Association football club in England

football clubhouse
Wigan Athletic Football Club ( ) is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have played at the 25,138 seat DW Stadium since 1999, before which they played at Springfield Park. Their colours are blue and blank stripes, although all-blue shirts have been coarse throughout the golf club ‘s history. The clubhouse regards Bolton Wanderers as its primary bowler hat rival.

Wigan competed in the Cheshire County League for the first nine seasons of the clubhouse ‘s universe, winning three league championship before being placed in the Lancashire Combination in 1947. They spent 14 years in the Lancashire Combination and secured four league titles during this time. They spent 1961 to 1968 back in the Cheshire County League, picking up another league claim in 1964–65. Invited to become a founder penis of the Northern Premier League in 1968, the club won two league titles and besides reached the FA Trophy final in 1973. Wigan was elected to the Football League in 1978 and was promoted out of the Fourth Division in 1981–82. The club won the Associate Members ‘ Cup in 1985, but was relegated back into the one-fourth tier in 1993. It won the Third Division title in 1996–97, the Football League Trophy in 1999 and the Second Division in 2002–03, before securing promotion out of the Championship in 2004–05. Wigan were drum finalists in the League Cup in 2006 and won the FA Cup in 2013, beating Manchester City in the final. however, the club was relegated belated that year, bringing its eight-season last out in the Premier League to an goal. The FA Cup success did, though, gain it a plaza in the UEFA Europa League group stages the keep up season. Relegated from the Championship in 2015, the club won the League One style in 2015–16 and repeated this feat in 2017–18 after another relegation. On 1 July 2020, less than a month after a change of ownership, it was placed into presidency and was relegated from the Championship due to the subsequent points deduction .

history [edit ]

Wigan Athletic was formed in 1932, following the winding-up of Wigan Borough the year earlier. Wigan Athletic was the fifth undertake to create a stable football club in the town following the death of Wigan County, Wigan United, Wigan Town and Wigan Borough. Springfield Park, the erstwhile home of Wigan Borough, was purchased by the club for £2,850. [ 1 ] Despite their initial application being turned down, Wigan Athletic were elected into the Cheshire County League following the resignation of Manchester Central. The cabaret had besides made the inaugural of many attempts to be admitted into the Football League, but failed to receive a unmarried right to vote. On 27 August 1932, Wigan Athletic played their first-ever league bet on against Port Vale Reserves. The team played in red and whiten shirts with black shorts. [ 2 ] Wigan Athletic won its beginning honor in the 1933–34 season, finishing top of the Cheshire League, despite being based in neighbouring Lancashire. In the take after season the club won a second league championship and besides entered the FA Cup for the beginning time, [ 3 ] defeating Carlisle United 6–1 in the first round – a cup read for the biggest victory by a non-league golf club over a league cabaret. In the 1935–36 season, the cabaret won its third straight Cheshire League title and the Lancashire Junior Cup. After the second World War, Wigan Athletic adopted their contemporary blue sky and white colours. [ 2 ] The club struggled to assemble a competitive side and finished bottom of the league in 1946–47 season. Despite their pre-war success, the club failed to gain re-election and was replaced by Winsford United. The club joined the Lancashire Combination, winning the league in their inaugural season. [ 3 ] In 1950, Wigan Athletic came near to election to The Football League, narrowly losing out to Scunthorpe United and Shrewsbury Town. The baseball club would frequently apply for election to the Football League over the adjacent 28 years before finally being accepted. In the 1953–54 season, Wigan played an FA Cup match against Hereford United in presence of a herd of 27,526 – a golf club record and besides a record attendance for a match between two non-league teams at a non-league anchor. In the adjacent turn of the cup, Wigan Athletic was drawn against First Division english Newcastle United. Wigan Athletic held their top-flight opponents to a 2–2 draw at St James ‘ Park, but went on to lose the play back 3–2. In 1961, the clubhouse moved rear to the Cheshire League. In the 1964–65 season, Wigan Athletic won their first Cheshire League title since returning to the league, [ 3 ] with top goalscorer Harry Lyon scoring 66 times. He remains the club ‘s greatest goalscorer of all meter. Wigan Athletic won four cup titles in the 1966–67 season ( Lancashire Floodlit Cup winners, Liverpool Non League Senior Cup winners, Northern Floodlit League winners, Northern Floodlit League Cup winners ) and were besides Cheshire County League runner-up. [ 4 ] In 1968, Wigan Athletic were laminitis members of the Northern Premier League. Winning the league title in 1970–71, leading goalscorer with 42 goals, including seven hat-tricks, was Geoff Davies who scored 28 goals in the postdate 1971–72 season. After 34 failed election attempts, including one controversial but headline-making application in 1972 to join the Scottish League Second Division, Wigan Athletic was elected to the Football League in 1978. As a non-league club, the team played at Wembley Stadium for the first base time in the 1973 FA Trophy Final, where it lost 2–1 to Scarborough .

early league years : 1978–1995 [edit ]



Wigan Athletic ‘s original league kit Wigan Athletic finished in second gear locate in the Northern Premier League in the 1977–78 season, behind winners Boston United. But as Boston ‘s grate and facilities did not meet the Football League criteria for a League clubhouse, whereas Springfield Park did, Wigan Athletic were put ahead for election to the league. There was no automatic promotion to the Football League until 1987, and at that time a golf club had to be ‘voted out ‘ of the League to allow a non-league team to be promoted in their place. At the end of the 1977–78 season, Southport finished next to the bottom of the old Fourth Division, and faced near neighbours Wigan Athletic for their locate in the league. The first round of vote was tied, with both clubs receiving 26 votes. After a tense re-vote which Wigan won 29–20, Southport lost their place in the Fourth Division and Wigan Athletic became an English League club on 2 June 1978. [ 5 ] In the club ‘s first season of league football, Wigan Athletic finished in sixth identify, good six points off promotion and play in movement of an average crowd of 6,701. Two more top-half finishes came in the following seasons, though a relatively faint 1980–81 season saw the dismissal of long-serving coach Ian McNeill shortly before the end of the temper. They gained their first Football League promotion under the management of early Liverpool player Larry Lloyd in 1981–82, when a points match of 91 saw them join the former Division Three for the first time, beginning a 10-year spell in English football ‘s third tier. The golf club struggled in their inaugural season in Division Three, which led to Lloyd ‘s net in early 1983, at which point Bobby Charlton, a director at the time, took over as impermanent coach before being replaced by Harry McNally. Under McNally ‘s management, the club stabilised in Division Three and secured a pair of mid-table finishes, but a atrocious 1984–85 season price him his job, with Tranmere director Bryan Hamilton stepping into the gap. Under Hamilton ‘s management, the club ‘s performances went to the adjacent level and they won their first silverware as a league baseball club that temper with the Freight Rover Trophy. They were beaten in the Northern final of the same rival the following temper by Bolton Wanderers. More importantly, Hamilton achieved Division Three survival, which had looked an impossible undertaking earlier that temper .
Chart of annual table positions since Wigan ‘s election into the Football League The 1985–86 season saw a punctuate improvement in the cabaret ‘s league form, finally finishing in fourth position, a then-club read high which would stand for 17 years until 2002–03. Wigan Athletic finished the season just one point outside the promotion places in the final season before the Football League introduced the play-off system for promotion and delegating. however, Hamilton ‘s feats attracted the care of First Division Leicester City and he left to become their director in the summer of 1986. His adjunct, Ray Mathias, who had followed him from Tranmere, stepped up to the Wigan Athletic director ‘s job. Wigan Athletic managed an identical fourth-place finish in the 1986–87 season, but this time were rewarded with the casual to compete for the final examination promotion put in the new play-off system. ( In the beginning two years of the play-off system, teams finishing third, fourthly and fifth joined the team finishing 20th in the division above to play-off for the promotion plaza ; this was changed to the teams finishing third, fourth, fifth and sixth from the 1988–89 season ). The Latics lost at the two-legged semi-final stage to Swindon, who went on to win the final promotion place. The fourth-place finishes of the 1985–86 and 1986–87 seasons proved to be the senior high school points of Wigan Athletic ‘s first stint in Division 3. For the future five years, they finished mid-table, flirting with relegation in 1988–89 ( at which time Mathias was sacked and the previous coach Bryan Hamilton returned ) and 1989–90, until they were relegated for the first time in the clubhouse ‘s league history in 1992–93. Wigan Athletic finished in 23rd invest, amid tumbling attendances which had fallen from averages of 3,000–4,000 in Wigan Athletic ‘s Division 3 years to just 2,593 in 1992–93. Hamilton resigned shortly before the club were relegated, and was replaced by Kenny Swain. A year late, with the club back in the fourth tier of the English League, the Latics finished fourthly from buttocks, in 19th place. While there was no relegation that season due to the lack of a promotable club in the Football Conference, this remains the cabaret ‘s lowest-ever complete. The following season would prove to be arguably even worse, as Swain was sacked early in the campaign following a awful begin, and erstwhile player Graham Barrow took over as coach. Despite the club being rooted to the bottom of the mesa until the startle of December, the second one-half of the political campaign saw a major upturn in imprint, and they finished well clear of the relegation partition in 15th place. Attendances fell to a lowest-ever Wigan Athletic League average of 1,845 by 1995 .

Rising through the league : 1995–2005 [edit ]

local entrepreneur Dave Whelan acquired the club in 1995, providing funds to move into the JJB Stadium, now named the DW Stadium after Whelan ‘s sports shops, DW Sports. In February 1995, local anesthetic millionaire and owner of JJB Sports, Dave Whelan purchased the golf club. Through Whelan ‘s clientele connections in Spain he attracted three Spaniards to the club – Roberto Martínez, Isidro Díaz, and Jesus Seba – who became known as the Three Amigos. [ 7 ] The three became the on-pitch symbols of Whelan ‘s ambitious plan to take Wigan Athletic into the Premier League. The Three Amigos were joined at the club by John Deehan, who replaced Barrow as coach during the 1995–96 season following a 6–2 home defeat to Mansfield Town. Deehan took the Latics within two points of a play-off invest in his first season ; the clubhouse had in fact been in the final automatic forwarding spot with four games remaining, but lost them all and thus failed to even make the playoffs. The follow year Wigan Athletic became Division Three champions on the survive day of the season, Graeme Jones scoring a club record 31 league goals in the action. In most seasons they would have been runner-up, but a impermanent rule change which saw goals scored take precedence over goal dispute allowed them to finish above runner-up Fulham, who had the same number of points and a better goal difference. Following a mid-table stopping point in Division Two the following season, Deehan foreswear to become Steve Bruce ‘s assistant at Sheffield United. He was succeeded by Ray Mathias, who returned for his third least sandpiper as Wigan Athletic coach. Mathias ‘ team won the Football League Trophy in 1999, beating Millwall 1–0 at Wembley Stadium. The same season the Latics reached the Division Two play-offs, losing 2–1 on sum to Manchester City. Mathias was sacked, and replaced by John Benson. He led the team to the top of Division Two in his beginning six months, but they were only able to qualify for the play-offs. In what was the last ever Division Two play-off final examination to be played at the old Wembley Stadium, Wigan lost 3–2 after extra time to Gillingham. Benson moved ‘upstairs ‘ to the new post of director of football in the summer of 2000, when former Arsenal director Bruce Rioch took the director ‘s job for the 2000–01 season. Rioch was hampered by severe injury problems and after a unmanageable and much unimpressive beginning half of the temper left the club in February 2001. He was temporarily replaced by baseball club loyalist Colin Greenall, before the surprise appointment of Steve Bruce for the final examination eight games of the season. His arrival institute renewed vigor to Wigan Athletic performances, but the club ultimately lost in the play-offs again, this clock time against Reading, and Bruce left for Crystal Palace .
To signify the participation of the local assurance, Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, Wigan Athletic have used their coat of arms as their cabaret peak, from 1989 to 2008. In the summer of 2001, the erstwhile Latics advancing Paul Jewell took over as coach following an unsuccessful spell at Sheffield Wednesday. His first season in charge saw assorted results and an embarrassing kill to non-league Canvey Island in the FA Cup first round off, although the club finally finished in mid-table. Jewell ‘s second temper in charge was far more successful. Wigan Athletic went on a run to the quarter-finals of the League Cup, beating Premier League opponents West Brom, Manchester City and Fulham en route. Wigan Athletic won the Division Two backing in 2002–03 with a points sum of 100, powered by the goals of then-record £1.2 million signing Nathan Ellington, with a race of 10 straight wins along the way. The club lost only four times all season, and Wigan Athletic secured promotion to the second tier of the English Football League for the foremost time in their history. After losing their first-ever game in Division One, Wigan Athletic confounded expectations to go unbeaten for the next 17 games and sit atop the division by November 2003. A decrepit finish saw Wigan Athletic succeed only three of their last 10 games to finish seventh in Division One – a last-minute goal by West Ham ‘s Brian Deane in the final game of the season saw the Latics drop out of the play-off places in favor of eventual play-off winners Crystal Palace. Hoping to build on the previous season ‘s disappointing finish, the Latics went one better than 2003–04 by remaining unbeaten for the first 17 games of the 2004–05 season. Along with Sunderland and Ipswich, the Latics remained in the promotion hunt all season. By the last day of the season, Sunderland had already won the title and Wigan needed at least a draw against Reading – who themselves needed to win to finish in one-sixth place – to beat Ipswich to the last automatic promotion spot. A 3–1 victory in front of their home fans at the JJB Stadium earned Wigan Athletic promotion to the top division of English football for the first time in their 73-year history .

Premier League : 2005–2013 [edit ]

The club ‘s first ever Premier League game was a sell-out at the JJB Stadium against holders Chelsea, a 1–0 frustration after an injury-time winner by Hernán Crespo. [ 8 ] A successful run followed, and by November, Wigan were second in the league. Good league form was coupled with an evenly firm performance in the Football League Cup, with Wigan reaching their beginning always major cup final after defeating Arsenal on away goals in the semi-final. In the final, Wigan were defeated 4–0 by neighbours Manchester United. [ 9 ] Wigan Athletic finally finished the season in 10th place, which remains the club ‘s highest ever league place. Defender Pascal Chimbonda was besides included in the 2005–06 PFA Team of the Season, [ 10 ] capping off his season by being picked for the France team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. During the close season, Wigan sold many players who had starred in their first season in the Premier League, such as Jimmy Bullard, Jason Roberts and Stéphane Henchoz, while bringing in replacements including Emile Heskey, Denny Landzaat, Chris Kirkland and Antonio Valencia. After a mid-table start to the 2006–07 season, Wigan had eight back-to-back losses from mid-december, but was 15th in early March. On the final sidereal day of the season, Wigan got a 2–1 away win against Sheffield United, which kept them up at the expense of their opponents. The watch day, Paul Jewell by chance resigned as director ; his adjunct Chris Hutchings was appointed as his successor. Wigan ‘s third gear Premier League campaign saw changes in the police squad, with Titus Bramble, Mario Melchiot, Jason Koumas and Marcus Bent among the players brought in, and Melchiot was installed as the new club captain. The 2007–08 season began well for Wigan, with Emile Heskey recalled to the England police squad, as the first Wigan player to represent England whilst a full member of the golf club. however, he broke his foot immediately after his England call-up and was out injured for six weeks. The club ‘s league position subsequently worsened, and on the back of a run of six back-to-back defeats, Wigan fell into the relegation zone. Whelan took the decision to sack Hutchings on 5 November 2007, after 12 games in consign, reinstating Bruce, who saved the club from relegation. In the summer of 2008, Bruce signed Lee Cattermole from Middlesbrough for £3.5 million, and egyptian striker Amr Zaki gestural on an initial annual lend. Zaki had scored 10 Premier League goals by February 2009, as Wigan reached seventh place in the table with 34 points from 25 games. January saw the passing of two key beginning team members, Wilson Palacios and Emile Heskey, to Tottenham and Aston Villa respectively. Despite these changes, Wigan finished the season in 11th place with 45 points, their second-best complete always in the Premier League. On 3 June, Bruce left Wigan for the second clock time to take over the vacant director position at Sunderland. [ 11 ] July saw the deviation of another samara first team member Antonio Valencia to Manchester United. [ 12 ] Before the 2009–10 season got afoot, Cattermole left for Sunderland .
Wigan appointed Roberto Martínez, then coach of Swansea City, as director anterior to the 2009–10 Premier League temper. [ 13 ] He previously played for Wigan from 1995 to 2001. On 26 September, they claimed their beginning three points against a “ adult 4 ” team after beating Chelsea 3–1, with goals from Titus Bramble, Hugo Rodallega and Paul Scharner. A former tide that included a 1–0 gain over Liverpool and a 3–2 winnings over Arsenal – the latter of which saw Wigan recover from two goals down with ten minutes remaining to win in injury fourth dimension – saw the team once more survive relegation. Most notably, having never defeated any of the traditional “ Big Four “ in the league until their winnings over Chelsea ( and with only one acquire over any of them in cup competitions ), Wigan ended the season having defeated three of them at home. Despite this high, the temper besides saw two humiliating 8 goal defeats, first a 9–1 thrashing at Tottenham in November, [ 14 ] and finally an 8–0 frustration to Chelsea on the final examination day of the season, a pit which saw their opponents crowned Premier League champions. [ 15 ] In the 2010–11 season, Wigan fell to the bottomland of the league by the end of February, following a 4–0 kill to Manchester United. [ 16 ] however, despite remaining in the bottom three for the majority of the season, they managed to retain their Premier League status on the last day of the season, defeating Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium after a goal from Hugo Rodallega. [ 17 ] On 7 May 2012, they simultaneously secured their Premier League condition and relegated Blackburn Rovers with a 1–0 victory at Ewood Park .
In 2013, after beating Everton in the quarter-final and Millwall in the semi-final, Wigan reached the FA Cup Final for the beginning time in their history. In the concluding, played at Wembley Stadium, Wigan beat Manchester City 1–0, with a goal by Ben Watson scored in injury time. [ 18 ] Wigan ‘s first base always major trophy besides gave the club a place in the group stage of the Europa League. [ 19 ] Following their 4–1 get the better of to Arsenal three days late, Wigan Athletic ended their eight-year while in the Premier League and became the first team to be relegated and win the FA Cup in the same season. On 5 June it was announced that Martínez had left Wigan and had signed for Everton on a four-year deal. [ 20 ]

goal of the Whelan era : 2013–2018 [edit ]

Owen Coyle became the fresh director of Wigan Athletic when Martínez left for Everton. [ 21 ] The team lost to Manchester United in the Community Shield. Coyle left by reciprocal agreement on 2 December 2013 after a hapless startle to the season, [ 22 ] and was replaced by Uwe Rösler. On 12 December in his first match, Wigan were eliminated from the Europa League group phase after frustration to Maribor. [ 23 ] On 9 March 2014 Wigan beat Manchester City in the 6th Round of the FA Cup to reach the semi-final at Wembley for the second consecutive year, where they played Arsenal, and lost 2–4 on penalties after normal time and extra prison term resulted in a 1–1 puff. After finishing 5th in the Championship, Wigan lost their play-off semi-final to Queens Park Rangers. [ 24 ] Rösler was sacked in November 2014 with the golf club in the relegation places, [ 25 ] and was replaced by Malky Mackay. Whelan resigned as president on 3 March 2015, remaining as owner but handing over the chairmanship to his grandson David Sharpe. [ 26 ] The following calendar month, with Wigan in danger of relegation to League One, Mackay was sacked and replaced by erstwhile Wigan captain Gary Caldwell, [ 27 ] however the team ended the season with relegation. [ 28 ] The squad changed drastically, including the signings of Will Grigg from Brentford and Reece James from Manchester United. [ 29 ] [ 30 ] The side lost only once in 23 matches in the irregular one-half of the season [ 31 ] and won the division, with Grigg the league ‘s top scorer with 25 goals. [ 32 ]
In October 2016, following a hapless beginning to the season, Caldwell was sacked as director [ 33 ] and replaced by Manchester United bus Warren Joyce. [ 34 ] Results did not improve under Joyce, who was sacked in March 2017. [ 35 ] Wigan were subsequently relegated back to League One in April and interim director Graham Barrow left, ending a 15-year association with the club. [ 36 ] Paul Cook, who had merely won League Two with Portsmouth, was appointed Wigan director in June 2017. [ 37 ] Wigan competed in the 2017–18 season of League One in which they finished first resulting in promotion second to the Championship. Their promotion was sealed by a 4–0 succeed against Fleetwood Town. [ 38 ] In the 2017–18 season of the FA Cup, Wigan reached the quarterfinals, where they were knocked out by Southampton F.C. in a 2–0 loss. [ 39 ] notably, Wigan had beaten Manchester City in the Fifth Round Proper at home, winning 1–0 due to Will Grigg marking at the 79th moment. [ 40 ] At the end of the season it was announced that the Whelan syndicate had agreed a consider to sell the club, stadium and train facilities to the Hong Kong-based International Entertainment Corporation ( IEC ) in a £22m conduct. [ 41 ] On 2 November 2018 IEC received stockholder approval to complete the skill of the football baseball club, bringing to an end the 23 years of Whelan family possession. [ 42 ] In a letter to the fans chair David Sharpe confirmed that he along with Matthew Sharpe and non-executive director Garry Cook would resign from the board upon completion of the ownership transition. [ 43 ] In the 2018–19 season, Wigan finished 18th in the Championship with 52 points, well clear of the delegating zone. [ 44 ]

administration and relegation : 2020–2021 [edit ]

On 4 June 2020, IEC sold the majority of Wigan Athletic shareholdings to Hong Kong-based next Leader Fund ; the sale was formally ratified and approved by the shareholders of IEC, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the EFL. [ 45 ] On 1 July 2020, the club – standing 14th in the Championship, eight points gain of delegating, in a season delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic – announced it had gone into government as next Leader Fund had refused to invest promise money. [ 46 ] Paul Stanley, Gerald Krasner and Dean Watson from Begbies Traynor were appointed as joint administrators. [ 47 ] The insolvency left Wigan facing a 12-point discount ; the sanction would be applied at the end of the 2019–20 temper if the baseball club finished outside the bottom three after 46 games. [ 47 ] On 2 July 2020, the administrators said they would investigate how the club ended improving in administration less than a month after it changed owners. [ 48 ] A private conversation about Wigan ‘s position involving EFL president Rick Parry was secretly filmed amid talk of betting on Wigan being relegated [ 49 ] – described by some as the greatest sporting scandal of modern times. [ 50 ] Wigan MP Lisa Nandy and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham wrote a joint letter to Parry calling for an investigation into the club ‘s takeover. Players had not been paid and there was lecture of club staff being made excess and of players being offered for sale, they said. [ 51 ] Wigan ‘s supporters club besides called for an investigation and for fiscal defend from the EFL ; [ 52 ] supporters, backed by Nandy, late launched an on-line petition to try to trigger a parliamentary debate around the EFL ‘s owners ‘ and directors ‘ test. [ 53 ] On 4 July, Wigan, previously unbeaten in nine games, lost 3–0 at Brentford. [ 54 ] Three days later, on 7 July 75, around half, of the club ‘s non-playing staff were made excess by the administrators, [ 55 ] and Wigan Warriors expressed sake in buying the football club [ 56 ] ( a go late supported by Wigan council ). [ 57 ] On 10 July, midfielder Jensen Weir was set to be sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for £500,000 plus add-ons to help alleviate Wigan ‘s fiscal problems ; [ 58 ] England Under-16 international midfielder Alfie Devine was subsequently sold to Tottenham. [ 59 ] Bids were due by 21 July ; [ 60 ] on 22 July ( the sidereal day of Wigan ‘s final game of the season ), Krasner said administrators had received five offers and identified an nameless choose bidder ; they were seeking completion of the sale by 31 July. [ 61 ] [ 62 ] however, on 24 July, talks with the prefer bidder broke down and administrators began negotiations with early parties, [ 63 ] which continued into early on August. [ 64 ] interim, on 7 July 2020 the club had appealed against the 12-point deduction imposed by the EFL for entering presidency. [ 55 ] [ 56 ] On 14 July, Wigan recorded their biggest League victory, beating Hull City 8–0. [ 65 ] This, combined with early results, mean Wigan would not finish in the relegation places, so the 12-point deduction would be applied at the end of the current season. [ 60 ] Wigan ‘s entreaty against the points tax write-off, heard on 31 July, [ 66 ] was set to cost the club between £400,000 and £500,000. [ 62 ] Wigan drew 1–1 against Fulham in their final game of the season ; the 12-point tax write-off pushed Wigan into the bottom three, meaning the golf club would play in League One if its appeal was unsuccessful. [ 67 ] On 4 August, the club ‘s delegating was confirmed [ 68 ] and, following the resignation of coach Paul Cook, [ 69 ] [ 70 ] Leam Richardson was appointed caretaker coach. [ 71 ] On 17 August 2020, it was reported that Au Yeung Wai Kay, the club ‘s owner, had, on 23 June, asked Begbies Traynor about putting it into administration before completing his takeover. [ 72 ] Begbies Traynor disputed the history, produced by an independent mission, saying government was one of respective scenarios discussed. The commission said Kay was “ not open ” with Wigan officials about his conversation with Begbies Traynor, and subsequently gave “ either false or wittingly misinform ” assurances about future financing. [ 72 ] The administrator was hush attempting to find a buyer ; if no agreement was reached by 31 August, Begbies Traynor said it would have to consider whether the club can be funded into the 2020–21 season, ascribable to start on Saturday 12 September 2020. [ 73 ] On 20 August, Kay was reported to be waiving a £36m debt owed to him by the baseball club in an attempt to expedite its sale. [ 74 ] Wigan supporters began a fund-raise effort, [ 75 ] initially raising £500,000 to help secure the club ‘s future, [ 76 ] and then raising £200,000 more. [ 77 ] Administrators had been confident a sale would be agreed by their deadline, [ 78 ] but by and by revised their public opinion. [ 76 ]

Read more: S.S. Lazio

On 9 September 2020, with the cabaret ‘s site set to be discussed at an EFL suffer, the administrators were reportedly “ restfully affirmative ” about Wigan being allowed to start the EFL temper despite being unowned. [ 79 ] They appointed John Sheridan as the club ‘s new director, [ 80 ] who was in cathexis as Wigan lost their first League game of the season 2–0 at Ipswich Town. [ 81 ] On 21 September, the administrators reported that bids would need to top £3m to secure the sale as the club had a “ considerable liability ” to HM Revenue and Customs, owed wages to players, and besides had to pay for August ‘s abortive appeal against the points deduction. [ 77 ]
Wigan Athletic chair Talal Al Hammad On 30 September, the administrators said they had reached an agreement with an nameless bidder from Spain to purchase the club, and were working on paperwork to gain EFL approval. [ 82 ] In early November, former Wigan coach Roberto Martinez was reported to assisting with the spanish bid. [ 83 ] On 13 November, after three wins in 15 Wigan games, coach Sheridan left to become Swindon Town ‘s newfangled coach. [ 84 ] On 20 November, extra time was granted to the prospective new owners to complete their leverage. [ 85 ] In early December, with the club bottom of League One, it emerged that a member of the spanish consortium had a disabling condition, so Wigan ‘s administrators had to make a bracing application to the EFL on behalf of Felipe Moreno, owner of spanish LaLiga 2 side Leganés. [ 86 ] however, on 5 January 2021, the Moreno take-over bid fell through ; administrators began talking to other bidders, [ 87 ] with, on 15 January 11 parties said to be matter to in buying the club. [ 88 ] By early March 2021, the administrators were in promote talks with a consortium, Phoenix 2021 Ltd, led by a Bahrain businessman, Talal Mubarak al-Hammad, [ 89 ] and a coup d’etat was agreed on 15 March, subject to EFL blessing and finalization of paperwork. Under the proposed deal, Al-Hammad would become chair, [ 90 ] and Mal Brannigan ( previously involved with Dundalk and Dundee United ) would be head administrator. [ 91 ] EFL approval for the coup d’etat was confirmed on 30 March 2021. [ 92 ] In May, the early administrators repaid £171,000 raised by supporters to keep the golf club going when it beginning went into government. [ 93 ] The cabaret finished the 2020–21 season in 20th place, one point above the relegation places .

stadium [edit ]

Wigan Athletic ‘s stadium is the 25,138 capacity DW Stadium, separate of the Robin Park building complex in Wigan. It has been the club ‘s home since the 1999–2000 season. Wigan Athletic owns the stadium, but leases the grind to rugby league team Wigan Warriors. [ 94 ] The stadium cost £30 million to construct. Previously, home games were played at Springfield Park, the former dwelling of Wigan Borough, which was demolished in June 1999 ; it is nowadays the locate of a house development. The record attendance at the DW Stadium ( then known as the JJB Stadium ) for Wigan Athletic is 25,133 for a game against Manchester United on 11 May 2008 – the final match of the 2007–08 season. The JJB Stadium was the one-fourth attempt at re-development/re-location for Wigan Athletic, the first coming in 1986 when then-chairman Bill Kenyon revealed plans for a 15,000 all-seater growth at Springfield Park including a hotel and shop facilities. The club was to play at the nearby Woodhouse Stadium ( once Wigan Municipal Stadium – now demolished ) while the construction work took rate. In 1990, Kenyon submitted his irregular dodge which would cost £3m, hold 12–15,000 fans and involved moving the gear dear to the car ballpark. Neither efforts got past the design stage. The adjacent president, Stephen Gage, spent most of 1993 and 1994 trying to relocate the Latics to the then Robin Park Stadium ( now demolished ) until his plans were scuppered by Wigan Council when the local council announced plans for their own ground involving Wigan Warriors. Gage last admitted get the better of when he sold the Latics to Dave Whelan on 27 February 1995 for around £1m. Plans for the JJB Stadium were inaugural published in 1997. Contracts for the fresh stadium were signed in late 1997 and work began immediately. in the first place the ground was to be built for both Wigan Athletic and Orrell R.U.F.C., as grants were lone available for multi-use stadium at that clock time. Wigan Warriors did not figure in the equation until Whelan bought the rugby league club some 12 months late after protracted negotiations with the directors of the rugby league club. The mod all-seater stadium was officially opened on 4 August 1999. Its inauguration was marked with a friendly between Wigan and neighbor Manchester United, who were then reigning european Champions, with Alex Ferguson formally opening the stadium. however, Wigan Athletic hosted Morecambe three days earlier on 1 August as a dress rehearsal for the official possibility against Manchester United. The crippled was played during a crimson electrical ramp and torrential rain, even thus, 4,020 supporters attended and the crippled ended in a scoreless draw. The first competitive football match took place on 7 August 1999, with Wigan Athletic facing Scunthorpe United in a Division 2 meet. Simon Haworth scored doubly, including the first competitive goal at the new stadium, as Athletic won 3–0. On 7 March 2005 Greater Manchester Police announced that it would stop policing Wigan athletic matches at the stadium from 2 April. This move left Wigan Athletic facing the prognosis of playing their home games in the Premier League in an empty stadium, so they paid the money they owed to the police. The baseball club appealed against the payments in court and won, with the claims expected to earn the club around £37,000. [ 95 ] On 25 March 2009 it was announced that Wigan Athletic would change the diagnose of their stadium to The DW Stadium, after chair Dave Whelan ‘s commercial venture, DW Sports Fitness. [ 96 ] For 2013–14 Europa League fixtures held at the stadium, the land was known as The Wigan Athletic Stadium .

Supporters [edit ]

Wigan Athletic Official Supporters Club ( formally known as Wigan Athletic Supporters Travel Club ) is the official supporters ‘ association of Wigan Athletic Football Club. The supporters club are a non-profit organization run by volunteers and suffer before home matches in the South Stand Bar. The Latics ‘ most vocal supporters can be found in the East Stand of the DW Stadium which houses up to 8,206 fans [ 97 ] The South Stand of the grind is the family stand. A long-standing song sung by fans of the baseball club is “ You Are My Sunshine “. [ 98 ] In more holocene times, “ I ‘m a Believer “, [ 99 ] the Hokey cokey, “ We Built This City “ [ 100 ] and “ Gold “ are among some of the songs that have been adapted by Wigan supporters. [ 101 ] The club has one unofficial fanzine, The Mudhutter, [ 102 ] which is released between 5 and 6 times during the season. Resulting from a number of incidents at Latics matches where fume bombs were used by fans ( resulting in 17 banning orders as a leave of one repair ), several clubhouse statements were issued [ 103 ] and police presence was increased at some matches. Data from the UK Football Policing Unit found that Wigan Athletic along with Everton and Manchester United had the highest number of incidents involving pyrotechnics. [ 104 ] Wigan ‘s return to the Championship saw an average off following of over 1,200. [ citation needed ] This figure did not include Europa League, Community Shield, League Cup [ 105 ] and FA Cup fixtures, [ 106 ] where on average supporters turned up in greater numbers. In 2013, the clubhouse sold out their 25,000 allotment for the FA Cup Final and sold 20,000 tickets for the FA Cup semi-final. A total of 5,500 was besides sold for the FA Community Shield in the same year. In 2014, hundreds of fans took character in a jacob’s ladder walk from Wigan to Bolton in aid of local charity Joseph ‘s Goal. [ 107 ] Joseph was Wigan ‘s mascot in the 2013 FA Cup Final, led out by captain Emmerson Boyce. On Boxing Day, over the years many fans have chosen to attend Wigan Athletic ‘s equal in illusion dress. This is particularly outstanding with away fixtures on that day where the fans are known as the ‘Banana Army ‘. [ 108 ] however, on Boxing Day in 2014 a boycott of the club ‘s regular against Leeds United was ordered by some supporters due to the slate prices for the pit at Elland Road. Around 750 aside fans attended the match. [ 109 ] During the 2014–15 season, a Fan Advisory Board ( FAB ) was set up by the club to allow supporters of Wigan Athletic to have a greater say on any issues they may have. The board meets every month to six weeks with the first meet having taken place in November 2014. [ 110 ]

mascot [edit ]

In August 2019, the golf club announced that a giant proto-indo european, called Crusty, would serve as the team ‘s new mascot for the 2019–2020 season. Crusty The Pie was chosen following a competition in which more than 90 basal schools were invited to submit ideas, with over half of the entries opting for a pie. [ 111 ]

Rivalries [edit ]

Since Wigan Athletic ‘s entrance fee to the Football League in 1978, the club has built up respective rivalries, chiefly with Bolton Wanderers, the club ‘s chief bowler hat couple. One competition that has arisen in holocene years has been that with Manchester City, [ 112 ] since the first meter they met in the Second Division in 1998, the season in which City gained passage to the 1999 Division Two play-off final through the “ Hand of Goat ”. Wigan met City in the 2013 FA Cup Final and beat them 1–0. Since then, City have failed to beat Wigan in the rival ; losing 2–1 at the Etihad in the 2013–14 FA Cup Quarter-Final [ 113 ] and, in February 2018, losing 1–0 with third tier Wigan beating eventual Premier League champions City with a Will Grigg goal. [ 114 ] Wigan besides have other local rivalries with Preston North End, Blackburn Rovers, [ 115 ] Oldham Athletic, [ 116 ] Blackpool and Rochdale. One of the baseball club ‘s longest and recently forgotten rivalries was with nearby Lancashire based club Chorley, although the two clubs have not played a league game since 1971 when they were in the Northern Premier League. The last time Wigan played Chorley was in the inaugural circle of the FA Cup in 2020, with non-league Chorley beating an administration-stricken Wigan 3–2 after extra-time. [ 117 ]

european record [edit ]

Wigan ‘s victory in the 2013 FA Cup Final qualified them for european football for the first and only time, earning them an automatic place in the group stage of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League .

Players [edit ]

First team squad [edit ]

As of 31 August 2021[118]

eminence : Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality .

U23 squad [edit ]

As of 31 August 2021[118]

note : Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality .

On lend [edit ]

As of 31 August 2021[118]

note : Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality .

club officials [edit ]

As of 25 June 2021[119]

Directors

Name

Owner
Phoenix 2021 Limited

Chairman
Talal Al Hammad

Chief Executive
Mal Brannigan

Chief Financial Officer
Richard Bramwell

Non-Executive Director
Dr. Tom Markham

Non-Executive Director
Oliver Gottmann

Life President
Dave Whelan

Honorary President
Brenda Spencer

Coaching staff

Name

Manager
Leam Richardson

Assistant Manager
James Beattie

Assistant Manager
Rob Kelly

Goalkeeping Coach
Darryl Flahavan

Club Doctor
Dr Jonathan Tobin

Kitman
Naz Ali

Academy Manager
Gregor Rioch

Under 23s Manager
Frankie Bunn

Under 18s Manager
Peter Murphy

luminary early players [edit ]

musician of the Year ( 1978–2020 ) [edit ]

Managers [edit ]

As listed on the official Wigan Athletic web site. [ 121 ]

Honours [edit ]

league [edit ]

  • Football League Championship (English second tier)
  • Football League Third Division (English fourth tier)
  • Northern Premier League (English fifth tier)
Winners: 1970–71, 1974–75
Runners-up: 1968–69, 1969–70, 1977–78
  • Cheshire League
Winners: 1933–34, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1964–65
  • Northern Floodlit League
Winners: 1966–67
Winners: 1947–48, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1953–54
Runners-up: 1949–50, 1959–60

cup [edit ]

Runners-up: 1972–73
Winners: 1971–72

[ 123 ]

Records [edit ]

References [edit ]

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