What has gone wrong at Wigan?

Not so much thumbs up for Malky Mackay this season

After losing to Queens Park Rangers in the Championship play-offs last season, Wigan were expected to challenge this year.

The Latics under Uwe Rosler were one of the early favourites to reach the Premier League less than two years after dropping down into the Championship in the same year they won the FA Cup.

Summer signings Andrew Taylor, Martyn Waghorn, Oriol Riera, Don Cowie and Andy Delort were all expected to add some extra class to the side.

They got off to a slow start, not winning their first Championship game until their fourth attempt with a 1-0 win over Blackpool.

Another victory followed but Wigan's abysmal form in October and November cost Rosler his job. After 12 months in charge, the former Brentford manager was replaced by former Cardiff boss Malky Mackay.

But in his first five games, Wigan only picked up a point in a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough at home.

Four defeats on the bounce followed but a late Christmas present on Boxing Day saw them beat Leeds United at Elland Road. Instead of kicking on and climbing the table, Wigan have yet to win a game in their last eight matches.

In his 14 games in charge, Mackay has won just a single match and the club now sit 23rd in the table. The Latics are only two points above Blackpool and they need to pick up another eight to even climb out of the relegation zone.

On Wednesday night they were hammered 3-0 by Nottingham Forest as Dougie Freedman won his first game in charge. Goals from Britt Assombalonga, Chris Burke and Henri Lansbury ensured more misery for Wigan's players and Mackay was quick to show his disappointment.

He told Wigan Today: "I'm obviously disappointed with the result. We lost a poor first goal, and after that we had too many players below par.

"Things had been promising in the last couple of weeks, with the new group, until this."

Like every game in the Championship, Wigan face some difficult tests in the next few weeks. In their next five contests, they face Reading, Charlton, Cardiff, Blackpool and Norwich.

If they are to have any chance of survival, Mackay's men must start winning and he has demanded a response from his side.

"They are working hard enough, but there wasn't enough quality and responsibility from us," he said.

"You earn the jersey on performances and you lose the jersey after performances - and the players know that. The next game gives the players a chance to redeem themselves. The players are honest, they absolutely see when they don't play and they don't perform. We take responsibility as a team, but we have to be better than that."

After losing several key players in January, Wigan's poor run of form doesn't look like coming to an end.

The momentum last season under Rosler quickly evaporated and the future looks bleak at present. Wigan's success was helped by the managerial ability of Roberto Martinez and his absence seems to have finally hit the club. Their signings haven't delivered as hoped and overall the squad appears to be much weaker than it was a season ago.

The entire club appears to need a lift and a fresh start and Mackay may need to start again from League One. At the moment, the players aren't responding and an upturn in form doesn't seem to be on the horizon.

The Championship table won't be decided for a few months just yet but Wigan may need a minor miracle to ensure they will be in the second tier next season.