Sky Bet Championship: Wigan Athletic sack manager Uwe Rosler after poor run of results
Friday 14 November 2014 06:32, UK
Wigan have sacked manager Uwe Rosler after a run of poor results left them 22nd in the Championship.
The decision comes following a disappointing run of results, culminating in last Friday’s defeat against local rivals Bolton Wanderers, which left the club 22nd in the Sky Bet Championship table.
"I still regard Uwe as a really good manager but we’ve played 17 games, won three and are in the bottom three," Wigan owner Dave Whelan told Sky Sports News HQ.
"At times like this, you need to make difficult decisions and today has been a very difficult day for me because I really respect him and he’s a really good manager - he’s just had some bad luck.
Football is a really cruel game – but we’ve only won three games and that’s not acceptable to me or the supporters. Sometimes you have to make decisions that are painful but necessary.
"Football is a really cruel game - but we’ve only won three games and that’s not acceptable to me or the supporters. Sometimes you have to make decisions that are painful but necessary.
"Whoever takes Uwe as their next manager, they’ve got a good lad. I’m sorry to lose him but in the circumstances, I had no other choice to make.
“We had to change the manager - we do not want to go down another division. I’m Wigan through and through and I have to protect our football club.
“He’s a gentleman. He accepted what I was saying and took it straight on the chin. He said 'I respect what you’re doing, I know we’ve been going through a difficult time'."
Former Cardiff manager Malky Mackay has been installed by Sky Bet as the odds-on favourite to replace Rosler but Whelan denied having a new boss lined up and said he only made the decision to sack the 45-year-old German following the Bolton defeat.
“I have no-one in mind," added Whelan. "It only dawned on me after we lost at Bolton. The whole town was disappointed and I was floored by it. However, that’s football and we’ve got to move on.
Whoever takes Uwe as their next manager – they’ve got a good lad – I’m sorry to lose him but in the circumstances I had no other choice to make.
"All the fans want to see is good football and Wigan back in the Premier League. I’m a supporter of Wigan, I’m one of them.
“Hopefully they’ll support me and they’ll support the new manager – but sometimes football is tough. I made the decision yesterday and it’s been an awful day for me.
“I love Wigan and I feel it’s in the best interests of the club. I wish Uwe the very best of luck in his next job."
Rosler took charge of Latics last December after two-and-a-half years with Brentford.
Wigan have confirmed assistant manager Graham Barrow will take temporary charge of the first team, assisted by first team coach Eric Black, in the build up to the next game, against Middlesbrough on Saturday 22 November.
