A seven-game winless run has plunged Wigan Athletic into the thick of the Championship relegation battle, with the mobilisation of Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion shaking things up at the bottom.

The Latics would have expected to come across some tricky patches over the course of the season but drawing a blank in three of their last four and tasting defeat in six of seven will have raised alarm bells on and off the pitch.

Leam Richardson has performed one of the more remarkable jobs we have seen in the EFL over the last few years, arguably most impressively by saving the Latics from what at times looked like a certain relegation to League Two in 2020/21 amid serious financial difficulties.

To win the League One title the season after was an incredible achievement and Wigan initially looked like a side capable of comfortably stabilising back in the second tier.

That may still go on to happen, but the current barren spell seems to be provoking an opposition to Richardson's place in the dugout amongst the supporter base.

The credit that the 42-year-old has built up in the last two seasons, should allow him to stay in the job even if he takes the Latics back down to League One this season, as long as they do not end up enormously cut adrift in the coming months.

Wigan's team spirit and defensive solidity, along with Richardson's knowhow, would suggest that they have the mettle to turn things around, and there is a healthy amount of experience in the squad, to ensure that the dressing room stays focused on changing the narrative.

 

 

Injuries have not been all too kind to the Latics during their recent difficult spell, a challenging situation that will likely be eased by the time the team return to action following the World Cup break.

The journey that Richardson has taken the club on since the beginning of the 2020/21 season, not including the brief and bizarre period in between where John Sheridan took the reins, should enable him to feel comfortable about his job security during this tough patch.

Committing his future to the club in the form of a new three-year deal shows the board's faith in him, but Latics supporters can influence the hierarchy's decision making and they should be in full support of Richardson.

High manager turnover rarely leads to success and Richardson should be treated as the club's best manager since Roberto Martinez.