Another campaign that elicited a wide spectrum of emotions was overseen by our panel of Latics experts, and ultimately turned out to be an absolute triumph.
Alan Rogers:
That’s all there is to it. The end of one of the most bizarre seasons in Wigan Athletic’s already bizarre history has been reached. How then do we determine if it was a success or a failure? Or is it even necessary for us to pass judgement? The only thing I suppose we can all agree on is that, most likely, our opinions on how things transpired will differ.
Going back to the beginning, it was nearly a year ago, and I was present at a close friend’s funeral. I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time, and in an attempt to strike up a conversation unrelated to funerals, he asked me what I thought of our new owner. After expressing some confusion, I explained that the owners had been there for quite some time and weren’t particularly “new.” “No, not those owners, Mike Danson, the new owner,” he retorted. I think he noticed my look of surprise because he laughed and told me it was real.
I didn’t really believe my friend, even though I knew he was well-connected and I had no reason to doubt him. Though I was sure things weren’t that bad, the club clearly had issues with late salary payments and other issues. My friend shrugged when I asked if this news was widely known, but I chose to keep it to myself because it was so shocking and, to be honest, pretty unbelievable. Nevertheless, my well-intentioned words were short-lived as I informed several family members while promising to keep quiet because I didn’t want to be perceived as the originator of an absurd rumour. When the rumour turned out to be true about a month later, I was shocked.
Well, that’s all in the past now, and water under the bridge. I am only retelling the story because I had time to collect my thoughts during those weeks leading up to the official announcement of the takeover. The days passed, and my excitement over the possibility of being taken over by a local man who was extremely wealthy grew. And on top of that, a self-made businessman with an apparent straight A.
Even so, I didn’t fully buy into it because our Middle Eastern owners seemed to have been making genuine financial investments to get the club back up and running. That seems to have been the issue, as well. After the last administration was handed a golden goose, it was eventually discovered that they had also thrown golden eggs into a deep, dark black hole.
I didn’t really feel negatively about Talal and his group. The most charitable explanation I can think of is that, despite their likely good intentions, they were essentially inept. They may have had ulterior motives, but as far as I know, they didn’t. After the previous administration, they seemed like a breath of fresh air and were incredibly engaging. Talal and his pens were novel and exciting; the previous Far Eastern owners were aloof and uncommunicative.
In any case, in situations such as this, the average “fan in the street” never finds out the whole story, but it was over. The most important thing was to hopefully move on and learn from our mistakes. Thus, a new and significant chapter in our history was about to begin, and this time it was undoubtedly going to be successful. After all, what could go wrong? Considering everything I had anticipated from our new owner, I thought he would simply come in, throw a bunch of cash at the issues, and make everything right?
Of course, we had financial constraints and an eight-point deduction, but considering our new situation, that was really a small annoyance. But later on, we discovered why Mr. Danson was a prosperous businessman. The magnitude of the financial catastrophe he inherited was made public, and it was soon apparent that the new leadership would not permit this to occur once more. Then all of a sudden, things got really serious.
Apart from the financial penalties and eight points, we also realised the new owner would never be able to bail us out of trouble again. Thus, there were conflicting emotions among the fans at the beginning of the new season. Most were just glad the club was still around and hoped it would be around for a long time. To be honest, some people found something new to complain about every week. However, there were some who complained about Shaun Maloney, the pies on the concourse, different players, and the fact that our wealthy owner wouldn’t spend money (despite a transfer embargo!).
Though tedious and irritating, everyone has the right to their own opinions, and if everyone shared the same viewpoints, the world would be a sad place. That being said, I think the majority of the anonymous social media snipers wouldn’t agree with me that we all have the right to our own opinions. Some people seem to believe that nothing they say can be true. Stated differently, I see the anonymous keyboard warriors as the equivalent of the idiots who park in spaces that aren’t meant for them. They seem to be proud of taking up the space rather than caring that they are doing so.
Well, enough ranting. I just wanted to point out that, despite some heated arguments throughout the season, most people were reasonably reasonable and civil. And there was much to discuss. In addition to having to play a lot of young people and dealing with inconsistent results, we also constantly worried that things might get worse. Since there can only be a very limited number of winners and a large number of losers, most football fans actually suffer from a persistent fear of failing. However, I believe that at Wigan, we experienced that fear more acutely during the previous season, primarily as a result of the peculiar circumstances we had encountered in recent years.
So, to return to my original query before I get off topic, was the previous season a success? That was undoubtedly the case in my opinion for a number of reasons. Since I’m sure other contributors to this page will do a better job of listing them all, I won’t bother. However, I believe that Shaun Maloney’s face as he circled the pitch after the final game captured the essence of the entire season. It was a mix of accomplishment, relief, and pride. He had guided the team through incredible times, a plethora of issues, and awkward remarks from some of our own supporters—and he had triumphantly navigated it all with his head held high.
He obviously couldn’t accomplish it by himself. A fantastic group of players, backroom personnel, stadium employees, owners, and of course the fans—especially the incredible away fans—all contributed to his success. I’m not even thinking about the upcoming season yet. Therefore, despite all the restrictions we had to deal with, I’m pleased with how the season played out. The icing on the cake, though, is that we defeated the Horwich team both at home and away! Moving forward and up!
Matt Auffrey:
We can now formally end the 23/24 season. We have participated in 55 total matches across four different competitions. Our form has fluctuated in an incredibly unpredictable way. So although we were reasonably safe in the league heading into the last few months of the season, we ended up with our first mid-table finish in fifteen years in a surprisingly entertaining fashion. With more than enough conversation starters to keep our fan base busy for the next three months, we head into the off-season.
But before we get too excited about all the off-field events that will happen in the future, let’s not forget how important it was to cap off the season last Saturday. From the opening kick in our 2-0 victory over Bristol Rovers at the DW, Latics dominated. In the first thirty minutes of the match, we had multiple good opportunities, and at the half, Josh Magennis gave us a well-earned goal. The game was over in the 48th minute when Jonny Smith scored a rocket from outside the box. The atmosphere remained unaffected even though Latics failed to score a third goal.
When the full-time whistle blew, everyone smiled. After being on the verge of bankruptcy for less than a year, our team was given new life by Mike Danson and went on to have a successful first season under our new management. We were undefeated in our final five games and concluded the campaign with three straight wins. Throughout the first half of the season, Magennis and Smith, our final two goal scorers, hardly made an appearance in the starting lineup. However, both were crucial in enabling us to cap off the season in such outstanding fashion.
The growth of the playing roster and the club itself over the past 12 months is exemplified by these two players, to name just a couple. Over the past season, there have been many things to criticise, but the past is the past. We should have faith that Shaun Maloney and his team will take note of our recent failings and use that knowledge to strengthen the team and modify our style of play as necessary throughout the summer. We will have a clean slate with the rest of the division when the upcoming league season gets underway, which is extremely appreciated.
For the time being, let’s all try to stop worrying about every upcoming Latics-related update that appears. There will be plenty of thrilling football to come that we can just enjoy as supporters of the game, whether it’s the League One play-offs, Championship relegation fight, or Premier League title race.
RedNed:
Season finale, and a victory over Bristol Rovers was a great way to cap it off. For the most part, the Latics’ campaign has gone well, and the manager, the players, and the rest of the staff have done a great job. When the season began, the club’s goal was to avoid dropping eight points and maintain our position. After a few strong early victories that pushed us forward and eliminated the eight-point penalty in a matter of weeks, expectations increased. As the season progressed, there were also a few subpar performances, most notably the crushing loss at Bristol Rovers. A more rational onlooker would have valued that, considering the team was put together via loans, free transfers, and academy players, inconsistency – was only to be expected.
However, the manager deserves praise because over the last 18 months, he has conducted himself with grace and dignity. He is not overly exuberant when things go well and is not overly alarmed when things don’t go as planned. We’ll see what happens in terms of players joining and leaving during the upcoming summer. Whatever occurs, though, we have a manager who is committed to the team, and that is invaluable in and of itself. Cheers to the Latics!
Ed Bazeley:
We had no idea, less than a year ago, whether Wigan Athletic would even be around before the 2023–2024 season. However, Saturday embodied everything that makes this football team so wonderful. that feeling of winning against the odds and finishing in the top half despite being docked eight points at the start of the season. Additionally, nothing quite compares to the feeling of community and Saturday afternoon hangout that fans get from this place. Despite the kickoff at 12.30pm, many people continued to enjoy a cheeky pint or two in the outdoor fan zone before kickoff, while others relished their ice cream in the sunshine.
And what a way to cap off the day, defeating Bristol Rovers 2-0 thanks to goals from Josh Magennis and a screamer from Jonny Smith. The Latics typically end a League One season with a bang, as evidenced by the players wearing champions’ medals around their necks. This season, such a feat was not achievable, but in spite of the difficult circumstances and with a squad full of young talent, placing 12th is a great accomplishment in and of itself. The previous ownership group may not put together the same kind of third-tier dream team, so supporters may need to lower their expectations for this summer’s transfer window.
However, it appears that Gregor Rioch and Shaun Maloney are excellent scouts. Free agents like Jonny and Matt Smith have been great additions, and deft loan signings like Luke Chambers and Martial Godo have proven to be more than useful. We could do worse than try again for those two, and in Godo’s case, a return to Latics on loan could be the best option for a player coming out of the Premier League Academy who is obviously very talented but still needs to improve on his consistency and final product. Although it would be more difficult to sign Chambers to a new contract given that he appears capable of playing football at the championship level come August, it is still worthwhile to try. He has been thriving here, after all, and he knows the club now.
Regarding players without contracts, I would really like to see Jordan Jones and Stephen Humphrys stay with the Latics. Although it appears that the two are not opposed to staying in WN5, their appreciation for the club on social media may indicate that departures are imminent. However, with those two, we might witness a scenario akin to James McClean’s, in which neither player expressly wishes to leave the team but could find better offers elsewhere. That’s reasonable enough. In the meantime, Magennis has played like a man who wants a new contract, as evidenced by his excellent play over the past two games. We are a team moving in the right direction, regardless of who we sign during this transfer window, and without the deduction we’d have ended up just six points shy of the play-off places.
These might be six silly points that are lost over the course of a 46-game season, but they could be gained the following year. Charlie Hughes and Sam Tickle, who are both comparatively absolute superstars and well deserving of their statuses as England youth internationals, may have played at least one of their final games for Latics on Saturday. It wouldn’t be shocking if Premier League or Championship teams signed either. However, we should be proud of our football team for being able to overcome so many challenges and still develop such outstanding talent, as well as for the 2023–24 season. Let’s keep moving forward and support the Tics! I’ll see you at the Joseph’s Goal Latics Legends game on Saturday.
Colin Garner:
How well did we play Bristol on Saturday? Personally, I found it all to be very enjoyable. Thelo is amazing; very Zidane-like. Big Josh—excellent It was a decent atmosphere as well. Nothing really stood out to me as being wrong. ‘Why didn’t they play like that all season?’ is probably the only criticism I could muster. Nevertheless, the season is over, we’ve made progress despite the fact that every man and his dog was against us, and it was wonderful to see Shaun and the boys thank the fans at the conclusion and vice versa. I treasure every match I have with my son because I will miss my dad and son days, which I never experienced as a child.
It’s going to be unfortunate to see that team part ways, as we all know is inevitable, but it’s evident from some of the players’ subsequent social media posts how much they respect and care for one another. But I want to see Josh Stone’s ass flake get crossed by Jordan Jones! For the new season, a lot of work will be done behind the scenes, but at least recruitment is started now rather than in June or July of last year! All in all, the season has gone well, and I’m excited for the play-off push the following year. I’ll say it once more, as I did last week.I hope everyone has a wonderful summer and I’ll see you again soon!
Tony Moon:
There’s a quietness among those who predicted our downfall.
Since they’ve all been shown to be incorrect—you know who I mean—they are now frowning.
Because you and I, well, a few of us, well, more than a few of us,
And a few thousand more, even when we pretended to be impoverished, we all had faith in Shaun.
You’ll see what I mean—it wasn’t a dream—if you pay close attention and work with a team full of kids and loans.
We performed some amazing (well, at times) music, started off on minus eight, and finished halfway through—it’s more than we could have imagined.
So just listen to that silence, everyone eating their words.
They slagged the players and called Maloney a clown, claiming they weren’t talented enough. but they will now dispute it.
They will also resume their efforts as soon as the next season arrives.
The youthful Tics only lose a few games because that is all they do. Moan, complain, and whine…
