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Wigan Athletic are still continuing their pursuit of a new manager after the dismissal of Leam Richardson last week.
The absence of a manager had no effect on the Latics’ 2-1 victory over local rivals Blackpool at the weekend.
James McClean equalised after Marvin Ekpiteta had put the visitors in front, but a goal from defender Curtis Tilt two minutes from the end meant Wigan snatched all three points.
That win means Wigan enters the four-week break on 23 points, still in the bottom three but only on goal difference.
This temporary suspension of the Championship will have come at an ideal time for the Latics, who will be looking to appoint a new manager when they return to action on December 10th.
Several names have been linked with the vacancy, from Steven Gerrard and Sean Dyche to Yaya Toure and current favourite Duncan Ferguson.
However, there’s one name who doesn’t seem to have gotten a mention, and that is a surprise considering the excellent job he is currently doing in League One with Plymouth Argyle, and that is Steven Schumacher.
The Argyle boss has been doing an excellent job at Home Park since taking over on a permanent basis when Ryan Lowe left to take charge at Preston North End.
The 38-year-old has overseen 44 games in League One so far, with his side winning 26 of those games, averaging 1.95 points per game. However, it isn’t just the number of games he’s winning or the average points he’s picked up, he’s managed to rejuvenate a side that suffered massive heartbreak at the end of last season.
Plymouth missed out on the play-offs last season after suffering a 5-0 thumping at the hands of MK Dons, so many would expect Schumacher’s side to come into this season low on confidence and fragile.
However, that wasn’t the case, as Plymouth got off to a winning start by beating Barnsley at Home Park. It’s since then that has shown how impressive Plymouth have been, they’ve claimed to the top of League One and stayed there despite the constant pressure of two big heavyweight sides in Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday.
The Pilgrims have beaten teams like Peterborough United, Bolton Wanderers, Derby County, and Ipswich Town at home and away. Schumacher has managed to get a team that was deflated going again by adding players in the summer and just breathing confidence back into them.
This is something the Wigan players need right now; yes, they won at the weekend, but this is a squad that is zapped of confidence and different from the one that won promotion from League One last season.
It needs a Schumacher-type manager to go in there, believe in players, and let them go out onto the pitch and express themselves. As well as being a good coach, Schumacher has also shown that he is very wise in the transfer market, as he’s added players like Morgan Whittaker, Sam Cosgrove, and Bali Mumba. All are young and possibly low on confidence, but Schumacher has got them playing and loving football at Home Park.
He may not be the first name on every Wigan fan’s lips, but instead of looking at people like Ferguson or Neil Critchley, maybe a League One manager like Schumacher is just the perfect answer.
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