Dickie Down

Attendances at football generally dropped off a cliff in the eighties. The biggest attendances were almost always in the FA Cup.

Just looking at some stuff on Facebook. On March 15th 1986 we beat Palace 2-0 at home in Division 2, Championship in new money, in front of 3726.

I thought Conlon was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch.

Shame the great Maurice Whittle won't be there.

I always recall his performance against Notts County last season. A big factor in turning out season round then.

Reassuring that Hudson goes through to 2025. Norman a problem, though.

There used to be a contributor who updated a list of the contractual status of all of our players. Is that still available? Don't think Frankly is too far out, although perhaps some of those brought in last summer might be better with some of the old guard out of the way. It can't be a happy place at the moment with an experienced group waiting for the axe to drop and others whose careers have completely stalled over the last eighteen months.

Rugby don't play a home game in a six week block to allow the work to be done.

Plague of locusts for me. Abandoned after 10 minutes.

One of life's great questions. What do want to happen when United play Bolton?

A brace for Willoughby tonight.

Gets in my best ever team.

Theresa May, your boys took one hell of a beating!

Interesting that the 73-4 season was your first. Notwithstanding the genius signing of Groves, I would have thought that in signing Andy Lochhead, Frizzell was trying to imitate the effect Fryatt had on the previous promotion team.

Fryatt was Jimmy Frizzell's first signing in 1970 when we were second bottom of the Football League. He completely transformed the team and the expectations of watching it. We got promoted the next season and didn't look back for a quarter of a century. That is why, in my opinion, he is the most significant. His signing started it all. Ritchie was a fantastic player and a brilliant signing, but only one of several around that time.

The most significant signing Latics ever made.

Pretty much my position.

21st October 1975. Division 2 ie Championship.

Definitely a league game. Won 3-2. The season after Southampton won the FA Cup, I think. Mick Channon played.

Yes he finished early. Came back to Latics on the understanding it was only on loan as we couldn't afford the fee. Ended up coming back on a free. Must have been knackered then. Retired after a couple of years. Remember the first game back when he scored a hat trick in the first fifteen minutes against Southampton. The club looked after him with the testimonial and Lees's got him The Crown and Shuttle in Milnrow.

Believe he ran into a goal post with Huddersfield and that put him back a bit. Hence we got him. Rumours that Bill Shankly wanted him, but was put off by the eye sight stuff. On his return to Latics he was still quick, but had bad knees. Was a very good finisher by then. Tough lad as well. Very late in his career he got sent off after wandering over to the Blackpool full back and headbutting him. Always wondered why. Perhaps the guy was responsible for his injury and it was his last chance?

And the thing is that Shaw, at that point in his career, was an extremely erratic finisher. Frighteningly quick, though.

Is the £5 m for the infrastructure projects or players or both?

Does it give the lie to the theory that our finances are overstretched?

Saw him watching his son once at Hunslet for Oldham in the 1990s. I would pay to attend an event with remnants of that team.