Wigan Athletic boss in defiant mood - as takeover saga drags on

Leam Richardson after the loss against Hull City

Wednesday night’s 5-0 thumping by Hull City left his side second bottom of the table on 24 points.

But they remain just a point from safety and with 18 games left to play – starting with Saturday’s visit of leaders Lincoln – the manager has no plans to give in.

And with no takeover expected until early March at the earliest, he has told his players only they can save themselves from their perilous position.

He said: “I just have to go about things like I have for the last 20-odd years of my working career – the way I’ve been brought up. You roll your sleeves right up and have a right good scrap, because that’s what the situation needs.

“We’ve said previously where it’s so easy for others to dip out, for any players to dip out with injuries, or not want to play, or not want to get out there on the pitch... there’s no time for that.

“We’ve got a certain amount of games to go, and there’s a certain number of points we’ll need to achieve what we want to this year.

“We’re back in action in a matter of days, and we’ve only got the people in that dressing room who can help us. There’s nobody else coming in to play, I’m led to believe there’s no imminent owners coming in with the cavalry.

“It’s up to us to regroup and have a right good fight against everyone else in the division.”

Administrators in charge of Latics should release a weekly statement today but there are expected to be no significant updates as the EFL continues its checks into the interested parties, with a Middle Eastern bidder still thought to be the front-runner.

Though disappointed by the defeat against Hull City, Richardson was able to see the bigger picture.

“We started the season just looking to keep this football club afloat,” he said.

“But you can’t underestimate the enormity of the situation... no owner, no chairman, no chief executive, no sporting director, no head of recruitment, no manager, no first-team coach, no goalkeeping coach, etc.

“We’ve had four or five different teams on the field this year... we’ve had to handle everything from the pandemic, to administration, with only small numbers on board.

“Show me another man who can live with that, and I’ll shake his hand.”