End of the road for Wigan?

The season and Wigan Athletic's chances of avoiding "the drop" aren't mathematically settled.  But watching Tottenham-Liverpool, I caught the Anfield loudspeakers announcing an 0-2 halftime deficit to West Ham?!  It would take a near-miraculous convergence of events to keep them in the top flight.  And if they can't beat the bottom team in the league - at the DW Stadium - do they deserve to stay up?

Without putting myself through the unpleasantness of confirming, I still figured it was time for a eulogy for Wigan's Premiership run, and perhaps my Wigan fanship?


With only seven wins to date and a goal differential of worse than -20, Wigan was something of a punchline for the EPL season.  And while results in years past were better, a few historic ass-beatings, mediocre standings overall and modest attendance numbers kept them from earning more than fleeting respect.

Old, but classic!

Still, let's be realistic about what a team like Wigan was ever going to accomplish in a league dominated by just a few rich clubs.  Really, they had an impressive and probably lucrative six-year run for a small market club.  They eventually took advantage of the chance to claim some notable scalps (would have loved to round out the Big Four with Manchester United, though).  For a city known for eating humble pie (so Wikipedia tells me), it was a great ride.

The Championship League may even be the place for them.  I'd imagine they lose a few players who deserve to be in the top flight - I don't see Charles N'Zogbia, for one, deigning to play below the Premiership.  With some cash from those sales and whatever parachute payments they get, I'd hope they can re-tool for the lower league.  And I think management has been preparing for it by bringing in some young guns who may not have been able to compete in the top flight, but can carry the team a level down.  Looking at you, James McCarthy, Ben Watson, Victor Moses, Franco DiSanto & Co.

So all that said, would I keep up with Wigan in a run through the lower tiers of English football?  I never had much of a reason for choosing them except maybe some coincidence of Anglo-German etymology, perhaps.  But it's sooo hard to give up on a team.  I've thought about it with the Scott Layden and Isiah Thomas Knicks, and yes, Wigan in previous seasons.  I'll have to settle on another EPL team, but I'd say at the same time there's a good chance I'll be learning more about second-tier football for the next couple of years.