What was it like when we were good?

[ChrisRichard]

Makes me realise how little I know about the club from that period. I started going sporadically in the 1995/6 season with my legend of an 'adopted uncle' when he worked for premier starline. As a stary eyed 10 year old, I watched players I now consider to be legends. Circumstances dictated that I didn't get to going regularly until the 1997/8 season watching us draw 4-4 with Bristol Rovers for my first game, I loved going then even though we had a much weaker squad, watching Stu Barlow wheel away after scoring a brace, being given a carton of chips, the bustle of the crowd, even then it felt special. I really want to instill that enjoyment into my 7 year old but it's so difficult to keep him interested ( He finds more joy in watching his adopted second team, Spurs). Even trying to explain the concept of us being in the premier league is a laughable idea to him (I literally had to show him every available programme I had from what I've collected from the pinch me season and every you tube video I could find to prove our membership to him). I suppose I've seen flickers of success but nothing compared to what I wish I'd been part of just a couple of years before my first ever game in that 95/96. It's bewildering how many generations have been starved of success. It's no wonder there is a build up of apathy and frustrationtowards the club at the minute. 

[Londonboy]

On 11/3/2019 at 11:21 AM, JoeP said:

 

Was that the City game when their fans basically tried to rip down the Lookers stand?

 

Before my time, but I've heard the story..

 

It was Joe.

I'll always remember some complete coked -up tool from City  (must have been around 16) kicked the seat out in front of me and my old man. Before he had the chance to throw it my dad slapped him on his shoulder, and as he turned round out of no-where my old man absolutely  lamped him and flattened his nose...made a right mess of him! It's the only time I ever saw him throw a punch in anger!! Atmosphere was pretty intense in there that day though.

Think we were on a horrific run at the time and lost 1-0.

[peanuts]

3 hours ago, Londonboy said:

 

It was Joe.

I'll always remember some complete coked -up tool from City  (must have been around 16) kicked the seat out in front of me and my old man. Before he had the chance to throw it my dad slapped him on his shoulder, and as he turned round out of no-where my old man absolutely  lamped him and flattened his nose...made a right mess of him! It's the only time I ever saw him throw a punch in anger!! Atmosphere was pretty intense in there that day though.

Think we were on a horrific run at the time and lost 1-0.

that was a fun afternoon in the chaddy plod had totaly lost control  by about 2.30 one of the few times ive ever felt unsafe at BP  along with that game v wendies 

[al_bro]

4 hours ago, peanuts said:

that was a fun afternoon in the chaddy plod had totaly lost control  by about 2.30 one of the few times ive ever felt unsafe at BP  along with that game v wendies 

And Sheffield United when they ran across the pitch into the Chaddy. The lads at the back on the wooden steps were soon off, and all we heard after that was much louder shouts of "United"

[peanuts]

14 minutes ago, al_bro said:

And Sheffield United when they ran across the pitch into the Chaddy. The lads at the back on the wooden steps were soon off, and all we heard after that was much louder shouts of "United"

yes that was another fun afternoon on the boards in the chaddy 

[al_bro]

I remember years ago when we played Notts. County when they tried to take the Chaddy. There was the usual rumble as they got closer to the centre. Then all hell broke loose and they got a right pasting. Police were helping a few out with bloody noses etc. A chap near me said to the person with him, who had said how bad it was, " Well, that's what they came in here for"

[inspectormorose]

10 hours ago, Londonboy said:

 

It was Joe.

I'll always remember some complete coked -up tool from City  (must have been around 16) kicked the seat out in front of me and my old man. Before he had the chance to throw it my dad slapped him on his shoulder, and as he turned round out of no-where my old man absolutely  lamped him and flattened his nose...made a right mess of him! It's the only time I ever saw him throw a punch in anger!! Atmosphere was pretty intense in there that day though.

Think we were on a horrific run at the time and lost 1-0.

 

7 hours ago, peanuts said:

that was a fun afternoon in the chaddy plod had totaly lost control  by about 2.30 one of the few times ive ever felt unsafe at BP  along with that game v wendies 

Am I right in remembering some City fans had found a ladder from somewhere and climbed from the paddock up into the Lookers seats or is time and distance making me imagine it?

 

Was at the back of the Chaddy that day and it was like the wild west, saw one lad randomly grab another and crack him then apologise when he realised it was a fellow Latics fan.

 

[Magic Mikey]

1 minute ago, inspectormorose said:

 

Am I right in remembering some City fans had found a ladder from somewhere and climbed from the paddock up into the Lookers seats or is time and distance making me imagine it?

 

Was at the back of the Chaddy that day and it was like the wild west, saw one lad randomly grab another and crack him then apologise when he realised it was a fellow Latics fan.

 

Yep, they got the ladder that went up to the gantry and passed it down to the paddock. 

[wiseowl]

On 11/3/2019 at 11:21 AM, JoeP said:

 

Was that the City game when their fans basically tried to rip down the Lookers stand?

 

Before my time, but I've heard the story..

A crazily scary day. The gates were open very early that day (maybe 1 or 1.30pm) and thousands of city fans in the RRE early doors. There was perimeter fencing back then but it didn't prevent city fans swarming all over the place. The "cool cats" were out in force (one of city's firms from Moss Side) and within 10 minutes they were in the Lookers. A policeman was knocked unconscious by a thrown seat to the head. That sort of set the scene for random thuggery and violence from city fans. The police were attacked in the RRE and it got pretty dangerous as they couldn't escape due to the fencing. They were cornered and about a dozen of them had to draw batons and literally fight for their lives to escape via a gate near the goal. 

 

The violence continued afterwards when city were attacking people left, right and centre. They took over the Hare and Hounds at the top of Yorkshire Street and set about wrecking Yorkshire Street for an hour or so. Someone "in the know" told me that there was more to it than met the eye i.e. there was an orchestrated revenge attack for something that had gone on previously. Certainly the worst football violence ever seen in the town (including Sheff Wed, Stoke City etc.)

[wiseowl]

On 10/24/2019 at 12:21 PM, No Pyro No Party said:

Were all the pubs full? 

Pubs used to be part and parcel for a lot of fans No Pyro. Half a dozen of us used to meet up in The Snipe (Oldham town centre) around dinner time and then have a trek down to the ground. You could head down Rochdale Road or go the Middleton Road/Featherstall Road route and have a few scoops on the way. It's frightening how many of those pubs have gone now. Here are those I remember off the top of my head which exist no more :-

 

Ring of Feathers, Spotted Cow, New Museum,Trap Inn, Whitestone Inn, Old White Hart (Chaddy Way), Spinners Arms, Royal, Queens, Brook Tavern (although built later), Westbourne Hotel, Westwood Inn, Elevenways, Horton Arms (Midd Rd one)

 

Great pre-match atmosphere in most and the camaraderie was fantastic amongst fans. I lament the demise of the traditional pub; it's as dead as a dodo now from Oldham town centre down to the ground. In fact, I think I am correct in saying that there's not one single pub left if you were to walk down to the ground from The Tommyfield end of town (unless you take a detour to the recently re-opened White House on Oldham Edge).

[Summerdeep]

Interesting thread. The 'great days' for me were 1970-74, two promotions under Jimmy Frizzell, terrific attacking football with proper wingers (Heath, Bebbington, McVitie, Groves), legendary strikers (Fryatt, Shaw, Garwood), superbly creative midfielders (McNeill, Bryceland, Blair), classy defenders (Wood, Whittle, Bowie) and great characters like Harry Dowd in goal.

 

Lost interest after around 1975, but still went to a few games a season up to about 2005 (last one being a dire 0-2 defeat at Brentford). First game I ever attended was v Northampton, a Tuesday night match in 1969, which was abandoned in the second half due to torrential rain, with the visitors leading 1-0. There must have been all of 1000 spectators present.

[RobinsDuckEgg]

1 hour ago, Summerdeep said:

Interesting thread. The 'great days' for me were 1970-74, two promotions under Jimmy Frizzell, terrific attacking football with proper wingers (Heath, Bebbington, McVitie, Groves), legendary strikers (Fryatt, Shaw, Garwood), superbly creative midfielders (McNeill, Bryceland, Blair), classy defenders (Wood, Whittle, Bowie) and great characters like Harry Dowd in goal.

 

Lost interest after around 1975, but still went to a few games a season up to about 2005 (last one being a dire 0-2 defeat at Brentford). First game I ever attended was v Northampton, a Tuesday night match in 1969, which was abandoned in the second half due to torrential rain, with the visitors leading 1-0. There must have been all of 1000 spectators present.

 

My best memories are from the seventies as well. Left the country in 78 but I never lost interest and always managed to get to a couple of matches a season. Ifollow has been a godsend even with all its problems  I can see them all.

[Midsblue]

Talking about memories of the big league.  Anyone remember us playing Sheffield Wednesday and Des Walker injured his leg on a pitch sprinkler?  This it may have been warming up pre-match or even half-time?

 

I may have dreamt it along with that t-shirt in the club shop of Chaddy the Owl ripping out of it.  All Premiership clubs had their mascots in them.

[JoeP]

15 minutes ago, Midsblue said:

I may have dreamt it along with that t-shirt in the club shop of Chaddy the Owl ripping out of it.  All Premiership clubs had their mascots in them.

 

There was a Latics "splash" shirt, which had the club crest with a backdrop of Jackson Pollock-esque blue and tangerine..

 

There was also a Latics bucket hat - the colours of my one ran in the constant rain at Glastonbury '98.

[dkay570]

39 minutes ago, Midsblue said:

Talking about memories of the big league.  Anyone remember us playing Sheffield Wednesday and Des Walker injured his leg on a pitch sprinkler?  This it may have been warming up pre-match or even half-time?

 

I may have dreamt it along with that t-shirt in the club shop of Chaddy the Owl ripping out of it.  All Premiership clubs had their mascots in them.

You didn't dream the Chaddy T-shirt, I had one.

[Summerdeep]

On 11/5/2019 at 6:25 PM, al_bro said:

And Sheffield United when they ran across the pitch into the Chaddy. The lads at the back on the wooden steps were soon off, and all we heard after that was much louder shouts of "United"

 

I think the most spectacular pitch invasion had to be at the FA Cup 4th Round tie against Burnley in 1974. The Burnley fans had all been allocated tickets in the Rochdale Road end, but about 20 minutes before the kick off,  a couple of thousand of them (at least) charged across the pitch  and forced their way to the back of the Chaddy end, which was already pretty much full to capacity. They were the only team fully to 'take' the Chaddy End that season, though Blackburn did share it in the Boxing Day '73 fixture.

 

Burnley had a hell of a side at the time. They finished runners up to Don Revie's all-conquering Leeds Utd that season, and murdered us 4-1. Leighton James skinned Ian Wood alive twice in the first two minutes and laid on goals for Fletcher and Dobson, and the tie was over almost before it had begun.

[mick26]

3 hours ago, Summerdeep said:

 

I think the most spectacular pitch invasion had to be at the FA Cup 4th Round tie against Burnley in 1974. The Burnley fans had all been allocated tickets in the Rochdale Road end, but about 20 minutes before the kick off,  a couple of thousand of them (at least) charged across the pitch  and forced their way to the back of the Chaddy end, which was already pretty much full to capacity. They were the only team fully to 'take' the Chaddy End that season, though Blackburn did share it in the Boxing Day '73 fixture.

 

Burnley had a hell of a side at the time. They finished runners up to Don Revie's all-conquering Leeds Utd that season, and murdered us 4-1. Leighton James skinned Ian Wood alive twice in the first two minutes and laid on goals for Fletcher and Dobson, and the tie was over almost before it had begun.

In the main stand paddock for that as 16 year old and an older lad near me said " come on let's get them" as thousands of Burnley fan's ran towards the Chaddy.

Anyway it was a bit crowded so I didn't manage to keep up with him .

[Sparkleking]

3 hours ago, Summerdeep said:

 

I think the most spectacular pitch invasion had to be at the FA Cup 4th Round tie against Burnley in 1974. The Burnley fans had all been allocated tickets in the Rochdale Road end, but about 20 minutes before the kick off,  a couple of thousand of them (at least) charged across the pitch  and forced their way to the back of the Chaddy end, which was already pretty much full to capacity. They were the only team fully to 'take' the Chaddy End that season, though Blackburn did share it in the Boxing Day '73 fixture.

 

Burnley had a hell of a side at the time. They finished runners up to Don Revie's all-conquering Leeds Utd that season, and murdered us 4-1. Leighton James skinned Ian Wood alive twice in the first two minutes and laid on goals for Fletcher and Dobson, and the tie was over almost before it had begun.

They actually finished 6th that season.  Still a good side though.

[Summerdeep]

Yes, just checked, you're right about that. I do remember though that Burnley won 4-1 at Leeds shortly after the Boundary Park cup tie, which made our performance look not too bad in retrospect!

[RobinsDuckEgg]

4 hours ago, Summerdeep said:

 

I think the most spectacular pitch invasion had to be at the FA Cup 4th Round tie against Burnley in 1974. The Burnley fans had all been allocated tickets in the Rochdale Road end, but about 20 minutes before the kick off,  a couple of thousand of them (at least) charged across the pitch  and forced their way to the back of the Chaddy end, which was already pretty much full to capacity. They were the only team fully to 'take' the Chaddy End that season, though Blackburn did share it in the Boxing Day '73 fixture.

 

Burnley had a hell of a side at the time. They finished runners up to Don Revie's all-conquering Leeds Utd that season, and murdered us 4-1. Leighton James skinned Ian Wood alive twice in the first two minutes and laid on goals for Fletcher and Dobson, and the tie was over almost before it had begun.

 

Wood’s face that day was a dirge, but he didn’t foul him once, which was always Woody’s weakness – he was far to clean. If it had been Maurice it might have been a different story.

I think it wasn’t long after that that Tommy Docherty said “ oh yes that Leighton James is deceptive – he’s slower than he looks.”

[Summerdeep]

'The Doc' was a very colourful character in those days. After we beat his Man Utd side 1-0 at Boundary Park later that year, he described the Latics players as 'Fourth Division animals', LOL.

[Lukers1]

7 hours ago, Summerdeep said:

'The Doc' was a very colourful character in those days. After we beat his Man Utd side 1-0 at Boundary Park later that year, he described the Latics players as 'Fourth Division animals', LOL.

Should have been 2 with the goal that never was!!!

[fleetwood Blue]

I remember a Friday night game in December 1990 when we beat Plymouth 5-3, i was 13 years old thinking at the time we are definitely getting promoted to the top league and im now supporting the best and most exciting attacking team in England..Big Joe and Willie had put together a team that was capable of beating anybody on their day on plastic or grass..The buzz about the place was unreal and the atmosphere standing on the Chaddy with my grandad is something i will never forget..We used to spend the journey from Fleetwood to Oldham chatting about how many will Roger or Andy score today and the expectancy of a thrashing for anyone we played..Going to the last game already conceding in my head that West Ham had won the league, shez giving away that pen for sheff weds and Redfearn slotting it home with almost the last kick of the game to win 3-2, the game everybody dreamt of..

 

I feel sorry for those who have been brought up as Oldham fans from 1995 onwards, the downward spiral and the constant mediocre performances with Many dreadful teams and ownership with no ambition..Up until this season i was still travelling to games as a season ticket holder, my poor daughter being one of those unlucky enough to be born in the 2000’s so Often asks me why do i still watch Oldham when there are about 20 other teams from my house to Boundary Park..My Grandad has a lot to answer for..We live in the past with the memorys of those glory days, we all want them to return and to experience those few years once more, they may never happen..

 

 

 

 

[Worcester Owl]

On 1/17/2020 at 11:10 AM, Summerdeep said:

 

I think the most spectacular pitch invasion had to be at the FA Cup 4th Round tie against Burnley in 1974. The Burnley fans had all been allocated tickets in the Rochdale Road end, but about 20 minutes before the kick off,  a couple of thousand of them (at least) charged across the pitch  and forced their way to the back of the Chaddy end, which was already pretty much full to capacity. They were the only team fully to 'take' the Chaddy End that season, though Blackburn did share it in the Boxing Day '73 fixture.

 

Burnley had a hell of a side at the time. They finished runners up to Don Revie's all-conquering Leeds Utd that season, and murdered us 4-1. Leighton James skinned Ian Wood alive twice in the first two minutes and laid on goals for Fletcher and Dobson, and the tie was over almost before it had begun.

I remember being in the Chaddy End for a game v WBA some time in the 70s, reckon it was April 1976, last game of the season and they got promoted. At half-time (I think) a wall of West Brom fans came across the pitch from the RRE. We stood at our end thinking, well somebody will stop them, and then I realised people around me were scarpering left right and centre, so I took off as well! I just can't remember where I ended up watching the second half! We lost 1-0. 22,356 there that day.

[Summerdeep]

Yeah, I think that game was on Match Of The Day, when of course only two matches were featured. 1975-76 was a season of two halves: we did pretty well until about mid-January, peaking around the Xmas-New Year period (home win over Bolton on Boxing Day, in front of 25,000 fans, then a 3-0 win at Chelsea a week or two later). The rot set in shortly after: we won only one of our last 16 fixtures, and were a bit lucky not to be relegated. I recall seeing a dreadful display at Bolton in April (0-4), it was shown on Granada's Sunday programme and is on YouTube (I love the demolition job on Garry Jones at 1:20 !):

 

https://youtu.be/FwV1nrgP5uc