New-boys bring something Wigan Athletic have been ‘badly lacking’, admits Paul Cook

Latics got back to winning ways at the weekend thanks to a 2-1 victory over QPR, with old heads Danny Fox and Leon Clarke kicking off their Latics careers in style.

Fox, 32, was given the captain’s armband in the absence of suspended skipper Sam Morsy, and immediately brought composure to the youthful backline.

Clarke, 33, marked his second Latics ‘debut’ with an assist and the matchwinning goal, in a superb display of lone front-running.

And Cook says their captures – along with free agent arrival Jonas Olsson – will add something the side has been sorely missing this term.

“With Danny and Leon coming in, it’s something we’ve badly lacked, that leadership, the voices, the talking,” said the Latics boss.

“As a manager, it can be tough when you’re saying the same thing week after week, the repetition of it all.

“Our fans have probably got a little bit bored of it if I’m honest.

“All good teams have that blend of youth and experience, and we have lacked that experience in recent weeks.

“In my opinion, we have all the other qualities you’d be looking for to have a successful team.

“Hopefully we’ve added that bit of experience that can have a calming effect and allows the other areas of the team to thrive.”

Latics continued their peculiar record this term of being super-strong on home soil, while boasting one of the worst away records in the country.

For Cook, it’s something he is desperate to sort out – while being satisfied the overall points tally is keeping Wigan’s head well above the relegation waters.

“If you break down our form, we probably have the home form of a promotion team and the away form of a relegation team,” he added.

“Ideally, if we could maybe play on neutral grounds every week we might start to find some consistency in the results! It’s something we’ve just got to keep going with.

“But if we can get to the kind of points tally we’re all looking to reach, I think everyone would agree it doesn’t matter where those points have come from.”