WIGAN are facing relegation and owner Dave Whelan could end up in a legal battle with the Premier League fighting for reinstatement, plus financial compensation should his club go down and West Ham stay up.
Whelan claims Latics would have been deducted 10 points had they broken rules governing transfers as West Ham did.
A Premier League commission fined West Ham £5.5m last week but decided not to deduct points despite serious breaches of rules in deals that took Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to Upton Park earlier in the season.
If West Ham beat the drop, any club relegated in their place will almost certainly challenge the Premier League - and if so the Premier League could be thrown into chaos over the summer months.
Wigan and Fulham have already considered legal action and Latics' bosses feel the Hammers got off lightly with just a fine.
It came as no surprise to see Tevez, who was given approval to play at the JJB, torment a Wigan team that has managed to take just three points from the last 21.
Wigan were well and truly hammered and with two games to go, they are clinging on to Premiership safety by their fingernails.
Offensive
Not surprisingly, both chairman Whelan and manager Paul Jewell went on the offensive after losing this crucial clash.
Whelan said after the game: "It would appear no club is going to be deducted points unless they go into receivership. If it had been Wigan who had broken the rules, I seriously believe we would have been deducted 10 points.
"I saw the West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson and asked him if we could employ their lawyer because he did a fantastic job for them, but good luck to West Ham because they've got away with it and they are regarded as a bigger club than us.
"But what they did was no secret. It had been out in the open for months so why did it take so long to deal with?"
Manager Jewell appeared shell-shocked after Saturday's 3-0 home defeat. Shambolic defending again proved costly and Jewell said: "I don't want to sound like I'm bleating but everyone at this club knew what the outcome would be for West Ham last week and if it had been Wigan or Watford, or if West Ham had been down already, points would have been taken off.
"I don't want anyone getting relegated because of administrative irregularities, that would be a terrible way, but I knew that with just three games to go there would not be any points deduction and so it proved.
"The Premier League said they took the West Ham fans into account. Does that mean clubs with a big fan base can't be deducted points - if so then that is crazy."
Wigan now gear up for Boro but it does seem extremely likely Jewell's men will have to go to Sheffield United on the last day of the season needing at least a point to stay up and this is a game not many would relish.
What do you think of the decision not to deduct points from West Ham? Have your say.
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DEAN (30/04/2007 at 11:04)
Philip Keane, Shevington (30/04/2007 at 11:07)
taking fans in to consideration and we would have docked points in January seem that any decision can be taken depending on who the club is.
If the rules are there then no matter how big or small the football club is the actions taken should be the same or am I living in a world where size really does matter.
jaybs (30/04/2007 at 13:09)
It has seemed since Whelan took over everything that does not go his own way he wants to appeal.
How much damage did Jewel do himself last week all the moaning he did prior to the game, did that unnerve he players, stand up and be counted Mr Whelan and Mr Jewel You are the ones at fault!
Stop trying to blame it on the Premiership or West Ham you are making The Club look like fools.
Steve the blue, Manchester(not Nottingham,London or Malaysia) (30/04/2007 at 23:15)
john brenson, here and there (03/05/2007 at 21:41)
Scarboro, Rotherham too, never any cockneys.
jaybs (04/05/2007 at 17:53)
"An express requirement of Premier League membership is that all disputes should be settled by arbitration"
Therefore by taking the League (and/or West Ham United) to court he will effectively be invalidating Wigan's membership of the Premier League ??