Ryan Lowe speaks for the first time on becoming new Wigan head coach

Ryan Lowe speaks for the first time on becoming new Wigan Athletic head coach on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Lowe, who comes in as replacement to Shaun Maloney who left the Latics earlier this month, has been out of work since his two-and-a-half-year spell at Preston came to an ended in August.

Wigan currently sit 15th, with 43 points from 35 games in League One, their second season in the division since being relegated from the Championship.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨. 🫡

🤝 Wigan Athletic is delighted to confirm the appointment of Ryan Lowe as the Club’s new Head Coach! #wafc 🔵⚪️

— Wigan Athletic (@LaticsOfficial) March 12, 2025

A message from Ryan Lowe to the Tics supporters. 🗣️

He knows the lingo already! 💙#wafc 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/gKveuQ06o4

— Wigan Athletic (@LaticsOfficial) March 12, 2025

“𝘼 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙚𝙧𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩.” 💙

Watch Ryan Lowe’s first interview as Head Coach. 📺#wafc 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/OTVgb82MaZ

— Wigan Athletic (@LaticsOfficial) March 13, 2025

CLUB STATEMENT:

Ryan Lowe appointed Head Coach of Wigan Athletic

The 46-year-old has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Brick Community Stadium and will be supported by Glenn Whelan, Graham Barrow, and Frankie Bunn in the interim.

Commenting on his appointment, Ryan Lowe said: “I’m really excited for the future and to build Wigan Athletic back to where they should be.”

Wigan Athletic is delighted to confirm the appointment of Ryan Lowe as the Club’s new Head Coach.

Lowe, who has had promotion success in Sky Bet League Two with Bury FC and Plymouth Argyle, as well as a more recent spell in the Sky Bet Championship with Preston North End, has agreed a three-and-a-half-year contract at the Brick Community Stadium.

The 46-year-old will be in attendance at Charlton Athletic, but with the short turnaround before Saturday’s game, Glenn Whelan, Graham Barrow and Frankie Bunn will oversee the team. A further announcement regarding the Club’s backroom staffing structure will follow in due course.

Commenting on his arrival at the Brick Community Stadium, Ryan Lowe was quick to express his honour:

“I’m pleased to be here because it’s a fantastic Football Club with history and tradition. The Club has had some good times and some bad times, and I’m here to bring the good times back. Hopefully we can have the Brick bouncing every Saturday afternoon and Tuesday evening.

“I’m really excited about the project and I liked what the Ownership Group had to say. They showed me the vision of the Football Club and talked about getting the Club back to where it belongs – and the first target is to get to the Championship.”

“We’ve got to take short, mid and then long term steps to get there. We’ve got a vision and a plan, which is the most important thing. If we all buy into that plan and vision, I’m sure we will be successful.

“I’m really excited for the future and to build Wigan Athletic back to where they should be.”

Sporting Director Gregor Rioch said:

“We are thrilled that Ryan has become our new Head Coach, and believe he will be a fantastic fit for our Football Club. Ryan has a well-founded reputation in the English Football League as an outstanding progressive coach, having gained promotion with Bury and Plymouth Argyle, and guiding Preston North End to 13th, 12th, and 10th placed finishes in the Championship.

“He has experienced what we are striving to achieve as a Football Club, and is someone who is really passionate about our project. Ryan is aligned with our playing identity and naturally fits within our new structure.

“Ryan joining us as our Head Coach is in-line with a modern-day approach where his main focus is to set the standards for the first-team and drive them forward.

“Ryan has an infectious character, and will bring real energy and enthusiasm to the Football Club. We are looking forward to working closely with Ryan, and I wish him the very best of luck and success.”

Managing Director Sarah Guilfoyle said:

“We are delighted to have reached an agreement for Ryan to become our new Head Coach. We have followed Ryan’s career for some time and he adds great experience at this level during his time as both a player and a manager.

“We received an incredible amount of interest in the role and it was important we gave each applicant the respect and due consideration that they deserved. We underwent a thorough recruitment process to ensure that we appointed the right person for the next stage of our journey. Having a succession plan is a vital part of football, irrespective of how the team is performing. Ryan was was the stand-out candidate who has a clear vision of how he wants to take the Football Club forward.

“Ryan is a really exciting appointment, and we look forward to seeing the impact he can have.”

A former striker for Shrewsbury Town, Tranmere Rovers and Bury, Lowe experienced his first real taste of management with the Shakers in January 2018, operating in an interim player-coach role following the exit of then-manager Chris Lucketti.

Despite the Club’s relegation to Sky Bet League Two, Lowe was appointed the permanent boss in May 2018, being entrusted with the task of taking Bury back up to the third tier. A big rebuild followed at Gigg Lane ahead of the 2018/19 campaign, and it turned out to be a year to remember as Bury won promotion to League One as runners-up in League Two despite the financial hardship they faced at the time.

It was a proud moment for Lowe, as he became the first person to win promotion with Bury as both a player and manager, having previously helped them up to the Third Tier as a player in both 2011 and 2015.

He, however, left Gigg Lane to take up the vacant managerial role at Plymouth Argyle in June 2019, and his first season at Home Park was a huge success as he earned a second consecutive promotion from League Two.

After consolidating in League One during his second year with the Pilgrims, Lowe’s side started 2021/22 in remarkable fashion with unbeaten months in September and October propelling them well and truly into the hunt for automatic promotion. Lowe’s immense progress at Home Park certainly did not go unnoticed, and he earned a move to Preston North End in December 2021 after guiding Argyle to fourth place at the time of his departure.

The 46-year-old immediately endeared himself to the North End faithful upon his arrival, vowing to excite the supporters by bringing an attacking brand of football. His contributions as manager were instant, as North End enjoyed a second-half resurgence, with their excellent form resulting in the Lilywhites ending the season in 13th place.

Having laid the foundations during his first six months in charge, Lowe oversaw continuous progress throughout his time at Deepdale. An improved 12th-placed finish in 2022/23 preceded North End’s best start to a league season since 1928/29, with Lowe’s Lilywhites taking 13 points from a possible 15. They went on to secure a top-half finish in the Championship, in a season where they flirted with the Play-Offs and made positive strides forward.

Lowe made the difficult decision to leave Preston after two-and-a-half years in charge last summer, having felt it was the right time for a new challenge.

After a short break from football, the infectious Liverpudlian now returns to management at Wigan Athletic, with his vision aligning with the Football Club’s exciting, on-going project. Wanting to be part of something special, the 46-year-old has always admired Latics from afar and has a real understanding of the Club’s ethos.

The first Head Coach appointment of Mike Danson’s ownership, Lowe will look to hit the ground running and implement his philosophy and ideas with our playing squad.

Lowe will be presented to the external media at a press conference on Thursday morning. Welcome to Wigan Athletic, Ryan!

Twitter users reacted as Ryan Lowe speaks for the first time on becoming the new Wigan head coach…

@PNEPlug: Oh lads. I’m so so so sorry

@WanderasLuke: Be an interesting game in a few weeks when him and Schumacher cross paths again.

@im_martinholden: I’m happy with that. Up them tics! 💙 #wafc

@billynewton123: All things considered that is a fantastic appointment! Can never go wrong with a scouser in charge… Jewell and Cook did alright. #wafc

@craigvernazza: Happy with that. The first manager we’ve appointed since Paul Cook that on paper has an actual track record of being a half decent football manager. Probably the best appointment we could of made given the position that we’re in #wafc

@jm_bell95: Wigan v Bolton on April 1st just got that little bit better 👀 #pafc #wafc #bwfc

@edward_w97: Stock of Ryan Lowe isn’t going to have taken a nosedive because of how it ended at Preston. This is a superb appointment. Always fond of his lower league teams, great progress at Bury and Argyle. Wigan-Bolton on 1st April is now also Lowe v Schumacher 👌🏻

@FPL_TomHadley: Chuffed with this one lads! Fair to say I’m pleasantly surprised (didn’t actually think you’d get this one done 😂)

@JamesSaintLatic: Couldn’t have got a better appointment given our situation etc imo. Well done to the board on this one 👏🏻🔵⚪️

@shakerfacts: Good luck to Lowey! Great appointment for Wigan. Hope he brings a side down to Gigg in the Summer for a friendly.

@RayhanP39: Ryan “weren’t for the lack of trying” Lowe

@GaryOwen69: Excellent appointment, 1st time in a long time looking forward to the future, hopefully you will be able to stamp your authority on the team and bring in the quality to move us forward, its a thumbs up from me 👍 #wafc

@pafc_brad: Oh fuck off 😂 league one is gunna be harder than a lot think next season 😂

@Dan_Htafc: Ahhh fuck that’s a great appointment

Good luck to him. Wigan fans this is for future reference, also uses the word “Fantastic” a lot. pic.twitter.com/PXZ953hRX5

— North End:Corinthian-Casuals (@CasualsNorthern) March 12, 2025