[themaclad]

Wigan Athletic have sacked manager Ryan Lowe after 11 months in charge following their 6-1 thrashing by Peterborough United on Saturday.

The dismal defeat dropped the Latics into the relegation zone, with the club having won just once in their past 10 League One fixtures.

They were 11th in the table when they beat Burton on 2 December, but are now 22nd, two points from safety, after 29 matches.

Lowe, 47, was appointed as manager in March 2025 on a three-and-a-half-year contract. He succeeded Shaun Maloney, but the former Preston North End, Plymouth Argyle and Bury boss won just 12 out of his 49 games in charge.

Peterborough hit struggling Wigan for six
Wigan said Glenn Whelan and Graham Barrow will take charge of the first team on an interim basis while the club "will work quickly to identify and appoint" a new head coach.

The club also thanked Lowe for "his efforts and wishes him all the best for the future".

Lowe previously won promotion from League Two with Bury and Plymouth and finished 13th, 12th and 10th in the Championship with Preston.

Having arrived at the club at the tail end of the 2024-25 season, Lowe guided Wigan to a 15th-placed finish in the table.

After winning against Northampton on the opening day of this season, Wigan's form soon tailed off as they secured just three victories from 17 matches in all competitions between late August and late November.

Wigan's next match is at home in the league against Reading on Tuesday (19:45 GMT) before they travel to face Premier League leaders Arsenal in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, 15 February (16:30).

[Devongone]

Have Wigan Chosen Relegation or the End of the Pier Show?

Gary Caldwell believes Wigan Athletic will see a much better head coach a decade on from his last spell in charge after being appointed by the club for the second time. Caldwell, 43, opted to leave Exeter City and return to Wigan where he previously spent six seasons as a player and 18 months in the dugout from April 2015.
"I am so different to when I left this club 10 years ago. The experiences I have had good and bad have really shaped me as a coach," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"The job I have done in three and a half years at Exeter show that I can overachieve with what I've got and I have to do the same again here to get us out of this situation. I came back because I love the football club and think the club should be in a better position than it is. I think I can help take the club further up the league and even more than that in the future take them out of this league and back up towards the Premier League."

Caldwell played 100 games in the top flight for Wigan and led them as captain to a shock FA Cup win at Wembley against Manchester City in 2013.

After hanging up his boots in the 2014-15 season, he accepted the challenge of trying to keep a relegation-threatened Latics in the Championship.

Although he was unable to achieve that Caldwell brought them back as League One champions in 2016 only to lose his job in October of that year after a poor start to the following season. "Poor" is a euphemism.

Caldwell went on to have spells at Chesterfield and Partick Thistle before taking charge of Exeter in 2022, racking up 180 games in charge at St James Park.

Wigan, who were beaten 4-0 by Arsenal in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday, have been without a permanent manager since parting company with Ryan Lowe on 7 February.

Caldwell inherits a side who are without a league win in eight games, having lost the last four, and are 22nd in the League One table, a point from safety. The length of his contract has not been disclosed.

A club statement described his return, external as "an exciting new chapter" in Wigan's history.

Exeter confirmed the two clubs had reached an agreement on compensation for Caldwell, who has brought former Wigan midfielder David Perkins to the Brick Community Stadium as first-team coach.

The former Scotland international has parted company with the Grecians on good terms with interim chairman Laurence Overend thanking him for his time in Devon.

"He has represented our club with great passion and professionalism and has helped shape our team in a challenging and competitive division," he said.

"The club acknowledges the strong progress made during Gary's tenure and recognises the positive connection he has forged with supporters, staff and players alike.

"He has also embraced and been a powerful advocate in support of our ownership model. We wish him all the best for the future."

Dan Green will take charge of Exeter for Tuesday's home game against Wycombe Wanderers.

The length of Caldwell's new contract has not been disclosed by Wigan, who also confirmed Whelan and Barrow have left the club.

Opinion from this Chesterfield fan is that Caldwell has once more proved what he is made of. He has deserted a fan-owned club to take on a job in which his performance at Chesterfield and Partick Thistle suggests he might once more prove to be a disaster. Compared to Ryan Lowe he gives every appearance of being a number short of the full Soduko.

First Arteta chooses to let Eze and Saka off the leash against them in the FA Cup, then Gary Caldwell completes their longest weekend in a move which must make a trip to George Orwell's Wigan Pier an enticing prospect. And remember folks, they're paying MONEY for this!