How did it come to this?

[TheBigDog]

2 hours ago, oafcmetty said:

Anyone putting money into the club is enabling them. Boycott now - it's the only power we have.

 

1 hour ago, yarddog73 said:

Appealed for this over 12 month ago, unfortunately the apologists won the day, smoke the fuckers out and let them fund the shit show if that is their preference, if you contribute your part of the problem.

 

The key to this approach is that Abdallah Lemsagam puts the club up for sale (or the little of the club that he actually owns). There is no guarantee that he will do this until forced to. In the meantime no money going in - club goes deeper into debt - club wound up. Oldham becomes the next Macclesfield.

 

The club that was closest in predicament to us is Leyton Orient - they did not own the ground, had an owner who stopped investing or paying bills and wages on time. Performances on the pitch suffered. They fell into the national league and once again the courts forced Francesco Bechetti  to sell what he owned which has ultimately prolonged the life of the club. Maybe this is the best outcome we can hope for.

 

Btw. People often quote Blackpool as an example of fan power winning the day but it was a high court judgement that found the Oyston family of ‘illegitimate stripping’ compelling the Oyston family to pay £31m owed to a minority share holder, Valerie Balokons, that forced them to put the club up for sale. Only then did things change.

[Dave_Og]

1 hour ago, SweeperKeeper said:

Always amazed how much of a free ride Chris Moore gets on here

 

He's the number one reason we are where we are, and he barely gets mentioned

It's ancient history. It would be like blaming a throw in given the wrong way for a goal conceded an hour later. 

[oafcmetty]

13 minutes ago, TheBigDog said:

 

 

The key to this approach is that Abdallah Lemsagam puts the club up for sale (or the little of the club that he actually owns). There is no guarantee that he will do this until forced to. In the meantime no money going in - club goes deeper into debt - club wound up. Oldham becomes the next Macclesfield.

 

The club that was closest in predicament to us is Leyton Orient - they did not own the ground, had an owner who stopped investing or paying bills and wages on time. Performances on the pitch suffered. They fell into the national league and once again the courts forced Francesco Bechetti  to sell what he owned which has ultimately prolonged the life of the club. Maybe this is the best outcome we can hope for.

 

Btw. People often quote Blackpool as an example of fan power winning the day but it was a high court judgement that found the Oyston family of ‘illegitimate stripping’ compelling the Oyston family to pay £31m owed to a minority share holder, Valerie Balokons, that forced them to put the club up for sale. Only then did things change.

You've nailed it - the longer people keep putting money in, the longer he'll likely stick around, trying to make his model work. We can keep on down this road, but the emphasis is on down - it's only heading one way. He appears to be paying most of the bills (albeit some in a more timely manner than others), so whilst people keep putting their money in, all that will happen is that the squad gets poorer and poorer, reflecting the gradual ebbing away of support in line with on field performances getting worse. He's not magically going to start doubling what he's putting in, he doesn't have the money.

 

The alternative is imo the better option. No money going in. He clearly wouldn't be able to fund the club on his own, so he'd have to sell up, or be forced to via the courts. If people cared as much about the club as they said, they'd setup a fighting fund (ideally the Trust would be the vehicle for this, but that ship has long since sailed), and pay the money they would have spent on tickets etc into that. Then when the day comes when he does leave, we can support it going through the admin process, or supplement the funds any prospective purchaser had. *That'd* help the club's long term future, not propping up this clown.

[underdog]

Your Trust heavily supports the FSA sustain the Game! campaign.

 

Your Acting Chair has been heavily involved in this being set up too

 

This weeks article is how us individual fans of all clubs can actively do something. It is a start

 

https://thefsa.org.uk/news/time-for-action-sustain-the-game/

 

Although my bloody MP has not responded..tut

 

 

[singe]

12 minutes ago, oafcmetty said:

You've nailed it - the longer people keep putting money in, the longer he'll likely stick around, trying to make his model work. We can keep on down this road, but the emphasis is on down - it's only heading one way. He appears to be paying most of the bills (albeit some in a more timely manner than others), so whilst people keep putting their money in, all that will happen is that the squad gets poorer and poorer, reflecting the gradual ebbing away of support in line with on field performances getting worse. He's not magically going to start doubling what he's putting in, he doesn't have the money.

 

The alternative is imo the better option. No money going in. He clearly wouldn't be able to fund the club on his own, so he'd have to sell up, or be forced to via the courts. If people cared as much about the club as they said, they'd setup a fighting fund (ideally the Trust would be the vehicle for this, but that ship has long since sailed), and pay the money they would have spent on tickets etc into that. Then when the day comes when he does leave, we can support it going through the admin process, or supplement the funds any prospective purchaser had. *That'd* help the club's long term future, not propping up this clown.

At least the fans are starting to vote with their feet. The 1,400 is dubious as you can get, but even if true is not sustainable, and half last year.
iFollow sales will contract very quickly too.

[TheBigDog]

40 minutes ago, oafcmetty said:

You've nailed it - the longer people keep putting money in, the longer he'll likely stick around, trying to make his model work. We can keep on down this road, but the emphasis is on down - it's only heading one way. He appears to be paying most of the bills (albeit some in a more timely manner than others), so whilst people keep putting their money in, all that will happen is that the squad gets poorer and poorer, reflecting the gradual ebbing away of support in line with on field performances getting worse. He's not magically going to start doubling what he's putting in, he doesn't have the money.

 

The alternative is imo the better option. No money going in. He clearly wouldn't be able to fund the club on his own, so he'd have to sell up, or be forced to via the courts. If people cared as much about the club as they said, they'd setup a fighting fund (ideally the Trust would be the vehicle for this, but that ship has long since sailed), and pay the money they would have spent on tickets etc into that. Then when the day comes when he does leave, we can support it going through the admin process, or supplement the funds any prospective purchaser had. *That'd* help the club's long term future, not propping up this clown.

And that’s where the shadow falls - there is no guarantee, if supporters stop putting money in, that the club will be sold and survive. Going through the courts will almost certainly mean points deduction and inevitable relegation. It could also mean extinction. A slow death or a quick one? Either way it won’t be a painless death. 

[SweeperKeeper]

1 hour ago, Dave_Og said:

It's ancient history. It would be like blaming a throw in given the wrong way for a goal conceded an hour later. 

Enough people go on about Corney

 

But Moore is the reason the club went to Corney, why it was such a mess Corney took over.  

 

Without him, a better owner could've been found and handed over a relatively stable club.

 

[oafcmetty]

No guarantees, sure. But haven't we been told we're mostly debt free? Admin now (even with a points deduction this season) would be a lot easier than admin in 3 years when we're in the conference anyway, with large debts run up due to the dwindling support base. We know there are people out there interested in buying the club now. We should force his hand to sell up.

[Chaddyexile84]

5 minutes ago, SweeperKeeper said:

Enough people go on about Corney

 

But Moore is the reason the club went to Corney, why it was such a mess Corney took over.  

 

Without him, a better owner could've been found and handed over a relatively stable club.

 

Without the state we were in pre 2000 we wouldn’t have been landed with Moore we can go back and back till World War 1 fucked up our 2nd in the country standing, it has no bearing on the present.  Corney was a crook no doubt but he is not the reason we are languishing at the arse end of the football league not getting a single shot on target against pissing Morecambe 

[Dave_Og]

11 minutes ago, SweeperKeeper said:

Enough people go on about Corney

 

But Moore is the reason the club went to Corney, why it was such a mess Corney took over.  

 

Without him, a better owner could've been found and handed over a relatively stable club.

 

Yes. But it's irrelevant now. Too long ago to matter. Blame the financial crisis if you like, if that hadn't happened when it did we'd probably be in a better place. 

[JoeP]

I still blame Mark Hughes and Graeme Sharp for their respective roles in our demise at Wembley in '94.

 

Our decline traces back to that fateful day..

[Chaddyexile84]

5 minutes ago, JoeP said:

I still blame Mark Hughes and Graeme Sharp for their respective roles in our demise at Wembley in '94.

 

Our decline traces back to that fateful day..

Graeme Sharpe’s missed penalty against Leeds after the most blatant handball I’ve ever seen at Boundary Park always sticks in my throat as well. Made Southgate’s for England look powerful.  Win that 2-1 and we stay up 

[JoeP]

31 minutes ago, SweeperKeeper said:

Enough people go on about Corney

 

But Moore is the reason the club went to Corney, why it was such a mess Corney took over.  

 

Without him, a better owner could've been found and handed over a relatively stable club.

 

 

I hear what you're saying - I wonder if the fact he got his comeuppance makes people think justice was done to an extent, even if it wasn't directly linked to us?

 

He also gave us relative success, which many people count as all that matters, regardless of what followed. He abandoned the club, but having just missed out on promotion, we had a higher profile and were probably relatively attractive to potential buyers. 

 

At the moment we're sliding off the football map and are an even tougher sell than what we were then..

 

 

[steveecky]

I can’t understand the rationale behind the ‘starve ‘em out even if it means relegation‘ argument. The National league is half full of ‘traditional’ EFLTeams who descended never to rise again. Supporting means just that, through the bad times no matter how long they may last. I’m saddened that we have returned to the level they were when I started watching but it’s not the end of the world

[BP1960]

1 hour ago, steveecky said:

I can’t understand the rationale behind the ‘starve ‘em out even if it means relegation‘ argument. The National league is half full of ‘traditional’ EFLTeams who descended never to rise again. Supporting means just that, through the bad times no matter how long they may last. I’m saddened that we have returned to the level they were when I started watching but it’s not the end of the world

 

I think what annoys many fans is the alleged woeful interference in the teams affairs and this is not a club with that philosophy they want to support.

[LaticMark]

4 hours ago, SweeperKeeper said:

Always amazed how much of a free ride Chris Moore gets on here

 

He's the number one reason we are where we are, and he barely gets mentioned

 

Ah, Chris Moore. I wonder what he's doing now?

[oafcmetty]

2 hours ago, steveecky said:

I can’t understand the rationale behind the ‘starve ‘em out even if it means relegation‘ argument. The National league is half full of ‘traditional’ EFLTeams who descended never to rise again. Supporting means just that, through the bad times no matter how long they may last. I’m saddened that we have returned to the level they were when I started watching but it’s not the end of the world

Is it? There's a few, but most bounce back up.

 

The current regime is taking us there anyway - support the team, not the regime as they used to say.

[GlossopLatic]

8 hours ago, LightDN123 said:

Nope, you ? 

 

absolutely not its the one power we have as fans is to vote with your feet or your wallet

[al_bro]

If AL decides he's had enough and isn't prepared to put any more money in, we've had it. I want him and Mo out asap, but he has to sell to someone reputable. If he walks we immediately go into admin. and a points deduction. It's the administrators job to run the club, but with what? No income, with wages and other bills to pay. We don't have the luxury that Wigan had, being able to rake in millions from player sales and the sale of the training ground. OAFC has no assets at all. If the administrator can't run the club, or sell it immediately we get liquidated. Blitz said he would cover admin. when he took the club to court, but n the current circumstances would he still be willing to do that?

[Dave_Og]

11 minutes ago, oafcmetty said:

Is it? There's a few, but most bounce back up.

 

The current regime is taking us there anyway - support the team, not the regime as they used to say.

It's quite revealing I think that there are six former league clubs in National North and only one in South. 

 

No doubt lots of factors but I'm sure that one is because the North is overclubbed 

[Dave_Og]

2 minutes ago, al_bro said:

If AL decides he's had enough and isn't prepared to put any more money in, we've had it. I want him and Mo out asap, but he has to sell to someone reputable. If he walks we immediately go into admin. and a points deduction. It's the administrators job to run the club, but with what? No income, with wages and other bills to pay. We don't have the luxury that Wigan had, being able to rake in millions from player sales and the sale of the training ground. OAFC has no assets at all. If the administrator can't run the club, or sell it immediately we get liquidated. Blitz said he would cover admin. when he took the club to court, but n the current circumstances would he still be willing to do that?

Absolutely that. Administration is no panacea 

[unsworth blue]

The trouble is that the Lemsagems are not for turning, its their way or the highway. 

 

I have seen shit times before but, by and large, I have been able to retain my enthusiasm for the club due to other factors - it was always a good day out, fans could have a laugh, we had good people at the club - Gordy, Tony Philliskirk etc., the Board/owner tended to leave the playing side to the managers and players, the players, even when they were crap, tended to play for the shirt, we always had sufficient on the pitch to survive in a higher Division albeit it was often after a wretched first half of the season. 

 

I have no idea what the Lemmies are there for, what motivates them, what they think and how they think they are running the club. 

 

For me though, I have had enough. I am not prepared to support a regime that seemingly is completely the polar opposite to what I think - one that treats its employees and its customers with such disdain.  It hurts me so much to feel like this but I do. 

 

If the Lemmies had a change of heart and tried running the club for the benefit of the club/employees/stakeholders, stopped sacking everyone then I will happily return (no matter how shit things are on the pitch)..... I am not expecting to return under their tenure           

[GlossopLatic]

19 minutes ago, al_bro said:

If AL decides he's had enough and isn't prepared to put any more money in, we've had it. I want him and Mo out asap, but he has to sell to someone reputable. If he walks we immediately go into admin. and a points deduction. It's the administrators job to run the club, but with what? No income, with wages and other bills to pay. We don't have the luxury that Wigan had, being able to rake in millions from player sales and the sale of the training ground. OAFC has no assets at all. If the administrator can't run the club, or sell it immediately we get liquidated. Blitz said he would cover admin. when he took the club to court, but n the current circumstances would he still be willing to do that?

 

Its questionable how much money he is actually putting in. The balance sheet showed that we had £2million of trade creditors which suggests alot of unpaid bills putting my accountants head on thats pretty horrific and Phillipa the Trust chair whos expertise and experience is far greater than mine thinks so too.

 

The only positive solution is if Abdallah sells the club to a competent owner and makes a swift and dignified exit.

 

This seems unlikely.

 

So the chances are he's going to hang on and hang on taking the club down with him either way I can only see an ugly exit. Administration would be a very ugly way out of it with no guarantee of a positive outcome.

 

In conclusion its probably going to get worse before it gets better, if it gets better.

[longtimeblue]

19 hours ago, latics22 said:

I knew from day one that creepy smile said it all!

 

Reckon I got 10 downvotes on here for jokingly referencing his creepy smile on the day the promotional video came out. In retrospect, it may have been a sinister "you're all fucked", Bond villain, snarl.

[longtimeblue]

9 hours ago, JoeP said:

 

 

 

The decline under Corney was steady, but there was a base to work with.  It seems like a pipe-dream to even get back to that place.  I don't blame Corney for selling to this chap - I think if I'd got the abuse Corney got, I'd have gone back on my "only sell to the right person" line, but also if some mug was willing to offer me millions for something which is effectively worthless, as a businessman (rather than a fan) you'd be an idiot not to take it.

 

Too much slack mate. The decline was steady initially but was increasing daily (to the point we were close to admin if some sources are believed). We'd have been no better off with Corney at the helm. The damage was done and this charlatan was too self absorbed to realise. It needed root and branch. All under one umbrella. Wrong seller, wrong buyer.