Behind every manager, there is a chairman with his finger on the trigger. A bad run of results and you are history — clear your desk, say your goodbyes, go on holiday and come back and see if one of your mates can get you a job on Sky Sports.

David Whelan did not get where he is by sticking to the script. Other top-flight chairmen might have fired and hired if their team had lost nine games in a row, but, last week, Whelan stuffed a medieval suit of armour into the boot of his car and asked his driver to take him to Wigan Athletic’s training ground.

Paul Jewell had taken a shine to the steel suit after seeing it in the chairman’s office at the JJB Stadium and Whelan had promised his manager that he could have it at the end of the season if the club avoided relegation.

Jewell thought nothing more of it until Whelan presented him with his prize the day after Wigan lost for a club-record eighth consecutive time in the league away to Reading on Tuesday. “It was a fantastic gesture,” Jewell said. “He was so certain of us staying up, he gave me my bonus early.”

So great was Whelan’s desire to beat the drop that the millionaire founder of JJB Sports also dipped his hand into his pocket to sanction the signings of Julius Aghahowa from Shakhtar Donetsk and Caleb Folan from Chesterfield, for a combined £2.6 million, to add bite to the Wigan attack. The forwards made an impact on their home debuts, although they were grateful to Lee McCulloch, who emerged out of the mist that enveloped the ground throughout, midway through the second half to score the goal that stopped the rot.

“Julius didn’t arrive here until Thursday and Caleb has come up two divisions, and I thought the two of them were a threat,” Jewell said. “They gave an honest performance and they will get better. Once we scored, we looked resolute and I don’t remember Portsmouth having too many chances.”

Jewell stayed on the pitch after the final whistle to savour the victory — “I hadn’t tasted the feeling for a while,” he said — but Harry Redknapp, his opposite number, disappeared down the tunnel with a face like thunder. After a whirlwind start to the season, the Portsmouth manager has yet to see his side win in the Barclays Premiership this year and only David James’s reflexes prevented Wigan from scoring more goals.

“It is ridiculous that he is not in the England squad,” Redknapp said. “I don’t pick the team, but he is the best ’keeper around. Nobody can get near him.”