It hasn’t been the brightest of times for Wigan fans since losing their Premier League status at the end of the 2013 season. With the Latics staring at the probability of taking another relegation hit, with League One looming large in their rear-view mirror, it seems such a long time since that pinnacle day out which was the 2013 FA Cup Final. The relegation threat puts real money at stake here. Can Wigan afford to fall into further financial constraints?
The relegation struggle this season at the DW Stadium is like placing bets on casino games: there is the feeling that a win is just around the corner – that beautiful sight such as a perfect performance or a full line of crowns dropping on a slot machine – which is going to give fans some good value for their investment. It doesn’t matter too much that passes are still going astray, or that not every spin of the reels is going to land a big payout. That’s unrealistic, but with every spin, you know that you are getting closer to seeing that jackpot line and a perfect three points.
That is where the investment in supporting Wigan is; enduring the blank spins at the moment in the anticipation of landing the big return. A big three points in the bag to pull away from the Championship drop zone, maybe. A January signing of a striker who actually knows where the back of the net is and who then goes on a goal-scoring tear in the league, maybe. Those are the kind of returns that are potentially waiting on the next spin of the slot machine. It’s just about being patient enough to endure the misses to land the big one.
So what direction do Malky Mackay’s men need to go in, in order to preserve their Championship status and perhaps regroup in the summer for a fresh tilt back towards the Premier League? There are clearly pieces to put together for the Latics, which is a bit like sitting at a virtual roulette table. There are degrees of options, an improvement in defence, more help in the middle, but the main boost that Wigan need is in picking up a striker. Even a loanee until the end of the season would do. With goals at a premium this season, a risk has to be taken.
Black or red? It’s as clear as that. Stay up or drop? The need is there and Wigan need to gamble. They are already in the red so to speak, embedded in the drop zone in deficit, so they have to shoot for someone to get them up into the black of survival points standings. The options from there get narrower, but this is where Whelan and Mackay need to get together and decide a strategy. Can they hedge their bets a little bit by bringing in a couple of new faces up front, something like taking a first 12 spread on the roulette table, or should they just go out and put the house on number 9?
Right now, it seems like the Championship “house” against Wigan, who are in a game of blackjack against the league. The only way out for the Latics this season is to beat the dealer. The most disappointing thing about Wigan’s season is the fact that they are barely above Blackpool. That’s no slight on the Tangerines, but they barely scraped together 11 professionals on their books to start the season with. So the odds may well be stacked in favour of the Latics taking the drop, but maybe, maybe just somewhere, there is an ace in the cards to leave the house reeling.
