Late on Sunday afternoon , Wigan Athletic's fans were no doubt wondering why they bother.Twenty-four hours later, Wigan Athletic's fans were no doubt aware exactly why they bother.
In the wake of their 9-1 destruction by Tottenham White Hart Lane, the Wigan players have decided to make a superb gesture by paying for their tickets of their fans who made the trip to London.
For once, a Premier League football club has listened to and looked upon the plight of their own fans and responded in the most outstanding manner.
Any Latics supporter who bought a ticket for the match against Tottenham will have until December 4 to claim a full refund - and it will come from the playing squad's own pockets.
Skipper Mario Melchiot, speaking on behalf of all the players, said: "We feel that as a group of players we badly let down our supporters. This is a gesture we have to make and pay them back for their tremendous loyalty.
"There is not a lot else to say, just that as a group of professionals we were embarrassed by the way we performed. We feel it was below our standards and this is something we feel we owe to the fans.
"Now we have to draw a line under the game, focus completely on training this week and bounce back on Saturday.
"We are professionals, we will take it on the chin and move on but it's important that we do not take our support for granted."
Despite this impressive gesture, Wigan Athletic must still be rated as one of themost frustrating teams in the Premier League - if not the country - to support.
Because their followers simply do not know which side is going to show up on the day.
This season, Roberto Martinez's side have ranged from the truly sublime - with fine victories over Aston Villa and Chelsea - to the truly ridiculous, highlighted superbly by the Spurs' rout. They seem to either win in fine style or get destroyed.
A 4-0 loss to Portsmouth, a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal and 5-0 destruction by Manchester United and, most embarassingly, a 4-1 defeat by Blackpool in the Carling Cup all underline that, when Wigan lose, they lose heavily.
Martinez said: "We know that when we play well, we can beat anyone. However, when things don't go our way, we fold, and we don't react well to disappointment. It's all part of our development – and it's up to us to bounce back."
However, their on-field faults deserve to take a back seat for the time being as the world of football applauds their latest move.
But - and this must worry Martinez - FanHouse wonders how many more times will his players have to open their chequebooks this season if their form continues to be so unpredictable?
