We need to solve problem of slow starts, warns Barrow

The 62-year-old is still waiting to hear whether he’ll be part of the new management structure of the club, with chairman David Sharpe still mulling over his options.

Barrow was unable to save Latics from relegation after taking charge for the last nine games on an interim basis, following in the footsteps of Warren Joyce and Gary Caldwell.

A slow start once again had Latics struggling from the off, and Barrow acknowledges it’s a situation that cannot continue.

“I can’t ever remember – going back to when Roberto (Martinez) was here – us starting a season really well,” said Barrow.

“You’re going back over 10 years to Paul Jewell, and I just don’t know why that is the case.

“We never, ever really seem to hit the ground running, and it just means you’re playing catch up all the time.

“Even when we won League One last year, it was like that. People were saying we’d come straight up, but you think back to the Coventry and Gillingham games early on – it was scary.

“I’m a big believer that you have to be ready to go from the off. That used to be the case when I was a player, and it just makes the season so much easier.

“It’s never easy, but it makes it easier for you.

“You look at teams who have a good start – it allows them to have a hiccup during the season. But with it it’s always seemed to be playing catch-up. You can’t rely on that all the time.”