(c) V-wolf

*Snores loudly*

Huh, wha? Grumble! How dare you wake me from my summertime slumber! Like hedgehogs, us football bloggers like to hibernate during fallow periods; it prevents us from losing touch with reality when the madness of the season begins in earnest sometime after July. Or maybe even earlier, if you’re Swansea. Don’t quote me on that as I haven’t looked at the Europa fixtures yet. Hey, gimme a break, we’re barely into June yet!

Well, I suppose the departing of a manager is reason enough for me to mutter the odd sleepy word or two before my owners return me to my box. If I sound entirely nonplussed by the whole situation, it’s because I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that something such as this might happen, especially if Latics went down.

I will not name my predicted successor, as he has as much chance of becoming the next Wigan manager as I do. I did actually apply for the position, but on reviewing my application I discovered a typo in the word ‘regulation’. Needless to say, it is likely they do not look favourably upon those who mention the dreaded R-word, no matter how accidentally.

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Jonesy looks to be staying

Following reports that Graeme Jones has turned down the Swansea job, it looks as though Wigan will survive through to the start of the European Championships with their management team intact. That such high-profile clubs are even interested is somewhat surprising, especially given the club’s situation not six months ago – the dramatic upturn in fortunes since then has certainly left an impression on many high-profile observers.

Yet for all the attention surrounding Latics’ own Catalonian chief, naturally exacerbated by the media’s insatiable appetite for a dramatic story, one always felt it likely he would remain right here at the Dee Dubya. Though I have no doubt Liverpool’s interest was real, our Bob was always going to be further down the (seemingly inexhaustive) list of candidates, if not only due to his relative inexperience and average results record. Of course, that didn’t stop The Reds appointing Brendan Rodgers, but a good debut season in the Premier League can do wonders for your managerial career – just ask Paul Lambert.

Dave Whelan - chief media orchestrator?

Truth be told, a good portion of the reactionary nonsense in the press has been carefully and methodically stoked by Uncle Dave. Well, did you expect anything else? We’re all aware of his shrewd business sense, and he wasn’t about to miss out on an opportunity to further promote his brand. I’ll admit it hasn’t done much good for our stress levels, but I believe Wigan Athletic has actually emerged the other side a stronger commodity for it. A month’s free publicity, and we haven’t kicked a ball in anger for weeks? Yes please.

Most importantly, it’s all been wrapped up in a matter of weeks rather than months. One senses Mr Whelan has one eye on a scouting trip to Poland and the Ukraine, which might not be as glamorous as Miami or Barbados, but this is football, serious business. Bobby, bored of the Soccerdome, wants a £1.5million indoor training pitch. A lot of stuff needs to be ironed out before we take to the pitch in August, and the squad is in need of bolstering for another tough Premier League campaign.

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Roberto will repay Whelan's faith

Following 48 hours of intense speculation over the Spaniard’s future, Roberto Martinez has opted to stay at Wigan Athletic, putting pen to paper in a contract that will keep him at the club for three more years. It is thought Martinez rejected a deal with Aston Villa worth around twice his current contract because of the faith chairman Dave Whelan has placed in him over the course of his time at Wigan.

In a crunch 12pm meeting at the DW Stadium, Martinez confirmed his decision to Whelan, who has remained confident the Balaguer-born Latics legend would stay. Prior to the meeting, Sky Sports News briefly spoke to Whelan, who said of Martinez:

“Roberto is not a greedy man. Managers have a reputation for greed, but Roberto has sentiment, he has feeling and a great admiration for Wigan Athletic.”

Aston Villa did not enter into extended talks as Martinez “wanted to honour his contract” with the Lancashire club, according to an official statement. The Midlands outfit will now be forced to look elsewhere to fill their vacant managerial position.

“Given that he had one year remaining on his contract at Wigan, we made an official approach through the proper channels, though we were aware of a commitment he had made to his Club to agree and sign a new contract following the final game of last season.” — Aston Villa club statement, avfc.co.uk

We can assume the Latics boss made a verbal agreement with Whelan immediately following the season’s end to remain at Latics. However, we all know this would mean little if the right contract came along. The precise details of Villa’s offer can only be speculated; perhaps the Spaniard is holding out for a better contract further down the line? More likely, the fact he “did not meet” with Aston Villa representatives seems to suggest he is staying staunchly faithful to the club that brought him to British football, for the moment at least.

Whelan: "Roberto is showing football is not about greed, there's loyalty in it"

“Roberto is staying, that’s the great news. I had a gut feeling he wanted to stay at Wigan. He’s signing a new 3-year contract; we’ve had to give him an increase in basic salary, but money is not what this has been about. Villa will be disappointed, but I’m over the moon and I’m sure Wigan supporters will be too.

“Roberto is such a straight guy, honest and easy to deal with. Money is an afterthought to him. We got a quick agreement.

“I don’t think we were really close to losing him. We all know he’s going places, Aston Villa are a big club, and when you have a club like that coming for you, it’s something to be proud of. But had he gone to Villa I wouldn’t have blamed him. The supporters in Wigan look at this and think, Roberto is showing that football is not about greed, there’s a loyalty in it. He has been so loyal to me in all this.

“One of the big clubs in Europe will inevitably come for him, and then I would be resigned to losing him. I’m just relieved my gut feeling was right. I could feel the loyalty coming out of Roberto, it bubbled to the surface as soon as our meeting started. When they said Jesus is a Wiganer, Roberto is now a Wiganer.”

Dave Whelan

• Wigan Athletic Official statement

Roberto: Will he stay or will he go?

As soon as it became clear Gerard Houllier would not return to manage Aston Villa, rumours about who should replace him began to fly. One of those in the running was Wigan’s own Roberto Martinez, who was immediately instated as the bookies’ third favourite when chairman Randy Lerner expressed an interest in the Spaniard.

It has emerged today that Dave Whelan has given Martinez the opportunity to speak to the Villans, placing his future in the balance. On the one hand there is a contract extension offer from Latics, which he has been mulling over for some time, while on the other, the Midlands outfit will no doubt table a tempting proposition to bring Bob to Villa Park. Will he remain at the club that introduced him to British football or opt for a new challenge? Though Whelan reckons he’ll stay, I estimate the situation to be 50:50.

Despite Roberto’s strong affinity with Wigan, I very much doubt his decision will be clouded by nostalgia, and creative freedom may well be the determining factor. However, should Villa stump up the cash, I find it hard to see any other outcome than him leaving. It’s a nasty thought, as minds will be cast back to just over two years ago when Steve Bruce opted to leave for Sunderland. The Latics foundations began to crumble as a result, even if you could well argue that deterioration started as early as Christmas; whatever the case, his successor did a decent job of steadying the ship.

Big Brucey’s immediate departure after the 2008–09 season was somewhat inevitable. Roberto is in a different situation, having revived Wigan’s fortunes in the latter part of the season and finishing on a real high. Ever the professional, he may feel an obligation to honour his contract at the DW.

When Martinez was appointed Latics’ boss, one had the feeling his relative inexperience at the highest level could possibly mean disaster for Wigan. Dave Whelan placed total faith in his man, sticking by Roberto 100% through the tough times and never once intimating his position was in any danger. Even as other, seemingly more successful Premier League managers fell by the wayside, Roberto remained. This could edge the decision in Wigan’s favour, as he may never again find a chairman as patient as Uncle Dave.

Personally, I’m looking forward to another season under Martinez and am confident we can improve on our 16th place finish this coming campaign. Hopefully we shall see the continuation, or perhaps the culmination, of two years’ hard work rebuilding the team from the ground up. If Roberto leaves, we’d better get a decent replacement in there sharpish or else a mass exodus may result and we could be back to rebuilding once again.