'A lot of things need to change': Wigan boss delivers brutal assessment of abject Blackpool defeat

Jerry Yates’ early strike handed Stephen Dobbie his first win as Blackpool’s interim boss while keeping alive the Seasiders’ faint survival chances.

While this was far from a sterling display from Blackpool, they were largely comfortable against a poor Wigan side that – despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession – never really threatened the Blackpool goal.

It prompted angry scenes between some of Wigan’s players and the away end after the full-time whistle.

"We’d like to apologise to the fans – and not just for today,” Maloney told Latics TV. "Not just for today either, but for a long period this season.

"What they've seen is not the levels I believe this football club should be at.

"I appreciate every single one of them that comes and pays to watch us. I said when I got this job whether we win, lose or draw, I’ll come over and show them the appreciation.

"I know these days are difficult, but I still had to do it. Whatever anger you have, please, that’s on me. I know what I want to see and today wasn’t that.

"I knew the game was going to start very hectic. We give the ball away but the reality is we're still goalside of the player that scores and we don’t follow the run again.

"We can do all the work, and we have worked extremely hard since we came in, to improve the team. Defensively we’re one of the better teams in the league now but in reality, we’re so far away from a good attacking team. We’re the worst in the league for that.

"We have to change that, working from now until the summer, because I don’t want 60 or 70 per cent possession, get into certain areas without the threat we need to win games.

"I actually thought we became less threatening the more we began to go longer, that certainly wasn’t the instruction. But in reality we can get into certain areas and create one-vs-ones but at the moment we don’t have the profile of player to turn them into big chances.

"Today is a culmination of where I see the club. A lot of things need to change.”