Gary Caldwell’s Wigan Sit Bottom of League One as Owner Seeks Buyer

• Wigan Athletic beat Reading 1-0 on Saturday but remain bottom of League One, with six goals in nine league games the lowest total in the division.
• Owner Mike Danson is keen to sell the club but has not found a buyer, and finances are described by the Guardian as “ultra-tight”.
• Manager Gary Caldwell, the club captain in 2013, is working on a shoestring budget and has been criticised by fans for the team’s style of play.

A 2013 Hero Is Trying to Fix a Club in Decline

Wigan Athletic scored in the league for the first time in 447 minutes on Saturday and still stayed bottom of League One. Scott Hogan’s 71st-minute strike beat Reading 1-0, the Latics’ second league win of the season, yet the Guardian’s Dominic Booth reports that Gary Caldwell needs far more than three points to clear the clouds over the club.

Caldwell knows what Wigan used to be. He was club captain when they beat Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup final, and last season he returned for a second spell as manager, having led them to promotion from League One in 2015-16. Booth writes that leaving Exeter for Wigan looked a risky move, given the shoestring budget set by the owner, Mike Danson.

An Owner Who Wants Out and Nobody to Take Over

Danson, a local businessman, and his family saved Wigan from liquidation in June 2023, after mismanagement by the previous owners brought a points deduction and relegation from the Championship. Three mid-table League One finishes followed, which the Guardian says gave the club “a semblance of stability”. This season they have fallen away. Crowds are dwindling, and the club is losing money on the pitch and on the balance sheet.

The Dansons want to sell but have been unable to find an ambitious buyer to take the club on. Booth says the prospect of a first season in the fourth tier is now a distinct possibility. Wigan last played at that level in 1996-97. The Dansons and the club’s hierarchy have asked supporters to return to the stadium to raise revenue and make the club more appealing to new owners. Booth asks why fans should pay “hard-earned cash” to watch “insipid” football.

The upheaval reaches the boardroom too. Managing director Sarah Guilfoyle left abruptly on the eve of the new season after 10 years at the club. The Wigan Athletic Supporters Action Group is demanding answers from Danson on why a sale has proved so hard and why there has been so little investment. Other fans are more resigned and accept some short-term pain, though most agree a change of ownership would turn the club’s fortunes around.

Caldwell Under Pressure From the Stands

Fans have criticised Caldwell for the team’s uninspiring style, which has produced six goals in nine games, the fewest in League One. Hogan, the veteran forward, ended the drought when he converted Christian Saydee’s cross after Reading goalkeeper Joel Pereira parried it. Wigan goalkeeper Joe Whitworth was busy at the other end to protect the lead, and the Guardian judged the home side good value for the win.

Caldwell’s backers point to a lack of spending. The £1.5m generated by the sale of Sam Tickle to Bristol City has not been reinvested in players, and the squad leans heavily on young loanees. Before the match, Caldwell had said the need for points was “big” so that supporters could “have that feelgood factor” and leave the stadium happier than they have been.

Afterwards he praised the effort. “Some of our play was tremendous,” Caldwell said. “Our spirit, our character, our determination not to let the ball go in the net was fantastic. We need to try and build on this. You have to keep the players believing and committing.” He added that “there’s still so many aspects of our game that need to be better, but a result makes you feel better about yourself psychologically.”

Reading’s dugout held a reminder of better times. Leam Richardson won the League One title as Wigan manager in April 2022, and was sacked in November of the same year, 16 days after signing a three-year contract. Booth writes that his presence gave fans another reason to look back.

For now, Wigan stay bottom, and the short-term struggles are expected to continue. The hope around the Brick Community Stadium is that a hero of 2013 can work miracles on the pitch while the constraints off it stay in place.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

More articles by Jarrod →