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How and why players decided on new Latics skipper and vice-captain

· Paul Kendrick · 2026-08-13T20:26:10+00:00 · nguồn gốc

How and why Wigan Athletic dressing room decided on their new skipper and vice-captain Max Power was the 'unanimous' choice of his peers as Wigan Athletic's new captain for the 2026/27. The 33-year-old midfielder, who returned over the summer for his third spell at the club, was selected by his team-mates for the honour. Boss Gary Caldwell handed over the decision to the dressing room, who also decided their vice-captain will be Jensen Weir, who narrowly pipped Morgan Fox for the deputy role. "It was a big thing for me that the players decided this," explained Caldwell. "I've made a deliberate thing of bringing good people into the club this summer, and there were already some good people here already. "Jensen and Foxy were very close to the vice-captaincy, but Max was a unanimous choice as captain. "And as much as Jensen will be the vice-captain, there's other players in the squad - Foxy, Carra (James Carragher), Cal Mac (McManaman) - that will also need to show their own leadership qualities. "But we've got two fantastic people - two Wigan people, who understand the DNA of this football club - who will be leading the team forward this season." While admitting he would have loved the armband, Fox insisted both Power and Weir were fully deserving of their new responsibilities. "I've actually had this before, where the players picked the captain, and it worked very well," he said. "As the gaffer says, you have to have trust in whoever is leading out the team out there on the pitch. "And everybody knows Max's leadership pedigree, as well as obviously having played a lot of games for this club during his career...I think he was the obvious stand-out candidate to be fair. "Jensen is another lad who's been at the club for a long time, he's got a lot of history here, and he's brilliant around the place, the way he conducts himself. "I think they're two very deserving candidates, and I know everyone in the dressing room will be right behind them." Fox also says his on-field will remain unaffected by the dressing room vote. "The way I see it, it won't change the way I am, whether I've got the armband or I've not," he added. "We've obviously got a young group here and, regardless of who's got the armband on, it won't change me in any way. "I try to lead from the front regardless of who's captain, and that remains the same. "There's a small leadership group in the dressing room anyway, and it's a long season, and I'm sure we'll all be called to lead at some point." Earlier this month, Latics boss Caldwell outlined his reasons for allowing the players to make the call rather than the management. The Scot, who captained Latics in the Premier League years under Roberto Martinez, added: "It's a great honour to be captain of any football club. It comes with great responsibility, and it comes with a great weight of expectation. "The person you give it to has to be judged in the right way by his peers, by his team-mates. "I can pick someone, but the players might not respect that person in the same way, and might not want to be led by them. "Your captain should be picked by your team-mates, because they’re the ones who will stand behind them."