Wigan Athletic supporters have voiced deep concerns over the club's direction, describing a 'fragile' atmosphere and a 'fractured' fanbase. The comments come from a fan panel published this week.
George Arkwright, one of the contributors, attempted to highlight positives from the opening games. He singled out 17-year-old Reggie Walsh as a 'headline act' for his vision and chance creation, while also praising new centre-back Finley Burns for his progressive play and the leadership shown by returning midfielder Max Power.
"He seems to be exactly what a team like ours needs - someone to literally brute-force chances up to our strikers despite the odds," Arkwright said of Walsh.
However, the panelist was blunt about the team's glaring issue. "You can’t win if you don’t score. And we aren’t scoring, so we’re not winning," he stated. Arkwright noted that forwards Sonny Perkins and Dara Costelloe remain 'languid in front of goal' and argued this is not the season for a prolonged bedding-in period. He also pointed to defensive uncertainty, suggesting goalkeeper Joe Walsh looks 'completely out of his depth'.
Fan group critiques sustainability model
The discussion extended far beyond the pitch with a detailed critique from another panelist, writing under the name 'Soccerates'. This was framed as an open letter responding to a recent statement from the Wigan Athletic Supporters Club (WASC) committee, which had called for realism and thanked the Danson family for saving the club from liquidation.
The letter argued that gratitude should not replace scrutiny, labelling the current approach not as sustainable governance but 'managed decline'. It criticised the club's high player turnover since the takeover, estimating roughly 140 transactions, and described allowing dozens of player contracts to expire as a 'catastrophic failure of asset lifecycle management'.
A major point of contention is the club's financial structure under the EFL's Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP). Because Wigan Athletic is a tenant at the Brick Community Stadium, owned by a separate entity, the club is said to be starved of non-matchday revenue. This, the letter argues, cripples its ability to maximise the wage budget allowed under SCMP rules and creates a 'terminal revenue-contraction loop'.
"This loop is actively accelerated by the club’s current real estate structure," the analysis stated, warning that accepting potential relegation as part of a 'sustainable model' would decimate central funding and commercial income.
The critique also pointed to a failure to monetise the club's global brand effectively and questioned whether the current model would encourage young talents to stay. It concluded that the ownership's engagement has amounted to 'little more than maintaining baseline liquidity'.
With the transfer window closed, the focus now returns entirely to the pitch. The team's immediate task is to find a winning formula from the squad at hand, starting with their next League One fixture. Fans can check the full schedule on the club's fixtures page for upcoming dates. The return of Ryan Trevitt from injury is seen as a potential boost, but his match fitness remains a question for the management.
