Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - ‘We've gone through too much to abandon ship after just a few big swells. Calmer waters await...’

Matt Auffrey:

A lot can change over the course of one month in football. When we entered our first international break of the season in early September, we had just suffered our first two losses of the new campaign against Barnsley and Blackpool. We were champing at the bit to get back on the pitch and find our form again against ‘lesser’ opposition. We are now entering our second international break off the backs of four consecutive league defeats, and find ourselves in a much more dire position. There have been some crucial components missing from our performances over this recent stretch of matches such as leadership and discipline - not to mention defensive organisation, midfield cohesion, and confidence in the final third of the pitch. Luckily, our midweek EFL Trophy fixture against Fleetwood provided a nice distraction from our recent woes, and allowed us to experience the taste of victory for the first time in three weeks. It didn’t come easy. We witnessed a dreadful first half, and were let down by a 93rd-minute equaliser after scoring three emphatic goals to take a late lead. Yet even a penalty shoot-out victory deserves to be celebrated to some extent, and we have been long overdue to celebrate anything after being on the wrong side of many recent results. We’ve now all but qualified for the next round of the competition - even with one group stage fixture remaining - and it has become abundantly clear why Shaun Maloney has prioritised our success in this competition more so than other managers from past seasons. We are light years away from realistically thinking about promotion for this season, yet alone the play-offs. Even the mid-table finish we thought would be well within our grasp at the start of the season seems like a pipe dream at this point in time. With survival being our out-and-out league goal from this point forward, an EFL Trophy run marks our best chance of sustained success within an individual competition this season. There's no reason why we shouldn't go all-out to obtain another piece of hardware. It would be a great achievement for our young squad. However, one good result in a less-than-prestigious cup competition should not take the attention away from our abysmal league form. But a break from competition should also signify a break from angst and worry. Let's all take some time to clear our heads and generate some optimism for the next stretch ahead. Maloney will still be the man in charge, the squad is set in place for the next few months, and we all will continue to tune into the matches regardless of whether we're happy with the product on the pitch or not. The season is still young, and I'm confident our fortune will change for the better soon. We've gone through too much to abandon ship after just a few big swells. Calmer waters await.

Alan Rogers:

Sometimes it’s the small things in life that make you happy. When Tom Pearce smashed the ball into the net in the 87th minute on Tuesday night, that really made me happy. Of course it didn’t last...Latics being Latics, it never does! But eventually we won anyway, and the memories of a torrid first half were somehow smoothed away by a fighting comeback in the second 45 minutes. But what also made me happy in the 87th minute was the fact I’m sure I could faintly hear laptop lids being smashed down and phones being tossed aside. Now that would be understandable if we were living in Fleetwood, but strangely enough it also seemed to upset one or two Latics 'fans' when we went ahead. The social media noise has been steadily increasing over the last few weeks - most of it quite rational and reasonable - but some of the comments have been a little more edgy. Fair enough, even to the most biased 'West Stand Happy Clapper' (apparently that’s a thing now), the last few weeks have been disappointing to say the least, and absolutely terrible if we are honest. And the first 45 minutes on Tuesday night...well, I don’t think diabolical does it justice. As I just mentioned, one or two people on social media have decided over recent days that Shaun Maloney isn’t the man for the job and that players X, Y and Z (and others) aren’t good enough (yes, I’ve used the editor's 'edit' button to tone down the actual comments, for several reasons, but mainly because most of them were ridiculous). Tuesday night was no different...the longer the first half went on, the irate comments became an all-out assault, with some people seeming to be lashing out in all directions. Of course no-one was happy - how could they be? - but some people really went over the top. Then a strange thing happened. With each goal in the second half, the abuse lessened until, in the 87th minute, it ceased abruptly. The silence was deafening.

Now please bear with me while I run through this next bit...I really think it’s relevant. Over the last few days, I’ve been reading reviews of a new book ('Nowhere to Run') by Jonathan Sayer, an actor who, even before Ryan and Rob arrived in Wrexham, took control of a football club...but at a lower level. Jonathan supported his local team - Ashton United - and when they hit financial trouble in 2019, decided to try to stop them going out of business. To cut a long story short, he and his father bought the club just before it went bust. Then they discovered how bad things really were, and for a while they struggled to make ends meet. However, the reaction from supporters made it worthwhile. They were thrilled Jonathan had saved their club. He acknowledged that, without a large group of unpaid volunteers, the venture would have been impossible. In the early days, they were all filled with hope and enthusiasm but, after a few weeks of the new season, it all began to change. Results didn’t go well and, although most people realised they were rebuilding from the ground upwards, a small group of 'fans' decided it wasn’t good enough. They started by abusing the volunteers, and then turned on the manager, players and Jonathan himself. After a couple of particularly bad losses he even had to hide in the car park to escape some of the 'fans'. He seriously considered packing it all in. However, he was persuaded by the majority of supporters to carry on, and thankfully things did slowly improve. And they are in a much better place today.

I just wanted to highlight this story to point out that the situation at Wigan is not unique. We will always have different points of view, and that is how it should be. A section of people at Ashton United obviously felt they had some kind of problem with the new owner, but a much larger group stuck by him, and they now seem to be on a firmer footing. And I thought that was all we all initially wanted for the Latics in the short term. We wanted to put the last few years behind us, and get on a firmer footing with a view to longer-term stability. But some people seem to have a different agenda and are putting their points forward, sometimes in a vicious manner. No-one can say things have been going well on the pitch in recent weeks, and no-one should be immune from criticism. Thankfully the majority seem to put forward constructive criticism, but that doesn’t seem to satisfy a small number of people. Football is a results-based game but, at this moment in time, I would say Wigan is in a somewhat unique position, given our recent history. It may even get worse before it gets better, but the last thing we need is to turn on ourselves. We need to stick together and focus our rage and anger on the officials! I warned last week they weren’t fit for purpose and, after last Saturday at Stevenage, I’m sure many won’t disagree with me. I’m getting fed up writing about online abuse and incompetent officials, and I’m sure you are fed up with reading it. It’s boring. Hopefully that’s the last you’ll hear of it from me.

George Weah's Cousin:

We’ve had a split in the fanbase over almost every manager, even for the successful ones. Paul Jewell was the only one everyone seemed to be behind for almost his entire tenure. Sgaun Maloney could top the lot...managed to split us within 10 (meaningful) games. Can’t argue with anyone who thinks the last month or so has been rubbish both in terms of results and performances, it’s been dire. But I do think so many are forgetting we slashed the wage bill by 300 per cent in summer and are trying to run as a club in a totally different way. That doesn’t mean results don’t matter, and it doesn’t mean Maloney just gets a free pass, but having seen the likes of Nathan Jones and John Eustace mentioned as replacements, I’m convinced some folk still haven’t a clue what happened earlier this year. Say you sack Maloney now, you’ve got a club who’s gone through three managers in less than a year. A transfer embargo still remaining until next summer, and a stripped back vision for the future investment wise. The suggestions of managers like that are absolutely mental.

George Chilvers:

I had resolved to try to comment on Saturday's match without criticising or even mentioning the ref; but that would have resembled Len Shackleton's famous chapter entitled 'The Average Director's Knowledge of Football' in his autobiography. If you are far too young to understand that reference, you can google it. The problem with Saturday's result is that we can never know how competitive the game could have been. The way we are playing at the moment, with little confidence and an over-cautious approach, means we could have lost anyway. Or maybe we could have pulled ourselves together and got a much-needed and inspirational corner-turning win. But we will never know. Because the referee who, it must be mentioned if you are a conspiracy theorist (and aren't we all), seemingly happens to be CEO of the Bedfordshire FA - the county right next to Stevenage's Hertfordshire. Now you may not believe this, but I am actually a bit older than my youthful looks portray, and I have watched football for a very long time, from Champions League finals to Sunday league games in a park. And I genuinely think that was the most inept performance by any referee I have ever seen. I have seen some terrible performances, some quite blatantly biased (and yes Old Trafford and Anfield, we are looking at you) but this was purely inept. In the vernacular, he bottled it and lost the plot. And for a referee, once that happens and he starts issuing cards wildly, the spiral is ever downwards. The result was our players had to play it carefully (and of course Callum Lang didn't), being careful making challenges in defence, and not going full on in attacking positions, and so we never really got going. Now we might not have done that anyway. But the referee spoiled the game as a spectacle. I hope we never see him on a football pitch again. Sadly, I'll bet we do. Ah well, a rest this weekend and then off to Exeter for some the week after. I'm getting my footy fix that weekend even further away than Devon, but that's a tale for another day.

Ed Bazeley:

Saturday’s events inflicted yet another defeat upon a Latics side who have now suffered four straight defeats in League One. The circumstances of that defeat were very disappointing as a fan. The match-winning penalty awarded to Stevenage seemed soft at best. Although regardless of questionable refereeing, Latics have a serious discipline issue. Simply far too many players have already been booked this season on several occasions. Make what you will of the refereeing, but to have received 11 bookings as a team on Saturday, including captain Callum Lang’s second yellow - all while talisman Charlie Wyke is currently suspended - is pretty ridiculous. However, Fleetwood’s visit to the DW on Tuesday presented an opportunity for Latics to find some well-needed respite from their recent league woes. But the first-half performance and half-time scoreline made it seem as though the EFL Trophy was a mere addition to our struggles. But in the face of a two-goal setback, Latics found that little something from somewhere and produced a second-half performance full of that grit and determination which we have been accustomed to seeing from the club in recent League One campaigns. We weren’t done there, though, in terms of showing great mentality for the first time in a short while. Having completed what seemed certain to be a comeback victory, we allowed Fleetwood to claw themselves back into the game and find an equaliser. This turned out to be just another hurdle for us to jump over, as the lads once again had that bit of steel about them and prevailed in a dramatic penalty shoot-out. Despite this triumph, the international break has come at a welcome time for Shaun Maloney and his players, who really need to go back to the drawing board and find the formula which was present during that impressive run of early-season form. I’d welcome a couple of changes to the league squad following the two EFL Trophy wins. Jordan Jones who, of course, hasn’t always had the rub of the green since signing for the club in 2021, has looked very dangerous on his two run-outs, and is arguably more than deserving of being given a chance to show what impact he could make in the league. Josh Stones has also looked like a dangerous player in that competition. His finish on Tuesday had the maturity of a first-team striker. I look forward to the return of Latics next weekend but, for now, let’s hope Wigan lad Owen Farrell can produce the goods for the England Rugby Union side in the World Cup quarter finals. I wouldn’t want to bet against his dad’s Ireland side beating the All Blacks either!

Sean Livesey:

Hurrah! We've won a match, well kind of. Who would have thought the EFL Trophy (nee Pizza Cup, Paint Trophy, Auto Windscreens Shield...we won it 2 times) would bookend the most difficult period in Shaun Maloney's tenure like it has? The thumping victory over Leicester's Academy side in the opening group game was only three weeks ago, but it feels like a lifetime in many ways. In the four games that followed that heavy win, Latics have lost each time. Against Bristol Rovers we never showed up, before questionable (at best) refereeing decisions helped to ensure we lost out against Portsmouth, Burton and Stevenage. The last one, in particular, smarts...one down to a penalty that wasn't a penalty within six minutes, then every man and his dog in the side was booked by a referee who really shouldn't be officiating at this level. Maloney, in his post-match comments against Fleetwood, described it as the most difficult fortnight he's had here. Which is saying something, considering the mire that went down in the summer months. So it was important, following that run of four games, there was a reaction against Fleetwood. It took until the second half, but we got one. Two down after another lacklustre showing in the first 45 minutes, Latics came out of the blocks in the second half and put in a performance we haven't seen since August. The press was back and the combination of Josh Stones and Stephen Humphreys caused havoc in the Town defence. We couldn't hold on for the win in the 90, but the penalty shoot-out saw us triumph and earn that bonus point. Which I think we'll all take.It's a much-maligned competition these days, the old Football League Trophy. The inclusion of the Premier League juniors is a real insult to the EFL sides whose competition this is but, that being said, this season it should be seen as a priority for us. Especially if it means it spurs us on to better things in the league. There's been the usual chatter among the masses on social media, completely ignoring the situation we find ourselves in. Someone even said we should be looking at Paul Lambert. Short-termism, as ever, reigns supreme in Wigan. What are we going to do then? Sack him when it doesn't work again? Maybe we could have more ex-managers on the payroll than strikers? Latics will get better, but it will take time, and it will take patience. There's a week off now to reset and to ensure that, when we face Gary Caldwell's Exeter in a week's time, we come home from Devon with all three points. It's a huge game and an absolute must. Play like we did in the second half against Fleetwood, and we've half a chance. A further word too for Stones, who has looked brilliant in the EFL Trophy this season. Maloney said he was knocking on the door for a league place, and quite rightly so. It's been a while since we had a striker like that. Get behind the lads at Exeter, because the last few weeks will have hurt them as much as it does us.