A simple handshake for everyone around the table was enough to realise how much the jovial Spaniard cares about the core of Wigan Athletic.
When the fan favourite returned to his rightful home just under two years ago there was a buzz of enthusiasm and this certainly hasn’t been lost.
Martinez’s coolness and composure in the technical area rubs off in his everyday surroundings. The man oozes confidence and makes people hang on to his every word.
That is the main reason he is loved by so many, be it Wigan fans or neutrals around the country and indeed the world.
His message to the fans was simple: “Be very very proud.” To this he added: “Walk around with the passion for this club deep in your heart.”
Martinez epitomises the spirit and determination of every man, woman and child involved with the Latics. He is a true gent and is destined for the very best, whether it is with Wigan or not, I’m sure the fans will agree that he has undeniable talent.
The Spaniard made it quite clear how the intense support from the Latics fans in the final two games of the season helped push the squad into securing safety in the Barclays Premier League for the seventh consecutive season.
He was in disbelief that the noise coming from the away end at the Britannia Stadium in the 1-0 win was only from 1400 people.
Martinez said: “We have to start next season with the same belief that we can carry on surprising people.”
Positive Mental Attitude
It is safe to say that Martinez’s positive and optimistic character has rubbed off on the squad that he has developed.
There were clear cultural differences between players in the squad within the first five months of the season and this was summed up in the 6-0 and 4-0 home defeats to Chelsea and Blackpool.
Despite this the boss was quick to jump to his players defence as he said: “It was hard at the start but, towards the end of the season we have developed something really special.”
This has coincided with the constant good form of the likes of Charles N’Zogbia, Hugo Rodallega, Ben Watson and Ali Al Habsi to name just a few.
The united dressing room that has been created by Martinez put confidence in the manager.
“I had absolutely no doubts that we would stay up.”
Summer Transfer Merry-Go-Round
After the strong end to the season and remaining unbeaten for the final four games, Martinez is of the belief that the club only need to add players if any are sold.
He said: “At the moment I am very happy with the squad, I don’t think there is a real weakness.”
Despite this he made it clear that the club has a long list of targets should any of the key personnel part company with the Latics.
Martinez also added: “Financially we have no need to sell any of our players, but we have been searching for players since January just in case.”
The key to keeping the current crop of players will be down to keeping them all happy, and the first and seemingly happiest of the squad is Ali Al-Habsi.
Martinez sees the Omani keeper as his priority transfer target but is worried about whether the club can get him permanently.
“He’s been so good at improving with us that is makes it difficult now.”
Al-Habsi quickly became a fan favourite and that was addressed clearly by his manager.
“The way he reacted to the fans (against West Ham and Stoke), makes him look like he’s been at the club for 15 years."
Al-Habsi at the age of just 29 is the second most senior player at the club this season as the squad has an average age of just 24.
The only other player older than him is veteran stopper Mike Pollitt who according to his manager has improved more than ever.
Martinez says he has the view of keeping Pollitt at the club in a coaching role and he is already on his way to getting his badges.
In terms of bringing players in, many Latics fans on the forums have been eyeing up Owen Hargreaves and Michael Owen, in a bid to bring in some experience and put bums on seats so to speak.
Martinez’s plans however are unlikely to include either of these players as he said: “Players on big wages can cause negativity amongst the rest of the squad; if a big name comes in and underperforms it would be a bad investment.”
The gaffer is certainly under the impression that experienced players nearing the end of their careers are away from being assets for the club.
His positive attitude to the players in the squad at the moment is an indicator that not many players will be brought into the DW Stadium this summer.
Youngsters Are Ready
The five year plan for Wigan is to eventually get the club into the top ten and further on into the Europa League places.
The building blocks are all in place for the club to become even more successful than it has been.
The young talent in what the club calls its ‘development squad’ has been around for three years now but under former manager Steve Bruce it didn’t seem to be going anywhere.
This has shifted dramatically with Martinez in charge and his view that the ‘talent and energy of the young players is going to be the future of this football club’ gives those in the reserves and youth team a great incentive to perform to their highest ability.
Players like Callum McManaman, Lee Nicholls and Jordan Mustoe have been at the club for a while now and seem to have developed into first team quality players. Some of them may need loan experience to toughen them up for the Premier League, but others are more than ready.
Martinez said: “Callum McManaman is ready, but because of the importance of the results in the last two games it would not be fair to throw him straight into high pressure games.”
Martinez hinted that McManaman will play an important role next season as he attempts to breed through local born players back into the club.
The job that Graham Barrow and Dennis Lawrence have done with such players could allow this goal to be completed in the near future.
Martinez added: “Getting young local players into the squad is my ambition; youngsters born in Wigan being in the squad will show a great sign of improvement.”
Wigan have really improved with young players which has led the reserves to beating both Arsenal and Manchester United this season. It meant that the reserve team was the fifth best in terms of points, only beaten by Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool.
If more young players continue to make it into the Wigan first team, the average age could fall even lower which will mean the Latics will have a lot of assets on their hands.
Striking Options
As it stands the front men of the club are, Hugo Rodallega, Conor Sammon, Victor Moses, Franco Di Santo, Charles N’Zogbia and £6 million flop Mauro Boselli.
Martinez currently imposes a 4-5-1 tactic which sees one striker playing a central role, or so it would seem.
He revealed that the three forward men are all seen as strikers and therefore having the options is essential to the positive rotation of the team.
With Mauro Boselli returning from his successful loan spell in Italy with Genoa, (for whom he scored a crucial last minute goal against bitter rivals Sampdoria) Martinez may face a selection headache.
However, the manager has encouraged having a larger squad and that competition for places can only be seen as healthy.
In the curious case of Boselli, the physicality of the league seemed to intimidate the striker but Marinez’s said: “Mauro is a natural goal scorer, if the key moments became goals, everything would have changed.”
But Martinez was right, everything did change and the hottest talent in South America moved on loan to Genoa, meaning there was a space for another striker.
Enter the six foot, army tank sized frame of Conor Sammon.
Dubbed as the most improved player in the Scottish Premier League over the past two years by his current boss, Sammon made a positive impact for the Latics, including the crucial and well taken goal that drew the side level against West Ham.
Martinez seems to have full faith with Sammon, who provided an alternative strategy for the final run-in.
Martinez said: “Conor brings something very different to the team. For his goal against West Ham, he showed great decision making, the coolness to finish and incredible power and strength.”
With all of these features rolled into the Irish striker, Sammon could be one to watch next season and he has got everything it takes to become a top striker in the Premier League.
Clever Loan Signing
The Latics made use of their two loan signings this season to great effect.
Bringing in Tom Cleverley from Man Utd proved a masterstroke as his movement on and off the ball offered the team great options in midfield and to top it off he brought in four league goals as well.
He’s been so impressive this term that he’s earned himself a call up to the England under21 squad as they take part in the Under 21 European Championships in Denmark.
The fans of Wigan would love to see Cleverley in action for another year but, his quality on the pitch means that Man Utd will be very reluctant to let him go.
Martinez believes that Cleverley is more than ready to play for United and any other club for that matter.
He said: “I hope there’s a chance of getting him back and you never know what will happen with their (Man Utd’s) squad.”
Cleverley will always be welcome at Wigan that’s a given, as the fans have taken to him in their hoards.
The midfielder has now become one of England’s brightest young stars and Wigan should be proud that they have helped him become such a talent.
Watson for England!
Not many people saw Ben Watson having a future at Wigan just a year ago when he looked likely to make his loan move at West Brom permanent. However, his career has turned around this year and he has become one of the key players in the first team.
Watson has made 29 appearances in the league this season scoring three goals and has earned special praise from his boss.
“Ben is unique, unlike many English players and he is very similar to Xabi Alonso when he was at Liverpool.”
It is a fair point, as Watson sits nicely in the midfield spreading passes across the pitch and intercepting when necessary.
In fact his pass rate is one of the best in the league and he makes an average of 65-75 passes per game.
His manager made it clear that his tactical awareness has really improved and that Watson gives balance to the team when attacking.
Martinez also made a bet that the doubters will surely hound him for.
“I’ll bet you next season he’ll play for England.”
Watson may very well make it to that level if he carries on improving and all will become clear next season.
He will have to improve his ‘less than perfect’ corners though.
Martinez added: “Next time he takes one, we need the crowd to give him a standing ovation before it to give him confidence.”
Exciting Season Ahead
Wigan will now embark on their seventh season in the Premier League, and what better way to do it than with some appetising trips in pre-season as a build-up.
The young pros will return to training on the 4th July with the senior players just three days later on the 7th.
Every member of the squad will be used in pre-season and ‘exciting’ trips are being arranged.
It has been confirmed that the club will take on Colwyn Bay and Boston United in July; however, Martinez confirmed the club are looking for a showcase tie at the DW against a foreign team.
Last season the Latics faced Real Zaragoza to show off the newly built squad, however only 4000 fans turned up, which means thriving for a bigger team to come and play would be out of the question due to the high price it would cost.
Despite the low attendance at the friendly last year, Martinez remains confident that his players love to play in front of the home crowd.
“Players of course love coming to full stadiums, but at Stoke to have 1400 people screaming the way they did and many at the West Ham game, I’ll guarantee you my players prefer that.”
Martinez’s message is clear, be proud of the club, be proud of the players and no matter what other people say, let it galvanize the fans at the club and then maybe next season a top ten finish will become a reality.
ALL IMAGES ARE USED WITH THE CONSENT OF WIGAN ATHLETIC FOOTBALL CLUB AND BERNARD PLATT.
