Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has put his side's struggles down this campaign to a lack of ruthlessness. Towards the end of his first season in charge of Wigan, Martinez is not surprised to see the Latics one place and four points above the drop zone.

"The Premier League is a ruthless one because of the quality of the teams. It is the best in world football, and that is challenging in itself," Martinez said.

"So I knew it was going to be hard, a test for not just the players and the staff, but everyone at Wigan Athletic.

"At any club, when you have such a big turnaround in the playing staff, then it is going to be tough.

"I always said my first year would be the hardest because we are setting standards and laying foundations for what we are going to do in the future.

"We are where we expected to be. I'm not surprised. Now we have to finish the season as strong as we can, making sure we reach our aim of staying in the Premier League."

The performances have been a lot better than the points we have," he added. "We've enjoyed real highs, such as against Aston Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool, beating the latter two for the first time in our history which for me spoke volumes.

"They weren't just fluke results, they were excellent performances.

"But looking at others, with a little more know-how, ruthlessness, of knowing what's needed, we could have converted those into points and not been in the situation we now find ourselves.

"It's part of the process, part of the learning curve, which is the price you have to pay sometimes."