Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, that competes in the EFL League One, the third tier of English football, following relegation from the 2022–23 EFL Championship.

Founded in 1932, they have played at the 25,138-seat DW Stadium since 1999, before which they played at Springfield Park. Their colours are blue and white stripes, although all-blue shirts have been common throughout the club's history. The club regards Bolton Wanderers as its primary derby rival. Wigan competed in the Cheshire County League for the first nine seasons of the club's existence, winning three league titles before being placed in the Lancashire Combination in 1947. It spent 14 years in the Lancashire Combination and secured four league titles during this time. It spent 1961 to 1968 back in the Cheshire County League, picking up another league title in 1964–65. Invited to become a founder member of the Northern Premier League in 1968, the club won two league titles and also reached the FA Trophy final in 1973. Wigan was elected to the Football League in 1978 and was promoted out of the Fourth Division in 1981–82. The club won the Associate Members' Cup in 1985, but was relegated back into the fourth tier in 1993. It won the Third Division title in 1996–97, the Football League Trophy in 1999 and the Second Division in 2002–03, before securing promotion out of the Championship in 2004–05.

Wigan was the beaten finalist in the League Cup in 2006 and won the FA Cup in 2013, beating Manchester City in the Final. However, the club was relegated later that year, bringing its eight-season stay in the Premier League to an end. The FA Cup success did, though, gain it a place in the UEFA Europa League group stages the following season. Relegated from the Championship in 2015, the club won the League One title in 2015–16 and repeated this feat in 2017–18 after another relegation. On 1 July 2020, less than a month after a change of ownership, it was placed into administration and was relegated from the Championship due to the subsequent points deduction. After narrowly avoiding relegation to League Two in 2020–21 under new ownership, Wigan won the League One title for a fourth time in 2021–22, but a year later were again relegated from the Championship following two further points deductions. Additional deductions of points were made in May 2023, meaning the club would start the 2023–24 League One season with minus eight points.

History

Non-league football: 1932–1978
Wigan Athletic was formed in 1932, following the winding-up of Wigan Borough the year before. The establishment of Wigan Athletic was the sixth attempt to create a stable football club in the town following the demise of Wigan A.F.C., Wigan County, Wigan United, Wigan Town and Wigan Borough. The town's die-hard football enthusiasts planned the rebirth of a town team, and a public meeting was held at the Queen's Hall presided over by the then Mayor of Wigan, Councillor W.A. Hipwood, and Callum Roper, who called on the town to keep up its reputation for producing fine sportsmen by keeping intact an Association Football team as well as the Rugby League team. A committee was elected and a new club was formed, Wigan Athletic. Springfield Park, the former home of Wigan Borough, was purchased by the club for £2,850 from the owners of the Woodhouse Lane dog track. Despite their initial application being turned down, Wigan Athletic were elected into the Cheshire County League following the resignation of Manchester Central. The club had also made the first of many attempts to be admitted into the Football League, but failed to receive a single vote. On 27 August 1932, Wigan Athletic played their first-ever league game against Port Vale Reserves. The team played in red and white shirts with black shorts.

Wigan Athletic won its first honours in the 1933–34 season, finishing top of the Cheshire League, despite being based in neighbouring Lancashire. In the following season the club won a second league championship and also entered the FA Cup for the first time, defeating Carlisle United 6–1 in the first round – a cup record for the biggest victory by a non-league club over a league club. In the 1935–36 season, the club won its third consecutive Cheshire League title and the Lancashire Junior Cup.

After the Second World War, Wigan Athletic adopted their present-day blue and white colours. The club struggled to assemble a competitive side and finished bottom of the league in 1946–47 season. Despite their pre-war success, the club failed to gain re-election and was replaced by Winsford United. The club joined the Lancashire Combination, winning the league in their first season. In 1950, Wigan Athletic came close to election to The Football League, narrowly losing out to Scunthorpe United and Shrewsbury Town. The club would frequently apply for election to the Football League over the next 28 years before finally being accepted.

In the 1953–54 season, Wigan played an FA Cup match against Hereford United in front of a crowd of 27,526 – a club record and also a record attendance for a match between two non-league teams at a non-league ground. In the next round of the cup, Wigan Athletic was drawn against First Division side Newcastle United. Wigan Athletic held their top-flight opponents to a 2–2 draw at St James' Park, but went on to lose the replay 3–2. In 1961, the club moved back to the Cheshire League.

In the 1964–65 season, Wigan Athletic won its first Cheshire League title since returning to the league, with top goalscorer Harry Lyon scoring 66 times. He remains the club's greatest goalscorer of all time. Wigan Athletic won four cup titles in the 1966–67 season (Lancashire Floodlit Cup winner, Liverpool Non League Senior Cup winner, Northern Floodlit League winner, Northern Floodlit League Cup winner) and was also Cheshire County League runner-up.

In 1968, Wigan Athletic was a founder member of the Northern Premier League. In winning the league title in 1970–71, the leading goalscorer, with 42 goals including seven hat-tricks, was Geoff Davies, who scored 28 goals in the following 1971–72 season. The team played at Wembley Stadium for the first time in the 1973 FA Trophy Final, where they lost 2–1 to Scarborough. After 34 failed election attempts, including one controversial but headline-making application in 1972 to join the Scottish League Second Division, Wigan Athletic was elected to the Football League in 1978.

Early league years: 1978–1995

Wigan Athletic finished in second place in the Northern Premier League in the 1977–78 season, behind winners Boston United. But as Boston's ground and facilities did not meet the Football League criteria for a League club, whereas Springfield Park did, Wigan Athletic were put forward for election to the league. There was no automatic promotion to the Football League until 1987, and at that time a club had to be 'voted out' of the League to allow a non-league team to be promoted in their place. At the end of the 1977–78 season, Southport finished next to the bottom of the old Fourth Division, and faced near neighbours Wigan Athletic for their place in the league. The first round of voting was tied, with both clubs receiving 26 votes. After a tense re-vote which Wigan won 29–20, Southport lost their place in the Fourth Division and Wigan Athletic became an English League club on 2 June 1978.

In the club's first season of league football, Wigan Athletic finished in sixth place, just six points off promotion and playing in front of an average crowd of 6,701. Two more top-half finishes came in the following seasons, though a relatively weak 1980–81 season saw the dismissal of long-serving manager Ian McNeill shortly before the end of the season. They gained their first Football League promotion under the management of former Liverpool player Larry Lloyd in 1981–82, when a points tally of 91 saw them join the former Division Three for the first time, beginning a 10-year spell in English football's third tier. The club struggled in their first season in Division Three, which led to Lloyd's sacking in early 1983, at which point Bobby Charlton, a director at the time, took over as temporary manager before being replaced by Harry McNally. Under McNally's management, the club stabilised in Division Three and secured a pair of mid-table finishes, but a dreadful 1984–85 season cost him his job, with Tranmere manager Bryan Hamilton stepping into the breach. Under Hamilton's management, the club's performances went to the next level and they won their first silverware as a league club that season with the Freight Rover Trophy. They were beaten in the Northern final of the same competition the following season by Bolton Wanderers. More importantly, Hamilton achieved Division Three survival, which had looked an impossible task earlier that season.

The 1985–86 season saw a marked improvement in the club's league form, eventually finishing in fourth position, a then-club record high which would stand for 17 years until 2002–03. Wigan Athletic finished the season just one point outside the promotion places in the final season before the Football League introduced the play-off system for promotion and relegation. However, Hamilton's feats attracted the attention of First Division Leicester City and he left to become their manager in the summer of 1986. His assistant, Ray Mathias, who had followed him from Tranmere, stepped up to the Wigan Athletic manager's job. Wigan Athletic managed an identical fourth-place finish in the 1986–87 season, but this time were rewarded with the chance to compete for the final promotion place in the new play-off system. (In the first two years of the play-off system, teams finishing third, fourth and fifth joined the team finishing 20th in the division above to play-off for the promotion place; this was changed to the teams finishing third, fourth, fifth and sixth from the 1988–89 season). The Latics lost at the two-legged semi-final stage to Swindon, who went on to win the final promotion place.

The fourth-place finishes of the 1985–86 and 1986–87 seasons proved to be the high points of Wigan Athletic's first stint in Division 3. For the next five years, they finished mid-table, flirting with relegation in 1988–89 (at which time Mathias was sacked and the previous manager Bryan Hamilton returned) and 1989–90, until they were relegated for the first time in the club's league history in 1992–93. Wigan Athletic finished in 23rd place, amid tumbling attendances which had fallen from averages of 3,000–4,000 in Wigan Athletic's Division 3 years to just 2,593 in 1992–93. Hamilton resigned shortly before the club were relegated, and was replaced by Kenny Swain. A year later, with the club back in the fourth tier of the English League, the Latics finished fourth from bottom, in 19th place. While there was no relegation that season due to the lack of a promotable club in the Football Conference, this remains the club's lowest-ever finish. The following season would prove to be arguably even worse, as Swain was sacked early in the campaign following a horrific start, and former player Graham Barrow took over as manager. Despite the club being rooted to the bottom of the table until the start of December, the second half of the campaign saw a major upturn in form, and they finished well clear of the relegation zone in 15th place. Attendances fell to a lowest-ever Wigan Athletic League average of 1,845 by 1995.

Rising through the league: 1995–2005

In February 1995, local millionaire and owner of JJB Sports, Dave Whelan purchased the club. Through Whelan's business connections in Spain he attracted three Spaniards to the club – Roberto Martínez, Isidro Díaz, and Jesus Seba – who became known as the Three Amigos. The trio became the on-pitch symbols of Whelan's ambitious plan to take Wigan Athletic into the Premier League. The Three Amigos were joined at the club by John Deehan, who replaced Barrow as manager during the 1995–96 season following a 6–2 home defeat to Mansfield Town. Deehan took the Latics within two points of a play-off place in his first season; the club had in fact been in the final automatic promotion spot with four games remaining, but lost them all and so failed to even make the playoffs. The following year Wigan Athletic became Division Three champions on the last day of the season, Graeme Jones scoring a club record 31 league goals in the process. In most seasons they would have been runners-up, but a temporary rule change which saw goals scored take precedence over goal difference allowed them to finish above runners-up Fulham, who had the same number of points and a better goal difference.

Following a mid-table finish in Division Two the following season, Deehan quit to become Steve Bruce's assistant at Sheffield United. He was succeeded by Ray Mathias, who returned for his third stint as Wigan Athletic manager. Mathias' team won the Football League Trophy in 1999, beating Millwall 1–0 at Wembley Stadium. The same season the Latics reached the Division Two play-offs, losing 2–1 on aggregate to Manchester City. Mathias was sacked, and replaced by John Benson. He led the team to the top of Division Two in his first six months, but they were only able to qualify for the play-offs. In the last Division Two play-off final played at the old Wembley Stadium, Wigan lost 3–2 after extra time to Gillingham.

Benson moved 'upstairs' to the new post of director of football in the summer of 2000, when former Arsenal manager Bruce Rioch took the manager's job for the 2000–01 season. Rioch was hampered by severe injury problems and after a difficult and often unimpressive first half of the season left the club in February 2001. He was temporarily replaced by club stalwart Colin Greenall, before the surprise appointment of Steve Bruce for the final eight games of the season. His arrival brought renewed vigour to Wigan Athletic performances, but the club ultimately lost in the play-offs again, this time against Reading, and Bruce left for Crystal Palace.

In the summer of 2001, the former Latics forward Paul Jewell took over as manager following an unsuccessful spell at Sheffield Wednesday. His first season in charge saw mixed results and an embarrassing defeat to non-league Canvey Island in the FA Cup first round, although the club eventually finished in mid-table. Jewell's second season in charge was far more successful. Wigan Athletic went on a run to the quarter-finals of the League Cup, beating Premier League opponents West Brom, Manchester City and Fulham en route. Wigan Athletic won the Division Two championship in 2002–03 with a points total of 100, powered by the goals of then-record £1.2 million signing Nathan Ellington, with a run of 10 consecutive wins along the way. The club lost only four times all season, and Wigan Athletic secured promotion to the second tier of the English Football League for the first time in their history.

After losing their first Division One game, Wigan Athletic confounded expectations to go unbeaten for the next 17 games and topped the division by November 2003. A weak finish saw Wigan Athletic win only three of their last 10 games to finish seventh in Division One – a last-minute goal by West Ham's Brian Deane in the final game of the season saw the Latics drop out of the play-off places in favour of eventual play-off winners Crystal Palace.

Hoping to build on the previous season's disappointing finish, the Latics went one better than 2003–04 by remaining unbeaten for the first 17 games of the 2004–05 season. Along with Sunderland and Ipswich, the Latics remained in the promotion hunt all season. By the last day of the season, Sunderland had already won the title and Wigan needed at least a draw against Reading – who themselves needed to win to finish in sixth place – to beat Ipswich to the last automatic promotion spot. A 3–1 victory at the JJB Stadium earned Wigan Athletic promotion to the top division of English football for the first time in their 73-year history.

Premier League years and FA Cup victory: 2005–2013

The club's first Premier League game was a sell-out at the JJB Stadium against holders Chelsea, a 1–0 defeat after an injury-time winner by Hernán Crespo. A successful run followed, and by November, Wigan were second in the league. Good league form was coupled with an equally strong performance in the Football League Cup, with Wigan reaching their first ever major cup final after defeating Arsenal on away goals in the semi-final. In the final, Wigan were defeated 4–0 by neighbours Manchester United. Wigan Athletic eventually finished the season in 10th place, which remains the club's highest ever league placing. Defender Pascal Chimbonda was also included in the 2005–06 PFA Team of the Season, capping off his season by being picked for the France squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

During the close season, Wigan sold many players who had starred in their first season in the Premier League, such as Jimmy Bullard, Jason Roberts and Stéphane Henchoz, while bringing in replacements including Emile Heskey, Denny Landzaat, Chris Kirkland and Antonio Valencia. After a mid-table start to the 2006–07 season, Wigan had eight consecutive losses from mid-December, but was 15th in early March. On the final day of the season, Wigan got a 2–1 away win against Sheffield United, which kept them up at the expense of their opponents. The following day, Paul Jewell unexpectedly resigned as manager; his assistant Chris Hutchings was appointed as his replacement.

Wigan's third Premier League campaign saw changes in the squad, with Titus Bramble, Mario Melchiot, Jason Koumas and Marcus Bent among the players brought in, and Melchiot was installed as the new club captain.  The 2007–08 season began well for Wigan, with Emile Heskey recalled to the England squad, as the first Wigan player to represent England whilst a full member of the club. However, he broke his foot immediately after his England call-up and was out injured for six weeks. The club's league position subsequently worsened, and on the back of a run of six consecutive defeats, Wigan fell into the relegation zone. Whelan took the decision to sack Hutchings on 5 November 2007, after 12 games in charge, reinstating Bruce, who saved the club from relegation.

In the summer of 2008, Bruce signed Lee Cattermole from Middlesbrough for £3.5 million, and Egyptian striker Amr Zaki sign on an initial one-year loan. Zaki had scored 10 Premier League goals by February 2009, as Wigan reached seventh place in the table with 34 points from 25 games. January saw the departure of two key first team members, Wilson Palacios and Emile Heskey, to Tottenham and Aston Villa respectively. Despite these changes, Wigan finished the season in 11th place with 45 points, their second-best finish ever in the Premier League. On 3 June, Bruce left Wigan for the second time to take over the vacant manager position at Sunderland. July saw the departure of another key first team member Antonio Valencia to Manchester United. Before the 2009–10 season got underway, Cattermole left for Sunderland.

Wigan appointed Roberto Martínez, then manager of Swansea City, as manager prior to the 2009–10 Premier League season. He previously played for Wigan from 1995 to 2001. On 26 September, they claimed their first three points against a "Big 4" team after beating Chelsea 3–1, with goals from Titus Bramble, Hugo Rodallega and Paul Scharner. A late surge that included a 1–0 win over Liverpool and a 3–2 win over Arsenal – the latter of which saw Wigan recover from two goals down with ten minutes remaining to win in injury time – saw the team once more survive relegation. Most notably, having never defeated any of the traditional "Big Four" in the league until their win over Chelsea (and with only one win over any of them in cup competitions), Wigan ended the season having defeated three of them at home. Despite this high, the season also saw two humiliating 8 goal defeats, firstly a 9–1 thrashing at Tottenham in November, and finally an 8–0 defeat to Chelsea on the final day of the season, a match which saw their opponents crowned Premier League champions.

In the 2010–11 season, Wigan fell to the bottom of the league by the end of February, following a 4–0 defeat to Manchester United. However, despite remaining in the bottom three for the majority of the season, they managed to retain their Premier League status on the last day of the season, defeating Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium after a goal from Hugo Rodallega. On 7 May 2012, they simultaneously secured their Premier League status and relegated Blackburn Rovers with a 1–0 victory at Ewood Park.

In 2013, after beating Everton in the quarter-final and Millwall in the semi-final, Wigan reached the FA Cup Final for the first time in their history. In the final, played at Wembley Stadium, Wigan beat Manchester City 1–0, with a goal by Ben Watson scored in injury time.
Wigan's first ever major trophy also gave the club a place in the group stage of the Europa League. Following their 4–1 defeat to Arsenal three days later, Wigan Athletic ended their eight-year spell in the Premier League and became the first team to be relegated and win the FA Cup in the same season. On 5 June it was announced that Martínez had left Wigan and had signed for Everton on a four-year deal.

End of the Whelan era: 2013–2018
Owen Coyle became the new manager of Wigan Athletic when Martínez left for Everton. The team lost to Manchester United in the Community Shield. Coyle left by mutual agreement on 2 December 2013 after a poor start to the season, and was replaced by Uwe Rösler. On 12 December in his first match, Wigan were eliminated from the Europa League group stage after defeat to Maribor. On 9 March 2014 Wigan beat Manchester City in the 6th Round of the FA Cup to reach the semi-final at Wembley for the second successive year, where they played Arsenal, and lost 2–4 on penalties after normal time and extra time resulted in a 1–1 draw. After finishing 5th in the Championship, Wigan lost their play-off semi-final to Queens Park Rangers.

Rösler was sacked in November 2014 with the club in the relegation places, and was replaced by Malky Mackay. Whelan resigned as chairman on 3 March 2015, remaining as owner but handing over the chairmanship to his grandson David Sharpe. The following month, with Wigan in danger of relegation to League One, Mackay was sacked and replaced by former Wigan captain Gary Caldwell, yet the team ended the season with relegation. The squad changed drastically, including the signings of Will Grigg from Brentford and Reece James from Manchester United. The side lost only once in 23 matches in the second half of the season and won the division, with Grigg the league's top scorer with 25 goals.

In October 2016, following a poor start to the season, Caldwell was sacked as manager and replaced by Manchester United coach Warren Joyce. Results did not improve under Joyce, who was sacked in March 2017. Wigan were subsequently relegated back to League One in April and interim manager Graham Barrow left, ending a 15-year association with the club. Paul Cook, who had just won League Two with Portsmouth, was appointed Wigan manager in June 2017.

In the 2017–18 League One season, Wigan finished top winning promotion back to the Championship. Their promotion was sealed by a 4–0 win against Fleetwood Town. In the 2017–18 FA Cup, Wigan beat Manchester City in the Fifth Round Proper at home, winning 1–0 after Will Grigg scored in the 79th minute. In the quarterfinals, they were knocked out by Southampton in a 2–0 loss. At the end of the season it was announced that the Whelan family had agreed a deal to sell the club, stadium and training facilities to the Hong Kong-based International Entertainment Corporation (IEC) in a £22m deal. On 2 November 2018, IEC received shareholder approval to complete the acquisition of the football club, ending 23 years of Whelan family ownership.

In the 2018–19 season, Wigan finished 18th in the Championship with 52 points, well clear of the relegation zone.

Administration, relegation, and bouncing back: 2020–2022
On 4 June 2020, IEC sold the majority of Wigan Athletic shareholdings to Hong Kong-based Next Leader Fund; the sale was formally ratified and approved by the shareholders of IEC, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the EFL. On 1 July 2020, the club – standing 14th in the Championship, eight points clear of relegation, in a season delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic – announced it had gone into administration as Next Leader Fund had refused to invest promised money. Paul Stanley, Gerald Krasner and Dean Watson from Begbies Traynor were appointed as joint administrators. The insolvency left Wigan facing a 12-point deduction; the sanction would be applied at the end of the 2019–20 season if the club finished outside the bottom three after 46 games. On 2 July 2020, the administrators said they would investigate how the club ended up in administration less than a month after it changed owners. A private conversation about Wigan's situation involving EFL chairman Rick Parry was secretly filmed amid talk of betting on Wigan being relegated – described by some as the greatest sporting scandal of modern times. Wigan MP Lisa Nandy and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham wrote a joint letter to Parry calling for an investigation into the club's takeover. Players had not been paid and there was talk of club staff being made redundant and of players being offered for sale, they said. Wigan's supporters club also called for an investigation and for financial support from the EFL; supporters, backed by Nandy, later launched an online petition to try to trigger a parliamentary debate around the EFL's owners' and directors' test.

On 4 July, Wigan, previously unbeaten in nine games, lost 3–0 at Brentford. Three days later, 75 (approximately half) of the club's non-playing staff were made redundant by the administrators, and Wigan Warriors expressed interest in buying the football club (a move later supported by Wigan council). On 10 July, midfielder Jensen Weir was set to be sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for £500,000 plus add-ons to help alleviate Wigan's financial problems; England Under-16 international midfielder Alfie Devine was later sold to Tottenham. Bids were due by 21 July; on 22 July (the day of Wigan's final game of the season), Krasner said administrators had received five offers and identified an unnamed preferred bidder; they were seeking completion of the sale by 31 July. However, on 24 July, talks with the preferred bidder broke down and administrators began negotiations with other parties, which continued into early August.

Meanwhile, on 7 July 2020 the club had appealed against the 12-point deduction imposed by the EFL for entering administration. On 14 July, Wigan recorded their biggest League victory, beating Hull City 8–0. This, combined with other results, meant Wigan would not finish in the relegation places, so the 12-point deduction would be applied at the end of the current season. Wigan's appeal against the points deduction, heard on 31 July, was set to cost the club between £400,000 and £500,000. Wigan drew 1–1 against Fulham in their final game of the season; the 12-point deduction pushed Wigan into the bottom three, meaning the club would play in League One if its appeal was unsuccessful. On 4 August, the club's relegation was confirmed and, following the resignation of manager Paul Cook, Leam Richardson was appointed caretaker manager.

On 17 August 2020, it was reported that Au Yeung Wai Kay, the club's owner, had, on 23 June, asked Begbies Traynor about putting it into administration before completing his takeover. Begbies Traynor disputed the account, produced by an independent commission, saying administration was one of several scenarios discussed. The commission said Kay was "not open" with Wigan officials about his conversation with Begbies Traynor, and subsequently gave "either false or knowingly misleading" assurances about future funding. The administrator was still attempting to find a buyer; if no agreement was reached by 31 August, Begbies Traynor said it would have to consider whether the club can be funded into the 2020–21 season, due to start on Saturday 12 September 2020. On 20 August, Kay was reported to be waiving a £36m debt owed to him by the club in an effort to expedite its sale. Wigan supporters began a fund-raising effort, initially raising £500,000 to help secure the club's future, and then raising £200,000 more. Administrators had been confident a sale would be agreed by their deadline, but later revised their opinion.

On 9 September 2020, with the club's situation set to be discussed at an EFL meeting, the administrators were reportedly "quietly optimistic" about Wigan being allowed to start the EFL season despite being ownerless. They appointed John Sheridan as the club's new manager, who was in charge as Wigan lost their first League game of the season 2–0 at Ipswich Town. On 21 September, the administrators reported that bids would need to top £3m to secure the sale as the club had a "considerable liability" to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), owed wages to players, and also had to pay for August's unsuccessful appeal against the points deduction.

On 30 September, the administrators said they had reached an agreement with an unnamed bidder from Spain to purchase the club, and were working on paperwork to gain EFL approval. In early November, former Wigan manager Roberto Martinez was reported to assisting with the Spanish bid. On 13 November, after three wins in 15 Wigan games, manager Sheridan left to become Swindon Town's new manager. On 20 November, additional time was granted to the prospective new owners to complete their purchase. In early December, with the club bottom of League One, it emerged that a member of the Spanish consortium had a disqualifying condition, so Wigan's administrators had to make a fresh application to the EFL on behalf of Felipe Moreno, owner of Spanish LaLiga 2 side Leganés. However, on 5 January 2021, the Moreno take-over bid fell through; administrators began talking to other bidders, with, on 15 January 11 parties said to be interested in buying the club. By early March 2021, the administrators were in advanced talks with a consortium, Phoenix 2021 Ltd, led by Bahrain businessmen Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi and Talal Mubarak al-Hammad, and a takeover was agreed on 15 March, subject to EFL approval and finalisation of paperwork. Under the proposed deal, Al-Hammad would become chairman, and Mal Brannigan (previously involved with Dundalk and Dundee United) would be chief executive. EFL approval for the takeover was confirmed on 30 March 2021. In May, the former administrators repaid £171,000 raised by supporters to keep the club going when it first went into administration.

The club finished the 2020–21 season in 20th position, one point above the relegation places. Wigan Athletic won the League One title in 2021–22, earning promotion back to the Championship after a final day 3–0 victory at Shrewsbury Town.

2023: Financial issues, relegation and a new owner
On 7 March 2023, Wigan reported a £7.7m loss for the financial year to June 2022. Four days later, Wigan released a statement saying there would be a temporary delay in meeting wage obligations due to liquidity issues; the EFL was aware of the situation and on 20 March 2023, bottom-of-the-table Wigan were docked three points for failing to pay players, having had a previous EFL sanction for non-payment suspended. The club and its owner, Al-Jasmi, also faced new charges. Player Steven Caulker accused the club's leadership of lying and "absolutely scandalous" behaviour regarding four late wages payments, and team-mates did not train on 24 March in protest at the club's financial crisis. Later that day, Wigan chairman Talal Al-Hammad announced players had been paid, and said CEO Mal Brannigan had left the club. On 29 April 2023, Wigan were relegated from the Championship. Several players' April wages were again paid late - the fifth time this had happened during the season - and the delays continued into mid-May with the Professional Footballers' Association helping "frustrated and angry" players. On 16 May 2023, the club's owners paid a "substantial" seven-figure amount, with proof shown to the EFL, to keep the club going and ensure all wages were paid.

In late May 2023, Wigan were hit with two further deductions of points ahead of the 2023–24 League One season. First, on 19 May, the EFL announced Wigan would be deducted four points for failing to pay players' wages. A further four-point deduction was suspended until 30 June 2024, but would be triggered if wages are again paid late before then. The EFL also retrospectively deducted three points from the club's 2022–23 season total; Wigan therefore finished the season on 39 points, 10 points from safety. Owner Al-Jasmi was also required to deposit an amount covering 125% of the club's forecast monthly wage bill by 24 May 2023 or face further sanctions. Second, on 26 May, a further four-point deduction was made after Al-Jasmi missed that deadline despite being given extra time. The club would therefore start its next season with minus eight points.

Club chairman Talal Al-Hammad said an imminent "eight-figure sum" would ensure "financial stability" until the end of the 2023–24 season, and outlined plans including a 65% reduction in Wigan's wage bill after an "unsustainable" Championship relegation campaign. However, the expected payment had not been made by 2 June 2023 and some players were again unpaid, risking further EFL sanctions, and prompting fans groups to urge a sale of the club. Two of Wigan's three directors resigned on 4 June 2023 as fears of a possible winding-up order from HMRC grew, before the owners said they had agreed to sell the club to "a new buyer" who had "committed to resolving all outstanding liabilities at the earliest opportunity", with any deal "subject to EFL approval". However, the potential buyer, Sarbjot Johal, was also involved in negotiations to buy Morecambe and had not provided proof of sufficient funding. On 9 June 2023, Wigan Athletic were placed under a transfer embargo for contravening EFL tax payment rules, and, three days later, HMRC lodged a winding-up petition over unpaid tax, with a hearing date of 26 July. Also on 12 June 2023, it was reported that Wigan-born billionaire and Wigan Warriors RLFC co-owner Mike Danson had renewed his interest in buying Wigan Athletic, with the takeover confirmed on 14 June. On 27 July 2023, defender Jack Whatmough and midfielder Jamie McGrath terminated their contracts with the club following repeated contractual breaches by the previous ownership.

Stadium

Wigan Athletic's stadium is the 25,138 capacity DW Stadium, part of the Robin Park complex in Wigan. It has been the club's home since the 1999–2000 season. Wigan Athletic owns the stadium, but leases the ground to rugby league team Wigan Warriors. The stadium cost £30 million to construct. Previously, home games were played at Springfield Park, the former home of Wigan Borough, which was demolished in June 1999; it is now the site of a housing development. The record attendance at the DW Stadium (then known as the JJB Stadium) for Wigan Athletic is 25,133 for a game against Manchester United on 11 May 2008 – the final match of the 2007–08 season.

The JJB Stadium was the fourth attempt at re-development/re-location for Wigan Athletic, the first coming in 1986 when then-chairman Bill Kenyon revealed plans for a 15,000 all-seater development at Springfield Park including a hotel and shopping facilities. The club was to play at the nearby Woodhouse Stadium (formerly Wigan Municipal Stadium – now demolished) while the building work took place. In 1990, Kenyon submitted his second scheme which would cost £3m, hold 12–15,000 fans and involved moving the pitch nearer to the car park. Neither efforts got past the planning stage. The next chairman, Stephen Gage, spent most of 1993 and 1994 trying to relocate the Latics to the then Robin Park Stadium (now demolished) until his plans were scuppered by Wigan Council when the local council announced plans for their own ground involving Wigan Warriors. Gage finally admitted defeat when he sold the Latics to Dave Whelan on 27 February 1995 for around £1m.

Plans for the JJB Stadium were first published in 1997. Contracts for the new stadium were signed in late 1997 and work began immediately. Originally the ground was to be built for both Wigan Athletic and Orrell R.U.F.C., as grants were only available for multi-use stadia at that time. Wigan Warriors did not figure in the equation until Whelan bought the rugby league club some 12 months later after protracted negotiations with the directors of the rugby league club. The modern all-seater stadium was officially opened on 4 August 1999. Its inauguration was marked with a friendly between Wigan and neighbours Manchester United, who were then reigning European Champions, with Alex Ferguson officially opening the stadium. However, Wigan Athletic hosted Morecambe three days earlier on 1 August as a dress rehearsal for the official opening against Manchester United. The game was played during a violent electrical storm and torrential rain, even so, 4,020 supporters attended and the game ended in a goalless draw. The first competitive football match took place on 7 August 1999, with Wigan Athletic facing Scunthorpe United in a Division 2 match. Simon Haworth scored twice, including the first competitive goal at the new stadium, as Athletic won 3–0.

On 7 March 2005 Greater Manchester Police announced that it would stop policing Wigan Athletic matches at the stadium from 2 April. This move left Wigan Athletic facing the prospect of playing their home games in the Premier League in an empty stadium, so they paid the money they owed to the police. The club appealed against the payments in court and won, with the claims expected to earn the club around £37,000.

On 25 March 2009 it was announced that Wigan Athletic would change the name of their stadium to The DW Stadium, after chairman Dave Whelan's commercial venture, DW Sports Fitness. For 2013–14 Europa League fixtures held at the stadium, the ground was known as The Wigan Athletic Stadium.

Supporters

Wigan Athletic Official Supporters Club (formerly known as Wigan Athletic Supporters Travel Club) is the official supporters' association of Wigan Athletic Football Club. The supporters club are a non-profit organisation run by volunteers and meet before home matches in the South Stand Bar.

The Latics' most vocal supporters can be found in the East Stand of the DW Stadium which houses up to 8,206 fans The South Stand of the ground is the family stand.

A long-standing song sung by fans of the club is "You Are My Sunshine". In more recent times, "I'm a Believer", the Hokey cokey, "We Built This City" and "Gold" are among some of the songs that have been adapted by Wigan supporters.

The club has one unofficial fanzine, The Mudhutter, which is released between 5 and 6 times during the season.

Resulting from a number of incidents at Latics matches where smoke bombs were used by fans (resulting in 17 banning orders as a result of one fixture), several club statements were issued and police presence was increased at some matches. Data from the UK Football Policing Unit found that Wigan Athletic along with Everton and Manchester United had the highest number of incidents involving pyrotechnics.

Wigan's return to the Championship saw an average away following of over 1,200. This figure did not include Europa League, Community Shield, League Cup and FA Cup fixtures, where on average supporters turned up in greater numbers.

In 2013, the club sold out their 25,000 allocation for the FA Cup Final and sold 20,000 tickets for the FA Cup semi-final. A total of 5,500 was also sold for the FA Community Shield in the same year.

In 2014, hundreds of fans took part in a charity walk from Wigan to Bolton in aid of local charity Joseph's Goal. Joseph was Wigan's mascot in the 2013 FA Cup Final, led out by captain Emmerson Boyce.

On Boxing Day, over the years many fans have chosen to attend Wigan Athletic's match in fancy dress. This is particularly prominent with away fixtures on that day where the fans are known as the 'Banana Army'. However, on Boxing Day in 2014 a boycott of the club's fixture against Leeds United was ordered by some supporters due to the ticket prices for the match at Elland Road. Around 750 away fans attended the match.

During the 2014–15 season, a Fan Advisory Board (FAB) was set up by the club to allow supporters of Wigan Athletic to have a greater say on any issues they may have. The board meets every month to six weeks with the first meeting having taken place in November 2014.

Mascot
In August 2019, the club announced that a giant pie, called Crusty, would serve as the team's new mascot for the 2019–2020 season. Crusty The Pie was chosen following a competition in which more than 90 primary schools were invited to submit ideas, with over half of the entries opting for a pie.

Rivalries
Since Wigan Athletic's admission to the Football League in 1978, the club has built up several rivalries, mainly with Bolton Wanderers, the club's primary derby match.

One rivalry that has arisen in recent years has been that with Manchester City, since the first time they met in the Second Division in 1998, the season in which City gained passage to the 1999 Division Two play-off final through the "Hand of Goat". Wigan met City in the 2013 FA Cup Final and beat them 1–0. Since then, City have failed to beat Wigan in the competition; losing 2–1 at the Etihad in the 2013–14 FA Cup Quarter-Final and, in February 2018, losing 1–0 with third tier Wigan beating eventual Premier League champions City with a Will Grigg goal.

Wigan also have other local rivalries with Preston North End, Blackburn Rovers, Oldham Athletic, Blackpool and Rochdale.

One of the club's longest and recently forgotten rivalries was with nearby Lancashire based club Chorley, although the two clubs have not played a league game since 1971 when they were in the Northern Premier League. The last time Wigan played Chorley was in the first round of the FA Cup in 2020, with non-league Chorley beating an administration-stricken Wigan 3–2 after extra-time.

European record
Wigan's victory in the 2013 FA Cup Final qualified them for European football for the first and only time, earning them an automatic place in the group stage of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.

Players

First team

Out on loan

Under 21s

Club officials

Notable former players

Player of the Year (1978–2023)

Leading league goalscorers

Managers
As listed on the official Wigan Athletic website.

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!Manager
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|2013
| Owen Coyle
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|2013–14
| Uwe Rösler
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|2014–15
| Malky Mackay
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|2015–16
| Gary Caldwell
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|2016–17
| Warren Joyce
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|2017–20
| Paul Cook
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|2020
| John Sheridan
|-
|2021–22
| Leam Richardson
|-
|2022–23
| Kolo Touré
|-
|2023–present
| Shaun Maloney

Honours

League
 Championship (level 2)
Runners-up: 2004–05
 Second Division/League One (level 3)
Champions: 2002–03, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2021–22
 Fourth Division/Third Division (level 4)
Champions: 1996–97
Promoted: 1981–82
Northern Premier League (level 5)
Champions: 1970–71, 1974–75

Cup
 FA Cup
Winners: 2012–13
League Cup
Runners-up: 2005–06
 FA Community Shield
Runners-up: 2013
 Associate Members' Cup / Football League Trophy
Winners: 1984–85, 1998–99
FA Trophy
Runners-up: 1972–73
Minor titles
 Cheshire League
1933–34, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1964–65
 Northern Floodlit League
1966–67
 Lancashire Combination
1947–48, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1953–54
 Northern Premier League Shield
1972–73, 1973–74, 1975–76
 Northern Premier League Challenge Cup
1971–72

Note:

Records

Highest league position: 10th in the Premier League (2005–06)
Record League victory: 8–0 vs Hull City (Championship, 14 July 2020)
Record attendance at DW Stadium: 25,133 v Manchester United, Premier League (11 May 2008)
Most League appearances: 317, Kevin Langley (1981–86, 1990–94)
Most League goals scored: total, 70, Andy Liddell (1998–2003)
Most League goals scored, season: 31, Graeme Jones (1996–97)
Record consecutive league appearances: 123, Jimmy Bullard (January 2003 – November 2005)
Record transfer fee paid: Mauro Boselli, £6.5 million, from Estudiantes, August 2010
Record transfer fee received: Antonio Valencia, £16 million, to Manchester United, June 2009

Notes and references

External links

The Springfield Park Memorial

Premier League clubs
English Football League clubs
Association football clubs established in 1932
EFL Trophy winners
1932 establishments in England
Lancashire Combination
Football clubs in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
Football clubs in England
FA Cup winners
Phoenix clubs (association football)
Northern Premier League clubs
Sport in Wigan
Companies that have entered administration in the United Kingdom
Cheshire County League clubs

Wigan Athletic F.C.


"Heikru Hidongba" (Manipuri boat racing festival) is a socio-religious ceremony performed every year at the moat of the Sagolband Bijoy Govinda Leikai, Imphal on the 11th day of the Meitei calendar month Langban (coinciding with September) with elements of religious, custom and other traditional belief of creation.

History

"Heikru Hidongba" is one of the several socio-religious ceremony performed to bring peace and prosperity to the community which was started during the reign of Maharaja Irengba in 984 A.D. With the passage of time and through the reign of several kings, many changes took places in the religious life of the Meiteis. The culmination was attained during the time of Maharaja Bhagychandra. During this time Meidingu Nongpok Leirikhomba (Anantashai) uncle to the King Bhagychandra tried hard to preserve the tradition and to effect an adjustment between the old and the new.

In 1779, Heikru Hidongba was performed at the moat of Bijoy Govinda with the Shri Shri Bijoy Govindaji from the royal palace coming with customary rites and rituals after the completion of which it was installed in the new temple dedicated by Nongpok Leirikhomba at Sagolband Bijoy Govinda Leikai. In the next year it was decided subsequently to have the Heikru Hidongba festival every year on the 11th day of the month of Langban in Manipuri Calendar.

There is a historical background to the moat. It was once known as "Tubi Irel". Once Meidingu Nongpok Leirikhomba was in the jail of the King of Moirang, in fetters from where he was freed by the plans of the daughter of Khelei Nungnang Telheiba. Too happy at that, the moat was named Moirang Leima Thangapat, the moat of the Moirang Leima by which name it was also known.

Proceedings of the Heikru Hidongba

In a twin boat sanctified by the presence of the deity amidst chanting of Sankirtana and music, Arti is offered. Tengmaileppa (who takes care of the boat), Hinao Shaba (who steers the boat), Chang Shaba (who look after the Tengmaileppa), Nourungba (who takes care of leakage of water inside the boat, etc.) and Naomang Shaba (who helps the one who steers the boat) are the main participants of the race who will put on Ningkham and Shamjim, traditional components of the formal dress of such festivities. Some more ornament are also there. Along with this the King will be present along with the Vishnu. If the King could not be present, in that case Vishnu will occupy the seat where the traditional royal seat is laid out. In keeping with customary traditional, one day before the festival of Heikru Hidongba the Kingand the Vishnu are offered ritual invitation. In the evening boat race practise is done. The leaders of the race boat (Tengmaileppa), in the early morning of the Heikru Hidongba festival (early morning between 10th and 11thof Langban Month in Manipuri Calendar) flakes of silver and gold put in anganthak tengnou shaba (well shaped earthen receptacle to put traditional smoke flakes) will be offered to Bijoy Govinda. A garland of 108 heikru (Amla) interspersed with the stem of Hup (a wild grass) and another garland of 108 rice which the peeling is done by hand will be first offered to Bijoy Govinda and afterwards placed at the hull of the boat. Before the boat race starts Bijoy Govinda will have a pleasure of the panoramic scene. The two leaders of the boat (Tengmaileppa) after due offerings to God will start the race.

Heikru Hidongba and Hiyang Tannaba

Even though the two appear to be festivity of similar nature, there are many differences between the two. As Heikru Hidongba is performed with necessary rituals on the appointed day enjoined by the religious and customary sanctions it necessarily point to the difference between the two. Heikru Hidongba is combination of the three words, namely Heirku+ Hi+Tongba to complete the word Heikru Hidongba. And it is not performed at any other place than at the moat of Bijoy Govinda.

See also
 Fairs and Festivals in Manipur

References

Source
 Heikru Hidongba published by Bijoy Govinda Sevayet Committee, Imphal

Ceremonies in India
Meitei culture
September observances
Hindu festivals

Heikru Hidongba


L is the twelfth letter of the Latin alphabet.

L or l may also refer to:

Units of measurement and currency
 L, Langmuir (unit), a unit of exposure to a surface
 L, length in general (often the longest dimension, as opposed to width, height, or depth)
 Horse length, used in horse racing
 Boat length, used in rowing
 L, l or ℓ, litre unit
 Ancient Roman libra (translated as "pound"), a weight measure with derivative units denoted with "L" or a derived character:
 Pound (currency), a number of currencies from the British Empire, abbreviated £ or (historically) "l", "L", or "". (Some fonts use a two-bar version resembling the lira sign ₤.)
 Livre (disambiguation), a number of currencies from the French Empire, with the original abbreviated "£", "₶", or "lt"
 Lira, a number of currencies from Italy and the Ottoman Empire, abbreviated as ₤
 Leaf (books) ("l." or ℓ), an alternate numbering for books, in contrast to "p." for pages
 Specification for a line of text, for example "l. 3" is the third line of text

Science

Mathematics
 , constructible universe, a particular class of sets which can be described entirely in terms of simpler sets
 L-function
 Laplace transform
 , likelihood function
 ℓp space, the space of sequences with a finite p-norm
 Lp space, a function space defined using a natural generalization of the p-norm for finite-dimensional vector spaces

Computing
 L (complexity), a complexity class in computational complexity theory
 L-notation, a notation for running times of subexponential algorithms, often used in number theory
 L – A Mathemagical Adventure, a 1984 computer game
 Android L, code name for Android Lollipop

Physics
 Angular momentum
 Inductance, the ratio of the magnetic flux to the current in an electrical circuit
 Latent heat
 Luminosity
 Mean free path, the average distance traveled by a moving particle between successive collisions
 Class L, a stellar classification
 Galactic longitude (l), in the galactic coordinate system

Chemistry
 l, abbreviation for liquid
 Avogadro constant, in some German scientific literature
 Leucine, an α-amino acid
 L- prefix, a levorotatiory compound
 Lewisite, a blister agent

Biology
 Carl Linnaeus, in botanist author citations (L.)
 Laelia, an orchid genus
 Haplogroup L (Y-DNA)
 Vertebra in the lumbar region of the spinal cord
 ATC code L Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents, a section of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System

Music
 L (French singer), French singer-songwriter
 L (South Korean singer), vocalist of Korean boy band Infinite
 L Marshall, British singer credited as L on the Wretch 32 song "Traktor"
 Lesure Number, music catalogue identifier for the compositions of Claude Debussy
 L Number, classification of the compositions of Franz Benda according to the catalogue of Douglas A. Lee

Albums
 L (Godley & Creme album) (1978)
 L (Ayumi Hamasaki EP) (2010)
 L (Steve Hillage album) (1976)
 L (Candy Lo EP) (2008)
 L (Moe album) (2000)

Vehicles and transportation
 L (Los Angeles Railway)
 Chicago "L", a rapid transit system in Chicago
 L (New York City Subway service)
 L Line (Los Angeles Metro)
 Transilien Line L, a line of the Paris transport network
 The official West Japan Railway Company service symbol for:
  Maizuru Line.
  Uno Line.
 L-plate, a plate for learning drivers under instruction
 L Taraval (San Francisco Muni)
 Nissan L engine
 L, the low gear of an automatic transmission
 LB&SCR L class, a British tank locomotive on the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway

Companies and organisations
 L. Inc., California-based corporation that makes organic personal care products
 Liberals (Sweden), a political party in Sweden
 Loews Corporation, by NYSE ticker symbol
 Miscellaneous, when used as the fifth letter or behind-the-dot notation on the NASDAQ and NYSE ticker symbols

Language and literature
 50 (number), in Roman numerals
 [ʟ], the velar lateral approximant (IPA notation)
 [l], the alveolar lateral approximant (IPA notation)
 The "low" or common language in a diglossia
 , a siglum for the Vetus Latina version of the Bible
 L (novel), a 1999 novel by Erlend Loe
 L (Death Note), a character from the Death Note manga series

Places
 L postcode area, for Liverpool
 L Island, former name for Scawfell Island, Queensland, Australia
 L, the military time zone code for UTC+11:00

Other uses
 Lucius (praenomen), a Roman praenomen
 Left (direction)
 L, a rating of the Brazilian advisory rating system
 L (film), a 2012 Greek film
 Lucifer (2019 Indian film), abbreviated simply as L
 L, production code for the 1965 Doctor Who serial The Rescue
 Canon L lens
 Latina Televisión, a Peruvian television channel
 Internet slang for losing

See also

 Big L (disambiguation)
 L band (disambiguation)
 L class (disambiguation)
 El (disambiguation)
 Lagrangian (disambiguation)
 Loser (hand gesture)

L (disambiguation)


The Modern Housing Corporation Addition Historic District is a residential historic district located in Pontiac, Michigan and roughly bounded by Montcalm Street, Perry Street, Joslyn Avenue, Gage Street, Glenwood Street, and Nelson Street. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

History
At the close of World War I, demand for automobiles exploded, and in 1919 General Motors found that it could not keep up with the demand. This was in part due to a critical housing shortage near its plant in Pontiac: although the company could find workers, the workers could not find any housing. In response, GM established the Modern Housing Corporation. The company first began developing 750 houses on a 660-acre parcel just southwest of the current district, and in October 1919 continued by platting the Modern Housing Corporation Addition. The neighborhood was developed under the leadership of Pierre S. du Pont, then Chairman of GM's Board of Directors. Du Pont commissioned William Pitkin of Boston to lay out the streets of the neighborhood, and Davis, McGrath, and Kiessling of New York to design the homes. Construction began immediately. General Motors promoted the housing to its employees, offering financial incentives and reduced down payments. By 1923, over 80% of the lots in the addition had homes built on them, and by 1926 the construction was substantially complete.

Although the neighborhood declined as Pontiac's fortunes sank, it has recently seen an upturn.

Description

The Modern Housing Corporation Addition contains 261 modest homes, along with three public spaces, in a 61-acre tract. All but 12 of the houses are built from one of 16 architectural patterns. The lots are generally 50 feet by 100 feet, with houses of one to two stories and two to four bedrooms, finished with clapboard, wood shingle, stucco and brick. Many of the two-story houses have different materials on each story.

References

National Register of Historic Places in Oakland County, Michigan
Colonial Revival architecture in Michigan
Buildings and structures completed in 1919


The Blockheads are an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Originally fronted by lead singer Ian Dury as Ian Dury and the Blockheads or Ian and the Blockheads, the band has continued to perform since Dury's death in 2000.  members included Chaz Jankel (guitar and keyboards), Nathan King (bass), Mick Gallagher (keyboards and piano), John Turnbull (vocals and guitar), John Roberts (drums), and Mike Bennett (lead vocals).  There is a rolling line-up of saxophonists that includes Gilad Atzmon, Terry Edwards, Dave Lewis, and from time to time, the original sax player, Davey Payne. Between 2000 and 2022, the band's lead vocalist and main lyricist was Derek Hussey.

The band are best known for their hit singles, recorded with Dury, "What a Waste", "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick", "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3", and "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll".

History

Formation and early years

In 1974, Radio Caroline's Ronan O'Rahilly set up the pop group The Loving Awareness Band, comprising John Turnbull (guitar) and Mick Gallagher (keyboards), both formerly of 1960s psychedelic rock band Skip Bifferty, with the session musicians Norman Watt-Roy (bass) and Charley Charles (born Hugh Glenn Mortimer Charles, Guyana 1945) (drums). In 1976, The Loving Awareness Band released their only album, Loving Awareness (ML001), on O'Rahilly's label More Love Records. The album has appeared on CD more than once, although these reissues have been sourced from a mint vinyl pressing rather than from the original master tapes.

The Loving Awareness Band broke up in 1977 and Watt-Roy and Charles joined a new band being formed by Ian Dury, who had begun writing songs with pianist and guitarist Chaz Jankel (the brother of noted music video, TV, commercial and film director Annabel Jankel). With Jankel fashioning Dury's lyrics into number of songs, the two began recording with Charles, Watt-Roy, Gallagher, Turnbull and former Kilburn and the High Roads saxophonist Davey Payne. An album was recorded, but was of no interest to major record labels. Next door to Dury's manager's office, however, was the newly formed Stiff Records, a perfect home for Dury's maverick style.

The band was invited by Stiff to join the "Live Stiffs Tour", and the band Ian Dury and the Blockheads was born, with the name ostensibly taken from the song of the same name which portrayed a drunken Essex stereotype:

The tour, which also featured Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Nick Lowe, Wreckless Eric and Larry Wallis, was a great success, and Stiff launched a concerted Ian Dury marketing campaign.

Commercial success

Under the management of Andrew King and Peter Jenner (the original managers of Pink Floyd) Ian Dury and the Blockheads quickly gained a reputation as one of the top live new wave music acts. Their first single, "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll", marked Dury's Stiff debut and although it was banned by the BBC it was named Single of the Week by NME on its release. It was soon followed by the album New Boots and Panties!!, which was eventually to achieve platinum status. (Although it has been claimed that Dury coined the phrase "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll", there is evidence that it was already in common use and a very similar phrase had been used by Australian band Daddy Cool for the title of their 1972 second album Sex, Dope & Rock'n'Roll: Teenage Heaven.) An parallel precursor is the longstanding and widely used phrase, wine, women and song. The tune is based on part of Charlie Haden's bass solo on "Ramblin'" on Ornette Coleman's 1959 album Change of the Century.

Dury and the band built up a dedicated following in the UK and other countries and scored several hit singles, including "What a Waste", "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" (which was a UK number one at the beginning of 1979, selling just short of a million copies) and "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3" (number three in the UK in 1979).

The band's second album, Do It Yourself, was released in June 1979 in a Barney Bubbles-designed sleeve of which there were over a dozen variations, all based on samples from the Crown wallpaper catalogue. Bubbles also designed the Blockhead logo, which received international acclaim and which continues to be used by the band as, for example, on their Live in Colchester 2004 DVD.

The hit single "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" was notably not included, however, on the original release of the album. The single and its accompanying music video featured a Davey Payne sax solo with dual saxophones, in evident homage to jazz saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, who had made this his trademark technique.

The Blockheads' sound drew from its members' diverse musical influences, which included jazz, rock and roll, funk, and reggae, and Dury's love of music hall.

Departure of Jankel

Jankel left the band temporarily and relocated to the U.S. after the release of "What A Waste" (his organ part on that single was overdubbed later) but he subsequently returned to the UK and began touring sporadically with the Blockheads, eventually returning to the group full-time for the recording of "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick"; according to Mick Gallagher, the band recorded 28 takes of the song but eventually settled on the second take for the single release. Partly due to personality clashes with Dury, Jankel quit the group again in 1980, after the recording of the Do It Yourself LP, and he returned to the U.S. to concentrate on his solo career. The group worked solidly over the 18 months between the release of "Rhythm Stick" and their next single, "Reasons to Be Cheerful", which returned them to the charts, making the UK Top 10. Jankel was replaced by former Dr. Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson, who also contributed to the next album Laughter and its two minor hit singles, although Gallagher recalls that the recording of the Laughter album was difficult and that Dury was drinking heavily in this period. In 1980-81, Dury and Jankel teamed up again with Sly and Robbie and the Compass Point All Stars to record Lord Upminster. The Blockheads toured the U.K. and Europe throughout 1981, sometimes augmented by Don Cherry on trumpet, ending the year with their only tour of Australia.

The Blockheads disbanded in early 1982 after Dury secured a new recording deal with Polydor Records through A&R man Frank Neilson. Choosing to work with a new group of young musicians which he named The Music Students, he recorded the album Four Thousand Weeks' Holiday. This album marked a departure from his usual style and was not as well received by existing fans for its dance music influence.

Later years

The Blockheads briefly reformed in June 1987 to play a short tour of Japan and then disbanded again. In September 1990, following the death from cancer of drummer Charlie Charles, they reunited for two benefit concerts in aid of Charles' family, held at The Forum, Kentish Town, with Steven Monti on drums. In December 1990, augmented by Merlin Rhys-Jones on guitar and Will Parnell on percussion, they recorded the live album Warts & Audience at the Brixton Academy.

The Blockheads (without Jankel, who returned to California) toured Spain in January 1991, then disbanded again until August 1994 when, following Jankel's return to England, they were invited to reform for the Madstock Festival in Finsbury Park; this was followed by sporadic gigs in Europe, Ireland, the UK and Japan through late 1994 and 1995. In the early 1990s, Dury appeared with English band Curve on the benefit compilation album Peace Together. Dury and Curve singer Toni Halliday shared vocals on a cover of the Blockheads' track "What a Waste".

In March 1996, Dury was diagnosed with cancer. After his recovery from surgery, he set about writing another album. In late 1996 he reunited with the Blockheads to record the well-received Mr. Love Pants. Ian Dury and the Blockheads toured again, with Dylan Howe replacing Steven Monti on drums. Davey Payne left the group in August and was replaced by Gilad Atzmon. This amended line-up gigged throughout 1999 and performances culminated in their last performance with Dury on 6 February 2000 at the London Palladium. Dury died six weeks later on 27 March 2000.

Without Dury (2000 – present)

The Blockheads have continued after Dury's death, contributing to the 2001 tribute album Brand New Boots and Panties, then releasing Where's the Party (2004), Staring Down the Barrel (2009), and the live album 30 Live At the Electric Ballroom (2008) to mark the 30th anniversary of New Boots and Panties!!.

Line-up changes
Derek Hussey, aka "Derek The Draw", who was Dury's friend and minder, joined the band in 2000. He became the main lyricist and Blockhead storyteller, writing songs with Jankel and also singing lead vocals. Hussey died in February 2022.

John Roberts joined as drummer in 2001. Between 2000 and 2022, the band's lead vocalist and main lyricist was Derek Hussey. Mike Bennett joined on vocals in May 2022. Nathan King replaced Norman Watt-Roy in 2022.

, The Blockheads are still touring.  Their line-up includes Mickey Gallagher (keyboards), Chaz Jankel (guitar, vocals, keyboards), John Turnbull (guitar), John Roberts (drums), Dave Lewis (sax), Nathan King (bass), and Mike Bennett (vocals).  There is a rolling line-up of saxophonists that includes Gilad Atzmon, Terry Edwards, Dave Lewis, and from time to time, the original sax player, Davey Payne.

Albums and gigs
On 23 November 2013, the band released the studio album Same Horse Different Jockey, 35 years to the day from when the band's only number one "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" was released. The promotional video for the album, featuring the song "Greed", was directed and photographed by cinematographer Stuart Harris and included cameo appearances by Martin Freeman, Toby Jones and Rowland Rivron.

In December 2014, the band performed a parody of "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3" at the conclusion of Charlie Brooker's Charlie Brooker's 2014 Wipe on BBC Two.

Musical style
The Blockheads' style has been described as encompassing new wave, post-punk, funk, disco,  and punk.

Documentary film
In 2015, Free Seed Films launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £50,000 in order to fund a documentary film, Beyond the Call of Dury, about the careers of the four original members of the band (Gallagher, Jankel, Turnbull and Watt-Roy), from their  early days in the 1960s, including their work with Dury, until the present. On 3 July 2018 a performance by The Blockheads was filmed for the documentary, with the soundtrack recorded straight to vinyl. The band were live streamed for Soho Radio, with an interview following the music. The film was due for release in November 2018; however, due to various problems, including copyright issues for some of the material, gaining access to some of the subjects who were interviewed, the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the film had not yet been released .

Notable hits

"Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll"

The song was written by Dury and Jankel in Dury's flat in Oval Mansions, London (nicknamed "Catshit mansions" by Dury) that overlooked The Oval cricket-ground. Dury typically presented Jankel with his hand-typed lyric sheets. According to Chas in Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll: The Life of Ian Dury, he would be repeatedly given the lyric for "Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll" but kept rejecting the song only for it to be at the top of the pile in the next batch of songs, only to be rejected again. This went on until Dury sang the song's title in time with the intended guitar riff. Sometime later Jankel heard "Ramblin", a tune by Ornette Coleman (from the album Change of the Century, which also featured Charlie Haden and Don Cherry), and heard exactly the same bass riff being played by Haden.

Dury once apologised to Coleman for lifting the riff but, as Coleman explained, he (or possibly Haden) had lifted it himself from a Kentucky folk tune called "Old Joe Clark". An alternative version to this story exists: as Dury explained when he guested on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, he had apologised to Haden at Ronnie Scott's Club for the riff lift, who responded by saying there was no need for an apology as he himself had lifted it from an old Cajun tune.

The single did not chart, selling only around 19,000 copies (a small number for a single in 1977) but won critical acclaim. One factor of the poor sales performance may have been Stiff Records' singles deletion policy designed to promote initial sales and as such, chart success - the single was deleted after only two months.

Released, as it was, at the height of the popularity of punk rock, the song was misinterpreted (and often is to this day) as a song about excess, as its title and chorus might suggest. Although the single was banned by the BBC, a number of Radio 1 disc jockeys, including Annie Nightingale and John Peel, continued to promote the record by playing the mildly salacious B-side "Razzle In My Pocket". Dury himself maintained, however, that the song was not a punk anthem and said he was trying to suggest that there was more to life than a 9-to-5 existence (as in, for example, his track-by-track comments for the sleeve-notes of Repertoire Records' Reasons To Be Cheerful: The Best Of Ian Dury & The Blockheads compilation). The verse lyrics are at times somewhat inscrutable, although always suggestive of an alternative lifestyle:

Here's a little bit of advice, you're quite welcome, it is free
Don't do nothing that is cut-price, you'll know what that'll make you be
They will try their tricky device, trap you with the ordin'ry
Get your teeth into a small slice [of] the cake of liberty.

The title of the song became part of the English language and was later used in many other song lyrics.

"Billericay Dickie"

Narrated by a bragging bricklayer from Billericay, the song is filled with name-checks for places in Essex and features a number of suggestive rhymes:

I had a love affair with Nina
In the back of my Cortina
A seasoned-up hyena
Could not have been more obscener

Each verse tells a different short story, relating one of Dickie's sexual conquests in southeastern England, while the choruses see him insisting he is a caring, conscientious lover and "not a thickie", even giving the names of two girls ("a pair of squeaky chickies") as referees who would attest to this. Dickie is a character most commonly referred to in the media as an "Essex lad". The song, perhaps the best example of Dury's "Englishness" or "Essexness", was given its fairground-like arrangement by American Steve Nugent.

Dury frequently stated (as, for example, in both his biographies Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll: The Life Of Ian Dury and Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Song By Song) that he saw Dickie as a pathetic figure. He would reflect this on-stage by breaking down in the final part of the song, as if about to cry, before returning to shout the final lines. The song was rarely used as an opener for live sets ("Wake Up And Make Love With Me"  commonly being used instead), but it does open the 1985 set recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon that was released as the Hold Onto Your Structure VHS/DVD. Live versions can also be found on the two live albums Warts 'n' Audience and Straight from the Desk.

"What a Waste"

Essentially the song is about being in a job that makes you happy. Dury claimed, in a 1984 interview with Penthouse magazine that, while not condemning 9-to-5 jobs, he had written the song to make people question their lives, echoing the sentiments of his earlier single "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll". The song's verses list a number of occupations that the narrator could have taken, including driver, poet, teacher and soldier, even an inmate in a long-term institution and the ticket man at Fulham Broadway tube station. The chorus reveals that instead he chose to "play the fool in a six-piece band", highlighting some of its disadvantages, particularly loneliness, before deciding that "rock 'n' roll don't mind".

The song was written with Rod Melvin in mid-1975, two years before its eventual release. It was written following the break-up of Kilburn and the Highroads, and in a lull between the formation of Ian Dury & the Kilburns. Originally a third writing credit was given to Jankel, Dury's long-term songwriting companion, but this credit has gradually been phased out and the 2004 Edsel Records re-issue of Do it Yourself credits the song solely to Dury/Melvin. In the 2004 book Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Song By Song by Jim Drury and Phill Jupitus, however, guitarist John Turnbull claims that the middle instrumental section was brought over from one of the songs which four Blockhead members had written between them while in their previous band Loving Awareness.

The song, Dury's first hit, was released in April 1978, just before the start of a headlining tour, entering the Top 75 on 29 April and spending 12 weeks there. It peaked at No. 9 in the UK Single Charts, becoming Stiff Records' biggest-selling single. A very limited 12" pressing was also released. Although the song is seen as specifically a Blockheads song, the B-side, "Wake Up and Make Love with Me", was taken from Dury's New Boots and Panties!! album.

"Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick"

First released as the Stiff Records 7" single BUY 38, "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick"/"There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards" was Number One in the UK Singles Chart in January 1979 and is the band's most successful single.  It also was named the best single of 1979 in the Pazz & Jop poll.

Its lyrics mix various locations across the world and a number of phrases in non-English languages (including French and German). According to Dury the song has an anti-violence message.

"Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3"

Released on 20 July 1979, the single "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3"/"Common as Muck" reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart the following month. It was the last single to be released by the band with their original line-up.

Members

Current Members

 John Turnbull – guitar, vocals (1977–1982, 1987, 1990–1991, 1994–1995, 1996–present)
 Mick Gallagher – keyboards (1977–1982, 1987, 1990–1991, 1994–1995, 1996–present)
 Davey Payne – saxophone, harmonica, flute (1977–1982, 1987, 1990–1991, 1994–1995, 1996; occasional shows)
 Chaz Jankel – guitar, keyboards, vocals (1977–1978, 1978–1980, 1987, 1990, 1994–1995, 1996–present)
 Gilad Atzmon – saxophone (1996–?; occasional shows)
 John Roberts – drums (2001–present)
 Mike Bennett – vocals (2022–present)
 Nathan King – bass (2022–present)
 Terry Edwards – saxophone (occasional shows)
 Dave Lewis – saxophone (occasional shows)

Former members

 Ian Dury – lead vocals (1977–1982, 1987, 1990–1991, 1994–1995, 1996–2000; his death)
 Norman Watt-Roy – bass (1977–1982, 1987, 1990–1991, 1994–1995, 1996–2022)
 Charley Charles – drums (1977–1982, 1987; died 1990)
 Wilko Johnson – guitar, backing vocals (1980–1982; died 2022)
 Don Cherry – trumpet (1981; died 1995)
 Steven Monti – drums (1990–1991, 1994–1995)
 Merlin Rhys-Jones – guitar (1990–1991)
 Will Parnell – percussion (1990–1991)
 Dylan Howe – drums (1996–2001)
 Derek Hussey – vocals (2000–2022; his death)

Discography

New Boots and Panties!! (1977)
Do It Yourself (1979)
Laughter (1980)
Live! Warts 'n' Audience (1990)
The Bus Driver's Prayer and other Stories (1994)
Mr. Love Pants (1998)
Straight from the Desk (2001)
Ten More Turnips from the Tip (2002)
Where's the Party? (2004)
30 – Live at The Electric Ballroom (2008)
Staring Down the Barrel (2009)
Same Horse Different Jockey (2013)
Beyond the Call of Dury (2017)

References

External links

Musical groups from London
English new wave musical groups
English post-punk music groups
English punk rock groups
Musical groups established in 1974
Stiff Records artists
EMI Records artists
1974 establishments in England
Musical backing groups

The Blockheads


Epydoc is a documentation generator that processes its own lightweight markup language Epytext for Python documentation strings. As opposed to freeform Python docstrings, reStructuredText (both also supported) and other markup languages for docstrings, Epytext supports linking between different pieces of documentation.  The project Epydoc is inactive since February 2009. Epydoc is released under the MIT license.

There are several tools for rendering Epytext. Most commonly, the epydoc program is used to render Epytext as a series of HTML documents for display on the Internet, or as a PDF document for printing. Epydoc also supports viewing the rendered documentation within Python using a GUI. The syntax is uncomplicated enough for the programmer to read the raw Epytext docstrings embedded in the source code directly.

See also

Comparison of documentation generators

External links
Epydoc website

Free documentation generators
Python (programming language) software
Lightweight markup languages

Epydoc


William or Bill Nichols may refer to:
William Nichols (English priest), Dean of Chester, 1644–1657
William Nichols, secretary of John Fell, 17th century clergyman
William Nichols (mariner) (fl. 1758–1780), English sea captain
William Nichols (architect) (1780–1853), English-born American architect
William T. Nichols (1829–1882), American politician, soldier, and businessman
William Nichols (Medal of Honor) (1837–?), American Civil War sailor and Medal of Honor recipient
William Ripley Nichols (1847–1886), American chemist and leading authority on water purification
William Ford Nichols (1849–1924), Bishop of California in the Episcopal Church
William Francis Nichols (1852–1917), American businessman and politician
William H. Nichols (1852–1930), American chemist and businessman
William Nichols, founder of Nichols School, Buffalo, New York, in 1892
Bill Nichols (politician) (1918–1988), United States Representative from Alabama
Billy Nichols (born 1940), American musician
Bill Nichols (film critic) (born 1942), American historian and film theorist
William Nichols (artist) (born 1942), American artist

See also
William Nicholls (disambiguation)
William Nicholson (disambiguation)

William Nichols


Granola is a breakfast food and snack food made up of rolled oats, nuts, honey or other sweeteners such as brown sugar, and sometimes puffed rice, that is usually baked until it is crisp, toasted and golden brown.

During the baking process, the mixture is stirred to maintain a loose breakfast cereal consistency. Dried fruit, such as raisins and dates, and confections such as chocolate are sometimes added.

Granola, particularly if it includes flax seeds, is often used to improve digestion.  Granola is often eaten in combination with yogurt, honey, fresh fruit (such as bananas, strawberries or blueberries), milk or other forms of cereal.

References

Breakfast foods

Snack foods

Granola


Emilia () is a historical region of northern Italy, which approximately corresponds to the western and the north-eastern portions of the modern region of Emilia-Romagna, with the area of Romagna forming the remainder of the modern region.

Etymology

Emilia takes its name from the Via Aemilia, a Roman road constructed by the consul Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in 187 BCE to connect Rimini with Piacenza. The name was transferred to the district (which formed the eighth Augustan region of Italy) as early as the time of Martial, in popular usage. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries Aemilia was frequently named as a district under imperial judges (), generally in combination with Flaminia or Liguria and Tuscia.

The district of Ravenna was, as a rule, from the 3rd to the 5th century, not treated as part of Aemilia, the chief town of the latter being Placentia (Piacenza). In the 4th century Aemilia and Liguria were joined to form a consular province; after that Aemilia stood alone, Ravenna being sometimes temporarily added to it.

Under the Byzantine Empire Ravenna became the seat of an exarch, and after the Lombards had for two centuries attempted to subdue the Pentapolis (Ravenna, Bologna, Forlì, Faenza, Rimini), Pepin took these cities from the Lombard king Aistulf and gave them, with the March of Ancona, to the papacy in 755, to which, under the name of Romagna, they continued to belong. At first, however, the archbishop of Ravenna was in reality supreme. The other chief cities of Emilia—Ferrara, Modena, Reggio, Parma, Piacenza—were, on the other hand, independent, and in the period of the communal independence of the individual towns of Italy each of the chief cities of Emilia, whether belonging to Romagna or not, had a history of its own. Notwithstanding the feuds of Guelphs and Ghibellines, they prospered considerably. The study of Roman law, especially at Bologna, acquired great importance. The imperial influence kept the papal power in check.

Pope Nicholas III obtained control of Romagna in 1278, but the papal dominion almost fell during the Avignon Papacy, and was only maintained by the efforts of Cardinal Albornoz, who was sent to Italy by Pope Innocent VI in 1353. Even so, however, papal supremacy existed in  little more than name only. This state of affairs only ceased when Cesare Borgia crushed most of the petty princes of Romagna, intending to found a dynasty of his own there.

Upon the death of Pope Alexander VI it was his successors in the papacy who carried on and profited by what Cesare Borgia had begun. Bologna and the others towns were thenceforth subject to the church and administered by cardinal legates. The Duchy of Ferrara and Comacchio remained under the House of Este until the death of Alfonso II in 1597, when they were claimed by Pope Clement VIII as vacant fiefs.

Modena and Reggio, which were legally Imperial fiefs, but had in fact formed part of the Ferrara duchy, became thenceforth separate dukedoms in personal union under a branch of the house of Este. Parma and Piacenza were at first under the House of Farnese, Pope Paul III having placed his son Pier Luigi in that role in 1545, and then, after the extinction of the Farnese in 1731, under a branch of the Bourbons of Spain that originated from Elisabeth Farnese, the last shon of her family and at the time powerful Queen Consort of Spain.

Carpi, Correggio,  and Mirandola were three of the numerous small fiefdoms which also existed in Emilia and which were generally destined to be gradually absorbed by the two larger states. The  passed to the house of Este in 1530 after the dispossession of the Pio di Savoia family for 'felony' decreed five years earlier by Emperor Charles V, and was elevated to a principality in 1535. About a century later, in 1635, the Modena and Reggio branch of the House of Este were also invested with the  by Emperor Ferdinand II, after it had been confiscated five years earlier from the  family on charges of having minted counterfeit money. The last of the  dynasty of Mirandola, Francesco Maria Pico, having sided with the French in the War of the Spanish Succession, was deprived of his duchy in 1709 by Emperor Joseph I, who sold it as usual to the house of Este in 1710.

The Duchy of Guastalla, for its part, was annexed to the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza in 1748 with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, after the extinction in 1746 of the Guastalla line of the House of Gonzaga. In 1728 another branch of the same House, which had ruled the County of Novellara and Bagnolo for almost 350 years, had also died out, but in this case the fiefdom was granted in 1737 by Emperor Charles VI to Duke Rinaldo I of Modena and Reggio in recognition for his services during the War of the Polish Succession.

From 1796 to 1814, Emilia was first incorporated in the Napoleonic Italian republic and then in the Napoleonic Italian kingdom; after 1815 there was a return to the , Romagna returning to the papacy and its ecclesiastical government, the duchy of Parma being given to Marie Louise, wife of the deposed Napoleon, and Modena to archduke Francis of Austria, the heir of the last Este. In 1821 and in 1831 there were unsuccessful attempts at revolt in Emilia; another attempt in 1848 to 1849 was crushed by Austrian troops. In 1859, the struggle for independence was finally successful, Emilia passing to the Italian kingdom almost without resistance.

Boundaries

The eastern boundary is formed by the rivers Sillaro and Reno, which divide it from Romagna. To the north the river Po forms its border with Veneto and Lombardy. To the west and south the Apennine drainage divide separates it from Liguria and Tuscany. Administratively it comprises the provinces of Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna (except for the commune of Imola and Dozza, and the valley of the Santerno) and Ferrara.

The region corresponds approximately to the ancient Cispadane Gaul which, under the Augustan territorial organisation of Italia , became Regio VIII Aemilia.

Language

Although Italian is the most widely spoken language today, the local Emilian language is also spoken.

References

Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy
History of Emilia-Romagna

Emilia (region)


"New Timer" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1995 album The Ghost of Tom Joad.  Springsteen performs the song solo on the album, with only guitar accompaniment.

Lyrics
The narrator of the song is a man who has left behind a wife and children in Pennsylvania in order to find work, but ends up becoming a hobo, riding on freight trains.  He tells of an older man, Frank, who has been riding the rails since the Great Depression and serves as a protector and mentor to the narrator.  They eventually part ways, and the narrator never sees Frank again except for one night when Frank passed him on a rail car, shouted the narrator's name, and then "disappeared into the rain and wind."  Eventually Frank is found dead, killed for no apparent reason, just "somebody killin' just to kill."  Afterwards, the narrator daydreams about the family he left behind and prays for love and mercy, although his heart is filled with hatred and longing for vengeance.

Inspiration
"New Timer" and another song from The Ghost of Tom Joad, "Youngstown," were inspired by Springsteen reading Dale Maharidge's 1985 book Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass, illustrated by Michael Williamson. The narrator is the "new timer," defined by Maharidge as a "new breed of street person, forced to the bottom by economic hardship". Unlike older hobos, they had once been members of the middle class, making their circumstances particularly painful. The 1996 reprint of Journey to Nowhere included an introduction by Springsteen and the lyrics of his "The New Timer" and "Youngstown". Another influence on the song was the real-life story of Thomas Jefferson "Alabama" Glenn, who became a hobo during the Great Depression. Glenn and two others were killed one night for no apparent reason, like Frank in the song. Woody Guthrie's songs from the 1930 and '40s were another influence.

"The New Timer" has a similar tone and melody as Springsteen's earlier song "Nebraska".  Both songs tell stories of needless violence.  In "Nebraska" the narrator is a murderer who states that he kills because "there's just a meanness in this world"; in "The New Timer", Frank is murdered for no reason, by "somebody killin' just to kill."

The narrator sings that he and Frank took transient work such as picking peaches. This appears to be a nod to one of the jobs the Joads take in John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, which inspired the title (and the title song) of The Ghost of Tom Joad.

References

External links
 Lyrics, at official Springsteen website

1995 songs
Bruce Springsteen songs
Songs written by Bruce Springsteen
Song recordings produced by Bruce Springsteen
Song recordings produced by Chuck Plotkin

The New Timer


Counties  were the state administrative subdivisions of Estonia. There were 15 counties, 13 on the mainland and 2 on islands. County governments  were abolished at the end of 2017, with their duties split between state authorities and local governments, and now counties have no  independent powers.

The counties were first started in the 13th century.

Counties of Estonia


Martintelep or Martin-Kertváros (in Slovak: Martinská osada or Martinské Predmestie) is a residential area of the city of Miskolc, Hungary. Unlike many other districts that are on the outskirts on the city, Martintelep has never been an independent town.

The area was first mentioned in 1908 as the estate of Károly Martin near the classification yard. Károly Martin was the founder and first commander of the fire brigade in Miskolc; today not only the garden town, but also a street bears his name.

On June 2, 1944 the US Airforce bombed the railway station and classification yard of Miskolc. Because of its proximity to the bombed areas Martintelep suffered some damages. The attack claimed 206 lives in the city and 420 people were wounded.

The residents of the area disliked the name Martintelep (mostly because the -telep part, meaning "settlement" is often part of the name of Gypsy settlements.) The district was officially renamed to Martin-Kertváros (kertváros means "garden town") on September 5, 2002, however, in colloquial speech it is still called Martintelep by everyone but its residents.

Martintelep is one of the quietest and most peaceful areas of the city. It can be reached by buses 3, 3A from the city itself.

Neighbourhoods of Miskolc

Martinkertváros


Marmaroplegma paragarda, the speared monkey, is a moth in the family Eupterotidae. It was described by Wallengren in 1860. It is found in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The wings are pale ochreous brown, the forewings crossed by a broad dark postmedial fascia. The veins are whitish, defined interiorly by some black irrorations (speckles). There is a marginal series of pale wedge-shaped lunules formed by the junction of the pale lines defining the veins, their apices reaching the margin of the wing. The extremity of the wing is darker beyond these lunules, and also near the base between veins one and two. The hindwings have marginal lunules similar to those on the forewings but paler and more indistinct.

References

Moths described in 1860
Eupterotinae

Marmaroplegma paragarda