Simon Corney has published a statement on the official website to reassure Latics fans that promotion plans are on track. He said, "I don't think anyone can say it hasn't been a busy summer here at Boundary Park so far. So the weather hasn't been great, but myself, Shez and Alan Hardy have been busy putting plans in place for next season. After we were knocked out by Blackpool, I promised that we would back Shez all the way this summer, and we've certainly done that. We've paid fees for both Mark Allott and Craig Davies, and they're two players the management believe can have a big impact this season. Obviously Mark will be familiar to most of you, while Craig proved against us in the Cup last season that he can be a threat, with two goals for Wolves as they knocked us out. However, I think that there's one key thread running through what we've tried to do with the majority of our signs, experience.""Michael Ricketts, Lee Hughes and Mark Crossley have played at the highest level, and they will add their know-how to that of people like Sean Gregan and Andy Liddell. Crossley's experience goes without saying, and he, John Thompson and Davies have all played internationally. Allott's been a regular for season after season at this level, and JP Kalala has definitely made a name for himself with both Yeovil and Grimsby. The fact that Yeovil wanted to keep him for another two years speaks volumes for his ability. I think we're looking pretty strong at the moment, though we could have one or two new additions to strengthen us up even more, and of course the loan market is always there."
"The feedback I've had on our signings so far has been very good, and of course we added Michael Ricketts this week. His achievements at the highest level are considerable, and let's not forget he's only 28 years old. Michael is very keen to do well for this club, and he is going to be very important this season. I know John is very keen to add some new faces, and chairman Simon Blitz, Danny Gazal and myself will continue to back him just as much as we can."
"It's important this club is sustainable as well as successful, and I think Shez is the man to get us success on the pitch with the resources we have. I'm sure you'll agree we haven't done too badly with this summer's signings so far. I for one cannot wait for the season to get underway, but of course there's the friendlies to come before that. I probably won't be able to make all of them, but they will give you the fans the chance to check out our new signings in action. Sheffield Wednesday will be a big one, particularly with the John Sheridan connection, and then it's not long until Swansea visit us on the first day. Get behind the boys - they appreciate it more than you know."