'The end of a very strange season...and a Tale of Two Cities!'

Alan Rogers:

And so, the season that promised a new dawn, ended with barely a whimper (I know there's one more game left but for all intents and purposes, that's it). Saturday's game against AFC Wimbledon sort of summed up the season - one or two decent passages of play that got our hopes up, but mainly long stretches of nothing. It looked like both the players and the fans had enough and just wanted to quickly forget about a difficult few months.

Rather than once again state the obvious about the last nine months, I thought I would quickly reflect on a Tale of Two Cities. No - not that one - the two cities in question being Coventry and Leicester.

I've probably already lost most people - 'what's that got to do with us?' Well, in a tenuous sort of way, we need to look closely at both clubs. Firstly, Leicester. How the mighty have fallen. The fact we will be playing them next year is astounding, but the circumstances should be examined closely.

Leicester's owners are very wealthy, and many people would argue they've bought success over the years. Even after the tragic death of the owner, his son Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha - better known to his mates as 'Top' - continued to fund the club.

A few days ago, after the game that finally relegated his team, a tearful ‘Top’ bravely faced the press and accepted the blame. However, in a later interview, he also stated he had spent 'hundreds of millions of pounds' over recent years in an attempt to keep the club at the top level.

Now there will be all sorts of reasons why Leicester have failed over the last few years, but it doesn't look like lack of investment was a problem. The reason I've wandered down that road is to maybe explain to a small selection of Latics fans that throwing money at a problem probably isn't always the answer.

Maybe we could agree that we are living in a different world these days, and the Dansons are right - we simply have to be more sustainable. Apart from the appointment of Ryan Lowe, I have little to criticise our current owners for. They kept us alive when they had no need to and their reward has been constant abuse from certain quarters.

The money situation in football at the moment is crazy, and I'm sure it can't continue. There must be a reset at some point. Maybe if this year's grossly over-expensive World Cup flops, then it may be a start. But for the time being, we need to keep our heads down, work hard, and live within our means. There's always hope for the future.

Which brings me round to the second of the two cities - Coventry. They are finally back in the top flight - after a 25-year absence - and what 25 years that proved to be. They were relegated, moved into a new stadium, then were evicted by the new owners. They spent a few years playing at other grounds until a ground compromise could be reached.

We have had a rough few years at Wigan, so we can sympathise with some of the trials and tribulations suffered by Coventry. Things began to settle down when they were finally bought out by a local businessman Doug King. He then managed to buy back the stadium last year, and has invested in the team to get them back to the top tier this season.

I guess there are two takeaways from the Coventry example. First of all - something we can identify with - never give in. If you fight long and hard enough then you will get there in the end.

And the second consideration concerns once again - money. Doug King claims not to have broken the bank in order to gain promotion, whatever that means. If it's true then maybe that's the model we need to be looking at in years to come. Hopefully he hasn't gone down the Leicester route, and won't be having precious points deducted in the future.

So there we go. Another season over, and I would dare to suggest we are currently in a better place than we were a few months ago. We now have a head coach and staff who genuinely seem to care about the club and its fans, and the fact they seem to know what they are doing is a magnificent bonus!

We have an ownership team that also genuinely seem to want the best for the team and the club, even if that means involving another group to move us forward. The volunteer network that underpins all this continues to grow and prosper and that is a very important factor.

So, at the end of a very strange season, let's just kick back, enjoy the summer and dream of actually maybe enjoying ourselves when we return!

Matt Auffrey:

We were well on our way to a ‘satisfactory’ end to the 25/26 home campaign. We controlled the entire match against Wimbledon, keeping over 70 per cent of the possession and limiting the visitors to minimal scoring opportunities. Even if we were not clinical enough to score, wrapping up a season at the Brick with a clean sheet in the sun and a six-match home unbeaten streak would’ve been a noteworthy achievement.

Yet, after hardly leaving second gear for 89 minutes, our engine stalled just long enough to allow our opponents a late winner, which preserved their status in this division for another season. A middling performance was overshadowed by a bad result against a side in awful form.

While our league table position (which guaranteed our safety) at the start of the day was more important than the result that transpired on the pitch later, much of the positive energy that had been steadily building over the past several months evaporated from the stadium at full-time.

Our season was not defined by Saturday’s result, but the letdown did shift the tone of this final chapter. We started this season with moderately high hopes, only to suffer through an inconsistent product with mediocre results for a large chunk of the season.

We made a semblance of a run in the FA Cup and secured a big pay day before bowing out of the competition. We picked ourselves up to climb out of the relegation zone and secure our league status with three games to spare. Most importantly, we reset the club's culture by bringing Gary Caldwell back, which in turn, resulted in better performances on the pitch and more winning results.

We took several steps backwards, but have since made up a bit of lost ground over the past few months. With that being said, the reality of our situation still presents many challenges. We have yet to announce any new contracts for the coming season. There’s a lack of clarity surrounding the ownership situation, and we don’t know what type of financial backing Caldwell will receive this summer as he reconstructs the squad.

We re-entered League One in summer 2023 with Shaun Maloney, under the guise of it being a long-term project that likely involved a multi-year stay in the division before we would have a realistic shot of promotion. Three years later, and it feels like we are back to square one with many respects.

We’ve been a lower mid-table club for two straight seasons, and the odds of a slow climb up the league table seem much more likely than a rapid ascension to the play-offs, let alone the automatic promotion places. Nonetheless, the gaffer will have one final opportunity to analyse our current squad on Saturday as we face a Stevenage side that can cement their spot in the play-offs with a home win.

If we show up with the same intensity that we brought against Wimbledon, it could be a long afternoon in Hertfordshire. We have yet to lose two matches in a row under Caldwell, so we should expect him to motivate this group to battle for 90 minutes. Hopefully, a pleasant surprise awaits us!

Billy Haggerty:

Well what a damp squib of a game to end the last home game of the season against relegation-threatened Wimbledon. Despite being safe, we managed to revert back to type where we gift points to a team who are on a poor run of form.

Wimbledon were nine games without a win, devoid of confidence, and in dire need of a win to avoid relegation. So step forward Wigan Athletic to gift - yes gift - Wimbledon a win which preserves their League One status.

We started off the game in our usual fashion. A quick, positive and front attacking mindset was great for the first 15/20 min, but we reverted to type, sideways, sideways, backward passing, followed by more of the same. When we got into the opposition box, we tried to walk the ball into the goal, which was so frustrating. Have a go, have a shot, you just never know what it might produces!

It's a shame that our last game of the season was such an anti-climax. With almost 70 per cent possession, 10 corners to their three, and 16 shots, it was a game we should have put to bed with three easy points. Instead, we suffer a sucker-punch 90th-minute winner totally against the run of play, which was ironic given the times we have squeezed out of certain relegation by sneaking a goal against the run of play and time.

It was a shame as it definitely popped the end of season party balloon and the full-time player walk around of the stadium. With the last game of the season against Stevenage, and the Supporters Club weekender stop-over, I just hope the fans have a well-earned win for their long haul travel and aren't let down by a last-minute goal against the run of play!

So as the season ends, I'm hopeful for a 'fresh' start with Gary Caldwell and David Perkins in the season ahead, a decent budget that enables us to buy well and get us on the front foot for the season coming.

Oh and finally onto World Cup 2026, and I hope it DOESN'T 'come home' yet again, and that the mighty Scotland can defy the odds and win at least one game in the group stages...'Yes sir, I can boogie' and 'We're on the march with Ally's Army' are surely way way better than 'It's Coming Home' and 'Vindaloo'...!

Martin Lally:

The exit from the Brick Community at the conclusion of Saturday's game cannot be described as anything less than a relief - with a tad of anger and disappointment. I was a little bit happy for their fans, because we have been there and that feeling is incredible! I spoke to a few away fans outside pre-game and they were a good bunch!

The fact the Wimbledon goalkeeper managed to find out of play only on at least four occasions in the first half alone at least told us that once again the points were there for the taking. It’s hard to imagine that a week ago, six points seemed very possible, yet we ended up with one point!

But that’s football I guess. I wouldn’t say we were on the beach, but the sharpness that served us well these last few months has certainly blunted. We are now set for a meaningful trip to Stevenage, where they must win to make the play-offs. Once again you roll your eyes at the possibilities this team could have had through this season.

Moving on, the fans forum took place last week, and the highlights provided the expected information and answers. If I’m honest, I’m ready to put this season to rest and be thoroughly let down by the national team as always in the World Cup.

The summer brings challenges and opportunities. One of my favourite days is fixture release, and I can’t wait to plot next year's adventure of adulation and dejection in equal measure (have a week off, Lals!). My mind already ponders to August and what our starting 11 will look like, but Gary Caldwell and David Perkins have my 100 per cent support.

Despite my dejection over the end of season crawl, I’m excited for a new season with new faces and new challenges. All one can hope is that in their absolute best season ever...them up the road somehow manage to bottle the play-offs again... Up the ‘Bring on 26/27’ Tics!

Tony Moon:

Lose a game and flippin’ heck, out come the ones with most brass neck.

Players accused of downing tools and being on t’ beach, by faceless fools.

For months they thought that Lowe‘d come through, even though results brought nothing new.

And when he finally got the sack (which saw both Caldwell and Perks come back)…

They weren’t convinced we’d avoid the drop, so the turn-round in form caught 'em on the hop.

The problem is some fans like to moan, nowt’s ever reet, they’re a dog wi’ no bone.

So, as soon as th’ opportunity come, they jumped at the chance to be moody and glum.

So to finish the season with a loss at the Brick, well, it gave em their chance to act like a daft...sod.

Ignore the fact that we’re now mid-table, it was another chance for them to be able…

To have their moan, their whinge and their gripe, their chance to come out with the usual tripe.

I suppose we should take comfort, and dance a little jig, an’...be thankful nowt changes...'Bloody Rubbish Wiggin'!