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Wigan face up to Hutchings mistake

Premier League Wigan Athletic
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In the frenetic end to the 2006/07 season, Wigan’s appointment of Chris Hutchings as their new manager went largely unheralded.

After all, the Latics had survived in the Premier League on a remarkable final day with a nerve-wracking, nail-biting win at Sheffield United.

When exhausted boss Paul Jewell tendered his resignation a day later, Wigan chairman Dave Whelan took little more than two hours to name the manager’s assistant Hutchings as the new man.

It was a move that was only ever going to end in disaster.

Now, seven years and a day after Hutchings was unceremoniously sacked by Bradford, he finds himself out of work once more.

The assistant, it seems, simply does not appear to have what it takes to be the manager in a division as unforgiving as the Premier League.

Hutchings, to be fair to him, played an important part in Wigan’s meteoric rise from League One to the top flight in his six years as Jewell’s assistant.

He had played a similarly significant role at the turn of the millennium when he was second-in-command to Jewell as they took Bradford to the top league in English football – but Whelan clearly had not read the end of that particular chapter.

Jewell had kept the Bantams in the Premier League against all odds in the 1999/2000 season, but he handed in his notice shortly after the end of the season after falling out with then chairman Geoffrey Richmond.

Richmond responded by naming Hutchings as his in-house replacement but four months and only one win in 12 games later and, with Bradford second-from-bottom, Hutchings was given the boot.

Wigan are beginning to look like a club who are slipping out of the Premier League


Surely Whelan should not have made the same mistake seven years on?

When Hutchings was appointed, these 606 messageboards were inundated with messages from Wigan fans worrying that Whelan had been panicked into making a decision.

More ominously, there were plenty more missives from Bradford fans that served as a stark reminder of Hutchings’ failure during his time in charge at Valley Parade.

Sadly for Wigan, Hutchings and Whelan, the doom-merchants were proved to be right.

Now, six months on, Whelan has the most important decision of his chairmanship to make.

He has done the sensible thing in putting Hutchings’ assistant Frank Barlow – who two seasons ago had a superb spell as caretaker-manager at Nottingham Forest – in temporary charge.

Now, Whelan must bide his time and search for a manager who can inspire the current crop of players to win another fight against the drop.

Wigan are beginning to look like a club who are slipping out of the Premier League.

They have lost six games in a row, have plummeted to 18th after topping the table early on and are short on goals as well as confidence, finding the net just twice in their last five games.

When you think about who might be able to conjure up another Houdini act, the name Paul Jewell springs to mind.

But who do you think should be charged with trying to keep Wigan in the top flight?

Latest 10 comments

Read members' comments or add your own
comment by wulfran (U8609432)

posted Nov 7, 2007

Why does Bolton Barrass have to slag off a team he doesn't support when his own team seem to be in disarray? Without Big Sam they look useless.

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posted Nov 7, 2007

Many Bolton fans want to see Wigan stay up and do well in the premiership. All clubs have WUMs and idiots, we have our fair share on the Bolton message board.
Bring back Jewell.

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posted Nov 7, 2007

Megson for Wigan

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posted Nov 8, 2007

was always going to be a mistake, like sammy lee taking over at bolton, so totally obvious to anyone that knows anything about the game.

however the real crime was hutchings shirt tie combos, I certainly won't miss having to endure his dress sense on MOTD!

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posted Nov 8, 2007

'inundated with messages from Wigan fans'

???

Six messages is hardly inundated.

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posted Nov 9, 2007

I think John Gregory might be the only manager able and willing to take on an imploding Wigan. He needs a job and is aggressive in his approach which in such desperate times is the order of the day.

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posted Nov 11, 2007

are you stupid he is not a good manager he always played sibierski up front and he played this team all the time.

kirkland
melchiot
bramble
granqvist
kilbane
sharner
skoko
brown
koumas
sibierski
bent

this team is terible and will always be he should have bought sibierski and melchiot and he made some good signing like koumas and olembe and bouazon but he only played koumas.

he shouldnt have left camara to go to west ham he a great player i would of love to have seen him and aghahowa play together.

he should of have played this team after camara lefted.

kirkland
taylor
hall
scharner
olembe
valencia
landzaat
koumas
bouaozon
aghahowa
bent

and he should of have sorted out the defending because they could mark anyone and and they are very slow but if he had played this team they would be in the top 10.
but he keept saying that experience wa s neded

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posted Nov 16, 2007

Hutchings should of never been put in charge. When paul left we should of brought in a top class manager with experience in the top level. One option we had was Neil Warnock who had a good season with Shefield and he would of been a good replacement. My personal choice for manager would be Steve Staunton, he had a good spell with the Republic getting some good results against Germany and the Czechs and he could be the man who keeps us up.

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posted Nov 16, 2007

Carlos - why do you keep putting Fitz Hall in your line-up? He's been lousy recently.

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posted Nov 24, 2007

Steve Staunton had an awful spell in charge or Ireland. We lost to cyprus 5-2 and beat San Marino 2-1 at with an injury time winner. Tactical nightmare and the players didnt respect him

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