In Germany there is another Uwe. Seeler is his name. In the same era as Bobby Charlton he enjoyed the same level of popularity in Germany as Charlton did in England and, like Charlton, he still commands the same level of respect and influence at his old club, SV Hamburg. There, where he played his entire career, he is simply ‘Uns Uwe’ or ‘Our Uwe’.
Fast forward to the 1990s and a different German, Uwe Rösler, became as beloved at Manchester City as Seeler had been at Hamburg. In a time of mediocrity and disappointment, his passion and commitment endeared him to the City support like no other.
Twenty years later and Uwe is back in the North West with Wigan Athletic and has, it seems, become equally as popular. This is, it has to be said, to the consternation of a vocal minority of Wigan fans who just cannot understand this fervour. Barely two wins to rub together this season, lying just outside the relegation zone and a 0-0 draw at home last night brought a huge show of support from the fans as his name rained down from the stands. Very strange.
Granted, there was palpable relief that the Blue and Whites are still capable of producing a team performance of intensity and that they showed some of the quality that has been ephemeral this season. The performance perhaps engendered some optimism that things can be turned around and that it’s not too late to begin the much-desired march up the table. Players whom the supporters had begun to doubt put in a real shift last night and there was an energy about the performance which lifted the spirits of fans, team, management and board.
There was, of course, more to it than that. Everyone will have been aware of the rumours of Uwe’s impending dismissal following the limp performance at Bournemouth and the home defeat to Ipswich. Rumours of dressing room unrest and poor working relationships behind the scenes emanated from various sources. It seemed on Monday that fans were only waiting for the sound of the guillotine blade to drop. But then – nothing happened. Monday came and went. Instead Uwe presented a more upbeat self at the press conference that afternoon. His programme notes spoke respectfully of the club and the fans. He and Emmerson Boyce talked about unity and the history and spirit of this special club in overcoming adversity. Surely this didn’t mean that a corner had been turned in mood within the club?
If there were or still are a large number of unhappy people behind the scenes of the club, it certainly didn’t show last night. Players who were allegedly very unhappy at not being played on Saturday laid their cards on the pitch and not on the table of the Supporters’ Club coach. They did what all good professionals do: they gave the manager a difficult decision for the next match. The energy in the display brought out the best in the stands too and there was even a standing ovation for Don Cowie, who has been the subject of much criticism so far in his Latics’ career. We only later realised that the possible catalyst for this improved team effort was the verbal support of Dave Whelan in the changing room before the match. ‘He gave the team and me reassurances’, said Rösler. Everyone at the club, players included, knows that Whelan is the main man. Love him, respect him or fear him, they take notice and his intervention provided a great fillip.
But back to this irrational level of affection for Uwe Rösler – what can explain it? From the moment he walked in front of the supporters on his way to the dugout in Maribor the fans have enthusiastically sung his name. He had done nothing at that point apart from replace the unpopular Owen Coyle (plus point number one). But is that all it is? Or was it also his respectful way of talking about the club and the legacy of his predecessor Roberto Martinez, something that Coyle neglected to do. Was it the convincing endorsement given to him by Dave Whelan, again singularly lacking on the appointment of Owen Coyle. An early energetic victory over Bolton Wanderers certainly helped his cause as did the fact that, after the style-less football of Coyle, his team started freely and accurately passing the ball within minutes of his first game. A run of wins in the late winter and early spring including a wonderful defence of the FA Cup perhaps cemented the affections of Latics lovers. More than anything, he did what he’d been asked to do by his employer: he got Wigan to the play-offs and, perhaps, with fewer games and if he’d inherited a decent striker on joining the club, Uwe could have taken them all the way.
It’s an explanation which somehow doesn’t satisfy because emotions and feelings aren’t easy to rationalise but it was noticeable on the message boards over the last week how many people expressed their sadness at the prospect of him leaving. Although many were almost resigned to it and, while of course, there were those who were looking forward to his demise, the emotional attachment between the fans and the man from Altenburg was there to see.
From Maribor all the way to the DW Stadium last night, the fans have made it clear: ‘We don’t know why, but we love Our Uwe’.
Pete Reece
