Wigan Athletic chief's one-word verdict as he prepares to bring up a century

"Relentless," was Maloney's verdict - and that could well be the understatement of the century.

Having been brought in to replace Kolo Toure towards the end of the January transfer window of 2023, Maloney was faced with the impossible job of saving Latics from relegation to League One - while the club was imploding off the pitch.

The summer of 2023 was largely spent keeping the club going on life-support, while helping to persuade Mike Danson the club had a viable future.

His first full season in charge was played out with the backdrop of a transfer ban, an eight-point deduction, and players being able to hand in their notice and walk away for free after not being paid on time under the previous ownership.

Having secured a top-half finish against the odds, Maloney then had to reshape the squad on a slashed budget, as the club pushes towards a more self-sustainable future.

It seems the only constant has been continued derby dominance over Bolton Wanderers, leaving Maloney with plenty to reflect on as he prepares to bring up the most eventful of centuries.

"We could be here for a while looking back on what's happened over the course of the 99 games so far," Maloney mused. "It's almost two years, and it would probably need a much longer sit-down to fully go over the journey.

"You can break it down into parts...starting with the first three or four months...which was like nothing I've ever experienced in football. Then going through the different phases of trying to rebuild the club...yeah, we're obviously in the middle of the second season of trying to rebuild it.

"A lot of our work has been extremely rewarding at times...but it still feels like we're miles off where we want to get to."

But has Maloney changed - as a man and as a manager.

"I hope so...I certainly hope I've changed and evolved the way in which we play," he added. "Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I get it wrong...but I hope there's some things I've managed to improve.

"But I know there's certainly some improvement to go in me... There's been so many times during the two years that I've had to manage the team, people, maybe other parts of the club in different ways.

"It's been some couple of years...yeah."

Saturday’s visit of Shrewsbury is followed by a quartet of games over the festive period that sees Latics face – in Rotherham, Wrexham, Huddersfield and Birmingham – the ultimate test of their credentials.

"It’s going to be challenging – but it’s the same for every other team,” added Maloney. "Shrewsbury is going to be a huge game, where we have to back up the performance and intensity from Bolton last week.

"An the next four games are just massive in terms of our league...the size of the clubs were going to be playing….in terms of investment, it’s four of the biggest teams in the league….so they’re all amazing games.”