Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - 'Give me slow progress with bumps along the way every time, as we are building something special here...'

Martin Tarbuck:

Where do you want to be in five years’ time? Nope, this isn’t a job interview. Indeed, the question is more of a ‘where do you see our football club in five years' time?’ What about 10, 20, 30 or 50 years’ time? I suspect the answer is, for many, that they rarely look beyond the current season. That’s the thing with football, everything needs to happen right now. Slow, patient, gradual progress is eschewed in favour of the latest result. If we win, then it’s a triumph (or a highly unconvincing three points, if you’re one of those types who rarely allows themselves a moment of joy). Every defeat, or even a draw, depending on opposition, is treated as a catastrophe. Considering what we went through in the summer, I think we are in pretty good shape. We’re watching a fantastic young squad, full of energy and talent and we must have one of the highest Academy utilisation rates of any club within the 92 of the EFL. I’ve no idea if that is an actual reported statistic but, in the words of Spandau Ballet, I know this much is true. A lot of those players are only going to get better over time and, at some point, possibly sold for a decent fee. Of course, we have also underperformed in some games, but probably due to two factors. Firstly, with lack of experience comes greater inconsistency. Plus, secondly, there are lots of wily old teams in League One, who can both kick harder and also play football better, because they haven’t just been thrown together over the summer. When we’ve won a game convincingly, I’ve sat back and basked in the glory of it, as I’m sure many of us have. But some fans take that as the opportunity to reset the benchmark and demand it as the norm. Then if we don’t win the next game convincingly, the moans and groans resurface. Can we not accept that, given everything that has gone on, we are going to be up and down a bit, and enjoy the good days and tolerate the days we struggle? This is a new team full of young players, and watching them evolve is a great experience. Progress for us this year for me is simply watching them become an established side again. There’s no point clamouring for us to go for promotion because, the minute we get it, next season gets a whole lot harder. Give me slow progress with bumps along the way every time, as we are building something special here. Of course, if we end up spending two or three years in League One, we will undoubtedly end up selling one or two of our brighter young players, but that is the model now. Imagine what £10million into the coffers could do for any League One club. It can be invested further into the youth system, it can fund the signing of several new players and, yes, some of it will go towards covering operating losses, which never really go away at any football club.

Quite how far we can go, with this model, is more of a moot point. We’ve had an exceptional crop of young players coming through in the past few years, and that is all down to the magnificent work of Gregor Rioch and his team. Yet, it seems there might be a bit of blip due to administration, and again this summer. Players were flogged off cheaply, key staff left and went elsewhere – and who could blame them – and anything nailed down was sold, including a training ground, that probably was nailed down. All the data, the systems, the day-to-day operations were stripped bare, so we are going to have to expect a bit of a gap. The production line stopped for a while and, because the flow through of youth players can be anything from three-to-10 years, we might not have felt the impact of that yet. We're just lucky Begbies didn't flog the production line machinery too. The foundations should still be there and, if we look to the five-to-10-year long term, then there are players now from 10-15 years upwards, potentially discarded by North West Premier League clubs, who will see us as an attractive prospect, now that Hughes, Tickle and Aasgaard have all been through the same process. It seems playing for a League One side doesn’t even prove a barrier to gaining international experience these days. Although I should add: show me another club of our size, at our level where that happens? And I’m not talking about loan players either, if anyone with a chip on their shoulder the size of Winter Hill is reading this. As to where we go from here, and at what speed? I look at the way we are playing, and the opposition we face - even though we are under an embargo, with a small squad and a growing injury list - I can still see a quality young team out there who will trouble most League One opposition. And we are still fighting on two fronts in the cups too. I’ve no urgent desire to get out of the division (and certainly not down, I should add) and I’m happy to muse over the results with a smile not a grimace, however they land. We’ll know when we are ready, and it is probably another season or two off, when our younger players are more mature and the infrastructure is stable off the field. If and when we do get promoted, then I want us to be ready for it, and this time, it will be with a steady team, who punches above its weight and is capable of staying there. And that is all I want. It was very much the promise made by Brannigan, Al Hammad that we would be stable within the Championship within five years. They did the second bit within 12 months. But as for the first bit, we couldn’t have been more unstable if they’d rolled us down Parbold Hill on a skateboard. For now, I want us to take baby steps and make quiet, understated progress towards building a safe, secure football club for our kids and grandkids to watch in many years to come. And with Maloney and Rioch at the helm, you get the impression they will be beaming with pride as much as the rest of us if they get the time to build it.

Caddy from the 5:

The season of goodwill is sneaking up on us and as the Tics return from a two-week international break. All eyes turn to Saturday when we visit Leyton Orient for the first time in five billion years. I'm not saying I was young when I last went, but it was on a stagecoach. Any self-respecting fan knows the rules on fixture release day...'When's Bolton away and when's the trip to London'. Well you can stick your Chelseas, Arsenals and Tottenhams where the sun don't shine, because a trip to East London in a lower league game will do for me anytime. Safe travels all, and stay away from that jellied eel muck. December sees some 'on paper' winnable games at home - yeah like you said 17-0 v Cheltenham, Cad? - and a spicy trip to Port Vale, not forgetting the televised trip to York in the cup (wear something nice for the telly, lads, we're not rugby fans)... Speaking of the FA Cup, who have Barnsley got? Rules are rules, remember lads? A massive pally back slap to all the young Tics who played for England and some other less well known countries these last two weeks. Thoroughly well deserved, and the future really does look good for them all. The fans forum took place this week and, from what I've read, the troubled waters of the past look like they've been replaced with far more calmer seas, and an owner and board that actually have a sustainable plan for us, and actually know what they're doing. Let's hope so, eh? Enjoy Saturday chaps, can't beat a trip to the smoke, and I look forward to hearing the first 'HOW MUCH!!' in the pub, always a sign a Wiganer's in there!

Matt Auffrey:

The last of the three autumn international breaks is officially behind us. After experiencing frequent disruptions to the fixture list over the first four months of the season, we are now entering a stretch that will (hopefully) see us play four consecutive months of uninterrupted club football. The next month’s worth of league fixtures could see us potentially catapult into the comforts of mid-table, or easily fall back into the relegation places after a few bad results. We unfortunately did not come out of this past break completely unscathed, as Sam Tickle and Liam Morrison were both reported to have picked up injuries while away with their respective Under-21 national teams. The news comes as a harsh reminder we will absolutely need to tap into our squad depth over these coming months, as numerous factors will affect our ability to put out the same starting XI match-after-match. Our return to action will take us to London this weekend for our first trip to Leyton Orient in nearly 27 years. Last season's League Two champions have had quite mixed form since returning to the third tier. They are winless in their last five league matches, which includes back-to-back home losses to Oxford and Lincoln. However, we’ve played more than enough matches this season to know a team’s pre-match form should have little effect on a fixture’s potential outcome. We’ve defeated some of the hottest teams in the division as betting underdogs, while also losing to sides that have entered matches with seemingly much lower expectations than our own. Despite the lack of goal-scoring prowess we displayed in our most recent visits to Cheltenham and Tranmere, there is plenty of reason to believe we can leave Brisbane Road victorious based on our overall form from the last block of fixtures dating back to late October. A win on Saturday would mark a great end to a week that started with a productive Fans Forum event on Monday evening. From the reports I’ve read, no bombshells were dropped by the club’s representatives, and the overwhelming majority of attendees left the DW feeling positive about the club’s current state and our future ahead. Yet, the evening’s insights should only serve as another reminder we are in the infant stages of a major rebuild. We still have much work to do to create the sustainable model we laid out for ourselves last summer following our takeover. The fixtures will come as quick as ever leading up to the end of the calendar year, so it’ll be important for us to give ourselves some grace should we suffer the odd slip-up. Staying above the relegation places is not the most glorious goal to set for ourselves over this next month, but it certainly aligns with our most important goal for the entire season - which is League One survival. We’re also still alive in two cup competitions that could give the club a great financial boost should we continue to progress. We’ve experienced a lot of success since the start of the campaign, and should keep a positive mindset as we face new challenges over the coming months. We’ve been knocked down, have gotten back on our feet, and have continued to charge forward as a unit. I’m confident there’s no force on the horizon that can stop the momentum we’ve built. Up the Tics!

Red Ned:

Latics have picked up a bit of form these past few weeks, and it would be good to see them continue in that vein, with the run up to Christmas around the corner. Starting away at Orient this weekend, followed by a home game against Fleetwood, the FA Cup tie at York, and then Lincoln at home on December 9, it gives Latics an opportunity to continue that run and build form and confidence for the second half of the season. On another note, it was good to see Sam Tickle, Charlie Hughes and Martial Godo involved with the England youth set-up and recognition that, in the case of Tickle and Hughes at least, we are punching well above our weight at developing good young talent. Hopefully the new owners are keen to continue and build on that trend, going forwards. Looking at the Orient game this weekend, there should be a decent contingent of away fans, and it's always a good day out in London. Hopefully we can get a result down there and give the travelling support some cheer for the journey home. Up the Latics.

Charlie Keegan:

Football is finally back! Well… it’s been on for the international break, but I simply cannot get excited to watch England play. I did watch the Ireland Under-21s and England Under-20s games, though, and they were brilliant. Seeing our Young Latics take to the international stage - Hughes and Godo for the first time - was a very proud moment indeed. Especially as the commentators kept saying 'Godo from Wigan Athletic'...if only that was going to be true beyond this season! Our return to league football is going to be very difficult, however, as we take a trip to last season's League Two winners Leyton Orient. Don’t let their recent form kid you. They are a battling team capable of taking the very best teams all the way. Their 3-2 loss to Oxford could very easily have been a thrilling 3-3 draw, but for the woodwork to deny the comeback late on. Of the four teams to come up from League Two, Stevenage have no doubt been the stand-outs. Sitting in the play-offs, playing very good football, and potentially able to sit within the top three by the New Year. But there has to be a lot of credit given to Leyton Orient. One of the main aims when you get promoted is just to find a way of picking points up steadily during your first campaign. Richie Wellens’ side are doing this. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s steady. And steady wins the race (the race being for survival, again, nothing fancy!). Latics enjoyed a very good run inbetween the last two international breaks, and our target now is to pick up a similar form for the games up to the New Year (not that it’s a break, but it’s a run of 10 games before the FA Cup third round weekend, where we may or may not be). A win at Orient would put us ahead of them, before we host Fleetwood, who we triumphed in the EFL Trophy group stage game on penalties, and we sit a couple of points and places ahead of them at this stage. Lee Johnson has them clicking now, and we will need to be prepared for that battle. We can enjoy two cup games after the Cods, with an FA Cup tie at York City followed by a DW-based round of 32 clash in the EFL Trophy. A win in the Pizza Cup, sorry… the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, would drive Latics just three games away from a day out at Wembley. Imagine that...a season where we finish a respectable mid-table, a final at Wembley, and Academy players representing their countries...all in the one season. And, who knows where we could end up in the FA Cup! Ok, now let’s think short term. We don’t know the extent of the injuries to Sam Tickle and Liam Morrison that kept them out of both international games and sent home early. Who knows if they will be available for Orient? Could that rock the Latics? You would hope not. Ben Amos and Kell Watts would likely step in, and they played well against Tranmere in fairness. The Fans Forum is available on YouTube for you to watch if you haven’t already, and it was refreshing to hear progressive and stable ideas from the people running our football club. There are plenty of things to be positive about with Wigan Athletic at the moment, and that will only get better if we can come back from the break with a bang. Points on the board, Latics. That’s all that matters right now. Nothing fancy.

Ed Bazeley:

Following an international break which wasn’t exactly thrilling, it’s nice to see more club football back in our stadia and on our television screens this upcoming weekend. And my goodness, are there some cracking fixtures up and down the leagues this game week! Just for the record, I’m not usually one to be downbeat about international football, and I like Gareth Southgate a lot, but those Three Lions games on Friday and Monday were pretty boring. But of course, most importantly of all, on Saturday Wigan Athletic travel to Leyton Orient, who are 14th in the table, and winless in their last five league games. So not only would Latics be above Orient in the table if it wasn’t for our deduction, we are also in significantly better form than the O’s. However, that doesn't mean it will be an easy task by any means, as the ‘Tics’ last game against 23rd-placed Cheltenham appeared to be a straightforward task on paper, but turned out to be a stern test, which we came away from with just one point rather than all three, having taken an early lead. A Lancashire derby of sorts against Fleetwood next Tuesday at the DW looks much more appealing on paper given our recent record under the lights on home soil, having won recent Tuesday night fixtures against high-flyers Oxford and Peterborough. The fixtures then continue to come thick and fast with a trip to York next Friday for a hotly-anticipated FA Cup tie, which is exciting, but also a potential banana skin to navigate. Injuries to Sam Tickle and Liam Morrison during the international break are worrying for a Latics squad which is already quite thin. However, all season we have successfully navigated challenging hurdles and there’s nothing stopping the lads from doing that once more. Following the last international break, Latics came out the blocks, all guns blazing, and went on a terrific run of form. And although this may prove difficult to replicate, it is definitely not impossible. Lastly, I’d like to congratulate former Latics starman James McClean on a stellar international career with the Republic of Ireland, and wish him all the best in his retirement from international football. I was lucky enough to witness Macca playing for Ireland in the flesh one time while on holiday in Dublin, and he was such an exciting, passionate bundle of energy for his nation.