Every club has their ups and downs and Wigan are a club that know how to adjust to new challenges.

When Dave Whelan bought Wigan in 1995 the club were in England’s 4th tier. When he took over he announced that he would take the Tics all the way up to the Premier League, and that’s exactly what he did!

First Wigan were promoted to Division 2 in 1997 before reaching the Championship six years later. It only took another two seasons for the boss to fulfil his promise and reach the Premier League to the surprise of many. It was the first time Wigan reached the top tier in the club’s history.

Their first season in the Premier League was a memorable one. After going on a great run under Paul Jewell the Tics were 2nd in the league in November. They also matched their league form with a cup run, reaching the final of the league Cup after beating Arsenal. They lost in the final to Man Utd and ended up finishing 10th in the league, but it was an amazing season for the Premier League newcomers and their highest ever position.

One of the reasons I joined Wigan was because I wanted to be part of a club with amount of passion and determination that they possessed.

From day one when I arrived and met Mr Whelan he made it clear what his objectives were and that he wanted me to make sure his team would stay in the Premier League. That’s pressure of course but isn’t that what football at the highest level is all about?

I had three great years doing whatever it took to stay in the league by keeping the team together, which is never an easy thing because you have to be creative. You have to know how you can keep so many players happy with the same thing during team building. But one thing I made sure on the day of the game was that I wanted to win whatever it took. We maybe didn’t always agree but who cares because after the win there were smiles all over the place.

Wigan spent eight seasons in the Premier League and in the final term reached the FA Cup final for the first time. For the first time in their history. In the final Wigan beat Man City 1–0 going on to win the club’s first ever major trophy and qualify for the Europa League. They were relegated from the Premier League that season but Dave Whelan had taken his beloved Wigan from the 4th tier to European football in just 16 years.

It had been a beautiful journey and it was time for Mr Whelan to hand the chairman role to his equally passionate grandson David Sharpe. Some tough times followed with the Tics falling down to League One before immediately returning to the Championship. It shows the heart and character that this club has and everyone involved knows what it takes to fight back.

It’s been hard finding the Wigan games on TV but I made sure I could see the game against Reading and they didn’t perform like a team that should be relegated. Football can be really cruel sometimes and I hope next season the negatives will turn into positivity and the mighty tics are back shining with happy faces in the stadium cheering the boys on.

#mmlove