Paul Cook: Don’t label us ‘travel-sick Wigan Athletic’ ahead of trip to QPR

Wigan opened the campaign at home with a 3-2 win over Cardiff City.

Cook’s side lost 3-0 at Preston then suffered back-to-back home defeats losing 1-0 in the Carabao Cup to Stoke and 2-0 to Leeds last weekend.

Latics made it four defeats in a row when they lost 1-0 at Middlebrough on Tuesday.

Wigan only picked up 11 points away from the DW Stadium last season, with wins over Stoke City in August and at Leeds in April.

That 3-0 win over Stoke on August 22 was the last time Cook’s men kept a clean sheet on the road.

With 11 permanent signings and three loan players, Cook says his new squad should not be judged on last year’s record just two away games into this new campaign. He said: “Every credit to the fans that travelled up to Middlesbrough on Tuesday night. It is great to see that level of support.

“Support is huge for people. You only have to look down the road to Bolton and Bury to have great sympathy to what clubs can go through and how much a part the football club plays in the community.

“We are starting a new 
season and I do not want last season’s form and everything else levelled at this set of players. It is a new set of players.

“I think with the first two adverse away results it is easy to look at last year and see the parallels.

“These lads need to be given a little more time to put that right.”

For Cook it is the end result – keeping Wigan in the Championship for the first time in three attempts – that matters, not statistics and records.

“For me as a manager I always prefer to look at the end of the season and what was achieved,” he said.

“For Wigan, last season staying in the Championship for the first time in three attempts, without parachute money, there was a real sense of achievement.”