Gary Caldwell 'concern' raised as he seals Wigan Athletic return | OneFootball

FLW's Wigan Athletic fan pundit believes that surrounding Gary Caldwell with familiar faces is a good idea

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Wigan Athletic have a familiar face back in the dugout, as Gary Caldwell was named as Ryan Lowe's successor on Monday morning.

It's been close to a decade since Caldwell was relieved of his managerial duties while the Tics were in the Championship, and since then, the Scotsman has overseen runs at Chesterfield, Partick Thistle and, most recently, Exeter City, where he departed with well-wishes.

Wigan, though, have bounced up and down from League One and the Championship, undergone a period of administration, and are now flirting with the possibility of dropping into the fourth tier.

Indeed, Caldwell returns to the Brick Community Stadium with his side sitting in the relegation zone, and with the FA Cup run ended by Premier League leaders Arsenal, there's now just one goal in mind for the rest of the campaign: remain in League One.

The managerial hire has seen a few extra shifts in the backroom staff, too, with Glenn Whelan and Nicky Adams departing, and former Tic David Perkins coming from Exeter to assist Caldwell in their place.

And, ultimately, that's the main positive that Football League World fan pundit, Corey Bissell, is taking from the news coming out of the club at the start of the week.

Wigan Athletic fan pundit "on board" with Gary Caldwell return

Barring a memorable night at Preston North End in the FA Cup's third round, the atmosphere surrounding Wigan has been cagey at best in 2026, with the Latics winless in eight league games, picking up just two points since the turn of the year.

Returning to someone they sacked nearly a decade ago isn't an issue for Bissell, and the fact that Caldwell plays a similar formation to the one that Ryan Lowe deployed, while a concern, isn't too pressing an issue for him either.

"I wouldn't look too much into when he was sacked the first time in the Championship," he said. "Firstly, he got us there, and secondly, I feel he was unfairly sacked at the time.

"Out of the available managers, maybe he's the best fit? I've said before that the fact that he plays a 3-4-3 is a concern of mine.

"But I'm on board with it, because I like him, and I believe in him. And the same goes for David Perkins. They've brought in an analyst from Exeter, too, so that's good."

Indeed, the fan pundit is happy that the club have opted for someone who knows what it's like to be a Wigan player, coach and manager, and has surrounded him with people who have delivered him success at his previous job.

Bissell feels that this is the first step in what is going to be a vital few months for the football club, and more good decisions will need to be made along the way to ensure their safety.

"It's all about making the right decisions now. We're in a dangerous position, and making those decisions will be how we get out of this mess. And I do think we're doing that," he admitted.

"I think Glenn Whelan leaving is the right thing to do. I think bringing in Perkins and an analyst from Exeter is the right thing to do. You're surrounding him with people who have helped him to succeed.

"There would have been worries if we brought Caldwell in and didn't go for Perkins and kept Whelan.

"So, the fans are on board with it. I'm on board with it, and they've brought in people around him who he needs to work with. That's the most important thing, really."

Gary Caldwell re-hire has given a much-needed morale boost at Wigan Athletic

Wigan have been starved of confidence for a couple of months now, with a poor run of results seeing them fall into the League One relegation zone.

A new manager hire always gives that little added confidence boost, but the feeling of optimism among fans hasn't been this high since the beginning of the campaign.

Caldwell, for all intents and purposes, overachieved at Exeter with one of the smallest budgets in the division, and he's now come back to a side that he's won League One with in the past for another crack at getting the Latics back to where many feel they belong.

That will be a task to be addressed next season, though. Right now, the focus is on getting out of the drop zone, and with Luton Town, Stockport County and Huddersfield Town in their next three games, it won't be easy immediately.

However, morale is higher now, and an unlikely result against either of those will help boost that even further and put Wigan in the right direction ahead of some more favourable games in their run-in.