Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - 'As someone who has done little but moan about Paul Cook since, well, forever, I’ll keep my own counsel...'

Craig Wigan:

Great to restart in the Championship with a win, a solid performance all round on Saturday, and so hard to understand why we’re anywhere near that relegation zone. But the difference for me was Anthony Pilkington. He earned the chance in the first half that he fluffed into the keeper, the little bit of skill and composure to find Kieffer Moore in a good position to set up Jamal Lowe created the first, and more skill for the second to earn that little bit of luck in the deflection. Those bits of play are the fine margins that let us walk away from the game (well, sofa to kitchen) talking about a great performance and win, rather than an unjust draw or defeat, as has been the case so often this year. But without starting all this again, I was disappointed to hear Paul Cook say AFTER the game that he would’ve been happy with a point in the lead-up. Surely we’ve proved we’re better than that, haven’t we? I do think in too many games against those around us he’s tried to ‘not lose’ and we’ve ended up drawing. But if we want to establish ourselves as a mid-table team, which is where I realistically think we’re at as a club right now, we need to change that mindset, especially against the lower teams. We have Hull, Stoke, Barnsley and Charlton to come. Win two or three of them and we surely have to be safe. Draw all four and we’re still only three-ish points off the drop, maybe less. But in going for the draw and possibly losing, we could see ourselves back in trouble. So even if he thinks it, I don’t think he should be publicly saying it, or getting that mindset into the players and risking us losing confidence and turning back into 2019 Wigan Athletic. I’m confident that won’t happen, but let’s push on, really finish strong and start changing those mindsets in these young players. I think we’re due a boring mid-table season next year for once, aren’t we?

Paul Middleton:

When the season paused, we were in pretty good shape. A run of good results had us clear(ish) of the bottom three, and there was a feeling of optimism around. Since March, though, a lot has changed. We’ve had a pandemic, the club has been sold – of a fashion – and I’ve had to do all the jobs around the house that I’ve been avoiding for years. In the first two, the official message has been ‘nothing to see here’, despite there actually being lots to look at and wonder what’s really going on. A pretty comfortable win at an awful Huddersfield means Latics have picked up on-field exactly where we left off. As someone who has done little but moan about Paul Cook since, well, forever, I’m happy with the way things are. I still don’t think he represents the future but, as long as we keep improving, I’ll keep my own counsel. Although not the best Latics performance, it’s an away win, and we showed enough to let us all believe we’ll be okay this year. But what about next year? As it stands, we’re now owned by a company that is registered in the Cayman Islands. Stanley Choi is still in charge, but at a price, literally. Interest-free loans from IEC have been transferred to the new company, and are now seemingly being charged at 8 per cent per annum. Latics run at a loss anyway, so to add more debt is a real concern. We now need to find a lot of money every year just to keep up the interest payments. Because being registered in the Cayman Islands means secrecy and no public accounts, we don’t really know what’s going on. Are the debts secured against the stadium and other assets? If so, then we’re a heartbeat away from the stadium being sold from under us, so Choi can recoup his losses. I hope I’m wrong, but I’ve been mostly right on this subject so far. But anyway, in the real world, things are good. Sort of. The pandemic isn’t quite the issue it was, for now, and Latics are going well. Also, the decision the club took to offer refunds, credit or a season pass for Latics TV was a good one. Anybody who has been struggling with reduced or no pay will find a few quid in their pockets welcome relief. For those of us lucky enough to have got through it without too much stress, the pass to watch games is welcome. That we have Latics fans criticising – abusing, even – people for taking the refund is an indication of where we are as a nation. Let’s hope everything heals, and quickly. We’re not all in this together, of course, but those of us in similar positions should always be sticking together. Whether as football fans or just in life.

Statto:

Well it’s football, but not as we know it. Project Restart has been, well, predictably boring. I’ve not managed to watch half a game, never mind a full one, apart from Latics. We have seen squads completely different from those back in March for some teams, five subs allowed and water breaks. Now if games were being played in 25 degree-plus heat, then yes. But some of the evening games have been lashing down and 14 degrees. Fake crowd noise or no crowd noise, it’s a turn off for me. Fortunately, from a Latics point of view, we pretty much carried on from where we were in March, which is good. One concern is that all the players missing at the weekend are ones whose contract/loans are up at the end of June, which could leave us short of numbers for the run-in. But we will wait and see. In the meantime, Up The Tics and Stay Safe.

Sean Livesey:

Seven matches undefeated, no goals conceded in five games...the only surprise being that it was over three-and-a-half months in between game six and seven. In this new world in which we live, Wigan Athletic made it very much like the old world, with an assured and confident display against a Huddersfield team who offered very little. Results elsewhere on Saturday didn’t exactly go our way butn if Paul Cook’s side continue to show this sort of form over the next few weeksn we won’t need to worry about those sides below us. There were worries heading into the game over how the enforced break during lockdown would have affected a Latics side who were flying before it. The answer is it didn’t. Apart from Leon Balagoun and Chey Dunkley Latics were arguably at full strength and the returning Danny Fox who made his first appearance since November slotted right in alongside the ever impressive Cedric Kipre at the heart of defence. The biggest credit you can give to the aforementioned Mr Fox, is that Latics didn’t miss Balagoun who had been such a presence during that run in February. What about the experience of not actually being there, but watching from home? It serves a purpose but that’s all. It can never be a replacement for being there and I’m sure it isn’t intended to be. The sooner it’s safe for football fans to get back in to grounds, the better. I imagine it’ll be a lot harder to watch Saturday’s match online. Missing away games is something that can happen a lot in normal times but not being able to go to a home match will be a different experience all together and not one I’m relishing. So it’s on to a Lancashire derby against Blackburn Rovers next. (Happy fella) Tony Mowbary’s side got a decent result last time out against Bristol and will no doubt come to Wigan confident of getting another win in their push for the play-offs. But Latics also know they need wins to carry on pushing away from that dreaded bottom three. Hopefully Latics will carry on where they left off against Huddersfield and get another crucial three points.

So at least we can watch Championship football once we’re allowed in to football grounds.