PART 2: Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - ‘This rebuilding process is, unfortunately, a marathon and not a sprint, and there will inevitably be more disappointments along the way...’

Alan Rogers:

It's hard to know where to start this week. The game on Saturday started badly, but improved as it progressed. The match on Tuesday night? Well, what a mess. More of that in a second, but this week we also finally had a welcome announcement away from the pitch, in regard to the dreaded ticketing system. The good news is that it's being replaced - and changes are imminent. I think we were all so pleased to hear the news we didn't really bother about the lack of detail within the announcement. I suspect most people were thrilled to hear Ticketmaster will provide 'enhanced digital fulfilment of tickets'. Digging down deeper into the message, it seems that quote alludes to the fact that, in the future, the majority of tickets will be purchased online and printed at home. Fair enough, we live in a digital age. But hopefully we won't forget the small number of people who would prefer to speak to a real person at the ticket office. And nowhere in the announcement could I find any mention of future ticketing costs. But it's what we have been crying out for so let's give it a chance. However, hidden within the announcement was a brief message saying the 'Believe' scheme was now officially scrapped. For some reason, I’m always suspicious when something is done in this way. I’m not sure how the ticketing scheme and 'Believe' are even remotely aligned, but maybe that’s just me. As someone who signed the family up for this scheme on day one, I had been waiting eagerly for an update. I didn't expect to find something lurking within an unconnected news item. To be fair, within an hour I did receive an email confirming the scheme had ended. However, there wasn't much more detail, nothing for example on how the income has been spent over recent months. I'm not too bothered about all the benefits that were supposed to be associated with the scheme, I joined to help the club. But there was no mention of those either. It would be nice to have some clarity about fund usage etc, and then we can move on. Until we officially put the 'Believe' scheme satisfactorily behind us, there's no need to even mention a replacement scheme, because I for one won't be interested. And so - there's no way to avoid it - back to the actual football. Social media had a feeding frenzy on Tuesday evening...conspiracy theories, calls for mass sackings, and many, many unprintable comments. And those comments were from reasonable fans...the extremists simply self-combusted! But how does anyone defend that second-half performance? Because I can't! I could witter on for ages putting forward theories but I'm not going to waste my time. I just don't want to see it again. And to the small number of people who are once again calling for a change of manager...first of all, make sure all your homework assignments are done this week. But also perhaps look at the comments from Northampton players and staff after the game last week. They seemed genuinely complimentary about the way the Wigan team is progressing. And also maybe consider the actions of Liverpool and Luke Chambers. Would such a promising young player jeopardise his future by coming to a downbeat team...and would Liverpool even allow it? The powers-that-be at Anfield have obviously been persuaded the rebuilding process is moving in the right direction, and they seem content to let one of their leading young players be a part of it. This rebuilding process is, unfortunately, a marathon and not a sprint, and there will inevitably be more disappointments along the way. We just cannot have another display like Tuesday night. Onwards and upwards.

Red Ned:

A decent point and performance at Northampton, where we probably should have taken all these points. The possession and passing was as good as it's been for a while. The return of Matt Smith was certainly a bonus and his incisive pass to Martial Godo led to the goal for Josh Magennis. Hopefully he will improve markedly ahead of the run in. Midweek was an altogether different showing. As abject and inept display you will not see as that second half at Doncaster. The players didn't look interested and didn't even celebrate when Charlie Wyke scored. A lot of chatter online about players not trying, upset about not being offered new contracts, etc. Whatever the truth, that second half was diabolical and Shaun Maloney needs to read a few of them the riot act. Saturday sees the visit of Reading, and it's a big game for both teams. A win will see us pull a bit further away from the drop zone while plunging Reading further into trouble. Reading have arguably a bigger fight than relegation facing them, and sadly look to be in the same sort of dire situation we faced last year. Let's hope they pull through, survive, and secure new ownership that puts them on a more stable footing soon. The ticket fiasco at the Manchester United game has obviously forced the club to take action, hence a new ticketing partner for both Latics and the Warriors. Something needed to be done and improvement in that side of things isn't far away. KTF.

Ed Bazeley:

Tuesday night’s defeat came as a huge disappointment given the fact Doncaster sit 20th in League Two, and had lost their two fixtures prior to the EFL Trophy clash with Latics. Although survival in League One is obviously far more important to Shaun Maloney and co, it would have been nice to have got to Wembley this season, and would have given the fanbase a memorable day out after some really tricky years, following the club through a pandemic, administration, and then a second successive set of foolish owners who made the club subject to a winding-up petition. However, it wasn’t to be, so now Latics’ eggs are firmly in the League One basket, given it is the only competition we are still participating in. Of late, our league form hasn’t been bad. Given the club’s predicament of having to look nervously over our shoulder given the eight-point deduction, and the current transfer embargo, we are in a situation whereby winning home games and merely avoiding defeat in away games is a perfectly acceptable way to go about our business. In recent weeks, that’s exactly what we have done, winning against Carlisle in our last league fixture at the DW, and picking up draws at both Barnsley and Northampton. Saturday’s clash with Reading is a key one for both clubs, and I really hope Latics manage to find all three points, and turn around the disappointment of midweek. However, it is impossible to discuss Reading and not mainly focus on off-the-field matters. As Latics fans, we should have empathy towards the terrible way in which Dai Yongge is treating Reading them, and I sincerely hope what happened to Bury and Macclesfield is not the Royals’ fate. Sadly, Mr Yongge’s disgraceful antics in Berkshire are just another example of the sort of football ownership nonsense that very nearly saw us lose our football club. On the field, let’s hope we can beat Reading, but off it let’s hope their scandalous predicament is not the end of a fellow former Premier League outfit who have fallen on the toughest of times. Hopefully the recent returns from long-term injuries of Matt Smith and Jason Kerr can help us get back to winning ways but, such is the madness of modern football, I am going to end my piece here with another off-the-field matter. Although I support the announcement of a new ticketing system being installed at the DW, following the shambles which unfolded ahead of the Manchester United cup tie, it does not seem right the FansFund memberships have been put to an end as a result of this. I am not a FansFund founder myself, but I believe these good people who have put some of their hard-earned money towards our football club deserved, at the very least, some consultation before this decision was made, and such a decision deserved its own announcement rather than one small section within the TicketMaster news piece on the Latics website.

Tony Moon:

Let's discuss our current position shall we: So far this season, we've amassed a points total that would 'normally' have us in 10th position; a win last Saturday (which given the second-half performance wouldn't have been an injustice) would have put us (even with the eight-point deduction) in 13th position; we have a goal difference bettered only by the top eight; our squad this season consists of (and these are the assessments of our fans) has-beens, joyriders, lazy gits, overpaid prima donnas, kids who aren't good enough, freebies (who weren't wanted anywhere else) and loans; our team (and manager of course) gets criticism not only for not beating a mediocre League Two side...but also for not beating a mediocre Premier League side too. To speak of getting rid of the manager after losing - sorry, drawing, and then missing a couple of penalties - a relatively meaningless match is possibly the most moronic take on our current position. Go back to last January, not quite a full 12 months ago, when we were languishing at the bottom of the league, four points adrift, with a manager who couldn't buy a win, and tell me you wouldn't be delighted with our current position. Oh, and if you respond with anything other than 'fair point', then sorry, but you're a *insert chosen profanity here" IDIOT. By heck, that feels better.

Sean Livesey:

Out of two cups in a week...one expected, one less so. There’s no dressing up Tuesday night’s defeat to Doncaster, it wasn’t good enough, and I’ve no doubt Shaun Maloney will have told the players exactly that. And if not Maloney, then Graham Barrow certainly will have. We had a plum draw in that round and in the potential quarter-final with Bradford and, with Maloney’s intention to take the competition as seriously as we could, many would and could have expected progress. Once we scored early on, it felt like we could and should have gone on to score a hatful and put the tie out of reach. But as with many games this season, we scored and then didn’t capitalise again, leaving us vulnerable to Doncaster, who got back on level terms, and then the tie was only going one way. Even then we had chances to win it, but too many players had off nights. Throughout the experienced side, there were very few who could look back and be proud of their performance, which is disappointing. Considering our illustrious history with this competition, in recent years we’ve not had a good time of it. In 2015 under Gary Caldwell, we were knocked out at the same stage after looking odds on for a return to Wembley. And the same happened under Leam Richardson when, as we were flying high, League Two Sutton United knocked us out in the semi-finals. Is it because we carry a higher class of players now? Do they see this competition as beneath them? I’m not sure. Tuesday saw a mix of senior professionals getting some game time, alongside regular starters from the first XI, one you would expect to be enough to get past a struggling Doncaster. We know it wasn’t. Social media isn’t the best place to go after a defeat but, like a car crash, it’s a macabre pastime I can’t seem to kick. Some glorious hot takes on there, most of course demanding a change in manager. Listen lads (and it’s always lads) Maloney’s remit this season is to survive in League One. We all want more, of course, but he’s currently well on target to achieve that aim. With that in mind and considering the severe limitations placed on him that I feel like I mention every week - namely a) A club slowly rebuilding its formal structures that every other club sees as a given; b) Unable to spend money on any player; c) Saddled with expensive players unable or unwilling to carry out Maloney’s football - effectively our position this season is decent. Yes, I’d got as far as looking at hotels for London in early April. Is it frustrating? Yes. Is it season ending? Not at all. Is there work for both Maloney and the playing staff to do? Yes, of course there is. I mentioned Twitter and, among the pitchforks, an esteemed gent on there compared it to Paul Jewell’s first season, when he had to clear out the deadwood, and it’s such a great analogy. We had some mad results that season as well, and I’m sure that generation of the 'bloody hell' brigade were sharpening their knives then. As it was, Jewell cleared out the deadwood and, from the following season, the rest is history. Now I’m not comparing Maloney to Jewell, but the same applies. This season is about staying up, anything more is a bonus. So knock the 'Tha’ll si mi no mooooorrrrr' on the head. Or at least give it till next season, when we can truly judge Maloney. Next up is Reading, now there’s a club with real problems. Seemingly not different from ours last season. Shame the EFL have decided to treat both clubs so differently. If we ever do get a CEO, the first task on his desk should be to ask the EFL when we can have our points back, considering they’ve pursued fines (that Rick Parry has admitted to Parliament won’t work) against their owner while we had two points deductions for the exact same charge. I don’t like to say the EFL are making it up as they’re going along, but you know. And you can bet if we hadn’t fulfilled a fixture last season, in the way Reading did against Port Vale last week (no matter whether you support or oppose those actions), we would have had a points deduction winging its way to Wigan quicker than you could say 'Rick Parry’s sandals'. Similarly with the fixture Bolton didn’t fulfil in the summer of 2019, on their way to administration. No one ever mentions that one. Funny that.