Wigan Athletic - Chris Hutchings

When Hutch took over the reigns after former manager Paul Jewell left a lot of football fans away from Wigan said 'Who?`

Well lets tell them who

Chris Hutchings started life in professional football at Chelsea in 1981

Chris was working as a brickie and playing non-league football with Harrow Borough at the time.

He left Chelsea and signed for Brighton where he stayed for 4 years before moving on to Huddersfield, Walsall and finally Rotherham.

Whilst at Rotherham Chris first ventured into coaching becoming one of the youth team coaches at Millmoor.

The Hutch left football for a short time and went into the second hand car trade, a skill he learnt there should stand him in some good stead in transfer dealings.

It wasn`t long before Chris got the call to go to Bradford City as Chris Kamara`s assistant

And following Paul Jewells appointment at Valley Parade he became his number two starting a double act that would serve the Latics very well

When Jewell left Bradford for Sheffield Wednesday Hutch took over the managers role

But he lasted just 137 days and 12 league games before getting the sack with Chelsea being the only league game that Bradford won with Hutch in charge.

Jewell got the Latics job in 2001 and called for the Hutch to come and assist and he duly obliged

They formed a fantastic partnership that saw the Latics rise from the third tier of English football to the dizzy heights of the Premiership.

Jewell famously quit Latics the day after Premiership survival was confirmed in the game at Bramall Lane against Sheffield United.

Dave Whelan, Latics chairman, had no hesitation in offering Chris Hutchings the manager`s seat at the JJB

An offer that Chris has taken and appears to be relishing the challenge of making the Latics an established Premiership club

The season ahead promises to be interesting and here`s hoping that Chris Hutchings will last more than the 137 days and 12 league matches of his previous attempt at managing in his own right

Do you think that Hutch will progress the Latics as a club or are we in for another nail biting season?

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