al_bro

Denis Irwin for Utd. when they beat us 6 - 3. If I remember rightly they went 2 up at half time. We pulled 2 back, then they ran riot.

It may only be 100yds. but haven't you seen the away fans hudded together as far back as they can go when its raining. I never get wet in the Chaddy, and the wind rarely blows straight into the Chaddy. It will be even worse in the RRE when the New Start Mortgage comes down.

If they open that stand up to home fans you are welcome to sit in it mate. Nothing to do with change, just the rain and icy wind 20 games a season.

I guess we would have to do some negotiating on this. There's no way they should expect to be paid for goals scored. We did pay £50000 for Beckett as a non returnable fee for a loan wereby they couldn't recall him, but I thisnk Sheffield Utd wanted the fiull transfer fee when we wanted to buy him. Eastwood did well at Southend, but can he repeat it. Is he really a proven goal scorer? Obviously he can't do it in the Championship, or maybe they don't play to his strengths.

It could have been worse. He might actually have signed for us and deliberately thrown umpteen games by missing loads of chances.

I thought that Shez would have done that yesterday. However it mean he must leave out either Allot or McDonald and play 4 4 2. I'm not sure which is best, but I think 4 4 2 works better at home. Away we should stick to the 4 5 1, or 4 3 3 as Shez prefers to call it.

Crossley is a good shot stopper, but anything coming across he is very shaky. A couple of times yesterday he started to come for a cross and stopped. He's got to either stay where he is or come and get it, otherwise the defence aren't sure what he's going to do. If a defender sees him coming out of the corner of his eye, then he expects Crossley to carry on coming out, if he doesn't the defender has problems. We have had better goalkeepers last season and let them go. Beresford is a better keeper than Crossley.

It's the agents telling the players to hang on for better deals than they have already received. If no more offers come in that are better then they sign at the last minute.

Davies does not have a footballing brain, and unfortunately it's something that can't be taught. If Shez keeps playing this 4 3 3 then Davies is playing where he's told to play out wide to pull the defence apart. Unfortuntely for him he doesn't realise when he must get into the box. He constantly makes the wrong decisions, and I'm sure it's in his head the Hughes is catching him up in goals scored, and won't pass to him when he's in a better position because of that. Someone said lower down the thread that we would only be just above the drop zone without his goals. On the other hand we may be in the top six if he had passed to players in better positions. He also seems to be a player who needs confidence, and the crowd shouting his name will help him a lot. So lets hear it next game.

I regard Walsall as a much smaller club than Oldham. Crowds seem to go with history. Clubs like Burnley, Preston etc. get larger crowds from smaller catchment areas because they have past glories, both used to be teams in the top division for a long time. These days competition from the premiership matters, Walsall have the bigger West Midlands clubs on their door step West Brom, Wolves Birmingham and Villa. Wd have the Mancs., also kids unless they get hooled at some stage, follow the prem.clubs even though they don't go. Wlasall have been relying on loan players, and will do so again as we do, but I'm sure that we have a bigger budget, but I would think that the wages the platyers earn are much the same as ours, with the odd exception..

The highest again is Southport 1974. All four sides were full of Latics fans. Their average gate as I remember at the time was around 3000, and I think the gate that day was over 12000. Great atmosphere, we won and the journey back was magic. Coach after coach of us. The least was probably Orient away in an FA Cup replay. Terrible game, and we were beaten easily by a team I think at the time were two divisions below us.

Unfortunately he was signed on a 3 year contract. This mistake has cost us big time. Should never have given him a contract this long with his history. He'll probably sign for Walsall when he's fit and get another 2 1/2 year deal. Then the trouble will start again for them. Easy to get flashy cars isn't it!

Davies hat trick!!!!!!!! seriously though McDonald again, Trotman or Stam and Davies or Smalley.

We have a wage cap to keep to, and it wouldn't be fair to pay massive wages to a newcomer. I was a bit worried about the KK situation. If he had decided to stay, it may have upset one or two of the others, thinking they were as good and wanting the same money. I was thinking that it may have ruined the togetherness of the players at a critical stage. We can't bring people in on £4000 a week never mind £7000, and someone earning that, is never going to accept less than half, until he has to when his contract runs out.

It will be a nail biter for both clubs, and a hell of a lot of cash at stake. I think however that our home form has to turn around at some point, but we will miss Hughes. Our defence however is very capable of stopping your strikers, therefore a 3 - 1 win to Oldham.

If Tatlor were allowed to play on the right, he would be a much bigger threat, and a better player, and possibly worth a lot of money. Therefore £250k + Vernon is nowhere near enough. What we need is a left winger.

I'm going back a long time now when we used to get decent gates in the old 3rd division. Away managers used to comment on what an intimidating place Oldham was to go to, because of the noise coming out of the Chaddy. When the seats went in the atmosphere disappeared. Most of the seats were bought by season ticket holders, and most of the central seats still are. People singing are spread around the ground, if the people on the side moved back into the Chaddy things would improve no end. At away grounds everyone's in the same place. It's said that the RRE is the best stand, maybe so, but I ain't sitting in it week in week out, having freezing cold horizontal rain blowing in my face. It would be fairly full on most occasions leaving the people at the front wishing they hadn't bothered to go.

Exactly, but how are we supposed to compete if we get promoted? The crowds won't be anywhere near big enough, nor will the off field income match anything like the average Championship side.

£500k is peanuts for him. Could we sign someone as good for the same money? I don't think so. How much of a sell on have Burnley negotiated? We may have to pay them 25% of any fee we receive.

I seem to remember that we had a lot of injuries when RM was with us, and people were saying that his training methods were causing it. Looks like they were right.

My view is - Pogs - release, or keep as backup. Crossley - release, not good enough. Stam - offer new contract. Trotman - 4 year contract extention Liddell - release to free up wages. MacDonald - offer new contract. Smalley - offer new contract. Alessandra - offer new contract.

Last time I went there was a cordon of police between Millwall fans and us, but once on the road to the station there was no segregation. No trouble though, the only threatening looking fans were ours that day.

I'm sure Alan Hardy said on the OS that the land would now be sold to the resedential developers, to finance the new stand and the rerst of the development. If the land wasn't sold, how would TTA get the cash to build everything else?

They do me to. They'll be their if we reach the 3rd round and draw a Prem team won't they. As season ticket holders they'd get in 1st as well. I reckon vouchers should be handed out in the 1st 2 rounds if we are at home. If season ticket holders haven't got them, they should have to take their chances with everyone else.