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Has the Heart Been Ripped out of our Club?


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26 minutes ago, Midsblue said:

I don’t mean going all retro but enhancing the community element.  Allocate a section of the ground to schools and give tickets away for kids to attend and reduced admission for adults in the section too.  

 

Extend out into all communities within the borough embracing all colours and creeds to make Oldham an inclusive, community club. 

I have to say that is something the club (OACT) were very good at, or at least were last season.

 

I worked in a primary school in the town and Martin was brilliant with us in terms of offering us tickets for games and offering to get their coaches and first team players coming into the school to reach out to the children. They base themselves in the Family Section of the RRE...

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6 hours ago, kowenicki said:

The heart was ripped out of the majority of clubs years ago. Ours included. 

 

Absolutely. Realising that your football club isn't a club anymore, is not an isolated observation.

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I’ve been to some Halifax RLFC games this season, and their work within their community is on another level compared to ours (and probably a lot of other football league clubs).

 

Local kids teams on the pitch before games, club staff and players in the town drumming up support and sponsorship from local businesses, far more comprehensive social media output.. it all develops a much bigger presence and a stronger bond between the club and the town. Something it feels like we don’t do as well as we could.

 

Were competing with Sky Sports subscriptions/Utd/City.. the club needs to get out there and and sell itself better to the townsfolk, of whom the club represents. 

 

It seems the only decent bit of press we’ve had recently was the  sensory packs that were put together.

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48 minutes ago, Fervid said:

Off course it’s gone the fans are split and some are at each other’s throats, not to mention a head coach who can hardly speak a word of the queens English. 

 

You're talking about a tiny, internet active minority there. And Banide's English is fine. 

 

Did you see Bielsa post match earlier...? 

Edited by HarryBosch
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26 minutes ago, Lee Sinnott said:

I have to say that is something the club (OACT) were very good at, or at least were last season.

 

I worked in a primary school in the town and Martin was brilliant with us in terms of offering us tickets for games and offering to get their coaches and first team players coming into the school to reach out to the children. They base themselves in the Family Section of the RRE...

 

26 minutes ago, Matt said:

 

Absolutely. Realising that your football club isn't a club anymore, is not an isolated observation.

 

4 minutes ago, ShireBlue said:

I’ve been to some Halifax RLFC games this season, and their work within their community is on another level compared to ours (and probably a lot of other football league clubs).

 

Local kids teams on the pitch before games, club staff and players in the town drumming up support and sponsorship from local businesses, far more comprehensive social media output.. it all develops a much bigger presence and a stronger bond between the club and the town. Something it feels like we don’t do as well as we could.

 

Were competing with Sky Sports subscriptions/Utd/City.. the club needs to get out there and and sell itself better to the townsfolk, of whom the club represents. 

 

It seems the only decent bit of press we’ve had recently was the  sensory packs that were put together.

 

We probably did fuck all with the "community" compared to today around 1989/90/91 when we were really good and getting 18,000 in....

 

Makes you think....

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4 minutes ago, HarryBosch said:

 

 

 

We probably did fuck all with the "community" compared to today around 1989/90/91 when we were really good and getting 18,000 in....

 

Makes you think....

 

Quite possible. I can’t see us winning any leagues in the near future though 😕

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22 minutes ago, HarryBosch said:

 

 

 

We probably did fuck all with the "community" compared to today around 1989/90/91 when we were really good and getting 18,000 in....

 

Makes you think....

 

Back in the good old days we regularly gave tickets away to local schools and had players going into schools.

 

Their is alot wrong at the club but unless this has changed I don't think the community Trust is one of them.

Edited by GlossopLatic
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17 minutes ago, HarryBosch said:

 

You're talking about a tiny, internet active minority there. And Banide's English is fine. 

 

Did you see Bielsa post match earlier...? 

I like this picture you paint of there being loads of Latics fans out in the wild paying no interest to the forums and social media.

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That's my feeling as well - I desperately want the club to reconnect with its own existing support base as well as reaching out to potential new supporters

 

The club hasn't been run well for years but at least throughout the majority of the Corney reign, the manager, the team and the supporters were singing from the same songsheet with particular great memories of the support afforded to the team at Chesterfield in the 1-0 win after Gerrard had been dismissed at half time, the support at Bristol City when we were in top 2 in November (last time we were going well??) and that wonderful support at Southend when Main scored the winner to keep us safe on that Tuesday night.

 

Things have changed noticeably since Lemsagam arrived, his players were signed on before he took the reins from Corney and the whole context of the club changed dramatically. For long periods of Wellens reign (after Christmas when the rot set in), the team didn't like each other and it was easy to spot that there were factions. This was a major contributor to Latics long-delayed relegation and I am sure I speak for many when I say that this team was far more capable than many previously but went down because they couldn't be arsed!!!! Truly dreadful...……

 

Last season was very much the same, apparently no team spirit in majority of games and but for a wonderful cup run (which could easily have ended in November) spearheaded by the popular one-of-our-own Pete Wild, the season would have been a complete write-off. Off-the-field shenanigans have also contributed to a feeling that the ownership is more interested in their own agenda than putting the club right and the emergence of the FLG has merely brought the divide further into the public eye.

 

I hate the way the club is run and am sure I am in the vast majority. I haven't gone a season ticket for the first time in many a year although I haven't yet decided whether I will attend home games.

 

desperate for the club to return to what it was - don't mind if its under the current ownership as such but I do feel far less optimistic that this will ever happen under Lemsagam                           

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Gonna need a few decent results quickly, Otherwise things are going ugly after a few consecutive loses. The majority just don’t have the patience to stick by the team at present for obvious reasons. Crewe, Blackburn and Bradford next up, looking forward to going to all 3, however I can see us losing all 3 quite easily and I’m usually a ‘happy clapper’.

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Going back to the OP, Yes it has. However, to point the finger at only AL is misguided in my view. It goes back further than that, but while we were on the slide under Scott/J W Lees/ Brierley, the heart was still there. When Moore left us up a creek without a paddle, the heart really started working. The issue started under Brassbank. I’m not sure when, probably damage was done when the Lookers was knocked down and wasn’t replace for years, moving home fans out of Chaddy End, didn’t help, but in many ways the initial blow was the demolition of the Clayton Arms. Instead of having a clear and obvious place for fans to meet up before, and after the game, fans separated into various local pubs. 

 

As @kowenicki says though, the heart of a lot of clubs was ripped out years ago. There just isn’t that connection with the relevant local communities any more and owners, especially at the upper level are usually those with no prior connection to the club. Abramovic was the vanguard, but lots have followed. 

 

In fairness to Forest Green, their millionaire owner has a connection to the local community, but he’d have to considering where Forest Green were when he first got involved.

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11 hours ago, wiseowl said:

I don't ever remember being so down and depressed about Latics. After getting back from FGR, I had a few in town and bumped into 2 former very staunch Latics' fans. Neither now attends (including one who did home and away, every game for years). Both talked along the same lines i.e.  it just doesn't "feel the same" anymore, there's a massive disconnect with the fans and "the heart has been ripped out of the club".

 

I`ve done a bit of soul searching and I realise I am starting to feel the same way myself. I can't believe that I am no longer enjoying watching Latics but...I`m not.

 

I`ll go against Crewe but after that, who knows? 

 

So, has the heart been ripped out of our club? Can it ever be put back?

 

Fuck them. I'm taking a conscious hiatus. I'll probably do 2 homes this year and 8 or so aways. It's still 'my' club.

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11 hours ago, NewBlue said:

Yes.

 

We've been shit for ages but this feels different.

 

This is exactly where I stand. 

 

I know i’m repeating myself here, but I’m heading to Boundary Park with my young lad for his first trip at the end of the month and it’s all very exciting - except for the fact that I know the club is in a shit storm. As far as my son is concerned we’re world beaters. 

 

I compare it to my first match with my father - 3-3 v Coventry in the Premiership. I was in my teens, and it was magical. 

 

And it’s not so much that we have declined - it’s more that I feel the club, the football magic that I experienced, is being abused. 

 

My son is 6 years old. I’m looking forward to the match regardless. My younger boy is 2... I hope we’re in a better place once he gets his turn to see Latics in action. 

 

So yeah. The heart has been tipped out. But if we can stay playing in Boundary Park and the current regime f€&?s off, it can be ripped back in. I don’t care what league we are in at that point. 

 

Having said all that, it’ll still be great being around lots of Latics fans with my young lad - we’re proud of our roots and as much as I despair about the stare our club is in nothing’s going to change that. 

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10 hours ago, HarryBosch said:

1989/90/91 when we were really good and getting 18,000 in....

 

Is it that easy to compare? The game is needy and greedy like a spoiled child; players want more, the fans want more - right now, clubs are buckling under the expectation. I suppose there was a simplicity to being treated like peasants by feudal chairmen. /s

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12 hours ago, Midsblue said:

 

However, we need to play good old attacking, wing-based, attractive football.  The sort that has you on the edge of your seat.  Remember the days when Eyresy got the ball on the left and a mazey run into the box.  The Chaddy end was electric when we got a free kick on the edge of the box and Eyresy stepped up.

 

David Eyres, my favourite Latics player ever.

Was it just me who thought time seemed to freeze when he got the ball and his two markers seemed as mezmorised as our fans with his trickery on the wing before he delivered an absolutely glorious cross into the box  . . . . . . . .

 

You wouldn't keep going to a local theatre or the local cinema, just because your Dad or Grandad first took you, if the shows weren't entertaining.

 

Football should fundamentally be entertaining. Win Lose or Draw, most supporters wouldn't really mind who owned their club if they turned out attractive, attacking football most weeks.

 

Problem in a nutshell for me, is that for too many years, not just Latics but many of the teams we have played against are very ordinary at best, setting up firstly not to lose games.

 

Entertaining supporters for sure isn't the main priority of most clubs anymore

 

Am not expecting a Messi, but the majority of the stuff we've been fed for far too long, makes you 'lose the will to live'  :sleeping:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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23 hours ago, wiseowl said:

I don't ever remember being so down and depressed about Latics. After getting back from FGR, I had a few in town and bumped into 2 former very staunch Latics' fans. Neither now attends (including one who did home and away, every game for years). Both talked along the same lines i.e.  it just doesn't "feel the same" anymore, there's a massive disconnect with the fans and "the heart has been ripped out of the club".

 

I`ve done a bit of soul searching and I realise I am starting to feel the same way myself. I can't believe that I am no longer enjoying watching Latics but...I`m not.

 

I`ll go against Crewe but after that, who knows? 

 

So, has the heart been ripped out of our club? Can it ever be put back?

 

Not so much ripped out as slowly squeezed out at an almost imperceptible rate over many years.

Edited by WLYOWD
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4 hours ago, tGWB said:

 

David Eyres, my favourite Latics player ever.

Was it just me who thought time seemed to freeze when he got the ball and his two markers seemed as mezmorised as our fans with his trickery on the wing before he delivered an absolutely glorious cross into the box  . . . . . . . .

 

You wouldn't keep going to a local theatre or the local cinema, just because your Dad or Grandad first took you, if the shows weren't entertaining.

 

Football should fundamentally be entertaining. Win Lose or Draw, most supporters wouldn't really mind who owned their club if they turned out attractive, attacking football most weeks.

 

Problem in a nutshell for me, is that for too many years, not just Latics but many of the teams we have played against are very ordinary at best, setting up firstly not to lose games.

 

Entertaining supporters for sure isn't the main priority of most clubs anymore

 

Am not expecting a Messi, but the majority of the stuff we've been fed for far too long, makes you 'lose the will to live'  :sleeping:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We havent got Messi, just a mess.

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22 hours ago, deyres42 said:

Absolutely, and folk have stood by and let it happen.

 

We'll get it back though.

 

I liked this post but for the wrong reasons. 

 

As optimistic as I'd love to be, it highlights the downfall of lower league English clubs - that includes us. Sadly saying "it'll be reght" means nowt when people like AL are running clubs nowadays.

 

What annoys me is it'll keep happening and we're partially the ones to blame, I'm sorry to say. What is anyone actually doing about it? What does anyone expect to happen? It's great to see some fans taking the initiative to organise protests, etc. but that isn't gonna deter a yet another "wealthy" sociopath like AL from running our club from behind closed doors for their own benefit. Look at Notts County, Bolton, Bury, Leyton Orient. There isn't some magical business person around the corner waiting to buy out the club and rectify all the wrongs; it took Corney years to even find this guy...

 

We have next to no say in this club. I appreciate all the Trust do but read the thread regarding the club's accounts if you think otherwise (AL's fault not theirs). I've never felt so distant and cynical about Latics in all my life (I've only been going since 2003 - bloody millennials). I'm aware fans helped get the club out of the mud in 2004 but look where we are now.

 

This post is me blowing off a bit of steam but the big question I can't emphasise enough to other fans is "what are we actually doing about it?" both short and long term. I envy the likes of AFC Wimbledon and how their fans went about reclaiming their club. I hope we do the same one day and that a few wins this season doesn't rose-tint this regime.

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