PART ONE: Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - 'Just have a day off and read the room...'

Alan Rogers:

A bleak day all round on Saturday. We said goodbye to Kevin Miller, and although it was heartwarming to watch the club pay tribute to him, it was also heartbreaking to discover exactly how much he meant to the players, the backroom staff, and the wider footballing world.

After the game, Gary Caldwell was understandably still visibly struggling to come to terms with the fall-out from a tragic week. It was the Greek General, Pericles, who said: "What we leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."

And it certainly looked as if Kevin touched a lot of lives during his time amongst us. It seems almost churlish to talk about the match, but inevitably the circumstances affected both teams. A scrappy game was settled by a single goal, and we sat back to await the usual reaction on social media - and of course we weren't disappointed.

Sadly, a small number of people simply don't seem to have even a shred of human decency. Of course it's annoying to lose, of course it's irritating to watch a bad performance, and of course it's frustrating to wonder where a goal is coming from. But for God's sake just have a day off and read the room.

Anybody who expected a classic after such a tragic week is simply deluded. But if we must insist on dissecting the performance, Latics had the majority of play, most shots, most shots on target, almost 100 more passes than Wycombe, a superior passing accuracy, more crosses and most tackles.

But all those statistics can't paper over the cracks on a miserable day. Unfortunately, the most important stat is that Wycombe had one shot on target and they scored. We can't buy a goal at the moment. Sadly, even the happiest of clappers can't pretend it was anywhere near a half-decent performance.

Once again, even on such an emotional day, the referee seemed to try his best to make things worse. Six Wigan yellow cards against one Wycombe booking, in what was never a dirty game, highlighted the referee's lack of empathy and understanding for the occasion.

And perhaps the wider subject of empathy is something we need to address as a club, and possibly as a wider community. The famous football pundit, J.K. Rowling, wrote: "I believe that lack of empathy is behind many of our problems and I believe it's disrupting society. In Great Britain there is steady decline in the willingness to be truly generous and by that I don't mean monetary generosity but friendship and sympathy for others."

Maybe we need Harry Potter to nip down and wave his wand over the Brick…

Perhaps that's exactly what happened, because Tuesday gave us just a little bit of hope for the future. A much-changed side still contained several first-team players and they started brightly.

Connor Barrett surged forward with only one thought in mind, a shot from distance, and we'd scored a goal! Slightly fortunate but they all count!

Blackpool tried to get back into it, but Wigan continued to press and Brad Burrowes was unlucky when he unleashed a great shot that cannoned off the post.

Barrett had a great first half and the team left the pitch to well-deserved applause. I'm not alone in wondering why he doesn't start every week…

In the second half, things got even better - we actually had a goal from our centre forward! After an overall bright start to the half from the team, Scott Hogan leapt like a salmon to head in his first goal. He was rewarded a few minutes later by being substituted!

Of course, it wouldn't be Wigan if everything was straightforward, and Blackpool finally began to wake up. On 70 minutes, a player went down in the Wigan area following a fairly soft tackle but the referee had no doubt - penalty. Suddenly, 2-1, and we began to fear the worst.

Our fears seemed unjustified when Fraser Murray scored a well-worked goal with just over 10 minutes to go, following another great cross from Barrett.

But Blackpool didn't give up and scored in the final minute, making the five extra minutes a bit twitchy! But the Latics held on for a well-deserved win. A test of character and pride after a rough week.

We now have almost three weeks without league football, and the team needs every second of it to recover, refresh and try to heal.

They also need to take the positives from Tuesday. Hopefully, a few long-term injuries may also be closer to a return to action.

Baz Roberts:

As a lifelong Latics fan, it’s hard not to feel proper frustrated right now. The lack of clear support and proper communication from the current ownership under Mike Danson is starting to wear thin.

We all remember the chaos before they came in back in 2023. Administrations, points deductions, the lot, and while they stabilised things at first, it feels like we’re left in the dark a lot of the time.

When stories about exploring new investment or even a potential full sale start circulating without much warning, it just leaves the supporters anxious and questioning how committed everyone really is to the long-term future of the club. A bit more openness and engagement with the fans wouldn’t go amiss, like.

On the pitch, it’s been pretty grim too. We’ve had a shocking start to the season and currently sit rock bottom of League One, with just four points from seven games. One win, one draw, five defeats.

The run has been tough - beaten by Cambridge, Leyton Orient and Wimbledon, hammered 4-0 at home by Stockport, a hard-fought goalless draw at Sheffield Wednesday, and then another home loss.

I think capable wins are achievable, but honestly, securing them will likely depend on pure luck - specifically, beating a team that is having an off day. We’re simply not scoring enough, looking short of confidence, and the performances have been well below what’s needed.

It’s tough to watch at times and the frustration among the supporters is growing. That said, I have to mention Saturday’s game against Wycombe Wanderers in a positive light, even though we lost 1-0.

The result almost felt secondary after the sad news earlier in the week that our goalkeeping coach Kevin Miller had passed away at just 57. The minute’s applause before kick-off, and again at the 57th minute, plus the respectful gesture from Wycombe with the wreath, showed the proper side of football.

It was an emotional afternoon down at the Brick, and the players clearly gave what they could under really difficult circumstances. Rest in peace Kevin, you’ll be missed around the club.

Even though results have been poor and we’re struggling badly on the field, we need to show real compassion for Gary Caldwell and the whole team right now. Losing a colleague and friend like Kevin so suddenly is a heavy blow that goes way beyond football.

The lads and the staff are human beings first, and this kind of loss hits hard. Support them through it, give them the time and understanding they need, the points will matter again soon enough, but people come first.

Martin Lally:

It would be extremely remiss to not start this week by sending my upmost condolences to the family and friends of Kevin Miller.

The news that reached the fan base in the middle of last week fully emphasised that life is more important than any campaign or game involving football. It was clear that Kevin had already built a strong connection with the group and was an extremely close colleague and friend to Gary Caldwell.

I would also like to commend Wycombe Wanderers. It was disappointing that more coverage wasn’t given to the fact that Jayden Wareham ran to the South Stand goal before kick-off and placed a wreath of flowers in memory of Kevin, applauding the Wigan faithful as he did so.

This was an absolute show of class from both the player and the club. At both points of celebration of Kevin’s life, the Wycombe fans behaved and contributed impeccably, including their eventual winning goal celebrations which were very muted.

As difficult as bereavement is to write about in any shape or form, and something that you never really ever get over, I must move onto our beloved Wigan Athletic and at the minute that is a tough ask also. It’s really just not working is it?

It seemed like we were on the way to creating something special - and that may well be the case - but it doesn’t look that way to me. In fact we look destined for an extremely tough season.

The young players are great and I love seeing them do well, but technical coaching is one aspect that you need at this level. The other is that physicality to dominate and win a game. When do we even break the line any more, and get our fans up for it?

Remember back when someone would take the game by the scruff of the neck, and the Wigan fans were there, right behind the team? Nowadays, you know we will lose as soon as we concede, it’s devastating.

Fans may not be involved in the day to day, but it is blatantly obvious that the absence of someone, anyone, who can hit the net is absolutely killing us. The strikers that are there are just not good enough.

We literally just don’t look like we will score more than 15 goals all season. It’s absolutely heartbreaking when you compare it to Gary’s last spell here.

It has to be said, however, that we certainly was not helped in the slightest by the official. Two relatively good shouts for penalties that okay weren’t stonewall, but you have also seen them given.

Wycombe fans are currently parading the foul on Fraser Murray as a great challenge. But the ball doesn’t move for me, and it’s a foul anywhere else with his momentum. That being said, with confidence at an all-time low, who is having the guts to step up and take that penalty? Who do you back?

Seven yellows were issued, six to Wigan, in a game that had one flashpoint - when he booked Jensen Weir, who should have walked for the worst tackle of the day. But again, Wigan received bookings, while the opposition received nothing for similar occurrences.

The consistent amount of inconsistency from one week to the next is simply unpalatable. I said to my family about five minutes pre-Wycombe's winner that one goal was winning that game, and what annoys me more than anything is you can take being beaten by a good goal. But we had three clear chances to clear that situation, and in the end we gifted the chance, leaving our goalkeeper with no chance.

It’s good to see there has been little call for a change of manager because, in the bigger picture, we should be thankful we have a manager that works under these conditions. I see the owner's son turned up pitchside at the start, which was unexpected but required, while the social media witch-hunt for answers continues...with absolutely no interest shown in a club with no ground and rock bottom of League One.

My worry is when they will tire of the demands for answers because, although answers seem to be required, they could pop us in administration again at any point.

As it feels like October is a mile away and the only way is up, I hope that as a team and community the boys can regroup and find a new belief and energy to bounce back post internationals.

Perhaps the return of Chris Saydee could yield a dividend as midfielders advance from his hold up play.

Am I really just clutching at straws? All we can really do is stay hopeful. It is relatively shocking that you're surprised these days at the Brick when the fans cheer rather than boo their own team.

John Walker:

Once again, we find ourselves at the bottom of League One. And the signs are looking not very good going forward. The simple fact is we can’t score goals. And we have nothing on the books to suggest this will change.

Even. Injured players waiting to return aren't the answer. Hopefully, we can just about grind some results out before the January transfer window opens. And hopefully - and it’s a big ask - we fund a centre forward from somewhere. One that can cause mayhem in the opposition, because we don’t have that option at the moment.

It might not be Gary Caldwell's style of football, but something needs to change. Even if it’s only from the bench. When we make subs, it’s like for like. We are too soft and nd too easily beaten Caldwell's teams remind me of Shaun Maloney's teams. But to play the way they like to, they need the quality. And quite frankly we don’t have it. In League One, you need to win games, that’s all.

An ugly 1-0 win like Wycombe did on us yon Saturday is all that’s needed.

Tony Moon:

So, we’ve had the roundabout, then the swings, and now - according to some, even many - we’re on the (slippery) slide...most likely a long one, down to League Two.

There’s no denying that, after the injection of hope and optimism from the Sheffield Wednesday game - top of the league and well outclassed - the game against Wycombe was disappointing.

However, it wasn’t to be, but after the tragedy in the camp last week (RIP Kev), the full-time boos might be considered to have been a little harsh.

It’s fair to say we were rarely better than lacklustre for the whole game, with no-one - except maybe young Charlie Gray and Brad Burrows - really approaching anywhere near the levels they’d want to achieve.

Ah well. I see the WAGS have written an open letter to Mike and Lucas Danson. You’d have thought they’d have got their husbands and boyfriends to ask the questions themselves...