New Wigan manger Owen Coyle will find Roberto Martinez a tough act to follow in more ways than one.

Overview

Owen Coyle could certainly have wished for easier ways to rebuild his reputation in English football.

In January 2010 the Scottish born, Irish international striker’s stock could scarcely have been higher. He’d promoted unfashionable St Johnstone into the Scottish Premier League and led them to a domestic cup final — which they won after his departure — and then repeated the trick south of the border by taking tiny Burnley into the Premier League for the first time since the league’s inception in 1992. Not only that, but his Clarets side had shown little desire to fill a whipping boys roll in the top flight and had already beaten Manchester United and Everton at Turf Moor, as well as Birmingham and Sunderland, when he was picked off by Bolton.

That seemed like a good move for Coyle. Burnley were never going to be anything other than lucky to cling to life in the top flight, and for all their good results at home they’d yet to win an away match when he moved down the road in January that season, whereas Bolton were an established top flight presence of a decade standing. Not only that but he had goodwill in the bank at Wanderers following a successful stint as a player there, and was replacing Gary Megson who had been about as popular as a dose of the clap at the Boobie Bungalow Gentleman’s Club.

Where it all went quite so wrong for Bolton and Coyle — culminating in the situation now where Dougie Freedman is struggling to even keep the Trotters in this division — is up for debate. No doubt the new Wigan manager would point to a catalogue of serious injuries to his entire midfield in the 2011/12 relegation season with Lee Chung Yong and likeable Stuart Holden barely kicking a ball all season and Fabrice Muamba obviously being forced out of the game in tragic circumstances. But then there was another school of thought that said the rot had actually set in the season before all that when a 5-0 cup semi-final hammering at the hands of Stoke predicated a collapse in form and six straight league defeats to end the season.

In theory Wigan is an ideal spot to start putting a few records straight. Teams relegated from the Premier League into the Championship come with record breaking parachute payments this term, just as the rest of the league imposes strict Financial Fair Play rules on themselves. It means that not only are the relegated sides bringing teams that competed in the Premier League last season, but they’re also able to pay and expand them with far greater resources than the teams they face in the second tier. Wigan is a club of meagre expectations and ambition, with a chairman well known for his knowledge of the game and backing and patience with managers.

But then Wigan’s situation this term isn’t exactly ideal. Following Roberto Martinez into any club is like dating the girl whose previous boyfriend was a fiercely intelligent, terribly sensitive and obscenely well hung rugby player. Martinez is loved by everybody — media, fans and players alike — and has done superb jobs with first Swansea, then Wigan, and now seemingly Everton as well where he seems well capable of moving the Toffees onto another trophy claiming level that David Moyes never quite managed. His style of play and ethos on the game is unique, and while Coyle showed he wasn’t afraid to depart from that with the summer acquisition of Norwich’s lumbering oaf Gant Holt there is always the danger of people sighing wistfully and muttering about how “Roberto wouldn’t have done it that way” when things go wrong.

And Martinez’ legacy wasn’t an altogether positive one. Wigan’s annual great escape from Premier League relegation finally came up short last season thanks, seemingly, in part, to their run to the FA Cup final which — thanks to all manner of evil television and commercial pressures — now falls slap bang in the middle of the end of season fixtures. It meant that Wigan had a cup final to prepare for, play in and, gloriously, celebrate victory from just days before crucial league games which they subsequently lost. That meant not only relegation, but also a campaign of Europa League football to throw into the mix alongside a 46 match Championship season and two domestic cup competitions. Throw in the fact that Martinez subsequently took both James McCarthy and Arouna Kone — Wigan’s two standout players from last season — to Everton with him and it’s clear that Coyle has rather a task on his hand.

It all rather begs the question that LFW has obsessed over in recent times: would a Wigan fan have turned down winning the FA Cup at Wembley in return for survival in the Premier League. The fixture list it’s created for them this season will hinder their efforts to return to the Premier League massively, and every second spent in the Championship is another grain of sand draining away towards the point where the parachute payments end. Birmingham City had a similar issue having won the League Cup in a relegation season and while the situation with their owner Carsen Yeung is a world away from Wigan and Dave Whelen it’s still relevant to say ‘and look at them now’.

But then imagine that… scoring a last minute winner at Wembley in front of your own fans to lift the FA Cup as underdogs against a billion pound side like Manchester City having comprehensively outplayed them for the entire game. One to tell the grandkids — certainly a much better yarn than some tale of how early cup exits keep players fit and focused enough to secure a sixteenth place finish in the Premier League that year — and not one any Wigan fan or player who was there will ever forget. It’s sad that the FA Cup’s stock has fallen as far as it has, because the Latics’ success was on a par, if not better, than the great Wimbledon and Sunderland triumphs which are still splashed across television screens today.

Logging onto the Wigan message boards this week and seeing stickied threads for trips to far flung corners of the continent to see their team play competitive European football brought huge pangs of jealousy. Cups, medals and European football still count — to hell with the consequences. Coyle will just have to cope….

Interview

LFW took to the Wigan message boards this week to gauge the latest mood among the Latics fans as we head into the long, drawn out, Championship winter. A selection of the asnwers from Vital Wigan and The Wiganer are pasted below, or you can read the full threads by clicking the links. Thanks to everybody who helped out.

Why did the latest 'great escape' bid fail last season? What were the main reasons for the relegation?

“Injuries and bad luck. Sounds like what they all say, but the amount of injuries suffered during last season was ridiculous, our entire starting defence was injured for most of the season, rendering us helpless in defence. Maybe you could also factor in our cup run ironically. Martinez and the depleted team put their heart and souls into the FA Cup final (which surprised me a bit) as Martinez has always said that the league was far more important. But after that amazing day, there was absolutely nothing left in the tank for the game only three days later against Arsenal, and even then were level 1-1 at half time.”

“Put simply, we conceded too many goals. Granted that we had a lot of bad luck with injuries, but we never looked particularly solid with a full strength backline either.”

“Simple, having to play nine different centre backs. All our injuries were to players in the same position.”

What did you think of the appointment of Owen Coyle in the summer and how has he done so far?

“I'm not Coyle's biggest fan, I admit. I've been disappointed in some of his team selection and where he places the players; he seems to ignore their strengths and a lot of the time sticks them where they don't do too well. However, we've got a long year ahead and we're enjoying the Europa League so he's likely trying to make it all work for the number of games we have (and the extra ones we may have if we go through to the next round of Europa), so will give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being.”

“Jury's still out. We were never going to be topping the table at this stage of the season, but I think we were hoping for some better performances - we've only seen glimpses of what we're capable of so far. Results wise we've been fine at home, but abysmal on our travels, which is something Coyle needs to put right quickly.”

“Coyle has brought a new look to the club with a lot more home-grown players, recognisable faces and a slightly different playing style. Whether this has been a good or bad thing is up for debate. Injuries have again not helped us, and Coyle inherited pretty much no strike force. He made good signings, but they have all had some trouble gelling together, especially on the road. But overall I think Coyle has done ok considering the pressure that is on the team/European games.”

A huge turnover in players during the close season, what are the main differences we will see in Wigan this year compared to last?

“This year, we don't play three at the back, we are not afraid to knock it long to Powell on the break (which has caused some Europa league opponents some trouble) and we now use the weapon that us at Wigan have not seen in a long time, the long throw! (Shotton)”

Who's playing well and who's struggling? Where are the strong and weak links in the Wigan team?

“Leon Barnett and Nick Powell have probably been our best players - struggling to think of anyone else who has performed consistently well so far. Difficult to make too many judgments at this stage of the season though, as we've obviously rotated players a lot to keep things fresh.”

“Midfield is our biggest strength (when we're not hoofing it over their heads) as it's mostly the same as last season, but there are a couple of problem positions too - Holt or Fortune haven't really got going up front yet, and since Crainey was dropped we've been playing without a natural left-back. We'll also probably have the relatively inexperienced Lee Nicholls in goal assuming Carson and Al-Habsi are still injured.”

“Scott Carson was playing better than we thought he would up until his injury in warm up on Sunday so now Lee Nicholls who is a promising youngster is in. Callum McManaman has struggled for fitness which has causes a lack of playing time for him, but he is still dangerous on the ball. Our defenders have played well, and surprisingly well up front! Leon Barnett has scored a couple, as has Boyce. McClean has struggled since coming in as well, but along with McManaman can cause even the best of defences a problem. Our star man right now is definitely Nick Powell, he is a great player who go will go on to play for Man United and the England senior team I'm sure. He has scored three goals in three European matches, had a perfectly good goal chalked off against Watford and has scored a couple more in the league.”

Given the huge number of games you've got to play this season, and the previously mentioned big turnover in players, what are the realistic aims and ambitions for this season?

“I think we've got a fair go at getting back up into the Premier League this year. It's early days still; we've only just played a quarter of our games in the Championship and we're mid-table with two games in hand. Not too skinny, I think, for a team who've had the changes we have. But right now I'm more excited about the Europa League and hope we go further in that. We're doing well and I like the style of footie I've seen so far from the other teams. It seems to suit our own. Plus, we get to go on overseas jollies.”

“We have a good squad, but I wouldn't want to see us cut too far adrift from the top six while dealing with the current fixture pile-up. We should improve as the season goes on, so most of us are still hopeful of at least reaching the playoffs.”

“This fits with my comments above, we felt unlucky to go down, so feel we should be competitive, I feel i'm being realistic in taking playoffs and above. Ambition is straight promotion. Remember how we end seasons, watch out.”

If you had the choice, would you hand the FA Cup back if it meant you'd stayed up last season instead?

“Definitely not now, though I wouldn't have been so sure if you'd asked that before the final.”

“Before it happened definitely, after it happened, not a bloody chance. To have achieved winning the FA Cup like that has not yet been fully appreciated outside of Wigan, it ranks up there with the great upsets. The whole Wigan team cost the same as just one of Aguero's legs. We didn't sit back and nick a win, we didn't clog them, we outplayed them. We have helped put romance back into that competition, everybody 've spoken to is happy that we beat the latest moneybags club, just typing this in gets me looking at the flag on my wall, and is setting my heart racing again.”

“No way Jose! From a financial stand point, you'd have to consider it, but even then the high and mighty staff members at Wigan Athletic probably wouldn't. It is one our greatest if not the greatest achievement in our history. No one gave us a chance against City, and to score in the 90th minute from a great header in front of all the Wigan fans, it's a day no Wigan fan will ever forget. I sadly never got to go to the final, but I will never forget watching us score on tele causing me to tear round the living room like a 5 year old. Before the match there was some discussion on this very question, a lot of people and even me suggested that maybe we would choose survival over the win, really because no one, even our own fan base never thought we would actually win. But then after it happened and in the manner that it did, I don't think you'll find a Wigan fan on the planet that would swap the two.”

Links >>> Official site >>> Travel Guide >>> Cockney Latic site and forum >>> Vital Wigan, site and forum >>> The Wiganer, site and forum >>> Wigan Evening Post, local paper

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Photo: Action Images

TacticalR added 18:50 - Oct 30 Thanks to Clive and to the Wigan fans. I thought Wigan would have less trouble finding their feet than they have done. I'm sure those Europa League games are taking their toll.
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