Wigan and Martinez Break Mould

Poor old Wigan Athletic.

Having won the FA Cup for the first time in their history, they were then unceremoniously relegated from the Premier League a few days later.

Goalscorer Watson with manager Martinez

But, you do wonder, what matters more; silverware or Premier League survival?

Ask the fans of Arsenal or megabucks Manchester City, whom the Latics defeated at Wembley courtesy of Ben Watson’s last gasp winner.

While they may not sacrifice their Premier League status for an FA Cup, they went trophy-less nonetheless.

It’s refreshing to see an FA Cup win valued more than a fourth placed finish, or even at the expense of playing at football’s elitist top table.

As thousands of fans packed in to Wigan high street to witness their FA Cup being paraded from a double decker bus with its roof ripped off, you couldn’t help but admire the fervour on show.

In a strange way, the club has been liberated from the exclusive clutches of the Premier League. 

There will be less TV scheduling, which will see the dictation of Monday night trips to Norwich off the agenda.

For a town whose only successes at Wembley came via the rugby league team’s exploits in the Challenge Cup final, times have changed.

Athletic have stepped out of the shadows of their more illustrious oval-ball counterparts and forged their own identity; spirited, surprising, almost likeable in a way.

How much of this is down to manager Roberto Martinez cannot wholly be calculated.

Ah, Roberto – the adopted Lancastrian from the small Catalonian town of Balaguer, who has had an on/off association with the club for approaching two decades – how the club has changed from the day he first arrived in the basement tier at Springfield Park.

But also, how the footballing world has changed; the last three FA Cup winning managers are all called Roberto for instance (Di Matteo then of Chelsea, Mancini then of City and of course Senor Martinez of Wigan).

The outlook of football is also vastly different. It’s whole-heartedly business-like now. Vast spending plus few results equals the sack and so it could well be that the two managers who faced each other at Wembley just a couple of weeks ago leave their respective clubs.

While Mancini, who spent millions at City, was last week shown the door, it is likely that Everton will knock politely and ask Martinez to replace their Manchester United-bound manager David Moyes.

The Spaniard has built an eclectic squad, a mix of players – many from his homeland – that also contains Paraguayans, Argentineans and Hondurans, which, if not entirely dismantled, should see them cope with the rigours of Championship football.

It may not be easy next season, trips to Yeovil rarely are, but as managers come and go; the fans and their FA Cup win will never leave.