'Impossible to talk about the future', admits Wigan Athletic chief

Latics closed a car-crash campaign - on and off the pitch - with a goalless draw against Rotherham at the DW.

Maloney was without several of his 'regular' first-choice XI, with only half of the squad having been paid, while the others have been left to wait.

And the Latics boss insists the only thing that matters for now is that those who haven't been paid are remunerated - and then we can start to look at the way back.

When asked whether he knew the wages would be paid on Tuesday - the first working day since they failed to drop last Friday - Maloney said: "I'm in the same boat as everyone else.

"I really hope it's Tuesday, I really, really do.

"The first priority is that the players have to be paid as soon as possible.

"After that...if you're talking about the summer...it's almost impossible to talk about that right now.

"Everything we'd discussed, everything we'd planned moving forward, to run in the club in a really sustainable way...we have to wait really.

"We need to wait for that stability before we can even think about next season."

Maloney was placed in an impossible situation ahead of the game, with half of his squad effectively unavailable for selection.

Not that the Scot has anything other than full respect for any of his players.

"I've got no judgement on any player who didn't play today," he said.

"This has happened before, and they played against Coventry, and Burnley, and Watford.

"I've got huge respect for everyone in that dressing room, because it's an incredibly difficult situation.

"It's easy for me to sit here, because I'm not the one out there running, tackling, fighting.

"I understand how an injury could impact a player's career, and their families, I get it, and I don't have any lesser feeling towards anyone who didn't play.

"But I also have great respect for the players who did play, who had every reason not to.

"Steven Caulker had every reason not to play, with his knee, but that's another sub-plot to today."

Maloney also made special mention of the club's supporters, who chanted his name loudly throughout the game.

"It's amazing what they do, what they've seen, what they've been through," he added.

"I'm normally not such an emotional guy, but I do hear when they sing.

"I don't want to be clapping all the time, because I know I have a job to do at the side of the pitch.

"But that was very special, and I really want to do good things at this club.

"I just hope we get that chance."