Wigan Athletic are embarking on a youth policy with a difference. After turning to the 32-year-old Gary Caldwell as Malky Mackay’s successor, they now boast the youngest manager in the Football League as well as the youngest chairman in all four divisions.
Caldwell turns 33 on Sunday, which will make him senior to David Sharpe, Dave Whelan’s grandson and replacement as chairman, by 10 years. It is an unusual arrangement, and not one that the club seriously expects to keep them in the Championship with five games remaining and a gap of eight points to make up, though Sharpe made it clear from the outset that Caldwell would be in charge next season whatever happens in the next few weeks.
“Gary is one of our own, he knows this club very well and that lessens the risk,” Sharpe said on introducing his new manager on Wednesday morning. “We are not judging him on the next five games, this is a long-term appointment. Gary may be young but he will be working with experience alongside him in Graham Barrow. This is definitely not an interim appointment. Gary effectively has a free hit over the next five games, and that shows how much I believe in him. I’m positive he will get a reaction.
“We know it is going to be difficult to stay in the Championship, it would be a miracle if we stay up, but this is one for the future. We’ll be doing our utmost to stay up, but if we weren’t preparing for the possibility of going down we would be the wrong people for our jobs.”
In his last two seasons at Wigan, Caldwell moved into coaching and took the necessary badges when his playing career was curtailed by a long-standing hip injury. “We have to be realistic about our position, but obviously I am hoping to have an effect straight away,” the Scot said. “You want to set a positive note from day one and hopefully get the belief back.
“I wasn’t quite expecting such a massive opportunity so early in my coaching career but I am fortunate in that I already have a relationship with the chairman. We know each other, we get on well and we want the same things for the club. I am not going in blind and having to get to know everyone.
“We both think this is the right fit. Even though David is young he knows what he is doing. He has been brought up with football and has been to a lot of games over the years. He has worked within the club’s recruitment department and been involved in various aspects of the club, so he knows how it works. For someone so young he possibly has more experience than some other chairmen around the country.”
Sharpe acted decisively in dismissing Mackay after defeat to Derby on Monday and approaching Caldwell almost immediately. His grandfather is still in Barbados, but the Wigan chairman claims he acted first and relayed the news later. “He [Dave Whelan] didn’t know what I was doing on Monday night, but I spoke to him afterwards and he is 100% behind me and Gary,” Sharpe said.
“It was a difficult decision to make but I knew I had to do it. We were losing games, we haven’t been good enough all season, and for me it is the football that does the talking. My grandad has a reputation for being decisive and I think I have learned from the best.”
