Gary Caldwell will be the next Wigan Athletic manager, this is how a 5km run in Devon confirms it
Exeter City lead physio Michael McBride appears to have inadvertently confirmed Gary Caldwell’s return to Wigan Athletic.
Football Insider revealed this week that Wigan are closing in on the appointment of Caldwell, who has spent the last three years in charge of Exeter.
As a player, the former centre-back spent five years with the Latics and hung up his boots there, before taking charge for his first year of management, in which he guided his team to the League One title.
During his first full Championship season in charge, however, Caldwell was sacked. He could now be set to return following the dismissal of Ryan Lowe earlier this month.
That move has progressed in recent days, and appears to have been confirmed by a run posted to McBride’s Strava account.
Exeter City physio leaks Gary Caldwell move
Exeter fans appear to have been braced for Caldwell’s exit, which will not be taken lightly, despite the team’s recent form.
Saturday’s goalless draw may well have been the 43-year-old’s final game in charge, and it was the latest of four games in which City have failed to win – in the last three, they have not scored a goal.
Yet considering the budget Caldwell has had to work with at St James Park over the years, it is acknowledged that he has done a brilliant job to keep them in League One at all.
| Gary Caldwell | Exeter City |
| Wins | 67 |
| Draws | 35 |
| Losses | 78 |
| Scored | 220 |
| Conceded | 273 |
Wigan will hope he can do a similar job this season if he arrives in the coming days, and they will have a bigger budget to back the former Celtic defender with in the summer.
McBridge appears to have confirmed that the move is set to take place imminently, after he posted a message with his run to Strava.
Strava, an app used to map out and record runs, can also be used like a social media platform in the way runs can be shared with followers.
McBride did exactly that, with X user NexusworldHQ sharing a screenshot of the physio’s post, which featured a 5.23km run in Teignbridge, Devon, with a caption reading, “Northampton (H) last one with Gary and Dave”.
While ultimately an assumption, it seems extremely likely that Caldwell and first team coach David Perkins were McBride’s running partners.
Caldwell refuses to rule out exit despite Exeter chants
As Exeter played out Saturday’s draw, the home fans at St James Park chanted for their manager to stay put.
When asked about the chants after the game, Caldwell said: “It was amazing and I think the supporters are amazing at this football club with what they give in terms of backing. What they have done over the supporter ownership is fantastic.”
He would not comment on links to Wigan, but there seems an inevitability that the Englishman’s exit will be announced in the coming days.
The Latics currently sit eight points behind Exeter, and are two points from safety in League One.