Filed under: Wigan, Premier League, Football
Roberto Martinez's first victory as Wigan manager was against Aston Villa on the opening day of the 2009-10 season.But the announcement from the DW Stadium that Martinez is staying after rejecting managerless Villa's advances is as big as any win Wigan have achieved during six seasons in the Premier League.
Forget September 26 2009 when goals by Titus Bramble, Hugo Rodallega and Paul Scharner earned them a memorable 3-1 win over Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea.
It speaks volumes how far Wigan, a basement division club when Villa won the European Cup in 1982, have come - and how far Villa have fallen - when their manager believes he is better off staying where he is.
But it is no surprise to owner Dave Whelan.
Financially secure off the pitch and more than capable of standing toe-to-toe with the elite on it, Whelan's Wigan Athletic are a blueprint for lower league clubs who dream of making it into the big time.
It has not been an easy ride for Martinez.
Having been invited back to manage the club he once played for, the Spaniard has endured some awkward moments.
Indeed, Wigan have won just 18 of the 76 top-flight games Martinez has been in charge. Had they not achieved back-to-back victories at the end of the season then they would have been relegated.
Martinez is still hurt by the embarrassing 9-1 drubbing at Tottenham November 2009, the 8-0 thrashing at Stamford Bridge on the final day of the 2009-10 season and the 6-0 hammering by Chelsea at the DW Stadium last August.
Any other board of directors might have been alarmed by a seven-match run without a Premier League win between December and February.
Yet Whelan has demonstrated amazing loyalty to Martinez, who is virtually fire-proof while the chairman is in charge.
Martinez has now repaid Whelan by pledging his future after agreeing a new three-year contract.
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