Dave Whelan is getting his own statue in Wigan.
Yes that Dave Whelan. You’ve probably never heard the story, because he never tells it – but he broke his leg in the League Cup Final in 1960. Oh you didn’t know?
The Wigan Athletic owner, who suffered a fractured leg at Wembley against Wolves in the 60s, turns 80 this year.
So his adopted home town of Wigan, whose football team he helped rise from the fourth division to the Premier League in the years after that fateful leg break, is going to honour him with a statue in the town.
The former Blackburn Rovers player (the club he was playing for when he suffered his little-known leg injury) is being immortalised in bronze for bringing the glory days to the small Lancashire town of Wigan.
Serious leg injury survivor Whelan, who was chairman at Wigan for 20 years, helped the club stay in the top flight against all odds for eight years in a spell which saw them win the FA Cup at Wembley (where this time Whelan managed not to break any limbs).
It’s this outstanding achievement for the town that will see a statue erected outside Wigan’s ground. in his honour.
Obviously there was one thing everyone wanted to know about the statue…the famous broken leg, will it be there?
Hope one of his legs will be in a cast otherwise you’ll struggle to recognise him #wwfc https://t.co/VWPpWJ7AM4
— Russ Cockburn (@Dwarfio) November 9, 2016
Just been given a mini version of the Dave Whelan statue that is yet to be unveiled, spitting image #wafc pic.twitter.com/ybO4nLHyTq
— Harry Robinson (@RobboHarry) November 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/ItsYourDadAherr/status/796413220722446336
I hope the Dave Whelan statue has a cast round his leg, just so people know he broke his leg once.
— Reevsie (@Reevsie247) November 9, 2016
If this Dave Whelan statue doesn't include crutches it will be an utter waste of time
— Daniel (@Daniel_W12) November 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/anthonywinkley/status/796402372587257856
Dave Whelan to get a statue at the DW stadium please let it have a plaster cast on its leg. Never gets old that story from him 😂😂
— Sean Macleod (@SeanAMacleod1) November 9, 2016
Dave Whelan will build a statue of Dave Whelan at the Dave Whelan Stadium? Did you know he broke his leg once?
— El (@EThomas8) November 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/A_LooseEnd/status/796391820943101952
Wigan honouring Dave Whelan with a statue… on it will say "I broke my leg in a fa cup final don't you know"…
— Stuart Jones (@spjonah77) November 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/GULLITFANCFC/status/796426576762007552
Noticed Dave whelan trending and it reminded me of a story I heard, apparently broke his leg in cup final, can anyone confirm?
— Brett Edwards (@MrBrettEdwards) November 9, 2016
