MANAGER Paul Jewell is angered by claims that Wigan have tried to buy their way out of the Championship.

Jewell has only spent just over '1m this season to bring in four players and insists that outlay is nothing compared to their rivals.

He said: "People always label us big-spending Wigan, but the wage bill is '4.5m and that's around mid-table compared to what other clubs are paying their players.

"Millwall, for instance, have a wage bill of around '8m and Cardiff City's is similar.

"This club is not how it is perceived in some quarters. You only need look at the squad to see there are an awful lot of good players at the club who haven't cost a lot of money. Our back four cost '150,000, that's all."

Many fans believe it's all or nothing in the race for promotion and are convinced failure could lead to some of the big name stars attracting interest from rival clubs.

Premiership scouts have regularly monitored Wigan's progress this term and could make a move in the summer if Wigan miss out on a Premiership spot.

Meanwhile, a man dubbed by fans as "the voice of Wigan Athletic" has this week joined the club to boost its image.

Matt McCann has replaced former Granada employee, Christopher Ammonds, and will spearhead a complete revamp of the way that the club is promoted.

McCann says his goal is to spread the word and make more people aware of Wigan.

McCann said: "My role is simply to let more people know of Wigan's incredible success story.

"When Dave Whelan took charge, we had just over 1,000 fans. Now, the figure is up to 12,000, so that's 10 fans now for every one we had a decade ago.

"I don't think many clubs can match that increase. We are often portrayed as being small time, but that's not the case. We will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the big clubs off the pitch and are certainly not little Wigan. One criticism of Latics is they don't do enough in the community but this is not so.

"What we may be guilty of, if anything, is not blowing our trumpet because we know we are a club on the up and we have to look to make Latics a global brand with wide-ranging appeal."

Wigan fans now look forward to next weekend's huge clash with Preston.

Latics have a good record at Deepdale but must be wary of Deepdale striker David Nugent. The former Bury player was groomed by ex-Latics star Graham Barrow at Gigg Lane and was linked with Latics at one stage.

Latics will next season revert to a blue and white stripe kit. Tweet