BOYCE REJOICES IN NEW LATICS’ REVIVAL
THE sun is setting on the Whelan family’s time at Wigan but former captain Emmerson Boyce predicts that the future is very bright indeed for the Latics.
Dave Whelan is set to sell his family’s majority stake of the club to Hong Kong-based consortium International Entertainment Corporation, ending a 23-year ownership of Wigan.
The move, which needs to pass EFL regulations, might be met with trepidation from the DW Stadium faithful but Boyce is convinced now is the right time for chairman David Sharpe – Whelan’s grandson – to pass on the torch following Wigan’s promotion to the Championship.
Legacy
“I think David Sharpe has left his own legacy by winning the League One title twice,” he said. “He can leave the club with his head held high and put them into a good situation.
“Dave Whelan has done so much for the club. You could go on forever about what he’s done. It could be the right time by leaving on a high. They’re passing the baton on to carry on the good work they’ve done.
“The fans will be sad to see them go but excited as well with the Hong Kong investors coming in.
“They wouldn’t be looking to take over and invest in a club if they didn’t want to move it on to the next level. Hopefully, they will push the club on. Fingers crossed, at some stage they get back into the Premier League.”
One player the former FA Cup-winning Wigan skipper is excited to see thrive in the second tier is Nick Powell following his 15-goal haul this campaign.
At 18, the world was his oyster when he moved to Manchester United but the talented playmaker struggled to break through.
Several loan moves followed before a permanent switch to Wigan in 2016 but it is this season where things have really clicked for the 24-year-old.
“Some players just need a bit of love and some players need an arm round them. Some need a kick. Paul Cook has got the balance right and has pushed him in the right direction,” said Boyce.
“If you see some of the performances this season, he has been excellent. He just needed to find the right manager to suit him.
“He is ready to test himself against Championship teams and show how good he is. He has done it in the FA Cup, so he has the talent. He just needs to do it week-in, week-out again next year.” Wigan were relegated from the Championship a year ago. But Cook has transformed things and in midweek a new four-year contract was hastily arranged to fend off reported interest from Sunderland.
Contract
The former Chesterfield and Portsmouth boss, who led both to the League Two title, is yet to manage above the third tier but Boyce, a board member of the Wigan Community Foundation, is confident he will adapt. “I think he’s a very good manager and a good man-manager,” he added. “He’s brought the club together in terms of being a family club with great values. “Hopefully, this time they will learn. You look at Huddersfield and Brighton and see how they did it in the Premier League. Wigan need to do the same. “I think the club has been changing. We were punching above our weight anyway in the Premier League and then when we came down (in 2012-13), we missed out in the play-offs in the following season. “We did not recover – but this team is different now.”