Whelan still has Blackburn Rovers at heart

Now, a self-made millionaire and chairman of Premier League rivals Wigan Athletic, Whelan has earned himself a spot in footballing legend – although most remain unaware of his unique achievement.

During his two-club career at Blackburn and then Crewe, the former sports shop mogul played at every level in league football and, after guiding Wigan from the basement to the Premier League, he has achieved the same feat as a chairman.

While a list of players have played at every level, with a handful of chairman enjoying a similar achievement, Whelan remains the only man in the game to have done it as both.

He admits his roller-coaster journey on both sides of the boardroom have emphasised the change in the beautiful game, but reveals his pride at a career that will never be forgotten.

He said: “I am the only man on the planet to have played and been a chairman at every level. I think it is something to be proud of and, hopefully, something to be remembered.

“With the money there is in the game, it has become more and more difficult to guide their sides up the football ladder so who knows, I might be the only ever to do it.”

Whelan will have mixed feelings in the JJB Stadium directors’ box tomorrow afternoon as his ‘beloved Blackburn’ pit their wits against his in-form Wigan Athletic side.

While a Wigan win has to be his main priority, with Premier League survival at threat for both, Whelan reveals his 10-year spell at Ewood Park has made him a Rovers supporter ‘through and through’.

“There is only one result I look for after Wigan have played,” he said. “That is Rovers. I am a supporter through and through and my wife and I love the place.

“I really enjoyed my time at Blackburn and I will never forget the times I had there. Obviously I hope their fortunes improve, but not against us tomorrow.”

The product of a Rugby League environment, having been brought up in Wigan, Whelan joined the Rovers ranks as a youngster and worked his way up until he became a first-team fixture.

He made a total of 87 appearances for Rovers between 1953-63, helping them win promotion into Division One, before suffering a career-threatening broken leg at Wembley in the 1960 FA Cup final defeat to Wolves.

He was eventually released by Rovers, despite a fierce determination to return, and dropped into the lower leagues with Crewe Alexandra – where he made 115 league appearances helping them to promotion into Division Three.

He said: “There is never a good place to break your leg and doing it at Wembley is something that will stick with you forever. In those days if you broke your leg as badly as I did, your career was realistically over.

“I never gave up hope but there just was not the technology around in those days to ensure you got back to the top of your game. I did go to Crewe though and really enjoyed my days there.

“It was the end of the world to break your leg as a footballer in those days, but I would just not accept it. I remember after that Rovers offered me a testimonial but I turned it down as an insult because I was sure I would come back.

“I guess history shows they were right and I was wrong. But I still wanted to play football for Blackburn Rovers.”

After hanging up his boots, Whelan returned to Wigan as a market trader and, showing the same determination he had shown as a tough tackling defender, he built up his business interests until he owned a chain of supermarkets.

He sold up in the mid 1970s as he joined the rank of the millionaires, before building up a chain of JJB sports stores throughout the north west, which he sold back in June 2007.

He also bought Wigan Athletic in 1995 and since then his money has helped ‘The Latics’ rise from Division Three to the Premier League.

“I can’t quite believe how much the game has changed,” said the 72-year-old.

“Everything is now different; the footballs, the training facilities and players contracts – everything.

“When I played, the ball was so heavy when it rained that it became hard to kick. Look at what they are like now, they move all over the place and are like balloons.

“The change in contracts has to be for the better I think. In my playing days, a club could keep you for your entire career and didn’t always have to pay you.

“Now players have control although perhaps it has gone too far that way now.

“The players have the power over the clubs, but it has to be better than how it was.

“I have to admit though some of the wages players get now are completely over the top.

“I am not saying they don’t deserve their money because they get so much coverage now, but it has gone too far.”