Blackburn boss Owen Coyle bemoaned three "avoidable" goals that ensured his return to Wigan was a thoroughly miserable one.
The 50-year-old lasted less than four months in the DW Stadium hotseat after succeeding Roberto Martinez three years ago.
And salt was rubbed into the wounds with Nick Powell - a player Coyle first brought to Wigan from Manchester United, initially on loan before a permanent move earlier this summer - on the scoresheet in the home team's 3-0 win.
Powell's brilliant free-kick doubled Wigan's advantage just after the half-hour mark, after Will Grigg had given the home side an early lead.
And the points were secured just after the hour mark when Shane Duffy put through his own net from Max Power's cross.
It was not the way Coyle had wanted to make his first return to the DW, although he insisted that was not on his mind at all.
"It doesn't matter whether it was a return to the DW, or a game against Newcastle or whoever," the Rovers boss said.
"What was important today was us trying to win a game of football.
"And if truth be told, looking at their goals, we never gave ourselves a real opportunity to do that.
"As much as Wigan had their tails up at the beginning, the first goal was from a mis-hit shot, and their lad's put a fantastic reaction header into the top corner.
"At 1-0 you've obviously got to try and find a way back in to the game, and then they score from a free-kick, when we probably should have had a free-kick that wasn't given.
"Jason Steele will probably feel that on another day he would have saved that, if his starting position had maybe been half a yard across.
"Then at 2-0 you then have an awful lot to do.
"At half-time, one or two things were said that needed to be said, and I thought for 15-20 minutes we had a fantastic reaction.
"It should have probably culminated in us getting one back, but from their first venture up in the second half, they get a corner that leads to the own goal.
"If you look at the goals, which we always do, each and every one was avoidable, and we need to give ourselves more of an opportunity to win games."
Having lost 4-1 to Norwich on the opening day, Rovers are now rooted to the bottom of the Championship - although Coyle and his staff will not be reaching for the panic button just yet.
"This is the fifth or sixth best league in Europe," he added. "We knew there was a lot of work to do when we came in.
"We didn't inherit a team of champions - we inherited a team that finished way down the league.
"We'll make sure we pick the bones out of what's happened, and look to rectify that, and give the club the stability it needs."
For Gary Caldwell, it was the perfect way for Wigan to announce their return to the second tier after last year's campaign in League One.
"It was total dominance from us," Caldwell said. "It should have been more than 2-0 at half-time, and that was the only frustrating aspect.
"But in terms of the way we played, the way we went about our business - with and without the ball - that was us at our best.
"We can take a lot from that game in terms of belief, and we know that against good sides, Championship sides, at our best we're a real threat.
"For the first 45 minutes, I don't think there would have been many better performances up and down the country.
"Our pressing was incredible, our energy was incredible, and we showed real belief with the way we passed the ball.
"It could have been four or five at half-time, and at 2-0 the next goal is always pretty big.
"We had 10 minutes at the start of the second half when we didn't manage the game well, and we'll have to learn from that.
"But unlike last week (2-1 loss at Bristol City) we managed to turn it around and come back into the game, scored another goal, and controlled the last 20 minutes."