PART 1: Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - 'It's almost as if someone has brainwashed the players...'

Alan Rogers:

Even by Wigan Athletic's standards, the last week has been a bit hectic. The announcement about the new coaching group at the beginning of last week was followed a couple of days later with a much-improved performance against Luton Town. Obviously, it wasn't perfect but it was so much better than previous weeks.

The team actually looked as if they all wanted to win, and they gave it everything they had. Unfortunately, it didn't paper over the cracks. Without Joe Taylor in the team, I'm not sure where our next goal would come from...I'm hoping we'll find out this coming Saturday (he can't play against his parent club, Huddersfield Town)!

But at least against Luton we had something to cheer about. It was nice to experience the feel-good factor - and it's been a long time coming. It was also nice to see players such as Will Aimson - who had been the target of some recent hideous abuse - finally get some applause.

Playing under our former head coach, Aimson was forced into an unfamiliar role, often being urged to play ambitious passes forward, which is definitely not suitable for him. Wednesday night was more like the defence from Shaun Maloney's tenure.

Players like Aimson were throwing everything at the ball towards the end of the game against Luton with match-saving blocks. The defensive issues won't be fixed overnight - as seen on Saturday at Stockport - but Luton was a step in the right direction.

And so on to Saturday, and what a strange game. Full disclosure, I still can't travel due to a dodgy leg, but I managed to see the game. And I'm convinced that with 11 players on the pitch we would have come away with at least a draw.

In the first half we carried on where we left off on Wednesday, but then it all went wrong. I do have some sympathy for Steven Sessegnon, because the first yellow was harsh. But knowing he was walking a tightrope - especially against that referee - why take the chance with yet another shirt pull?

It's almost as if someone has brainwashed the players that, whatever they do, the opposition doesn't get past - at any cost. The number of stupid fouls we have given away this season is ridiculous.

But I'm afraid I have no sympathy for the other red card. A reckless, dangerous challenge got exactly what it deserved. And this wasn't something new. Maleace Asamoah Jnr's disciplinary record is shocking, and it has been rewarded with exile to Ireland! Something of a surprise but, reading between the lines, it looks as if his dad may be pulling a few strings in the background.

Anyway, it's undoubtedly going to take some time to get rid of the bad habits forced upon the team by the previous regime. But I guess we have to try to take something positive out of the defeat. Gary Caldwell will have a longer period of time to work with the team, so hopefully they will all continue to bond and adjust.

I mentioned above that Taylor won't be able to play next weekend, but a rare two-week break for him should hopefully recharge him for the rest of the season. And some of the other players, particularly Jensen Weir, have put in improved performances in the last two games, so hopefully we can build on that.

There's still a long way to go, but we can only get so far on enthusiasm and passion. Are there enough games left for Caldwell to move us up the table? We've still an unenviable injury list and, apart from Taylor, I can't see where a goal is coming from. But at least now there is hope. As we always say, though...it's the hope that kills you!

Matt Auffrey:

I had the pleasure of taking my family to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a mini beach vacation last week. We enjoyed sunny 25-degree weather every day, and were thankful that the ocean was warm enough for a comfortable swim.

We flew back to a much colder and dreary New York City last Wednesday and arrived home just in time to catch the second half of the Luton match. Just days later, an uncharacteristic blizzard left 18 inches of snow piled up outside our window.

The dramatic shift in weather my family experienced over the past week mirrors the transformation in energy surrounding the club during that same span. Fortunately, the blizzard that marked the end of the previous managerial regime has passed, and the opening weeks of Gary Caldwell’s tenure have brought far brighter days.

The first three halves of football under Caldwell brought demonstrable improvement. We banded together against a solid Luton side to produce our first league victory and clean sheet of the calendar year. We then travelled to Stockport and played some of our best attacking football in months over the opening 30 minutes of the match.

The dubious second yellow card to Sessegnon (that followed an even more questionable first yellow) flipped a 50/50 match upside down in favour of the hosts. We fought hard to try and preserve a point, but we simply ran out of gas in stoppage time.

Despite the 4-2 defeat, the performance offered real encouragement. Above all, that we resembled a team willing to battle relentlessly to stay in this division. There are no moral victories at this point in the campaign, but the gaffer deserves real praise for delivering two promising displays with barely any time to work on the training pitch.

While he has reaped the benefits of a squad featuring an emerging talent in Joe Taylor, he has also had to contend with a shortage at centre-back, having only two healthy options available over the weekend. Such limitations serve as a reminder that Caldwell accepted this role fully aware that significant challenges would emerge from day one.

Nonetheless, the passion and leadership he has exhibited in a short time have been nothing short of outstanding. A full week of preparation should serve the lads well as they gear up to face Huddersfield on Saturday.

We’ll be without the goal-scoring services of the red-hot Joe Taylor, so the responsibility now shifts to the rest of our strike force...and they could certainly benefit from getting on the scoresheet themselves. The Terriers have lost 10 of 17 away matches this season, so there should be an expectation that we can build upon last week’s triumph against Luton with another home victory.

Three of our next four fixtures will be at the Brick and our only away trip is to Blackpool. The next few weeks will provide ample opportunities to establish ourselves as a difficult side to beat at home, and hopefully, secure the points necessary to propel us out of the relegation zone.

While the task in front of us is still considerable, there is real comfort in knowing that the club is operating with greater unity and cohesion than before. We’ve weathered the worst of the blizzard, and are edging closer to that coveted beach with every step we take.

Martin Lally:

It’s hard to think back to a time when you're at a Wigan Athletic game, it’s half-time, and you're gutted not to be three, four even five goals in front of the opposition. In fact, perhaps apart from Newcastle United at home on 28 April 2012, where Latics went five wins from seven and pushed themselves away from the threat of relegation. Or even 23 December 2017, when Latics were 3-0 up at Oxford United, on their way to a record 7-0 away victory.

The tyranny of recent years has locked away these good memories of the past, and oh how we long for the good old days. But the injection of the Gary Caldwell effect certainly activated that in the squad at Stockport County. And you have to tip your cap to Gary and David Perkins. They have managed more tune out of the fiddle in six days in charge than we saw in six months under the previous regime.

It was always going to be tough with a starting batting order of Luton Town, Stockport County and Huddersfield Town in the space of 10 days. After the 1-0 win over Luton win, the 2-2 scoreine we held at 90 minutes at Stockport would have been a massive point. Your biggest concern has to be how quickly can the message be delivered and understood, and also that we don’t fall foul of the new manager bump, only to fall away at a time when we need points quickly.

We played well on Saturday and, with Joe Taylor in the attack and fit until the end of the season, we have a great chance. Christian Saydee looks reborn and, despite not always grabbing the limelight, Jenson Weir has been great and looks like he already fully understands his role and what is required of him in this team.

On the other side of the coin and, while I’m not one for singling players out, it’s hard to see a way back for Steven Sessegnon. Arguably one of his brightest 30-minute spells for Latics turned quickly into a nightmare show again, with that lack of concentration on goal two for Stockport, and then the stupidity of giving the official the easiest decision of his career to date to send him off for a second bookable offence. This killed us!

Unfortunately the two from the bench up top offered little also, with Maleace Assomoah Jnr sealing our fate with a ridiculous lunge that was a red card all day long! Before subsequently leaving the club a few days later...never a dull moment in the world of Wigan Athletic!

So a 4-2 loss but, coming away, lots of positives. In weeks gone by, we lose that game 4-0! But we are at a time of the season where points are what we need not performances. Now is the time for reality. It’s not getting easier. Teams around us are starting to sort themselves out.

Looking back at Stockport, you have to win that game. As intricate as they were, we had to kill the game, exactly like Burton Albion did to them three days later with a comfortable 3-0 home win, which cuts Latics further adrift from the pack needed in relegation fights like this.

We need a serious upturn in luck, because we have the right person at the wheel. But I know who’s to blame if the next four weeks don’t work out, and the fact Gary wasn’t leading the lads out at Bradford City on Boxing Day will be the defining moment of another season.

Under a good manager, in a league where we can compete, or the difficulty of being a pretty big fish in a small pond - where everyone will see the Brick Community Stadium as a cup final - it’s moving closer! But we are not going to go down….didn’t someone once say? Fingers crossed! Only time will tell. Up the not getting the luck Tics!