One of the pre-season favourites for relegation, Wigan Athletic fans were anticipating another difficult campaign in the Premier League.
The Latics faithful were, however, hopeful that Roberto Martinez, who turned down the chance to manage Aston Villa in the summer, could mastermind another year of top-flight football.
Here is Sports Mole's assessment of how Wigan have fared so far this campaign.
August
Their pre-season began with the inevitable departure of Charles N'Zogbia, who was influential in their final day survival last year.
Martinez tried to combat the loss with the signing of Albert Crusat, while Ali Al-Habsi also joined the Spaniard's ranks after an impressive loan spell at the DW the previous season.
In a quirk of the fixture arrangement system, the Latics began their campaign against the three promoted sides.
Draws against Norwich City and Swansea City gave Martinez and his men a solid start to the campaign, while victory over Queens Park Rangers ensured they were unbeaten in August.
September
A 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on September 10, courtesy of a Sergio Aguero hattrick, was the start of a terrible run for Athletic.
Further losses to Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as a Carling Cup exit at the hands of Championship outfit Crystal Palace, compounded their bad month and proved a sign of things to come.
October
Four defeats, no points and just one goal rendered October was another miserable month for Martinez's side.
A 2-0 loss to Aston Villa was followed by a 3-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Bolton Wanderers, while a late Yohan Cabaye effort saw them beaten 1-0 by Newcastle at St James' Park.
Finally, Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele goals gave Fulham a 2-0 win at the DW Stadium and condemned the Latics to an eighth straight league defeat.
November
Despite November starting with another loss, this time 3-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the month showed signs of improvement.
When they were next in action a fortnight later, only a Yakubu penalty nine minutes into stoppage time denied them a win over Blackburn.
However, a late strike worked in their favour when Franco Di Santo's 93rd minute winner earned them a 2-1 victory over Sunderland and ended a ten-game wait for a win.
December
On paper, their fixture list over the Christmas period looked anything but festive.
The Latics fell to a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal but they responded well to beat West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns.
Home draws against Chelsea and Liverpool then displayed a stubbornness that was not evident during their poor run of form, while Al-Habsi continued to star in between the posts.
A good December was only blighted by a 5-0 thrashing from Manchester United on Boxing Day, which left them in the relegation zone come the New Year. However, the Wigan fans will be hoping Martinez can steer them clear of the bottom three and retain their Premier League status once again.
Joe Fish
