, we’ve got a positive outcome now which is much needed and as a town we are thankful. But how did we get to a place where our football club needed a second bail-out in two years?

You don’t have to be the world’s biggest football fan to care passionately about what happens to our local team.

In fact you don’t even have to watch football at all to care about people not losing their livelihoods and lifetime of loyalty.

I’m fortunate to have a platform where I did speak out and raise issues like this on behalf of others, but, dear reader I nearly didn’t.

A few weeks ago, I was critical of Wigan MP’s tweet which was a statement basically about a future statement on the state of WAFC.

The abuse I got from a group of Latics supporters on Twitter was some of the worst I’ve received in years, and trust me that is saying a lot.

In spite of the direct threats made against me, I believe true Latics fans wanted to get as much help as they could to raise awareness and that’s exactly what one lifetime fan has done since the announcement of a new owner, fans need to be placed at the centre of the club, not the sidelines. Here is what he sent me:

Fans need to be communicated with on a regular basis, there’s still a huge piece of work to bring all supporters and supporter groups together and in agreement with each other.

A clear structure needs to be set up so fans can have a major say in the club and how it is run.

Total transparency is the way forward for all.

Is it too much to ask for a joining up of all supporter groups? A putting aside of differences for the greater good?

It’s time for fans to put factionalism to one side and charge forward as one powerful voice to support the new owner and our club's future. The Latics motto is, after all, “progress with unity.”