Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - 'It's time to believe again and come out fighting...'

Alan Rogers:

I've been away for a few weeks and would love to say it's great to be back, but it isn't. We went on a cruise and I took advantage of the relative isolation to cut myself off from social media, etc. I could have paid for the WiFi package on the ship, but convinced myself that the detox from Latics related buffoonery would do me good. The fact I'm too tight to pay the WiFi fee hasn't anything to do with it... It did backfire a bit, though, when it took two days to find the Blackpool result! Anyway, I returned to civilisation (?) to find that not much had changed. If anything, things seem to have got worse. The usual suspects are still calling for Shaun Maloney's head and are trying to drag more supporters onto their side. The dissidents seem to have been bolstered by information on Companies House in regard to how the Wigan sports clubs will be structured in the future. A small number of people somehow see this as the end of the world but, in reality, I don't think anyone really knows what it means. And this is a great example of the lack of communication at times from the top of the Latics tree. This could hopefully be explained quite easily, but the silence - as always - seems ominous to many.

Another area that continues to cause problems is the International break. Once again, we have postponements and many people are rightly unhappy. But one complaint in particular stopped me in my tracks. I read that a Wigan bar owner was complaining that once again the postponements were causing disruption. His main complaint was that it was hitting his bar takings on Saturday afternoons, when the games were called off. Various people pointed out that surely 'real' fans would be at the Brick and not in his bar? Surely, the only way it could hit his takings is if they were watching a dodgy stream? There was no real resolution to this strange complaint, only to suggest that if it was a serious grievance, then the bar owner must be silly. Or greedy. Or both.

Anyway, having brought myself fairly up to date with Latics-related news, I have to confess my self-imposed social media detox on holiday hadn't really worked. Ignoring Latics issues didn't make them go away! And also I got severely wound up on the cruise in other ways. Having a drink one night and at the next table were a group of elderly ladies, dripping in diamonds, complaining loudly. Apparently they were disgusted their Cold Weather Payments had been stopped because they could have used it to pay their ship bar bills! And they weren't joking. So many people on the ship had similar views on other subjects, and it only served to remind us that a lot of people, Latics fans included, will never, ever be happy. It must be exhausting to be angry all the time. And yes, we don't live in a perfect world, but maybe we need to take a deep breath at times before opening our mouths. And before anyone says it sounds like I never moan about anything, I was made to watch Aled Jones last week. Just think about that for a minute...Aled 'I'm walking in the air' Jones! I haven't slept properly since…

Caddy from the 5:

The first hurdle in the Tics' quest to regain our FA Cup was safely negotiated at Carlisle with a great victory... said no-one, ever! Even with 10 men, Carlisle looked the more comfortable and, without Sam Tickle being in great form yet again, they could very easily have won it. The game has gone and our 'reward' is a trip to Cambridge - settle down at the back, keep your excitement under control please - in round two...great. The interview Shaun Maloney gave after the game was far more concerning. Yet again, he looks downtrodden with what's going on above him, saying he doesn't know when we'll be challenging at the top end of the third tier again, and the budget has to be cut further. Let's harp back to June when the one-year anniversary of the takeover saw a letter released from the club saying we'd be challenging for promotion, and hopefully getting into the Championship and eventually the Premier League!! Five months later, and we've just let Josh Stones go back to Oldham on loan, leaving us with two centre forwards, both on loan from other teams. Surely we, the fans, deserve some comment from above on what they actually really want for this great club of ours, because you can hear it in Maloney's voice...and he’s surely had enough.

The ground being put into another holding company could be something and nothing, but the rumour mill just keeps going and going and getting more toxic by the day. I get Mr Danson isn't Dave Whelan and doesn't give interviews out for toffee but, as the owner of this club, he bought it, and he should let the fans know what is really going on. Back to the football, and this Saturday sees league leaders Wycombe - yes, Wycombe - visit the Brick, and gives the fans the chance to remember the fallen in conflict...a poignant game every year so, if you can, get yourself down to the game and raise a glass to our heroes. We, the fans, need to stick together among all this uncertainty, and concentrate on giving the lads on the field and the dug-out all our support. So come on Tics fans, it's time to believe again and come out fighting.

Matt Auffrey:

The magic of the FA Cup nearly evaded us at Carlisle last weekend. Despite having a man advantage for all but the first 14 minutes of the first half, we were undoubtedly second best for the entirety of the opening 45 minutes. The only positive takeaway at half-time was that Carlisle’s dominance was not reflected in the scoreline, as the home side did everything they wanted in our defensive third except put the ball in the back of the net. An improved second-half effort turned the tides to the point we were now the side most disappointed to not hold a lead at the end of a scoreless 90 minutes. The quality of our subs (in addition to Sam Tickle’s brilliant goalkeeping) ended up being the difference maker in extra-time, as we scored twice and secured victory. Our ‘reward’ for advancing to the next round of the competition is a date with a familiar opponent in Cambridge United and a return to Abbey Stadium, where we lost 2-0 less than three weeks ago. With dozens of exciting potential second-round cup draws awaiting us, we would watch every single enticing opponent and intriguing away day pass us by during Sunday evening’s broadcast. The fact our ball was the final one selected could be symbolic in many ways but, nonetheless, our fanbase was very disappointed with the outcome.

What may be more disappointing from this past weekend is the popular sentiment that a dark cloud still lingers over the club. Shaun Maloney has dropped several subtle statements through his post-match interviews that have acknowledged some of the major challenges he’s currently facing. After the Blackpool match, he noted how he bears the responsibility of helping to cut our significant financial losses. After the Carlisle match, he stated how important it is that we advance in the FA Cup, because he is unsure when we will compete for promotion again. This messaging is considerably different from what Maloney has communicated about our ambitions over the first few months of the season. It’s possible the pressure he’s feeling in multiple areas has started to compile over the past few weeks. I’d like to think Maloney and the board have been on the same page over the past year-and-a-half regarding short-term expectations and our long-term vision, but it’s possible a disconnect has emerged. Regardless of how this dynamic changes (for better or for worse), Maloney deserves our full support.

Winning our first home match since October 1 this Saturday would help lift everyone’s spirits. This weekend’s visitors, Wycombe, may present our toughest challenge of the season yet, as they have not lost a league match since August 17, and currently sit second in the league table. They’ve scored more goals than any other team in the division, and will certainly push us to perform our best in every aspect of the game. With another international break looming in mid-November, it would be great to break our string of topsy turvy results and enter the period off the back of our best league victory yet. We’ve proven we can get ourselves up for the ‘big’ fixtures - Brum away, Posh at home, Blackpool away - so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t expect to perform well on Saturday. We're a very capable side that just needs to develop more consistency. Let’s continue to stay behind the lads and give them the push they need to win.

Stephen Unsworth:

So, first up this week, I’ve got a question for Mr Maloney...have you noticed that when Jonny Smith plays, we produce more threat from the right side. A direct, goal-focused threat. More positive than we see with Dion Rankine. On a less negative note, seeing Jensen Weir and Maleace Asamoah was extremely good news. Not so good is throwing Luke Robinson in when he’s not match sharp ready. Nowhere near. The other obvious glaring gap. A 20-goals a year bloke, as Sharpey put it before famously signing William Grigg. A blind man on a galloping horse can see it. With there being a disconnect with the fans, I’ve plumped for how much football in general has drifted into the 'haves' and the 'have nots' in terms of fun and laughter. The early stages of the FA Cup showed how much better small non-league clubs community engagement really is. Where did we lose that with our club ? Whichever way Mr Danson has chosen to run his club, it would be helpful for fans to have a sense of ‘we’re involved’ . And I don’t mean our worthy super fans, I mean the ordinary ones. Only an operationally-focused CEO-type figurehead can link the two in my head. Anyway, enough of my drivel.

Sean Livesey:

Can you name many clubs that have roundly called for the manager's head after a (checks notes) 2-0 away win? Or another one where the manager's well-being is called into question in a show of concern...but was preceded by calling for said manager's head on a stick...by the very same commenter? Nah, me neither, but this is the good ship Wigan Athletic and, as with all things on the internet (it's always on the internet), a healthy dose of realism is required. Don't look at the pearl clutching reaction to only getting past 10-man Carlisle in extra time on the internet. Instead look at the reaction of those actually at Brunton Park chanting Shaun Maloney's name. So on to on-field matters...a win is a win, especially in the FA Cup. We've been undone enough times at this stage of the cup for us to realise we have no divine right to get through to the next round. Those mentioned at the top of this article may not remember such classics as 'Wigan Athletic 0-0 Solihull Moors' or 'AFC Fylde 1-1 Wigan Athletic' - and those came when we were flying at the top of the division! Compared to the, shall we say, lower-mid-table position we currently find ourselves in. Yes, the first half sounded horrific, and Latics struggled once again to convert the myriad of chances they created. But convert we did, and having a Wiganer, - not just a Wiganer, but a former Latics season ticket-holder - score one of the goals to reach the second round...well that's what the FA Cup is all about.

So our reward for that difficult afternoon in Carlisle is a trip to Cambridge. We've had an horrific record in Cambridge in recent years and, after the display there last month, I'm not sure anyone will be relishing a return trip to the Abbey. Especially when we were one ball away from travelling to Harrogate or Gainsborough. But it represents a decent chance to reach the third round for successive seasons, and potentially a money-spinning tie. Before that, we've one more league match before the next international break, and it's a big one. It's fair to say Wycombe are absolutely flying at the moment. Losing Gareth Ainsworth to Heavy Metal legends Machinehead hasn't dampened their progress. If anything, they're doing better than they were under Ainsworth (he's not really joined Machinehead, he's just unemployed). But Latics are desperate for a league win. The run after the September international break was excellent. We may not have won or scored as many as we should have, but it felt like there was real progress and, as a result, things were looking up. Unfortunately, two defeats and a last-minute equaliser by Blackpool turned all that progress on its head.

Talk about a daunting task facing Latics...the build-up to Saturday's match has again been clouded in confusion, rumour and conjecture over the future plans for the club tied in with the stadium. There isn't enough column space here to discuss that, but equally I know as much as the next man. And until Latics get a full-time CEO to take the pressure off Lucas Danson and Ben Goodburn - who have full-time jobs running companies elsewhere - these issues will continue to bubble under. We're now more than 18 months into the Mike Danson era. A lot of it I can get on board with...I'm desperate for Wigan Athletic to be alive for my children to continue to watch us. So if cost saving and sustainability is the name of the game, I'm fully on board with that. I recognise it's a necessary evil. Equally, I also understand the need to share both roles and facilities with the rugby. I'm on board with all of that, but it's increasingly difficult to try to defend that when there is no-one from the club available, or willing, to speak to us via the local press. A huge part of that is the need for a full-time CEO. The rugby club was bought from a position of power. We were a hollowed out shell with only Maloney and Gregor Rich in any sort of position of authority. For that still to be the case nearly 18 months later is neither fair on the supporters, nor Rioch and Maloney. Despite the well-documented dramatic elements of the support, most of the Latics fanbase will give a fair hearing if they're given the facts. But the silence helps no-one, and just allows rumours, half truths and falsehoods get out of control. Especially after the last four years we've had.