It may seem amiss to ask Shaun Maloney about pre-season optimism. As manager of Wigan Athletic he has, after all, had to contend with relegation, players and staff going unpaid, a winding-up order, a transfer embargo and “a two-to-three-week period where each day there was a big concern we might not be here the following day”. He also faces the ominous challenge of starting in League One on minus eight points. But one day in June changed the landscape vitally for Wigan and their determined manager. Optimism no longer feels such an inappropriate topic.
Maloney was alone in his office at Wigan’s training ground when he received confirmation the club had been taken over, and saved, by a company backed by the local billionaire Mike Danson. “A massive relief,” says the former Celtic, Aston Villa and Wigan winger. “I was extremely happy that 200 people’s jobs had been saved, basically. The players got paid that night, the taxman was paid and the companies around Wigan were also getting paid for the work they’ve done for us. I was also extremely grateful to Mr Danson and his team, because they had to get through a lot of work in a short period of time. I’ll never forget that day.”
The 40-year-old cannot forget what preceded the takeover either, even if he wanted to. Maloney returned as manager in January. By May, when Wigan were celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their remarkable FA Cup triumph under Roberto Martínez, the man whose corner produced Ben Watson’s winner against Manchester City was wrestling crises on a daily basis.
Wigan’s previous owner, Phoenix Ltd, failed to pay players on time on five occasions last season. The club were docked three points and finished bottom. Wigan were deducted another four points on two further occasions last season, with both punishments carried into 2023-24, but plan to appeal against the second of those sanctions before the new campaign. Then came a winding-up order over unpaid taxes from HMRC, a transfer embargo from the English Football League the next week and deepening uncertainty over the club’s future until the moment Danson became Wigan’s fifth owner in five years. There have also been five relegations, three promotions and one scandalous period in administration in the past 11 seasons.
“The summer was extremely difficult, as hard a period of time in football off the pitch as I’ve ever experienced,” Maloney says. “At the start there was the points deduction, players leaving, staff leaving, and that quickly turned to the club actually surviving. It changed from a sporting perspective and what we could build for the following season to: ‘How can we keep this club alive?’
“There was a two- to three-week period where each day there was a big concern we might not be here the following day. That was the hardest part by a distance. It is people’s livelihoods. It was very upsetting and an extremely difficult period. We then had a period where the interim CEO and board had resigned. It became really difficult but there was a group of staff, heads of department, who gathered around and tried our best to gain clarity for somebody taking over.” The Official Wigan Athletic Supporters Club, Lisa Nandy MP, Wigan council and the EFL also worked tirelessly on the takeover.
Maloney had given players the option not to train and play when their wages were not being paid. “Whenever players set foot on a football pitch they are at risk of injury,” he says. “It was up to them whether they wanted to play and train, because I didn’t feel I was in a position to force a player to play when they were not getting paid. I gave them the decision and up until our last game against Rotherham, when we had been relegated before that, there was not one player who said no. I’ll for ever be grateful to every one of them for what they gave me and the club during that period.”
The threat from HMRC and the transfer embargo lifted when Danson completed a takeover that paid all outstanding debts, although Wigan are still prevented from paying a transfer fee for the next two windows. It may appear Wigan are being punished for the sins of previous owners but Maloney takes a more considered, pragmatic view.
“The EFL have been very fair with us at times but I understand there has to be punishment for the rules we breached,” he says. “We’ll see how the next few weeks go and the appeal over the four points. If we don’t get it overturned we’ll work with what we have. I don’t blame the EFL for this. I arrived in January and from March onwards I really understood the finances of the club and some of the decisions that were made on the financial side. I certainly wouldn’t blame the EFL for anything that has happened in the last three or four months. If anything, they have been really helpful at times.”
Maloney insists the club must become self-sustainable, a process he believes could take 12 months, and the immediate priorities are stability, rebuilding trust with the local community and remaining in League One. Turnover of players and staff has been considerable this summer, with Maloney losing a host of senior players and his head of recruitment. He has signed six players since the takeover, including Liam Morrison on loan from Bayern Munich.
There is hope where, until recently, turmoil and fear prevailed. Hence the question about how optimistic Maloney feels about Wigan’s future. “Very,” he replies in a heartbeat. “I’m really optimistic about the next 12 months and the seasons beyond that. Mr Danson has now got full ownership of the rugby [the tech entrepreneur has agreed a deal that will increase his stake in Wigan Warriors to 100% by December] and both teams will collaborate around certain departments. Nothing has been set in stone but there’s a willingness from both parts now we are under the same ownership. We have an elite sporting club sharing the same stadium and town as us so I hope there is collaboration between the two sides, definitely more than there has been.
“I’m really excited about the vision of the club but we have to be very humble because the club has been through so much turmoil. There isn’t going to be any big words or expenditure in the short term; we have to do it our way.” The former Scotland international adds, almost as a throwaway final remark: “It could be pretty special if we get this right.”
