It may seem amiss to ask Shaun Maloney about pre-season optimism. As manager of Wigan Athletic he has, after all, had to contend with relegation, players and staff going unpaid, a winding-up order, a transfer embargo and “a two-to-three-week period where each day there was a big concern we might not be here the following day”. He also faces the ominous challenge of starting in League One on minus eight points. But one day in June changed the landscape vitally for Wigan and their determined manager. Optimism no longer feels such an inappropriate topic.
Maloney was alone in his office at…
