Glenn Whelan issues honest claim on Wigan Athletic manager’s job | OneFootball

Glenn Whelan's first game was a 0-0 draw away at Mansfield Town in League One

Interim Wigan Athletic manager Glenn Whelan has admitted that taking temporary charge of the Latics was “not something I really wanted”.

Brought to the club by Shaun Maloney, Whelan said he had been “thrown in” to the stand-in role following the dismissal of the previous Wigan manager.

In his first game as manager, Whelan managed to steer Wigan to a 0-0 draw away at Mansfield Town on Tuesday night.

Glenn Whelan says he has been thrown into the deep end at Wigan Athletic

Whelan arrived at the Brick Community Stadium a month into the 2024/25 League One season, becoming a first team coach in Maloney’s backroom staff at Wigan in September 2024.

But after just six months in his role, Whelan has been installed as interim boss by the Latics, who sacked Maloney last week after a disappointing run of results left Wigan 15th in the League One table.

Prior to joining the Latics Whelan had coached at fellow League One side Bristol Rovers, as well as boasting experience coaching at international level with his native Republic of Ireland, working with both the senior and youth sides.

However, Stoke City legend Whelan feels that he still lacks the relevant experience required to be a manager, whilst also revealing he asked for the blessing of outgoing boss Maloney before he took the role.

As quoted by wigantoday.net, Whelan shared: "Listen, for me, who's brand new to coaching, to be thrown in as interim manager, it's not something I really wanted.

"I'm only here at Wigan because of Shaun (Maloney), and I spoke to him straightaway.

“The first thing I did was thank him, because I wouldn't be here at Wigan without him, 100 per cent.

"He was the one who took a chance on me, to bring me in, and I just wish we could have got the right results as a group that would have seen him stay around a long time.

"I wish him all the best, we'll be in touch, we'll go for a coffee or probably a beer and have a chat about things.

“I'll only ever have the utmost of respect for him."

Glenn Whelan: Shaun Maloney’s sacking came as a shock

Despite a win of just one game in Maloney’s last seven matches in charge of Wigan, Whelan said he was surprised by the decision to dismiss the former Latics player.

Maloney was dismissed from his role shortly after Wigan lost 2-1 to Reading at the weekend, with Whelan immediately taking training on Monday morning.

The Latics faced a short turnaround before facing Mansfield on Tuesday night, with Whelan making three changes to the side defeated by Reading.

Jonny Smith, Toby Sibbick, and Babe Adeeko made way for James Carragher, Scott Smith, and Dion Rankine as Wigan survived an onslaught of Mansfield pressure to leave with a point.

The Tics faced 21 shots at Mansfield whilst only mustering four of their own, highlighting the backs-to-the-wall performance.

Whilst Whelan is focused on improving Wigan’s results, the former Irish international believes departing boss Maloney will soon “bounce back”.

Asked if he had any inkling of Maloney’s sacking prior to it happening, Whelan responded: "Sometimes you can sniff these things out, or you can maybe detect a vibe around the place.

"For me, I don't know if it was because I was a little bit closer to Shaun, but I didn't get wind of anything.

“But nothing shocks you in football, the decision was made, and it's a decision that was made for the betterment of the club moving forward.

"I'll always be close to Shaun, I'm sure now he'll take a little bit of time off, spend some time with his family.

“But I know he'll bounce back, because he is a terrific person.

"Everyone knows the football industry is results based. But what I will say is there's been a lot of turnaround in terms of players, and trying to get the right fit, which hasn't quite happened.