After being named as the new manager of Wigan Athletic yesterday, Gary Caldwell has revealed how becoming a manager has always been written in the stars for him.
The former Latics defender will be the third manager of the club this season after Malky Mackay got the sack over Easter and Uwe Rosler suffered the same fate before him.
The Scotsman was voted Wigan Athletic Player of the Year in 2012 and was captain for the majority of the 111 matches he played for the club and he can’t wait to begin being a leader again.
“It has always been an ambition of mine to be a manager; I think most players will tell you that I was a manager on the pitch,” said Caldwell.
“I got everyone to do my running for me and cover up for my deficiencies by bossing them about. This time I’ll get to do that without having to play alongside them.
“It’s been a really busy 24 hours but it is something that I’m really proud of, to say that I’m manager of Wigan Athletic.”
Caldwell made over 400 appearances in all competitions throughout his career that included spells with Latics, Celtic, Hibernian, Coventry City and Derby County.
After gaining such a breadth of experience under a variety of managers, Caldwell is looking forward to implementing a unique philosophy in the hope he can keep Latics in the Championship.
“I’ve worked with many great managers throughout my career and good people that have shaped me and the way I played the game and obviously I’ll take bits from each of them,” he added.
“I also want to be unique in my views on the game and make my own philosophy and try and bring that to this club.
“I want to play the game the right way, I want to pass the ball but ultimately I want to win football matches and that’s what I was like as a player, and as a manager that will be the same.”
Wigan suffered losses to both Middlesbrough and Derby County over Easter weekend and they are now eight points from safety with five games remaining.
Caldwell knows he is coming into the job with a huge challenge facing him but he feels that if the players and the fans can maintain a special unity then Wigan will remain in the Championship.
He added: “I think the fans have always been great here, the times when we stayed in the Premier League we really got the fans behind us in the run-ins.
“It’s a changing room full of good people, but I just want them to show a real commitment to the cause and to the new ideas that we can hopefully bring to try and win football games.
“It’s something that we need for the fans to come back. We’re going to need everyone in this together to pull us out of it.”
Main image courtesy of Wigan Athletic via YouTube, with thanks.
