Roberto Martinez has offered his full backing to Wigan chairman Dave Whelan and his plans to pass the club on to his 21-year-old grandson.
Latics boss will back chairman if he passes on control of the club
Roberto Martinez has offered his full backing to Wigan chairman Dave Whelan and his plans to pass the club on to his 21-year-old grandson.
Whelan raised a few eyebrows when he announced that he was contemplating relinquishing the DW Stadium reins and elevating a younger member of his family into the top job.
The 75-year-old has been the Latics' figurehead since 1995 and has helped to turn the club into a competitive Premier League outfit.
He has always acted in the best interests of the team and Martinez, the man currently charged with generating results on the field, is confident any decision Whelan makes will be beneficial to the Latics.
"What I can guarantee you is that Wigan Athletic is in his heart and whatever he will decide or do, it will be for the good of the football club," said Martinez.
"I've got no doubts or any worries that we can rely on our chairman. Whatever he decides will be the best for our future."
Compliment
Whelan also caused a stir when he suggested that there was a very real threat that Wigan could go down this season, but that he was not worried if they do because there is a 'resilience' around the club.
Martinez is aware of the comments but insists they should not be viewed as defeatist, as that is not the message Whelan was trying to get across.
He said: "I think what he is trying to say is that financially, we have made a lot of arrangements over the last few seasons and now we are efficient as a football club, and could survive anywhere.
"I think it's a real compliment to be able to say that - as a football club we could survive in any division, and probably we couldn't say that three years ago, where we were relying on the chairman's funding to be able to play our football.
"If you know the chairman, he is a winner, he doesn't accept defeat easily and he knows that we are starting to get ready to achieve our aims this season.
"We are going to give everything to stay in this league and he is the first one who believes that."
Wigan will get another opportunity to clamber off the foot of the Premier League table on Saturday when they go to Sunderland.
Remarkable
A familiar face will be awaiting them on Wearside, with Steve Bruce - a man who has taken in two spells in charge of the Latics - attempting to plot their downfall.
While Bruce is hoping he will be the one smiling this weekend, he has given his take on Whelan's situation at his former employers and insists the club should be very proud of their chairman and what he has achieved.
He said: "I don't think it will ever be repeated, what Dave Whelan has achieved at Wigan.
"It's quite remarkable, somebody from the town taking them from non-league to the Premier League and staying there for eight years and taking them to cup finals - it's a quite remarkable, remarkable story.
"I have had the pleasure of managing the club twice. It's a great little club which manages in adversity year after year after year, but does it very well.
"If it's time for him to step down, then I wish him a very, very good retirement because he certainly deserves it."
