Defender Anthony Gerrard is loving his new role as boss of the defence, and his form, since he returned to the team, has helped the Latics to their second consecutive clean sheet in the 1-0 win over Chesterfield. In his 16 appearances, the team have kept 7 clean sheets.
He stressed the importance of manager John Sheridan's honesty when he said, “The manager is as honest as the day is long. I really like that. I have played for enough people who say one thing to your face and another behind your back, but with the gaffer, he says it exactly how it is and won’t pull any punches. That’s how I like to deal with people. Go through the whole of the Football League and the vast majority of players would say they want honesty. Very few deliver on that, but the manager does.”
“That’s [take charge] what I was asked to do. The manager said there is only so much he can do from the sidelines, so it is down to the players as individuals to take it on the chin if a rollicking needs to be taken. It is only a job at the end of the day. If you start getting a huff on like a big baby then you are in the wrong job. I was to try to keep us up and to tighten up the back four. I think I have done that and we are only in the relegation zone now on goal difference. It’s a big step towards where we need to be.”