Team Focus: Off-field Antics Mask Tough Task Ahead for Mackay at Wigan

One could be forgiven for forgetting about the football when it comes to Wigan Athletic at the moment. From Dave Whelan's comments to Malky Mackay's return to management, the negative headlines have appeared endless. Putting the debate over the rights and wrongs of the pairs' statements to one side, though, Wigan are positioned dangerously and Mackay has quite the job on his hands to lure an underperforming squad away from the relegation places.

For all his faults off the field, Mackay was largely successful at Cardiff prior to his widely-criticised dismissal at the back end of last Christmas. He will need to work some magic here, for the Latics had been abysmal in the latter days of Uwe Rösler’s reign. In the summer they lost a key player in James McArthur but this is a squad which contains a host of individuals with top-flight and international experience who could quite easily fit into a Premier League side if performing to the levels they are capable of.

Yet the squad as a whole has been below par and their regression has taken many by surprise. After one win in 12 games Rösler was sacked by Whelan. "I still rate him as a very, very good manager and I think he'll get another job very quickly and I wish him good luck,” the owner said. “At Bolton we played well for 20 minutes and fell away. We didn’t show any fight, determination or grit. That upsets me and our supporters.”

Hopes of promotion have long faded away. Wigan’s priority now is to avoid a relegation battle. Their near miss last season – defeated by QPR in a tight playoff semi-final – came after a long campaign which involved the Europa League and an exciting run in the FA Cup. Without the distraction of Thursday nights on the continent, many expected Wigan to be among the favourites but Rösler said they carried a hangover into this season. No signs of it lifting, Whelan thought it was time for Mackay to step in.

There were already signs of improvement in Mackay’s first game on Saturday, a 1-1 draw at home to Middlesbrough. Shaun Maloney put them in front with a delightful free-kick curled into the left corner before Patrick Bamford levelled for Aitor Karanka’s team.

To put their poor showing prior to that into context only four players have an average rating of 7+. McArthur’s 7.7 from the five games before his move to Crystal Palace is streets ahead of the other three, who are all defensive players. That shows how disappointing they have been in the final third. Only Birmingham, Rotherham and Blackpool have scored fewer, even if defensively Wigan have been solid in comparison to the other sides near the bottom.

If Mackay can up the performances of his attacking players, Wigan will have no problem climbing the table. Maloney is one case in point. He was man of the match against Boro with a rating of 8.43, but that was only his second goal of the campaign. The 31-year-old's overall rating this season is 6.82. Last season’s injury interrupted campaign saw him average 7.28 and the relegation campaign in the Premier League saw him earn a quite respectable 7.01. He is capable of so much more.

The same too can be said for James McClean. The Irish international has often been a source of frustration due to his ability to beat a couple of players with a stunning dribble only to waste it all with a cross which fails to clear the first man. He struggled to get into the team under Rösler and had only 20 minutes on Saturday but has the quality which, if utilised correctly, could see Wigan ascend the table with ease.

There is understood to be a clause in Mackay’s contract where if he is found guilty of misconduct by the FA over the alleged offensive messages sent while at Cardiff, he can be relieved of his job. Whelan has also said he will quit if he is found guilty of making offensive comments in an interview after appointing Mackay last week. That elongates a sense of doubt but from Mackay and the club’s point of view, they must attempt to shove all that aside and focus on earning a second win since the end of August.

Will Mackay guide Wigan to safety this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below