Jewell wants last laugh over Hammers on day of reckoning

With typical Jewell mischief, the mobile phone was out of his pocket immediately.

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"Look at this one," he said. "It says, 'Good luck on Sunday. Make sure you win and send those b******s at West Ham down. From Richard Scudamore at the Premier League'."

If laughter is the antidote to pressure, then Jewell supplied it in abundance on Friday. Underneath, of course, there are serious issues at hand.

Relegation would cost Wigan in the region of £60million and, in all likelihood, their manager. But Jewell's message was unequivocal.

"We will get people off the hook if we win and send West Ham down," he said. "I think the Premier League would be jumping up and down if that happened. It would make it easier for them."

As his chairman Dave Whelan continued his attack on the League's failure to deduct West Ham points over the Carlos Tevez affair, Jewell remained pragmatic.

"If we go down, then it will be because we deserve to go down," he said. "It will be because we haven't been good enough. But I don't think we will go down.

"I think we are a good side and all we need to do is go to Sheffield United and win.

"Then whatever West Ham do — or have done in the past — won't matter to us. We have a chance to take West Ham out of the equation completely.

"Carlos Tevez can score 10 goals and it won't matter at all to us if we win. If we do that, we will still be in the Premiership. For a club of this size that would be a hell of an achievement."

Despite a failure to win in eight matches and the recent memory of two limp home defeats to Middlesbrough and, of course, West Ham, Jewell's approach was to accentuate the positives on Friday.

If only half of his messages — subliminal or otherwise — have got through to his players, Wigan have a chance.

"This is the biggest game of our lives," he added. "It is a European Cup Final and an FA Cup Final rolled into one.

"My players have had the fear factor recently, but that has to go because if we go to Sheffield and don't perform then we are down.

"We need to be positive without being reckless. If we were going to play at Manchester United or at Liverpool, then I would be sitting here saying the right things, but underneath I would be thinking, 'Bloody hell, this will be tough'.

"But, as it is, we are going to Sheffield United and although I know it will be tough, I also know we're easily good enough to win."

Jewell has been in this situation before, of course. Seven years ago his Bradford team beat Liverpool at home on the final day and survived. And then Jewell walked out.

It is also entirely feasible that Jewell could leave this summer — a possibility acknowledged by his chairman on Friday.

Whelan said: "If a big club came along — like a top-six club — then I would not stand in Paul's way.

"He has two years left on his contract, so that would have to be compensated, but I would be the first to wish him luck because he is a very talented and ambitious young manager.

"If he wants to go, then I would understand because he is too good for relegation. But I must say I feel he is committed to Wigan and I would not expect him to leave."

There are likely to be suitors this summer — among them Manchester City — and perhaps Wigan have risen as far as they possibly can.

Among those close to Jewell, there has been talk that he feels ready for another challenge. Quite rightly, he was having none of it on Friday.

"This is not the time to talk about people's personal situations," he said. "We need to be together and give our best. If we do that and it's not good enough, then that's OK."

Jewell has a good relationship with Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock but acknowledged his rival's relative unpopularity.

"I have had lots of calls and messages from inside the game and I guess West Ham boss Alan Curbishley has too," said Jewell. "But Neil will have had none!"

Jewell was asked if his players care as much as he does, given that many will just leave if Wigan are relegated. "Hey, who knows?" laughed Jewell. "I may leave too!"

Cue more laughter. But the possibility of Wigan in the Championship and deprived of their manager is just not funny.

WHAT IF?

WIGAN will be relegated unless they win at SHEFFIELD UNITED. In that event, either the Bramall Lane club or WEST HAM would go down.

The Hammers would survive with a point at Manchester United. If they lose, they are more likely to go down than the Blades because of inferior goal difference.