Wigan Athletic final confirm a new manager

(WIGANATHLETIC.CO.UK)

Wigan Athletic have appointed caretaker boss Leam Richardson their new manager on a three-year-deal.

The 41-year-old took over after John Sheridan left for Swindon in November and has guided the club out of the League One relegation zone.

After four straight wins, Wigan are four points clear of the bottom four with three matches still to play.

This is what Leam had to say after being confirmed as the new Latics boss, “I’m very privileged and proud. It’s a proud moment to represent this club with its history.”

Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, he continued: “When the new ownership group came in, support was given early on and from conversations with the chief executive and chairman it became apparent we could possibly have a really good, outstanding relationship.

“They matched my ambitions as well as those of the club and if we can marry them together and push it forward to where we think it should be in the football pyramid, then we will have all done a very good job.”

(BT.COM)

Richardson joined the Lactis as assistant boss to previous manager Paul Cook in 2017, someone he had been with at Chesterfield and Portsmouth.

The first time Richardson took charge of Wigan was before John Sheridan arrived at the club on a temporary basis.

A turbulent season off the field in 2019-20 saw a number of players leave after they entered administration and they were subsequently relegated from the Championship last July.

A takeover fell through in early 2021 before a consortium led by Bahraini businessman Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi finally purchased the League one side last month.

Commenting on Leam’s appointment, Wigan Athletic chief executive Mal Brannigan said:

“In Leam, this club is fortunate to have an excellent coach, a strong leader and most importantly a person full of integrity – we’re delighted he believes in our vision and wants to lead the club into a bright future.

“Many of the staff and players I speak to talk about the inspiration and motivation Leam has provided to them during this challenging period. We have all seen that with the belief the new ownership has provided to the whole Club, Leam, Gregor, the staff and players have thrived and that’s really encouraging for a strong and stable future for Wigan Athletic.

“Leam will be the first to say that nothing has been achieved yet this season and I know his immediate focus will be on preparing the team for Saturday’s match with Burton Albion to ensure the team maintain their strong performances of the last few months.”

(BBC.CO.UK)

Why he’s been appointed

Richardson has managed 31 games and, in that time,, he’s collected 40 points, averaging 1.29 points per game.

This is some achievement considering all the goings on off the pitch and what Richardson has had to deal with.

Furthermore, Richardson has managed to bring stabilisation, strength and a togetherness to the squad and this has seen them come together in recent months to get out of the relegation places.

Also, a number of academy graduates, including Callum Lang, Kyle Joseph, Thelo Aasgaard, Chris Merrie and Luke Robinson have flourished under Leam’s leadership.

I don’t think you’ll get many lactic fans arguing about this decision and now the club has been bought he deserves a fair crack of the whip in charge to make his own stamp on this side and see where he can take them.

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