Wigan legend Shaun Maloney has returned to the DW Stadium as manager and has been tasked with keeping the club in the second tier after a torrid start to the campaign.
The League One winners from last year have struggled to acclimatise to life at Championship level, with both Leam Richardson and then Kolo Toure unable to propel the Latics out of the relegation zone.
Maloney walked into a backdrop of poor performances and has started his managerial tenure at Wigan in a positive fashion, collecting six points from his first five matches, losing just once in that period.
That loss did come last Saturday however, with goals from Daniel Johnson and Thomas Cannonfor the Lilywhites condemning Wigan to their 16th defeat of the league campaign.
With all of the current bottom-four clubs in the Championship table having made changes in terms of management in recent months and seeing bounces to relative degrees, no side is marooned at the foot of the standings, which is set to make Maloney’s job at keeping Wigan in the division a challenging one.
Birmingham head to the DW Stadium on Saturday knowing that a loss would throw them right into the fight for relegation, with Blues having lost four-straight league matches ahead of their trip to Wigan this weekend.
Last time out saw an injury-riddled Blues produce a limp display against playoff-chasing Luton at St Andrew’s – a game which was decided by Carlton Morris’s headed goal in the opening minutes of the second half.
Links >> Stream 1 HD Stream 2 HD Stream 3 HD Stream 4 HD
John qEustace’s men sit in 19th place in the second-tier standings after a worrying fortnight of results, holding a seven-point advantage over Huddersfield Town in 22nd, although the Terriers have played a game fewer.
Ex-Kidderminster Harriers boss Eustace has been left disappointed by the manner of the goals his side have been conceding since returning from the World Cup break, with the 43-year-old changing systems on a game-by-game basis to try to find a solution.
Blues face Wigan on Saturday and then a crunch clash with Rotherham United a week later, so it is safe to say that Bluenoses will know a lot more about the fate of their club’s season when those two games have been played
