Just what is it that you want to do?
We wanna be free. We wanna be free to do what we wanna do. And we wanna get loaded. And we wanna have a good time. That’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna have a good time. We’re gonna have a party
Hi, my name is Alan, you’ll remember me from such hit shows as “I blame Roberto Martinez”, “Owen Coyle shouldn’t be Wigan Athletic manager”, “Life isn’t that bad under Uwe Rosler” and “Why the hell would you appoint Malky Mackay as manager of a football club?”. I’ve not said much lately, I’ve been too busy pretending to organise boycotts of away matches and trying to take over the world, oh and milking that racist thing.
I think most of you who’ve been paying attention have probably already worked out that I’m, along with a few other delusional, power crazed idiots, involved in the push towards setting up an Independent Supporters’ Association under the banner of Latics United. It’s been hard over the last couple of weeks work and family have prevented me from pushing things on and there have been a couple of elephants in the room that haven’t left me enough elbow room to do much typing.
The thing is, having a few ideas about how Latics fans might mobilise to protect the future of the club doesn’t given me permission to start using those ideas to promote my own agenda. Even if I know that a few of you would agree with me using Latics United to rally against what’s going on the pitch would be wrong a) because I don’t have a democratic process that allows be to speak on behalf of you all and b) because I’m worried no one will take us seriously in the future if the first issue we approach isn’t the right one.
It’s hard to explain, but if Latics United led a Mackay Out campaign now then will people expect us to do the same every time things go a little bit wrong results wise? There has to be more to it that than that if this thing is going to work.
But, thankfully, I’m still an individual, I’m still that blog that writes a bit for the fanzine and on that This Northern Soul thing and whilst I can’t speak for Latics United on some subjects, I can speak on those terms, for the time being. So back to those elephants…
MacKay Out.
I opposed his appointment, I abhor what he did, the baggage he brought to our club and the shitstorm that it caused. Go back, I’ve said it once, he should never have been appointed, I’ve not changed my mind, not once. My only regret is that I didn’t stick by my self imposed exile for more than one game.
You know what? I reckon, if you go back, amongst those angry words, you’ll probably find my doubts about him on a football basis. He was the wrong person to manage our club, he is the wrong person to manage our club, results are largely irrelevant in that picture but if they’ve helped you come round to my way of thinking then so be it.
But if you want me to stand up and lead a Malky Out charge, you can get lost, the facts are as plain as his bald spot we don’t need to shout about it, there’s only one man that needs to stand up…
Whelan Out…
We all know that Big Dave got us in this position and despite all the talk about his grandson and other people being in charge of decision making he’s the only one who can get us out of it at the moment. But before he can do that he needs to realise what position we’re actually in.
The problem isn’t that we’re bottom of the Championship and all-but nailed on for relegation the problem is that we’re sick, and we’re sick because of the decisions he’s made. There’s a whole debate to be had about whether he’s inflicted us with the footballing equivalent of Munchausen’s by proxy or just cocked up and is afraid to admit it but that can be left for another day, what needs to be said now is, whatever his plan for the future of OUR club is, allowing it to wither is not going to help.
If he wants rid them people are more likely to buy a healthy, happy club; if he wants to stay then being healthy and happy is the only way we’ll ever be successful (even if we have to reappraise our definition of success). The club is neither of those things right now, and we’re not going to end up on the right path by sitting back and seeing what happens.
He needs to act, he needs to act now and he needs to give us something we can all get behind. That starts with getting shut of Mackay, it starts with him telling us what comes next, it starts with him talking to us again, being honest, even if he’s spouting his usual geriatric nonsense.
Sack the board…
He’s not the only one not talking to us though. Where’s Jonathan Jackson, where the grandson? What’s going on? If they’re all standing idly by then they can bugger off too, right?
Well, wrong. As far as I’m concerned anyway.
At a guess, Jackson and Sharp had nothing to do with appointing Mackay. Jackson has always struck me as a decent sort of bloke and, as I’ve intimated on our forums I strongly suspect he didn’t want anything to do with the appointment of Mackay (Why else did Whelan take the lead at the press conference when Jackson had pretty much been the front man for everything else for the previous 12 months? Why else was he sat at the back of the room in silence rather than next to the new man and his chairman?).
He can’t say that though, and if I was in that position I’m not sure what I’d do, but I reckon that sticking around to make sure what can be run properly is run properly and waiting to pick up the pieces if/when it all went belly up would be on the agenda. Maybe I’m projecting myself onto JJ because I want him to be the decent bloke I thought he was, because I want to believe there’s someone within the club who’s pulling in the right direction, or because I know that there needs to be.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m not taking the current silence as an indication that we were wrong to think Jackson is on our side, I believe he’s in a difficult position and him leaving could well be the worst thing that could happen to the club right now.
Blackpool on Saturday
So now I’ve got that out in the open, it’s on to the game. I’ve read lots of people asking why the fans aren’t more vocal in their opposition to the manager. I honestly believe that they think it will serve no purpose, I also believe that they’re probably right. At some point Whelan will draw his sword, but it will be for his reasons, not ours and us getting his back up is more likely to delay things than bring them forward.
But us not doing anything is part of the club’s sickness. It’s a symptom we can treat though, by having a good time, by refusing to be dragged down by the poison that is hurting the club so much, by remembering that we’re little Latics, and doing what we do best, laughing at the world. That’s why Latics United are pushing this Saturday as a day of celebration, not to distract from the problems we might be facing but to stand up to them, to make us feel better about OUR club and realise that there’s more to it that just the current relegation battle.
I’ll be there on Saturday ready to sing for ninety minutes, not because I want Malky to stay, not because I’m happy with what’s going on at the moment, but because I want to feel good about my club, because I want other people to see we’ve got spirit and because I refuse to be dragged down by things I can’t control.
And if I’m on my own? At least I’ll be having a good time.
[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnGzl-OEyGE”]
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