Season Preview
Ah, where to start?
July 1st my world came crashing down, Wigan Athletic placed in administration by the current owner.
What? Stanley Choi, no, the current owner, the guy who had been described previously, fleetingly, as an investor to get some more funds into the club, a guy by the name of Au Yeung Wai Kay, a guy who had somehow acquired the majority shareholding of the Latics with little to no publicity whatsoever.
The only previous time I’d remotely been aware of him was at a Fans Advisory Board meeting conducted over Zoom when fellow fans board member Paul Middleton, aka Miggsy raised concerns about him, these concerns were quickly swept away and I was back in lockdown mode. I wish Miggsy had slapped me around the head and ordered me to take notice, sorry pal.
Yes, someone had taken over our club when the country was in lockdown due to a global pandemic, a bit of back door manoeuvring if ever there was. But there we had it, and then this clown wanted to fold the club, sell off the assets and disappear back to the murky shadows from whence he came.
So the 1st of July, buoyant after a resounding victory the previous night against Stoke, breaking news, Wigan Athletic are in ADMINISTRATION, completely out of the blue to all and sundry, though I will repeat that Miggsy did try to warn us.
My initial thoughts, which to be honest ran for the next few weeks, were that the club is dead, who would buy a football club with a £12m per year wage bill, running costs making a loss at almost £1m per month, a ground that has shown an operating loss of £1m a year for the past few years and has, despite finishing in the Championship mid-table, been dumped down a division in to League 1 – and all the consequences of that – by a 12 point fixed penalty enforced by the leagues governing body? In my mind, no one, I feared the worst and I’ll be honest a little depression set in.
I hardly slept for the next few days, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since. I am angry and sad at the same time, usually I am extremely positive bloke, glass half full type, but that had all been drained away. We had a squad capable of challenging for a playoff spot, in Paul Cook, a manager that the players would sweat blood for and the future looked bright, all that blown away.
The anger is rife but it needs to be channelled to be effective, our fan base is up there with the most passionate that there is, if one good thing has come out of this absolute mess, then it is how the supporters have rallied to support Wigan Athletic, as one, there is the strength in unity and I am so proud to be a part of this.
So we have the bailiffs in stripping the club to pay the debts and keeping the lecy and gas on, our 1st XI, bar possibly one player (Kal Naismith) have left or on the verge of doing so, potential buyers are messing about trying to get the club for next to nothing and scrapping over which remnants that they actually do want.
In the meanwhile the supporters have clubbed together, bought the first team kit, sponsored the first team kit, chipped in with the running costs and donated nearly £700,000 to hopefully have a safety net for saving the club and a stake in it going forward. Once again I need to reiterate just how proud I am to be a part of that movement.
So, season preview. If we start the game on Sunday at Ipswich with eleven players on the pitch and a few bottoms on the subs bench, that will be more than I initially thought would happen when all this kicked off, I will be delighted. If we are still around on Saturday 8th May when Swindon Town are due to end the season at the DW I will cry tears of happiness, no point denying.
The results are immaterial, the hope that we will still have a club is all that matters , I will cherish my club, our club, as I have all my life and will continue to do so, I have too many emotional attachments not to care, I am proud to say I love it, I will do all I can to help its survival and see it prosper, I will promote Wigan Athletic and defend Wigan Athletic with all my might and character, so long as this season brings another chapter in our proud history then I will be happy.
Believe, keep the faith and keep our unity, up the still scrapping tics!
Barry Worthington
No comments:
Post a Comment