Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - 'This isn’t me being critical for critical sake, it’s more a plea to take a look at what we can do...'

Matt Auffrey:

We’ve just completed an unbeaten November, which marks the first month of the season where we have not lost a match across all competitions. Considering four of our six matches in the month were away from the DW, and one of our two home matches featured an in-form top-six opponent (Petersborough), this accomplishment should certainly hold some value. Our most recent result, a 3-0 drubbing of Fleetwood at the DW, should be recognized as one of our most well-rounded performances of the season. What makes the result even more impressive is the wealth of talent that wasn’t even in the matchday squad due to injury issues. Charlie Wyke, Thelo Aasgaard, Jason Kerr, Steven Sessegnon, Matt Smith and Liam Morrison are among the stand-outs who missed our midweek fixture, and it’s possible we might not see many of them return until after the New Year. Yet, some notable absences did not stop us from producing some brilliant passages of football - especially in the first half, when the game was still 11 versus 11. From the first kick of the ball, only one team was ever going to win - which is a great testament to how well Shaun Maloney prepared the lads to execute the game plan. We’ve now risen to a season’s-best 14th in the league table, and have plenty of momentum going into Friday’s FA Cup tie at York. Our first non-league opponent of the season has only lost once in their past seven fixtures, and should have no shortage of motivation to dig deep and pull off an upset over a much bigger club. They also will have the benefit of extra rest as they did not play a midweek fixture like Latics. However, Maloney will certainly put out a strong side, as he’s made it no secret how important it is for us to progress in this competition. With Nick Powell and Stockport County visiting the DW next Wednesday for the next round of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, the stakes will continue to be elevated as that competition represents our best chance at a trip to Wembley in the Spring. We’ll have eight fixtures on the calendar between December 1 and New Year’s Day. Winning five or six of those matches would result in a phenomenal end to a tumultuous calendar year. We weathered an early storm in September and October, and have since played much more consistently, despite an ever-changing starting XI. It’s clear the players are getting more comfortable in Maloney’s system, which should only allow for an upturn in form as the individual quality in the squad has always been obvious. Every fixture going forward will be tough in its own unique way, no matter the competition, the location, or the opponent. We should have plenty of confidence the lads will keep producing winning results. Let’s keep our foot on the pedal and stretch this unbeaten run well into the month ahead.

Alan Rogers:

Twelve months ago we had a glimpse of what proved to be a false dawn, the announcement of the appointment of Kolo Toure as Latics manager. To be fair, it probably didn’t get the reaction the board hoped for...mostly a mixture of shrugged shoulders and 'who'? What was surprising, however, was Kolo didn’t even get a single mention in any of the conversations I had in and around the ground on Tuesday evening. In fact, the biggest talking point was the proposed Richard Ashcroft concert...but more of that later. I genuinely thought one or two people would say something along the lines of 'can’t believe it’s only 12 months since yon mon was put in charge'. But no. It’s almost as if he’s been airbrushed from our minds...and perhaps that’s not a bad thing. I’m all for bygones being bygones and moving on into the future, but not everyone is like that. However, most people seem to be singing from the same sheet on this issue. We definitely aren’t seeing any nostalgic social media posts about Mr. Toure! Almost the opposite in fact, especially after the result on Tuesday. In fact, everything in the garden should be rosy but, Latics being Latics, that can never really be said out loud! The weird problem seems to be, despite a great run of results, there are still one or two people who think it still isn’t good enough. I’m becoming more convinced these 'people' are planted there solely to keep us on our toes and on the defensive. Maybe that’s not a bad thing. Anyway we don’t need to rehash the old arguments...new team, new management team, new board, minus points, transfer embargo, etc, etc. But occasionally we need to remind ourselves - and others - just how much progress we have made. Yes, we should have won on Saturday, but in the end we probably didn’t deserve it, and an away point should always be accepted. But I think it was the game on Tuesday that we need to look at to remind ourselves just how far we have come in the last 12 months. I looked at my watch and couldn’t believe it was almost half time, that’s how entertaining the first half was. The second half dipped a little, but was still great to watch. I’m not going to pick out individuals, but there were some amazing performances. Even the ref played his part for once, denying us a straight red for a player being the last man, only to send another off for diving in the box! The camaraderie and teamwork between the players and staff was once again there for all to see, especially at the end of the game when they all came together. I could, if I really tried, find one or two small negative things to say this week but, after the great performance against Fleetwood, let’s stay positive and continue to move forward. However, I did say at the beginning that quite a few people were talking before the game about the proposed Ashcroft concert. I have to say up front that I’m not a Verve fan, so I won’t be fighting for a ticket, but one or two people were quite excited. But several people had questions about the background to the concert. I guess the biggest question was who will run the show or, in layman’s terms, who stands to make the most money? Taking Ashcroft out of the equation, who actually owns the ground...the Council or the Warriors? Or maybe a joint venture? I guess this is an important point because, if the Warriors have any say in these financial decisions, this will surely have some effect on the Latics? Because of course we are all friends together in this brave new Danson world? In fact, this could prove to be a fantastic cash stream in years to come. We can’t have concerts in the DW because the stadium is in use year-round so, if Robin Park can be adapted for concert use, maybe this could be a winner for all concerned. Sounds good on paper, but the cynic in me somehow thinks this won’t be the case. I’m sure everything will become crystal clear in weeks to come. Anyway, the Latics have a chance to make some extra money on Friday if they advance past York in the FA Cup. Back on prime time terrestrial television against a lower league team...what could possibly go wrong?

Red Ned:

A steady week for the Latics, who gained a valuable point at Orient with a solid if unspectacular performance. The front four are as good as anything in the division and, in the past few weeks, we seem to have added a bit of consistency and cohesion to the squad after an iffy spell. A good day was had by all down in Leyton at the weekend, with plenty of old and familiar faces in attendance. The dourness of the game was only matched by the performance of a certain railway company on the way home, with all but one train back to God's country cancelled. However, all returned home safe and sound, a bit like the point the team earned on the pitch. The midweek win pushes us that ever bit closer to mid-table safety and, if we carry on in the same vein over the Christmas period, we should be looking at securing our League One spot for next season by Winter's end. Fleetwood were brushed aside comfortably, and Shaun Maloney has certainly got the team playing with a bit of belief, and using the squad very effectively. FA Cup action this weekend, and here's hoping for a place in the third-round draw, and all the travelling fans have a safe and enjoyable trip. Up the Latics.

Ed Bazeley:

Latics were good value for a 3-0 victory over Fleetwood and, while we could have scored more, all three goals were taken very well. The first coming early on as Jordan Jones and Tom Pearce capitalised on the space allowed to the former, as the left-back played a good, lobbed pass over the top to the winger, who duly obliged and put the Tics ahead, although he still had a lot to do. The composure shown by Jones here is yet another example of how the Northern Ireland international has come on leaps and bounds during Shaun Maloney’s tenure, and looks like a very good player indeed, having not made the grade under Leam Richardson. Another player who has established a lethal touch under Maloney (from open play more so than from the penalty spot) is Stephen Humphrys, who was instrumental to Latics’ second goal of the night, beating his man and fizzing the ball across to Sean Clare, who bagged his first goal in Wigan colours. Then, of course, Pearce’s free-kick to make absolutely sure of the three points was absolutely superb. The lads were excellent going forwards but were fairly careless in possession, playing out from the back on a couple of occasions. Although it was a great win, it is as important to stay level-headed after a victory as it is after a defeat, so Latics must not get ahead of themselves here, and to me it is pretty blatant that, against more clinical opposition, we would have been punished in the instances we gave possession away high up the pitch. All in all, though, there is no shame in being the work in progress we are given the circumstances and backdrop Maloney has had to work with, so we should be very proud of what the team have produced so far this campaign. It is very refreshing to see Latics have such direct attacking intent through talented ball players such as Humphrys and Martial Godo in particular. Latics’ upcoming cup fixtures could prove to be tough, as York will be keen to cause an FA Cup upset in front of the BBC TV cameras on Friday night, while Stockport will be tough opposition in the EFL Trophy next Wednesday. Prior to Saturday's defeat at the hands of Newport County, the Hatters had gone on an impressive winning streak of 12 games in a row, a joint EFL record shared with Luton...also known as the Hatters!

Tony Moon:

Well I don’t know why I went there t’ other night, It was a bitter cold late November night. I was scared in case I slipped on some ice, and I wondered if it was worth the price. Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here we are, stuck in the middle o’ t’ league. Yes we’re stuck in the middle o’ t’ table, and we’re looking much more solid and stable. It’s so hard to keep this smile from my face, Losing control, yeah, I’m all over the place. Moaners to the left of me, whingers to the right, yet here we are, just below halfway in t’ league. Well we started off on minus eight and no-one gave us a cat in hell. And now we’re up in virtual ninth, wi a team that’s full o’ kids and it’s swee-ee-eet, swee-ee-eet. Trying to make some sense of it all, but I see it makes no sense at all. Is it cool to think we’ve got half a chance, of making t’ play offs (I’m just full of romance). Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, yet here we are stuck in the middle o’ t’ league.

Sean Livesey:

If you win your home games and pick up points away you won’t be far off, and that’s exactly what Shaun Maloney’s side are doing right now. There’s a consistency to our approach now that wasn’t there earlier in the season. Naturally for a side thrown together at haste with Academy graduates, free transfers and cast-offs, it was going to take a while. But to be in the latter stages of two cup competitions, have a record of one defeat in eight and be sitting pretty in mid-table (eighth without the points deduction), then you’ve a heart of stone if you can’t find some happiness in that. But the boo boys were out in force at Leyton Orient. They’re not worth debating but, if your idea of fun is to travel half the length of the country, boo your leading goalscorer and call your manager not fit to burn, then more power to your elbow. Saturday was disappointing, especially after how we started, but I think people are forgetting who we’re missing from this side at the moment...Aasgaard, Smith x 2, Morrison, Sessegnon, Kerr, even arguably Wyke. To still pick up a point in London, after missing a penalty and being second best for much of the game, was a good result for me. We were much more like our usual selves against Fleetwood. We looked clinical and we looked composed without ever really getting out of second gear. Yes, Fleetwood were poor and we were helped by the sending off, but it was a dominant and important performance. We have a consistency to our play we maybe didn’t have earlier in the season. Things are definitely looking up on the pitch. Off the pitch, we’ve work to do. There’s been a lot of controversy this week surrounding the ticket prices for Boxing Day, and it would be remiss of me to mention it. Obviously £30 is too high for League One football. Our crowds have been negatively impacted by numerous factors this season and, although price is an important part of it, it isn’t the overriding issue. I think last season and the fall-out from the dramatic plunge of Phoenix 21 has caused more issues than we first realised. So many people in good faith bought season tickets when they first went on sale in March, and we were promised the earth by the chairman. None of those promises came to fruition, and many supporters cancelled their season tickets as we lurched from crisis to crisis. It won’t come as a surprise that many of those won’t have renewed again once the ownership situation settled down. We know Mike Danson will have the best intentions for both sporting clubs from his town, but we’ve been scarred badly now by consequent poor ownership, and it’s not a shock to see people vote with their feet on that score in the hope of not being burnt again. Throw into the mix a huge number of Saturday home matches being postponed due to international breaks, and the subsequent rearranged matches on Tuesday nights in the winter (when you can stream the match at home) not attracting anywhere near the amount we would have if the match had been played in its original Saturday slot. Add to that an ongoing cost of living crisis, where working class populations like Wigan have been squeezed to their limit, and it’s no surprise to see our gates are so poor. £30 tickets will sadly just exacerbate the problems. Now to defend the owners. We’re on record as the quickest takeover ever completed by an EFL club due to our impending liquidation last summer. Danson and Ben Goodburn will still be getting to grips with the club, and I think the prices have been copied over from last season’s categories. £20 for C, £25 for B, £30 for A, etc, etc. Yes they are far too high and the club needs to look at it for next season. As well, we’ve had to seismic shifts to the club’s administration services in the last three years, and it seems to be a well known rumour the club lost access to its whole database in the midst of administration. That’s tens of thousands of people - that you can directly advertise your services/matches to - gone and needing to be rebuilt. All of these things take time, and I’m willing to give the club the benefit of the doubt, and hope pricing structures can be looked at in the future. Our season tickets are some of the most competitive in the 92, but we’re never going to bring back those fairweather fans at £30 a ticket. We know the limits of the DW, we know we won’t regularly have full houses, but even an extra few hundred on the gate could have a positive impact on the pitch. On the other side, many will say we need higher ticket prices to move to the sustainable model the club has spoken about, which is a valid point of view. But we’ll never hook the next generation to keep the club alive, let alone sustainable, if they’re priced out. This isn’t me being critical of the club for critical sake, it’s more a plea to take a look at what we can do. It won’t be easy - be it Dave Whelan, IEC or Phoenix, we’ve struggled to generate sufficient numbers whatever the cost. But there must be a way. And I’m sure Goodburn and Co will be looking at what can be done, because this young side we have deserves the support.