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.
Absolute joke of a club. You’ve majorly let maloney down. Then pot him. Embarrassing.
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:
A legend of the club.
Thank you for everything you did for me and my teammates under impossible circumstances.
You won’t find another manager who cares about Wigan Athletic more than Shaun Maloney 💙 https://t.co/9wVZNpejIf
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?
Pep Guardiola apologises for ’embarrassing’ camera operator confrontation
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has apologised after confronting a cameraman following the Premier League fixture against Newcastle United this past weekend.
The Blues boss was left visibly frustrated as Man City were beaten 2-1 away at St James’ Park by Eddie Howe’s side following a flurry of three finishes in the space of just six minutes.
However, this wasn’t the only action pitchside during the game, as not only have some supporters argued they should have had a penalty as Phil Foden was brought down in the box, Pep was also seen engaging in a loaded exchange with opposition captain Bruno Guimarães, as well as a camera operator.
Guardiola has since apologised for the incident, confessing he was left “embarrassed” by his own conduct and admitting that even “after 1,000 games, I’m not a perfect person – I make huge mistakes.”
As you can see, the Catalan coach approached the member of the broadcasting team following a fairly widespread spat both during the second Newcastle goal and following the full-time whistle.
Despite journalists recognising a natural amount of frustration and passion amidst the narrow loss and speculation over decisions, he went so far as to say he wasn’t “ashamed” of his actions at the time and doesn’t like or condone this kind of behaviour.
He was also seen smacking his seat in the dugout after conceding as well as after missed chances by his own players.
Pep assured that he apologised to the cameraman within seconds, remarking, “I am who I am” and reminding football fans that he is a human capable of acting on instinct just like anyone else.
He also clarified that the bulk of his issues on the day were to do with the officiating, taking umbrage with the referee’s decision-making in multiple instances.
You can see the clip down below:
"I feel embarrassed and ashamed when I see it"
Pep Guardiola apologises for his behaviour towards a camera operator after the defeat at Newcastle. pic.twitter.com/wVYfJDbnLm
As for his conversation with Guimarães, he wouldn’t disclose any details of their conversation, but did insist to one reporter that they share a good relationship, confessing that he is “an emotional guy” and can often appear particularly animated as he is known for gesticulating.
It seems that the 54-year-old was just annoyed over the potential penalty, but match-winner Harvey Barnes’ brace in particular, too.
Not only were there questions of a foul on new goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma – whose shot-stopping was otherwise excellent for the majority of the match – but Guimarães was supposedly offside in the build-up to the strike.
Regardless, Pep went on to add that the confrontation with the cameraman, Donnarumma’s booking for dissent, and general disappointment have been “immediately forgotten”, and all eyes are now focused on City’s big European meeting with Bayern Leverkusen.
You can see the highlights from Newcastle vs Man City down below.
Scott Carson reveals important behind-the-scenes role at Manchester City
Danny Jones
Recently retired goalkeeper Scott Carson has revealed the unsung but important role he had behind the scenes during his time at Manchester City.
The 40-year-old ex-pro called time on his playing career after more than two decades and six years in sky blue, having made just two appearances for the club during a period in which they won 11 trophies.
Carson officially hung up his gloves on 23 October 2025, following his contract expiration, and since then has found himself carrying out a number of interviews, including one with Fozcast, hosted by another fellow shotstopper who spent time in Manchester, Ben Foster.
While lots of people have joked that he did very little to earn the flurry of medals so late in his career, or at the very least theorised as to what he actually did behind the scenes, he’s now been more open than ever about the largely sidelined spell.
🗣️ "When people had to be serious, they were serious"
Scott Carson reveals what it was like working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. pic.twitter.com/HZGjVkrso0
Sitting down with Sky Sports, the Cumbrian keeper confirmed that initially it was, indeed, just a case of serving as not even as a rotation option but a back-up third choice.
Nevertheless, he’s an experienced veteran with 11 different teams on his CV, including Leeds United, Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday – though only a handful of games for each – as well as half a century of appearances at Wigan Athletic before his longest stints at the likes of West Brom and Derby County.
While this job usually involves purely training, helping keep other players sharp, he says that after settling into the Etihad Campus a little more, he found himself performing a much more influential, albeit largely unsung, role in the background.
Getting validation from manager Pep Guardiola that the side “needed more of that”, he essentially ended up providing valuable seniority and motivation amongst the group, despite only playing a couple of times.
Bidding farewell to the Whitehaven-born cult hero, the club wrote: “During his time at City, Carson has been praised by goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor and peers Ederson and Stefan Ortega Moreno for his work ethic and the effect of his positive attitude amongst the group.”
Speaking about Guardiola specifically, he hailed the Catalan coach for having overhauled modern football in this country, as well as giving him the secondary task of supporting his teammates, be it via boosting morale and ‘picking up’ those left frustrated by matchday selection.
As well as noting his widely publicised detail-oriented nature, he also made a point of recognising that Pep himself was “evolving each season”, whether or not everyone else saw it.
In short, he said he has helped improve the quality of the Premier League and, more specifically, that he helped redefine what a goalkeeper can be in the division.
You can watch the rest of the interview in full down below.
Danny Jones -
4th March 2025 
