Five managers who could work wonders with Wigan Athletic

Dave Whelan is not a hire-and-fire type of chairman. When Wigan Athletic slipped into the Championship relegation zone (9/1 with Coral to go down), however, he relieved former Brentford boss Uwe Rosler of his duties as Latics manager.

Wigan’s current plight got Coral’s football experts thinking. Who could help revive their fortunes, after losing manager Roberto Martinez and falling on such hard times? Owen Coyle and ex-East Germany and Manchester City striker Rosler failed in this charge, so we came up with five men that might be able to bring success back to the DW Stadium.

Malky Mackay
Former Watford and Cardiff City coach Mackay is a strong odds-on 2/5 favourite to take on the Latics. He has been out of work for almost a year now, sacked during the Christmas period by controversial Bluebirds owner Vincent Tan.

Despite some ill-advised private text comments made while in charge of the Welsh capital club, Mackay did what Cardiff predecessor Dave Jones failed on multiple occasions to do; he got them promoted. Those previous proven managerial credentials in this division are attractive, and Wigan would be a great destination to rebuild his reputation.

Chris Hughton
Sacked by Norwich City before the end of last season, ex-Republic of Ireland and Tottenham defender Hughton had second tier success at Newcastle United, steering them to the Championship title in 2009/10. He came close to a second promotion from this division during a subsequent stint at Birmingham City.

Whelan may want a steadying influence on the Latics, so that makes mild-mannered Hughton, 5/1 to get the job, a valid alternative to Mackay. If Wigan recall Grant Holt from a loan spell at relegation rivals Huddersfield Town, then these two could reprise a working relationship from their time together at the Canaries.

Karl Robinson
MK Dons manager Robinson’s stock could hardly be higher. He has the Milton Keynes club in the mix for League One promotion yet again, and knocked Manchester United out of the Capital One Cup earlier this term.