You probably don’t want to hear my views on Leam Richardson. They’re way too nuanced to fit into a twitter argument and were no way convincing enough to keep him in a job/get him sacked (delete based on your preferred standpoint).
He came, he fought, and he (sort of) conquered, he saved the club, he saved a life and won the hearts of mill… erm {checks attendances} a couple of thousand people and, most importantly, he had a stand named after him.
He seemed a thoroughly good chap, but his time is now past and whether you’re happy with it, or not, it’s time to start weighing up the competition for what was once called the Wigan Athletic hotseat but is now just a plastic chair in a portacabin that Gerald Krasner forgot to sell off.
Shaun Maloney
Pros:
- “Knows the club”
- Knows Thierry Henry
- Has worked with Bobby so might be the next Cruyff
Cons
- Scottish football is rubbish
- Worked with that Spanish idiot so is probably full of tiki-takka nonsense
- “Bad apple”
Maloney is an ex-player so, unlike every other football club in the world, Latics fans automatically assume that he’s the worst possible candidate. The only exception to this rule is Paul Jewell, who despite not managing for over 15 years, is still top of everyone’s list come new manager season.
The outcry against Maloney, almost makes me want him to get the job and rebuild the club as a school of footballing science, just so I can enjoy the fume when he’s eventually lured away to a better job at someone like, I don’t know, Blackburn.
On the flip side, some Latics fans will never take to him, his managerial tenure will be one massive falling out and will give me a headache.
For that reason, we’re out.
Steven Gerrard
Pros
- Played “at the top level”
- Did ok at Rangers
- Favourite cheese is “melted”
Cons
- Scottish football is rubbish
- Spent loads of money for little return at Villa
- Doesn’t understand rubbish footballers
As Gerrard has spent his managerial career in either Scotland or the Premier League, I’ve nothing to add with regards to his ability or style of management. He probably knows a bit and has a few contacts that might be useful in recruiting players, but whether that’s enough to get them to come to Wigan on a daily basis is another matter.
Still, learning some stuff off Stevie G is just about the only thing that could make Max Power think he was any more like Stevie G and, we reckon, he already thinks he’s more like Stevie G than Gerard thinks he’s like Stevie G.
Duncan Ferguson
Pros
- Big shouty motivational type that will put a rocket up some of our players
- Worked with some good managers
- Tall, probably looks decent in a suit
Cons
- Bit shouty, so may be a bit of a long ball merchant
- Can’t I stand his accent
- Once frightened Jimmy Bullard
Everton have had so many managers recently that it’s hard to imagine that Ferguson hasn’t picked up some tips from them. Whether any of them relate to football is another matter and his five-game spell as interim manager at the Toffees was hardly exciting and definitely not long enough to form a view on big Dunc’s preferred style of play.
Rob Edwards
Pros
- No one has really ever heard of him so has no baggage
- Forest Green Rovers are a bit hipster
- “Young”, “upcoming” coach. Probably wants people to pass the ball to each other
Cons
- I keep thinking people are talking about England “Rugby Legend” Rob Andrew
- Linked with every vacancy going, probably won’t stay long
- I still can’t get Rob Andrew out of my head
Like most up and comers, Andre… erm Edward’s has done good things in Youth football before making his way into senior football. Ok, he’s got more credentials than Dave who takes his child’s U12s team on a Saturday morning because he already had one of those coats that favver a sleeping bag, in fact there’s enough noise about him in general to suggest he might be a decent manager, but who knows?
The biggest risk here seems to be that his links to every single vacancy going won’t disappear just because he takes the Latics job. There’ll always be a bigger club, or a club with more money, looking for a manager, and we could do without that distraction, surely?
Neil Critchley
Pros:
- Good with young players
- Contacts at Liverpool
- Cheap (probably)
Cons
- No one had heard of him until last week
- Sacked at Villa
- Warren Joyce
Let’s face it. Critchley seems like the most realistic of the early movers. He’s taken a step out from the shadows of Liverpool’s youth set up to work with Gerard at Villa but hasn’t attracted the same flak for their poor start.
He might want a manager’s job, he might not, only he, and his agent, will know for certain but there’s been enough chatter to suggest that he’s in the running. Given that he’s only ever worked to someone else’s instructions means we can’t tell you if that’s a good or bad thing.
The only thing that we can tell you is that he probably had something to do with that Liverpool Academy side that our youngsters smashed in the Freight Rover a couple of years back. But that probably tells you more about what we lost when that side was broken up than anything about Critchley.
Terry from ES7
Pros
- Season ticket holder since <insert year that sounds impressive, even though he was supporting Liverpool and watching the rugby then>
- Once had an in-depth conversation about tactics with Dave Whelan where DW only dozed off twice
- Won the Champions League with Wigan Athletic on Championship Manager 2007.
Cons
- Can’t make training on Tuesday because he goes to the hairdressers with his mum
- Thinks Steve Bruce was hard-done-to, and that Dave Whelan has away with the McCarthy money
- Doesn’t know how to use capital letters, full stops or paragraphs
We all know a Terry and have probably spent the last week reading his ill structured tweets telling Talal exactly what he thinks of him sacking Richardson and commenting on every person with the bad luck to get linked as his replacement.
Of course, he’d do a better job himself, just as soon as he’s finished scrolling though twitter to find Alan Nixon’s latest transfer tips. Wouldn’t look good in a suit but is definitely looking forward to stepping out head to foot in club gear.
Would be incapable of making a mistake, because “IT’S MY OPINION, RIGHT!”
Stay tuned for more cutting-edge analysis and up to date news, as we get it
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