Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - 'We’re more than a football club, we’re a family...'

Martin Tarbuck:

Regular readers will be aware I can be way too soppy at times for a supposed grown man. So, when the choir of ES2 started singing 'Three Little Birds' at close to full time on Saturday, I found myself shedding a little tear. I even nearly joined in, and then I remembered I was in the West Stand. I only discovered later they’d nicked the song off Ajax fans at Aston Villa earlier in the week, but the sentiment was certainly well placed. It was a wonderful, spontaneous moment, an outpouring of relief after several years of turmoil. The credit of course, lies with Shaun Maloney and Gregor Rioch, along with Mike Danson, and also, Caroline Molineux and the Supporters Club for safely ushering the previous owners out of the club, before there was too much damage done and getting Mike Danson to take another look at us. That’s not to say there aren’t loads of unsung heroes both this time, and the last time, Wigan Athletic needed saving, there’s probably too many to mention. We had a brief chat with a beaming Maloney after the Blackpool game, and he described it best: 'We’re more than a football club, we’re a family'. Somehow it has lost its way a bit over the past few years, but Maloney has put back in place a culture where everyone is pulling in the same direction. Of course, it’s not going to be easy and things will often not go our way. We still have a very raw football team, in terms of experience, but those young players have delivered everything expected of them and more this year. I hate using the word 'assets' but they are an asset to the club, an asset to the town and, dirty as it is to talk about money, they are financial assets that we might one day soon have to sell, but ideally for the sort of money that will keep that production line ticking over. We are watching players develop in front of our very eyes. They have flaws and inconsistencies, good days and bad days, like all of us, but we also get to watch them grow into decent young footballers and more importantly, decent young men.

Let’s talk about Scott Smith then. I wasn’t au fait with the ins and outs of his ill-fated loan move to Torquay, but I’d have put money on him being sent out on loan again this year. I’d have maybe thought the same about Baba Adeeko as well. A year on loan at a League Two club, followed by a career drifting away into the non-leagues. I couldn’t have been more wrong, and I am glad to have been wrong. FYI: the permanently dissatisfied wing of Wigan Athletic internet detractors...that’s called admitting you got something wrong! You might want to try it one time, instead of refusing to acknowledge you over-reacted over something and simply moving on to your next target of outrage... I’m thinking Stephen Humphrys, Wigan Athletic Ladies team, Manchester United tickets, daily demands on contract updates, and that’s just recently. The world doesn’t need your instant hot takes on every single situation, the world would prefer it if you kindly kept silent, while you studiously gather all the facts and/or evaluate the various scenarios at play before formulating a measured response. Like it or not, players like Smith and Adeeko are our future. There will come a time, ideally not too soon, when we cash in on Charlie Hughes and Sam Tickle, maybe Thelo Aasgaard too. It is inevitable, but these lads will play for us as long as we want them to and, at this level, they are perfectly fine and love wearing the shirt. I’ve seen Adeeko take a bit of flak online this year, but there’s no way he was ever expected to play so many first team games at 20 years old. He has become a victim of circumstance, and indeed his own success. Two young lads thrown in the deep end and earning their badges as they go. I see comments about us being overrun in midfield, and us needing an experienced midfield general to run games. Basically, they are saying they want Tom Naylor back. But Tom Naylor was probably on four times the wages Smith and Adeeko are on. Maybe not now, but he was offered the security of a longer term deal at Chesterfield, closer to home. Again, he’s a human being, who just happens to play football for a living. And finding another midfield general, when we can’t sign players or pay too much in wages, when we still have so many bigger earners on the books, just hasn’t been feasible this year I’m afraid. Do the maths.

I understand the clamour to know what our future holds, and which players are going to be here next year. I’m not party to contract details, but we all have established the previous board dished out some very generous, high salaried contracts. It therefore isn’t difficult to conclude that, if - and that is a big if - there is a new contract on the table for the three big names I’d like us to keep (you can guess the three) then it may be as much as 50 per cent less than what they are earning currently. Now, if that was you in that position, what would you do? Would you immediately sign that contract and accept a 50 per cent reduction in pay? Or would you check the expiry date, file it as pending till the last possible minute, and get your agent to see if they can get you a better deal elsewhere? You'd probably feel a tad resentful too, especially if you continued to do a good job. I know I would. In that sense, they have been model pros. So the likes of Humphrys, Jason Kerr and Jordan Jones may end up staying, and I’d be delighted if they do. But if they don’t, life goes on, and I wish them good luck. Our football club will survive, within the parameters Mr Danson affords us. And again, moan all you like about this, but unless we get a) thousands more fans overnight; or b) season ticket prices quadruple and the same number don’t mind paying it, we aren’t going to bridge that gap. Of course, if Antonee Robinson moves on, or Hughes or Tickle, we will hopefully get a bumper pay off, to plough a bit back into the team, in wages, transfers or both. But as an accountant of 30-plus years, I am well aware of the folly of relying on one off revenue to plug a hole in ongoing costs. The exact problem we’ve had in the past few years has been high costs and low revenue, and God bless that man Gregor Rioch again, for keeping the next generation of talent away from the market traders at Begbies a few years ago, so that we have these lovely, saleable assets.

I always like to try and gauge the mood and temperature of the fanbase, as impossible as it may seem. Stuff like 'Three Little Birds', 'Ozone Bounce' (can’t see other clubs ripping that one off – GOOD!!) and singing the manager’s name (yeah okay, usually when we’re winning) seems to point at a content and settled fanbase, in real life at least. Around 50 of us, young and old, spent last weekend walking to the game, in aid of Joseph’s Goal, and I was really heartened by the consensus of opinions and general upbeat mood looking towards the future, even if that is in League One for a few years. Getting out and speaking to fans re-affirms the mood of the fanbase. I’m not alone on these pages for being guilty of perhaps giving too much airtime to, at best, a few dozen online miscreants, who spend their days continually complaining about boring football, telling all and sundry how much season tickets will drop next year, and generally propagating and revelling in doom and gloom at every turn amongst the fanbase, searching tirelessly for new things to get offended about. I’m afraid there is only one way to convince the owner this is a football club worth investing in, and that is to strengthen and grow our support, not walk away. Though in the time honoured tradition of 'Not coming again', I suspect many of those who threaten it, are just making the usual futile noise. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy in both directions. Club gets stable, club grows its support, and it grows its stature. If you’re walking away, then you can’t complain if the owners aren’t pumping money in. Don’t get me wrong, there’s lots I think the club can do, should do, and ideally will do to grow the club, once things settle down, but that’s for another day. As we see out the first mid-table season in a generation, it is time to show gratitude and look forward to future years. So for now, to paraphrase JFK, ask not what your football club can do for you, ask what you can do for your football club! PS we’ve had enough moaning and wild opinions already for a decade, let alone this season. Action trumps words into a cocked hat. Don’t worry, be happy…

Alan Rogers:

Hard to believe we've only got two Saturday home games left before the summer break...no idea where this season has gone! It's not quite the time to write an end of term report, but I thought I would take a quick look at the club overall rather than just concentrating on the on-field activities. Of course, the actual game is all some fans are concerned about - and that's fair enough. They pay their money to watch their team and then they go home and may not have the time or inclination to get involved again until the next game. But maybe this type of supporter is becoming rarer, as more supporters seem to be more interested and involved in other aspects of club life. I think this is perhaps more pronounced at Wigan than at most similar sized clubs, mainly because of what we've been through over recent years. The majority of our supporters were mobilised in order to save us from going under, and most of those fans remain committed to ensuring it doesn't happen again. This, however, can be a double-edged sword. A small number of people now seem to think they can comment on all aspects of club life - much of which they have no knowledge of. But apart from that, there are many positive aspects of the club we should be rightly proud of. In addition to the current first team, there are several amazing reasons to be optimistic for the future, and I think last weekend helped to prove what I’m trying to say. The club and some of its partners have started building for the future, and the off-field activities have blossomed. A lot of this was on display last weekend. The Community Trust goes from strength to strength and, even though the weather was unkind before the game, the participants worked hard to make sure everyone had a great time - and they also raised some much-needed funds. On the same day, we were privileged to see the Joseph's Goal walkers reach the end of yet another fundraising event. A great bunch of people, supporting a wonderful cause, and the club continues to help them by once again allowing a charity match in the stadium at the end of the season. A more recent innovation has been the introduction of the Past Players Association. And it's been fascinating to hear again from former players. One of the more famous, Roberto Martinez, spoke in the South Stand Bar a few weeks ago, but it's also important we remember and honour the older, perhaps less well-known players as well. We recently heard from Graham Higson - a former player from the 1960s - who told some great stories, mentioned that after working all day, he would take two buses, then walk to the ground for training, and the same again for match days. We need to remember that, without the likes of Graham and his team-mates, there may not be a club to support today. They were only paid a pittance, and quite often the wages were late, but they were different times I suppose. And now - to be sure that we never forget those times - we have the new Heritage Project, another new innovation involving people giving up their time to make sure our history is fully recorded. The Heritage Project is supported by the Supporters Club, who also continue to do an amazing amount of unpaid, volunteer work for the club. In addition to arranging away travel and providing pre-match entertainment on match days, they have also introduced weekly quiz nights and a race night to raise funds for the Brick, the Community Trust and also the Academy. Also on matchdays we have the popular Family Zone in the East Stand. Finally, a great example of several groups working together was shown on Saturday when former players, current players, management team members and several volunteers came together with fans to raise some money for one of our icons, Alex Cribley. A fantastic amount of £3,500 was raised in an auction in Whelans bar after the game. After listing all of that, I suppose the more cynical onlooker may still ask: 'Well that's all fair enough, a lot of people are giving their time for free, but what are our owners doing?' Well, apart from saving the club and supporting a lot of the activities I've listed, there was another big announcement recently. The club released details of a new ladies team. Initially, this was met with a small amount of negative criticism, but once people understood what was really happening, there has been widespread support and praise for the new venture. I'm sorry if I've missed some things out - I'm sure I have - but I just wanted to point out this club is much more than just the 11 players on the pitch. Of course it all begins there, and is centred around the game. But this club means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. So, after a great performance last week that secured our place in League One next year, I just wanted to point out we hopefully have a lot to look forward to - both on and off the pitch - in the immediate future. We spend most weeks - and rightly so - talking about the games. But there's a lot more to Wigan Athletic than that. Onwards and upwards!

Matt Auffrey:

We’ve reached our fourth and final international break of the season, and there should be no denying we’ve entered this current recess on the best terms possible after the events of last Saturday. The lads triumphantly defeated a playoff-chasing Blackpool side 1-0 in front of our largest League One home crowd of the season. As a result, we finally hit the coveted ‘50 point’ mark, and are whiskers away from mathematically solidifying our place in League One for the 24/25 season. Between the Joseph’s Goal walkers completing their multi-day trek before the match and the fundraising event for ex-Latics player Alex Cribley after the match, the people and the actions that make our club truly one-of-a-kind were on full display over the weekend. On the pitch, the star of the show was none other than Wiganer and Latics Academy graduate Scott Smith, who could not have picked a better day to score his first senior goal for the club. His man-of-the-match performance played a massive role in securing a three-point return. It has been well documented how critical our Academy has been in keeping the club afloat over the past several years. The Academy has served as a cornerstone of our club’s foundation and identity for some time. Its impact will need to continue to expand if we want our long-term upward trajectory to progress on its current path. Having a born and bred Wiganer playing a major role in that journey should not only serve as a great source of pride for the club and local community, but an assurance that people who ‘get’ the club are at the heart of its rebuild. Scott Smith represents one of many reasons to be excited for our future. We’ll return from the international break with three consecutive matches against teams who currently fill the bottom six places of the league table. Not one of those opponents - Burton, Cambridge, and Port Vale - have won a single match during the month of March. There will be a grand opportunity to hit the ground running when play resumes. The pressure will be turned down a notch, but there should be no expectation for our performances to drop. In the meantime, this very moment represents a great time for all of us to take a collective sigh of relief and appreciate the headway we’ve made since the start of the new year. Let’s refresh, recharge, and do whatever else is needed to make the final month of the season our most successful yet.

Red Ned:

It was a solid performance and win against Blackpool at the weekend. Latics dominated and controlled possession superbly in the first half, and it was great to see Wiganer Scott Smith score his first goal in professional football to earn the three points. The second half saw Latics have to dig in and a determined defensive display saw us home. Hopefully that win will see us safe now and plans can be made for next season in terms of budgets, contracts and new signings. Hopefully positive news will come from Shaun Maloney's meeting with the owner and a steady and sensible path of progression will be forthcoming. Aside from the match on Saturday, last week saw the annual Walk4Joseph take place in aid of the Joseph's Goal charity. It was my first time doing it and it was a fantastic experience that I'll be keen to repeat in the future. It was a long but enjoyable slog from Blackpool to Wigan over the two days, but the company was good and the craic was also good - especially over a few pints and food in Bamber Bridge on the Friday! At the latest count more than 20k has been raised, so well done to everyone on the walk, and also to those who kindly donated. The event is a great example of what supporting your local club is about - community and friendship. Long may it continue. Up the Latics!

Ed Bazeley:

As sung by the East Stand on Saturday: 'Don’t worry about a thing, cus every little thing gonna be alright...' Wigan Athletic started the season on minus eight points as we all know, and that was always going to be a major test, but it’s a test which ultimately everyone involved has passed with flying colours. To have safety secured with seven games to spare, with a top-half finish looking very achievable, is a fantastic success already. Regardless of what happens between now and the end of the season, as Latics fans we should be incredibly proud of what this club has achieved at the start of the season with a youthful squad under the constraints of an eight-point handicap and a transfer embargo. The young lads from the Academy, many of whom have shone in the first team this campaign are a credit to the club, and the local lads from the set-up are a credit to the town of Wigan too. What a moment for Scott Smith on Saturday, scoring his first goal in senior football for his hometown club in a 1-0 win over Lancashire rivals Blackpool. The fact Latics have come away with three wins and one loss from our encounters with Bolton and Blackpool this season demonstrates the squad’s character to produce the goods in the games which matter most to the fans. Shaun Maloney has conducted himself and his team superbly all campaign long, and long may it continue! The links to Watford that Maloney has had over the last few days are testament to his excellent ability as a manager, and his attractive playing style. But I don’t think we should be overly worried about him joining the Hornets, as they’re not a great employer to say the least. The international break has once again been a proud moment, as we can enjoy watching how the likes of Thelo Aasgaard and Baba Adeeko fare for the Norway and Ireland Under-21 sides respectively. Although Martial Godo and Luke Chambers are on loan, it is fantastic to see so many Wigan players in England set-ups too, including Sam Tickle and Charlie Hughes. Of course, the downside of the international break and being a side like Latics who are lucky enough to have so many talented players from a variety of nations is, despite being in League One, we still see games postponed. Thankfully this time it is an away game with Charlton which has been rescheduled on this occasion, so the club will not miss out on a Saturday home gate receipt as seen in other international breaks. With the increasing quality of League One, and the international players that come with that, the EFL should introduce a league-wide international break for the third tier, the like of which works for the Championship. Only three fixtures out of an originally scheduled full programme are going ahead in League One this weekend, which says enough really. Consequently our next game is now on Good Friday, and Easter Weekend is such an exciting one for football fans isn’t it? See you soon, Tics!

Tony Moon:

That’s it, job done, got t’ points on t’ board. (Though some will no doubt say THEY’RE bored). In virtual 10th, seven games to go, 58 points won, it’s not a bad show. Of course, some say they’re still not happy, the play’s too slow, the football’s crappy. Some are never content wi’ what they’ve got, some wouldn’t be happy wi’ a play-off spot. They’ll say “We’ve won this league before, wi’ football that didn’t mek yer snore”. You have to laugh as some still shout “that’s rubbish Wiggin, Maloney out”. So while the young players develop their craft, we have to accept … some fans are daft…

Sean Livesey:

50 points, not the old school 40 points of Premier League yesteryear but 50. That's what Shaun Maloney had pinpointed as the target for remaining in League One, in this most unique of seasons. In recent weeks, certainly since the turn of the year, we've made huge strides in that direction with some really important wins against sides both at the top and bottom of the division. We've had a number of losses as well, but any well thinking individual would realise that is a consequence of a young side. Many of those playing their first season of senior football. The loss to Wycombe last Tuesday was disappointing, not just because of the loss but because of the sheer dominance the lads had had at Adams Park. To come away with nothing must have hurt but, if we've been good at one thing this season, it's been bouncing back. Could we do it against play-off chasing Blackpool? You could say it was written in the stars because, if anyone sums up our new journey or rather new purpose as a football club, it's players like Scott Smith. Not only a Wiganer but a Latics fan to boot, we've not had many of those over the years. Smith, formerly of my old stomping ground of Hawkley Hall High, was farmed out to Torquay on loan during the latter days of Leam Richardson's time as manager. He came back after an unsuccessful loan period and asked Maloney if he could train with the first team. To say Smith has proven himself is an understatement. He's been a consistent player this year and, alongside the likes of Baba Adeeko and Charlie Hughes, he's a flag bearer for that Academy that has delivered so much to the club over the last few years. For him to score the winner, in a Lancashire derby that virtually secures another season of League One football for the club is the stuff of fairytales. Latics looked the part against Blackpool, incisive passing and quick attacking play was clear for all to see, and maybe just maybe we're starting to see the side grow in confidence. It's been said a thousand times but needs repeating...Shaun Maloney, Graham Barrow, Gregor Rioch, Stephen Crainey, Max Rogers, the board and everyone else involved in the club from top to bottom have worked wonders this season. To have earned 58 points in the middle of March (eight taken away by the EFL) with a side made up of free transfers, Academy graduates and players we couldn't move on is an unbelievable achievement. Planning in earnest for next season should begin now and, with news of Mike Danson's meeting with Maloney over the international break, we should get to learn more about what next season will look like very soon.