Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man

Paul Middleton:

Things are going pretty well at the moment. I’m not even worried about a sub-par performance against Luton, as the run we were on was never going to last through every game until the end of the season. I was a tad disappointed with what was a very un-Graeme Jones Luton team but, when you’re battling to get out of the relegation mire – and, make no mistake, Luton aren’t dead yet – the beautiful game becomes a lot more unnecessary. If Latics weren’t going so well, would I be all that bothered how we were playing if we could pick up enough points to stay up? No, would I heck as like. And, given that it’s Jonesey, I’m willing to overlook the play acting and badgering the ref every other minute. Of course, if we go down and they stay up, all bets are off! Twitter has been alive, this week, with gags about Latics. With the possibility of playing games behind closed doors being very real, all the ‘How would Wigan know?’ merchants are out in force. They didn’t realise that the same jokes had already been done by Latics fans umpteen times. Should it actually come to the point where grounds are empty, things could get very tight financially, for many clubs – Latics amongst them. As you get further down the league ladder, ticket sales account for more and more of a club’s annual income. In the Premier League it’s about 12 per cent, thanks to the TV payments they largely keep to themselves. By League Two, that rises to about 35 per cent. Although many non-Premier League clubs get most of their ticket income from season tickets, the loss of food, drink and programme sales will be crippling for many. Again, Latics aren’t immune from this, as this week’s financial results confirm. The facts are simple, in that Latics are losing money hand over fist. The information from the club is that the Chinese owners expected a much higher level of income than the club are capable of generating. We’ve already had one change of ownership, effectively, with the parent IEC Group all but washing its hands of us, with Stanley Choi now being the majority owner via a shell company in the Cayman Islands. It is this, rather than the treat of relegation which scares me most. I don’t want to go back to League One, but I’ll take anything that means we still have a club. Bury, Bolton, Macclesfield, Charlton...the list of clubs already gone or in a downward spiral is growing almost daily. How long until our owner decides to bail out, cutting his losses and maybe even selling the ground to cover whatever losses he can? I must sound like a broken record by now, on this topic, but that’s how dire the situation is in danger of becoming. So, for all my moans about Paul Cook, I will take that over the alternative. But, at least for now, let’s be happy about the on-field improvements, even if none of us will be there to see them!

Andy Carey:

Another week and another clean sheet. It doesn’t take a football expect to know the Luton game was lacking a touch of quality, although I’d argue we’ve seen worse this season. But for Michael Jacobs firing his shot with a little more conviction, and their goalkeeper not making an excellent save, we could and maybe should have nicked it. However, it wasn’t to be and, as frustrating a point at home to a team bottom of the league is, I think the previous results made up for it. While there’s still plenty to play for, and teams in the fight still to play each other, it could be matters off the field that decide things. Latest developments at Charlton suggest they could go into administration, which would pretty much seal their relegation. Sheffield Wednesday are under investigation for financial fair play and also could see a points deduction and, coupled with an horrendous run of fixtures and equally horrendous form, they will be getting nervous. Derby are also under investigation and, while the EFL aren’t the quickest to sort these things out, it’s interesting times. That said, I firmly believe we’ve got more than enough, and the fixture list gives us opportunities to see ourselves safe before the end of the season. Our own financial situation isn’t too clever, and relegation would see a squad overhaul again. I don’t think that will be the case, but it goes to show the challenge the business folk in the club are up against. Big game at Huddersfield on Saturday, and hopefully a huge three points towards our survival. It’ll be tough but we’re still full of confidence, and no reason why we can’t take the game to them and continue our impressive 2020 away form.

Sean Livesey:

We live in truly unprecedented times. It feels like it’s been a constant curve of sheer madness since 2016, but the last few weeks have really ramped that unprecedented feeling up a notch. How does this relate to Latics, I hear you ask? Well sadly if the experts are to be believed (remember them...seems they’re back in vogue) Covid19 will soon be affecting all of us in a big way. Football really shouldn’t matter at times like this, after all it is only a game and the safety of the population should be the over-riding factor. That includes football supporters as much as it includes any other member of the community. As I write this, Latics’ absolutely crucial trip to Huddersfield on Saturday is on. A trip, incidentally, I’ve been looking forward to all season.

The chance for a few beers along the Transpennine Ale Trail, and a trip to a stadium that holds pretty good memories for us. Add in a huge upturn in Latics’ form, and a crucial match in the bottom half of the table ,and everything was set for another classic away day. All of that could go out of the window and, apart from the frustration if that is the case myself and I’m sure many other hundreds of Latics fans who would have travelled over the Pennines, we can’t really have many complaints. When you look at the social distancing taking place in China, Italy and many other European countries, it’s only a matter of time until the Premier League and Football League have to follow suit. From a purely football point of view this represents a number of issues. If matches go behind closed doors, as they have in Serie A, La Liga and the Champions League this week, you risk spreading the problem to pubs and bars – and in the case of PSG, outside the stadium itself! If you simply cancel the league as null and void there will be a number of major issues that may end up in court. What about Liverpool’s first league title in 30 years? Leeds’ potential return to the Premier League? The fight against relegation up and down the football pyramid. Can we really just stop and start again in August? And who’s to say this whole situation will have cleared up by the summer? Throw in the Euros, the Olympics and the Champions League and Europa League for good measure, and it adds up to a living nightmare for football authorities across the lands.

I dread to think what potentially months without matchday revenue that so many clubs, particularly in the Football League, rely on will do to the already precarious financial position of these clubs. Latics aren’t immune to that and, with an unsettled ownership structure for the first time in two decades, it really is a worry. If there is to be a pause, let’s hope it’s short and we can get back to that time-honoured debate about ‘who really is our best left-back’. Assuming the game is still on, hopefully Latics can keep their unbeaten run going. Saturday’s draw with Luton was disappointing, and sadly predictable. I was surprised just how happy Graeme Jones was with a point.

Luton came simply to spoil the match and clung on for their point for dear life. If Michael Jacobs’ shot had snuck in we may well have been sitting pretty on 43 points. Huddersfield will be a completely different prospect and, if it does go ahead, a result in favour of Lancashire’s own Latics will go a long way to ensuring a third consecutive season of Championship football – whenever that may be. Keep safe.

Statto:

Well a point is a point on our quest to stay in the Championship. Luton came with a plan to make the game scrappy and slow, with no flow to it, and we became the hunted instead of the hunter. It knocked us off our game and, although we worked hard, we couldn’t break them down – but that’s football. So we move on to Huddersfield, still on a decent run of results. Nothing is decided yet, it’s going to be a bumpy ride till May. The financial results were eye-watering, but we have to trust that the owners and everyone at the club know what they are doing on that score. Up The Tics!