Sport

Who are the favourites to replace Shaun Maloney as new Wigan Athletic manager?

There's a decent looking 'shortlist'.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 4th March 2025

With Wigan Athletic legend Shaun Maloney having been officially sacked by the club after just over two years at the helm of the Greater Manchester side, fans are now starting to wonder who are the among the favourites to his replacement him as the next manager.

Maloney, who shone as a player at the club from 2011-2015, was put in charge back in January 2023 amidst an extremely difficult few years for the club following the collapsed takeover during the pandemic, record losses of £17.5 million last year, the eventual ownership transition and more.

Nevertheless, his departure was announced on Sunday morning following a 2-1 defeat to Reading at home, leaving the Latics in 15th on 39 points and a somewhat precarious pocket just above the relegation zone.

Having been lauded by many supporters for his valiant efforts in keeping the team afloat during his time at the club, the news hasn’t sat well with a good chunk of the fan base.

The club expressed plenty of gratitude for the former Scottish footballer, recalling how “Shaun stuck by the Club and helped us overcome an eight-point deduction and a squad overhaul to retain our 2023/24 League One status comfortably with matches to spare.”

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Insisting that he helped them enjoy a number of “proud moments” including “three memorable victories over rivals Bolton Wanderers, just to name a few”, they also credited him with bringing through a lot of promising young players who, helping both the club and them in their respective careers.

“However, it cannot be overlooked that the current League One campaign has clearly not progressed as anticipated”, the statement continued, stating that the “Board felt that it was time for a change.”

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Now, while Wigan are assuring they will take appropriate time before appointing his successor, a fair few names have already been floated. Here’s how the bookies odds are looking at present:

  • Ryan Lowe – 1/2
  • Ian Evatt – 8/1
  • Paul Warne – 10/1
  • Glenn Whelan – 12/1
  • Michael Appleton, Jon Brady, Leam Richardson – 16/1

With former Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe thought to be the frontrunner after quitting his previous job back in August; despite initial reports claiming he has been sacked, it is now though the decision was made by mutual consent.

Seemingly second in line is recent local rival Ian Evatt, who was let go by Bolton following an emergency meeting back in January. Although things did end great for Evatt, he did get the Troitters promoted to League One and won the EFL Trophy in the 2022/23 season.

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Whoever is ultimately picked, even former players aren’t exactly on board with dismissing Maloney:

Walsall’s Mat Sadler and former Swansea City head coach Luke Williams have also been foated as potential replacements, though there are by no means among the favourites to be selected as the next Wigan manager.

Regardless of how much competitive success he achieved in his turbulent tenure, you don’t get fan edits like the one below without making an impact and leaving an impression. He’ll be missed around the DW Stadium, there’s no question about it.

Who would you like to see at the next Wigan manager, ‘Tics?

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Featured Images — BWFC/Wigan Athletic (screenshot via YouTube)/@ericthefishking (via Flickr)

Sport

Manchester City reveal name, official partner and more images of huge new Etihad Stadium hotel

Danny Jones Danny Jones New Manchester City Etihad Stadium hotel The Medlock

Manchester City have officially revealed the hotel partner for their upcoming resort and entertainment destination at the Etihad Stadium.

The Eithad renovations have been underway for some time now, with Man City not only looking to expand their home ground capacity but deliver some major renovations to the stadium complex and wider campus, including a museum, ‘sky bar’ and, most notably, a brand-new on-site hotel.

Anyone travelling through or even near the major development and increasingly popular tourist destination, especially given Co-op Live’s colossal presence over in East Manchester, will have seen the bare bones of the hotel being constructed – but now we know what it will be called and who is running it.

Confirmed on Wednesday, 5 March, City’s new Etihad Stadium hotel will be called ‘The Medlock’ and is set to be operated by the global hospitality company, Radisson.

As you can see from the new CGI images, supporters and visitors to the area, in general, have now been given another glimpse at the vision of what The Medlock will look like.

Featuring a total of 401 rooms, a range of suites, deluxe and standard rooms, not to mention a luxury penthouse offering, the latest addition to the Radisson Hotel Group will immediately become one of the biggest in the region when it is completed.

Estimated to open towards the latter end of 2026, guests staying at the Etihad’s Medlock hotel will also have access to a wide variety of food and drink outlets, a roof walk akin to the kind seen at Spurs’ stadium built back in 2019, as well as tour experiences at the aforementioned new museum space.

The project will also see commercial office space in the expanded stadium area, with a wide range of conference and event options.

As one of the world’s largest hoteliers (1,520 venues, to be specific), The Medlock is set to join the Radisson Blu and Radisson Hotel portfolio as a four-star establishment, with the upper-upscale hotel being overseen by industry-recognized hotel management company, Valor Hospitality.

Speaking in an official statement as part of the announcement, City Football Group (CFG) CEO Roel de Vries said: “Today’s announcement is an exciting moment as we reveal the name of our hotel as ‘The Medlock’ and welcome globally renowned hotelier, Radisson Hotel Group to the Etihad Campus. 

“Radisson’s enthusiasm and passion for the Club’s hotel project is clear, and we firmly believe that Radisson’s industry experience together with the Club’s ambition and vision for the hotel is the perfect combination.

“We look forward to working with Radisson as we move towards the opening of the hotel and a year-round sports and entertainment destination that our fans and visitors from both the UK and around the world can enjoy.”

As for Radison, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Development Officer, Elie Younes added: “Our brands are always relevant to both our owners and our guests. We are thrilled to collaborate with Manchester City Football Club and create a global flagship hotel within the world-class Etihad Campus in Manchester.

This hotel is a fantastic addition to a growing portfolio of several stadium-based properties in the UK, like the renowned cricket ground, Edgbaston Stadium, the Allianz Stadium Twickenham, the Home of England rugby, and worldwide in India and China.

“We are grateful for Manchester City’s trust in our brands and confident that our long-standing cooperation will unlock further opportunities for all stakeholders.”

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Manchester City (via club website)

Sport

BOX sports bar on Deansgate is putting on the perfect night out for fans of horse racing

Danny Jones Danny Jones virtual horse racing night box bar deansgate manchester

With Cheltenham Festival 2024 coming up, both casual punters and die-hard horse racing fans are getting ready for the massive sporting weekend and Deansgate’s beloved sports bar, BOX, has come up with the perfect event to get in the mood for it.

Put simply, if you like the thrill of horse racing or the idea of race day vibes but aren’t so keen on the real thing, this might be perfect for you.

Simply dubbed ‘Race Night’, the new monthly series combines the virtual world and interactive games with one of the biggest sporting disciplines on the planet, as well as plenty of booze and food to go along with it. Oh yeah, and plenty of friendly competition, of course.

Revolving around a virtual horse racing simulator which everyone inside the bar can get involved with, BOX’s mini Manc version of Cheltenham has already got underway and you can be a part of it – plus it goes towards a good cause too.

Having now visited ourselves, we can confirm Race Night brings a proper party atmosphere and a healthy dose of wanting to rub your victory in your friends’ faces.

Don’t worry, they get plenty of those too, even if not the bragging rights all for themselves.

As you can see, it’s all quite simple: you place bets on the virtual horse racing events via your phone and watch the heats live on the many big screens located around BOX bar’s massive Manchester venue on the main Deansgate strip.

With a total of five races to try and win during the night, you’ll have plenty of chances to holler your head off and cheer on your winner. Whether you’re a pro, a ‘once-a-year flutter’ kind of person, or just joining your mates for a laugh, we can certainly voucher for the vibes.

Better yet, beyond the user-fuelled action on the telly, there’s plenty more entertainment to be enjoyed on the night, from BOX‘s regular DJs and live music to plenty of other interactive party games to give other guests a chance to win extra prizes.

race night box bar manchester
box bar deansgate manchester
A very fun and often silly party. (Credit: The Manc Group)

‘What’s the top prize?’, we hear you ask: how does a £200 bar tab sound?

Even from entry, your £5 entry fee scores you a complimentary glass of prosecco upon arrival and, as always, there’s plenty of delicious food and drink to tide you over throughout the night.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of how Race Night works:

  • Guests place their bets with fun money tokens through our virtual bookies on their phones.
  • You can bet on multiple horses per race but you are only paid out for the winner.
  • This payout goes directly into each of their betting accounts so will change throughout the event.
  • Odds are worked out via the software and vary by however many people bet on the same horse.
  • Races are pre-recorded – it all comes down to the luck of which horse you pick.
  • The winner is the person at the end who has the most fun money in their betting account.
  • The overall winner gets a £200 bar tab.
  • Table downstairs for our live band at 9pm.
  • Two rounds of the ‘Chair Jockey’ game: first to pop the balloon gets a round of shots for their table.
cheltenham festival events manchester
prosecco
events on at box bar manchester
Put your inhibitions aside, folks – there’s booze to be won. (Credit: The Manc Group)

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Set to happen every month, with the next event taking place from 7-9pm on Friday, 14 March – the week of this year’s Cheltenham Festival – you don’t want to miss out on the unique virtual and immersive sporting event.

You’ll also be glad to hear that all profits from the tickets, which are again just a fiver, will be donated to MNDA (Motor Neurone Disease Association), with a guaranteed minimum donation of £2.50.

Before you inevitably get off your seat to cheer on a digital horse and jockey, you can book yours HERE.

With just a few days left of the competition, it also happens to be one of the best places to watch the 2025 Six Nations.

Where to watch the 2025 Six Nations in Manchester city centre
Virtual horse racing aside, where have you been watching the tournament in Manchester this year?

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

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