Wigan Athletic F.C.
| Wigan Athletic crest | |||
| Full name | Wigan Athletic Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Latics, Chochion/Coccium | ||
| Founded | 1932 | ||
| Ground | JJB Stadium Wigan Greater Manchester England | ||
| Capacity | 25,138[1] | ||
| Chairman |  David Whelan | ||
| Manager | Paul Jewell | ||
| League | FA Premier League | ||
| 2005-06 | Premier League, 10th | ||
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Wigan Athletic Football Club are a professional football team based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.
In 2003, Wigan were promoted to the Football League Championship for the first time, and in 2005 came second in the Coca Cola Championship to gain promotion to the Premiership. During the 2005-06 season, they reached the League Cup final for the first time and remained in the top half of the Premiership for nearly the entire duration of the season.
History
Life in the local leagues
Wigan Athletic were formed in 1932 following the demise of Wigan Borough the previous year. Wigan Athletic was the fifth attempt to stabilise a football club in the town following the demise of Wigan County, Wigan United, Wigan Town and the aforementioned Wigan Borough. Springfield Park, the former home of Wigan Borough, was purchased for £2,850 and the club was elected to the Cheshire County League.
In the early history of Wigan Athletic, their most notable exploits came in the FA Cup. In the 1934-35 season, Wigan beat Carlisle United 6-1 in the first round, setting a cup record for the biggest victory by a non-league club over a league club, a record which still stands today.
In 1945 Wigan were elected to a different league, the Lancashire Combination, and in 1950 came close to election to the Football League, narrowly losing out to Scunthorpe United on a vote. In the 1953-54 season, Wigan played an FA Cup match against Hereford United in front of a crowd of 27,526, a Wigan Athletic record and also a record for a match between two non-league teams at a non-league ground. In 1961 the club moved back to the Cheshire County League.
Early league years
In 1968 Wigan were founder members of the Northern Premier League. After 34 failed election attempts, including one controversial but headline-making application in 1972 to join the Scottish League Second Division, Wigan were elected to the Football League in 1978 in place of Southport, who had finished next to bottom of the Fourth Division. Boston United were the Northern Premier League Champions in 1978 but their ground and facilities were deemed unsuitable for the Football League, therefore Wigan, as runners-up were put forward for election. In the club's first season of League football, Wigan finished sixth, and gained their first promotion two years later, prompting a ten year spell in the third tier of English football. The club won its first silverware as a League club in 1985, winning the Freight Rover Trophy.They were beaten in the Northern Final the following season by Bolton Wanderers.
Wigan were relegated from the new Division Two in 1993, and a year later finished 19th - fourth from bottom - in Division Three to complete their worst-ever league season. The following season, 1994-95, brought a secure mid-table finish.
Rising through the league
In 1995, local millionaire David Whelan purchased the club, which was then playing in the Third Division, and stated his ambition to take the club to the Premiership, a statement which was widely ridiculed at the time.
The first step towards Whelan's dream came true in 1997 when they won the Division Three title under the management of John Deehan. Deehan's successor Ray Mathias took Wigan to the Division Two playoffs in 1999, losing 2-1 on aggregate to neighbours Manchester City after an extremely dubious goal. This ultimately cost Mathias his job as he fell victim to Whelan's relentless drive for Premiership football. His replacement John Benson led the squad he inherited from Mathias to a commanding position at the top of Division Two in his first six months, including the demolition of local rivals Preston 4-1 away, only to collapse in the second half of the season and once again fail in the play-offs. This was largely attributed to the dropping of leading goalscorer Stuart Barlow who was responsible for much of the side's early success, which coupled with a series of poor quality signings of ageing, and reputedly highly paid players and a run of poor performances led to strong disapproval of the management among fans. The season ended on a depressing note with Wigan losing 3-2 to Gillingham in extra time at the last ever Division Two play-off final to be played at the old Wembley stadium.
Benson then moved 'upstairs' to the new post of Director of Football, under new manager Bruce Rioch. Rioch was hampered by severe injury problems and after a difficult and often unimpressive first half of the season left the club in February of 2001. He was temporarily replaced by club stalwart Colin Greenall, before the surprise appointment of Steve Bruce in the closing games of the season. His arrival brought renewed vigour to Wigan performances, with the club ultimately falling foul once again of the play-offs, this time with Reading. Following this blow, Bruce left for Crystal Palace after repeatedly pledging his future to Wigan, leaving behind a club both grateful for his help in getting so close to promotion and also angry and bitter at his betrayal. It came as no great surprise to many Wigan fans when he did the same thing again to Palace, choosing to desert to rivals Birmingham.
In 2001, former player Paul Jewell took over as manager, and after a mixed first season, won the Division Two championship in 2002-03 with a points total of 100. Wigan finished seventh in the 2003-04 Division One campaign - a last minute goal by West Ham's Brian Deane in the final game of the season saw Latics drop out of the play off picture in favour of eventual play off winners Crystal Palace.
In the following season the Latics earned promotion to the Premiership by finishing second in the Coca-Cola Championship, behind Sunderland. May 8, 2005 is now regarded by most fans as the biggest day in the history of Wigan Athletic. On the final day of the 2004-05 Coca-Cola Football League Championship campaign, the Latics beat Reading 3-1 at home to secure runners-up spot in the final table and a place in the Premiership for 2005-06.
Wigan in the Premiership
Wigan's first game in the top flight was a dream come true — a home match against English Champions Chelsea. A game in which they came close to a dream start in the league, but to no avail, falling foul to a 92nd minute winner by Hernán Crespo. After the goal, Jose Mourinho went as far as to commiserate Paul Jewell on his poor fortune and in his post match interview claimed that Chelsea did not deserve to win.
Wigan are only the fifth English team in the last 20 years to win promotion to the top division for the first time. The most successful debut by any of these teams was that of Ipswich who finished in 4th position and earned a place in the UEFA cup (Wimbledon achieved a sixth-place finish in 1987, Millwall debuted at 10th place in 1989 before going down the following year, while Swindon Town and Barnsley were both relegated after just one season among the elite).
Wigan's meteoric rise continued on 24 January 2006, when the club secured their first ever place in a major cup final. Wigan lost on the night to Arsenal 2-1 after extra time but Jason Roberts' last minute strike secured an away goals victory following their 1-0 first leg semi final victory at the JJB Stadium previously. However, Wigan were defeated 4-0 by Wayne Rooney-inspired neighbours Manchester United on February 26, 2006 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.
During the 2005-06 season, Wigan Athletic also managed to complete double league wins over Sunderland, neighbours Manchester City and Aston Villa. Notably, Wigan Athletic took the most league points away from home, and have the most victories from away games outside the top three clubs. Wigan failed in their bid for European football and opted not to take part in the Intertoto Cup, yet retained a top ten finish in the Premiership. Also, Wigan right-back Pascal Chimbonda was included in the PFA Team of the Season 2005-06 and was included in France's World Cup 2006 squad. However, this was overshadowed by his transfer request minutes after the last game of the season.
As of 04 February 2007, Wigan stand 17th in the Premiership and are precariously positioned just above the relegation zone, five points clear of West Ham United ending a club record of 8 successive league defeats. The fall down into the lower end of the league is due to injuries to players such as Henri Camara and Paul Scharner and the selling of some of the clubs stalwarts like Gary Teale as well as speculation that further players could leave such as Lee McCulloch to Glasgow Rangers and a frustrating period in the transfer market where many of Paul Jewell's targets have not been snapped up by the club.
Stadium
Main article: JJB Stadium
Wigan Athletic's stadium is the 25,138 capacity JJB Stadium, part of the Robin Park complex in Wigan. It has been the club's home since the 1999-00 season. The stadium, which is shared with the Wigan Warriors rugby league team, cost £30 million to construct. Previously, home games were played at Springfield Park, the former home of Wigan Borough.
The record attendance at the JJB Stadium for Wigan Athletic is 25,023 for a match against Liverpool F.C. on February 11, 2006.
The modern all-seater stadium was officially opened on August 4, 1999. Its inauguration was marked with a friendly between Wigan Athletic and neighbours Manchester United, who were then reigning European Champions, with Sir Alex Ferguson officially opening the stadium. However, Wigan hosted Morcambe three days earlier on 1st August as a dress rehearsal for the official opening against Manchester United. 4020 supporters braved a fierce electrical storm and torrential rain but unfortunately, the on-pitch action was less dramatic with the game ending in a goaless draw. The first competitive football match there took place on August 7, 1999, with Wigan Athletic facing Scunthorpe United in a Division 2 match. Simon Haworth scored twice, including the first competitive goal at the new stadium, as Athletic triumphed 3-0.
On March 7, 2005 Greater Manchester police announced that they would stop policing Wigan Athletic matches at the stadium from April 2. This move would almost certainly have resulted in the stadium's safety certificate being revoked, effectively forcing the team to play behind closed doors. The move was part of an ongoing dispute between the police force and David Whelan surrounding £300,000 in unpaid policing costs. The police's decision would not have affected Wigan Warriors, whose games are stewarded instead of policed. The situation was temporarily resolved on March 8 with both sides reaching an agreement that would allow Athletic to play at the ground until the end of the season. Four months later, Wigan, facing the prospect of playing their home games in the FA Premier League in an empty stadium, grudgingly paid the money they owed to the police. However, the club are now appealing against the payments in court.
Traditions at Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic's mascots are JJ (Jay-Jay) and B (Bea) who make regular appearances at home fixtures. The two mascots are intentionally named to create JJB, the club's main sponsor. The former mascot of Wigan Athletic was almost identical to the more recent JJ but was named 'Springy' in reference to the home of the club at the time, Springfield Park.
The most popular football chant used by supporters has been "You Are My Sunshine," but recent additions are the Frankie Valli classic "Let's Hang On!" which was representative of the club's record of 1-0 small goal leads, especially in the 2003-04 season. Other notable favourites include: "We Come From Wigan And We Live In Mudhuts" and "Teale Will Tear You Apart Again" - a parody of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" sung mainly when winger Gary Teale was playing. Other chants for players include "Zooo!" for captain Arjan De Zeeuw, and also a chant to the tune of "Baby Give It Up", replacing the titular words with the name of striker Henri Camara.
The club's nickname is "The Latics", a corruption of the word 'Athletic', a nickname originally and presently used by Oldham Athletic. When the two teams meet, it is known as 'The Latics' derby', for obvious reasons.
Wigan's local rivals are Bolton Wanderers FC who have failed to beat Wigan in the FA Premier League,but have finished higher in the league than Wigan for every season since 1987/88.
Controversy, criticism, and the media
Wigan Athletic's rise to the Premiership has been well-documented by the English media, who at times have speculated and criticized the club about relatively low attendances for home matches. This was compounded by the League Cup semi-final game against Arsenal, where the match attendance was 12,181 (48 percent of ground capacity). The club's management argued that this attendance was because the match was televised, played on a cold, rainy, weekday evening, and also deep amongst the backlog of games created by reduction by a week of the football season.
Of course, these reasons exclude the traditional rebuttal that the proximity of Blackburn Rovers, Leigh RMI, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Bury Manchester United, Manchester City, Preston North End, Rochdale Liverpool and Everton have an impact on the crowds at the comparatively 'newer' team. In April 2006 of the 2005-06 season a New York based production company spent a month filming behind the scenes at the club. The fly-on-the-wall style documentary will provide a narrative of the unique Wigan story.
Notable former players
Roy Carroll
Jimmy Bullard
Archie Gemmill- David Fairclough
Pascal Chimbonda
Jason Roberts- Nathan Ellington
- Andy Liddell
- David Lowe
Roberto Martínez
Notable former managers
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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For recent transfers, see List of English football transfers 2006-07.
Management
- Manager: Paul Jewell
- Assistant Manager: Chris Hutchings
- General Manager: John Benson
- Football Co-ordinator: Bill Green
- First Team Coach:: Mark Seagraves
- Chief Scout: David Hamilton
- Reserve Team Coach: David Lowe
- Youth Team Coach: David Lee
- Goalkeeping Coach: Gary Walsh
- Head Physio: Alan Tomlinson
- First Team Fitness Coach: Joey Gallanagh
- Physio: Alex Cribley
- Physio: Neil Fitzhenry
- Kit Manager: Alan Jackson
Honours
- Football League Championship
- Runners-up 2005
- Football League Second Division
- Champions 2003
- Football League Third Division
- Champions 1997
- Football League Fourth Division
- Promoted 1982
- Football League Trophy
- Winners 1985, 1999
- Northern Premier League
- Champions 1971, 1975
- Northern Premier Cup
- Winners 1972
- Northern Premier Shield
- Winners 1973, 1974, 1976
- Lancashire Combination
- Champions 1948, 1951, 1953, 1954
- Cheshire League
- Champions 1934, 1935, 1936, 1965
- FA Cup
- Best performance: 6th Round 1987
- Football League Cup
- Runners-up 2006
- Elected to Football League 1978
Records
- Record League victory, 7-1 vs. Scarborough, 11 March, 1997
- Record League defeat, 0-6 vs. Bristol Rovers, 3 March, 1990
- Highest attendance, 25,023 vs. Liverpool, 11 February, 2006
- Most League appearances, 317, Kevin Langley 1981-1994
- Most League goals scored, total, 70, Andy Liddell 1998-2003
- Most goals scored, season, 31, Graeme Jones 1996/1997
- Record Cup Run, Carling Cup Final vs Manchester United, 2006
Footnotes
- ^ "JJB Stadium - Facts & Figures". Wigan Warriors. Retrieved 2006-12-29.
References
- "Brief history of Wigan Athletic". Retrieved December 5.
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External links
- Official website
- Premierleague.com - Wigan Athletic
- PremierLatics.net
- Wigan Athletic at Curlie
- Wigan Athletic F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
- Wiganer.net - Wigan's leading fanzine site
