BucksBlue

given that he just signed a one year extention at £80K a week (£4.1M a year) I would think that Paul Scholes is just about as outside as anyone could get! (unless of course the 3 amigos want to buy him out of his contract at united)

£1 a mile from me via justgiving.com good luck!

well we could always use their new training ground instead of building ourselves. It sounds like it will be larger than our own proposed stadium for all those capacity Oldham games!

OK then - here's one for you ... Oldham v Australia from 1987 (not so far removed from Latics glory days). The parallels are so (unfortunately) close. We only lost 22 - 16. It's like Latics playing Brazil and losing 1 - 0 to a lucky goal. Many younger posters on here don't even know how important rugby was to the community, and many of those 10,000 people who watched the rugby often on a Sunday or mid week, were the same supporters watching latics on a Saturday (fast forward to the oldham try on about 9 minutes - as good as you'll see today)

I also missed this thread the other day, and I'm also a 40++ years supporter. For 30 + of those years as an "exile" I've always timed trips back to Oldham around games, and made many a special journey for a home game. I last "happened" to be in Oldham the weekend of the millwall game, and for the first time ever, I got up on Saturday morning and thought "sod it, I can't even be bothered". I left and drove back down instead. I've always considered myself a loyal fan. Gate money is fortunately not an issue. I don't mind losing. I don't mind a bad season (or 10!). But at the end of the day I want to be half entertained. I don't care if we move, or if TTA are the owners, or if DP is the manager, but I DO want some effort and "product on the pitch". After all "professional" sport is an entertainment business. And the odd goal might help! I am not surprised that the gates have fallen. Get the results on the pitch and support will return. Challenge for play offs and people for will watch. Bums on seats will reduce losses for the owners, and cut all the armchair quarterback comments on here.

We were made to look good againsta very very poor side. How we didn't score more, I don't know. BUT if we can miss so many opportunities against such a bad team, and be unable to score "one on ones", then I don't share your optimism for the rest of the season. There is a reason why we are amongst the leagues lowest scorers, and I saw nothing to show that will improve against better opposition. For all that, it was a entertaining game, with chances, penalties, goals and a sending off. A good game to watch between two sides where their place in the table probably reflects their true levels. OH - yes - terrible substitutions!

clear blue skies and sunny, but very cold - great winter's day have a good trip!

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The roads are all fine at the moment. All main roads have been salted. Only small side residential roads have a few inches of slush and ice. But it will get colder overnight. Unless there is a lot of snow tonight then the roads will be fine. And if the pitch is heated, then no reason not to play. I remember games in the snow at BP back in the 70's. The chron would run an advert Friday night saying "anyone coming in to help clear the terraces would get in free" for the game. Then they would clear just the pitch markings / lines - and the match would play on in snow! Happy days!

Just went to a store less than a mile from the ground. 4 inches of snow last night, now packed to an inch. Roads clear and wet. A few new flakes in the air and more in the forecast. The issue is ice around the area ... melted snow today, freezing now and expecting to hit minus 5 tonight.

what kind of crap is this when a 3rd division team doesn't field its best side for what was the world's best ever domestic cup competition! My comment isn't directed at you "tangerine", but at the banal world of league football today! But personally, I disagree with your suggestion for this one. Leeds have a huge ego and a fan base to statisfy, and a team going great in the league. They will WANT to progress and get a few scalps well above the level of OAFC .

so does anyone think Barry or a club official will respond to all these ideas and "constructive critcism" in this thread? But this thread does make a mockery of Barry's "shoot from the hip, your club needs you" article.

and I forgot to add, that last season a bunch of mates (6) bought me the match day sponsorship deal for my birthday - meal / drinks / photos with MOM (Chris Taylor) etc etc. Great day out and several £100 notes to the club. Guess if I ever heard back asking if we wanted to do the same this year??

The data base thing is so "basic" it's a no brainer. I sometimes go to watch my local team, which happens to be Wycombe, and I sometimes go to watch Wasps Rugby at the same ground. I have only ever bought occasional match day tickets for interesting games, but I constantly receive emails from both clubs to update on special deals, and ask if I'm interested to buy tickets. Most times it's a "no", but a few times I do think "yep, that sounds OK. Nothing else planned that day. I'll go". And I have no allegience to either club so there really is no special motivation - just good marketing which stikes a chord and raises interest. And then at the start of each season they each send a couple of letters / a glossy mag promoting season tickets and special deals etc. Compared to latics - I've supported over 3 decades, former season ticket holder etc. Buy tickets frequently. The ticket office has my details on their data base. I've never received a letter or an email in the last decade (even when we had marketing managers!).

200 miles each way from South Bucks. I make about 5 home games and 5 away each year. I could do more, but my criteria is the "product on the pitch". When we're playing well I'm happy to make more effort, but I'm not enthused by a 400 mile return trip at times we're in lousy form.

It could easily have gone either way. Like all average division 3 sides, we both lacked players with flair and a finisher. Come back at the end of the season and we'll see where we are. I'll be very happy to be proven wrong!

As one of the few OAFC supporters there (and never one to "knock" players in over 40 years), I can say that the "optimism" is too much too soon. The game I saw was between two very average mid table league one sides. You could count the scoring opportunities on one hand for each side. Both sides missed them (except for a "down the middle" penalty).

absolutely being an exile I thought I may not get tickets, so I had my sister (who still lives on Oldham) go and sit in the stand for hours I feel quite guilty now

I am surprised by some of the myths and suppossions in this thread. (1) someone said TTA have put £10M into the club and deserve to get some of it back. (2) a number of people have said "we need to sell land at BP to have funds for new ground construction". Both these points are flawed. TTA made two purchases. First they bought OAFC, the club. They have supported the club and funded operating losses to the tune of about £500K a year. So perhaps £2.5M - £3M over 5 years of ownership. Perhaps less with some transfer receipts and some TV money (if this is treated as extraordinary income) and not "core" to the reported trading losses. But it's easy to find out if anyone wants to check with companies house. In any event it should £3M maximum and nowhere near £10M. Secondly they bought BP and the land around back from the club. But they bought this as individuals (through another investment company). They did not buy it throught the club. OAFC does NOT own BP and the land. It is interesting to note (albeit an old story) that the land repurchase from the council was a consequence of negotiations from an original "buy back" clause which was originally for the benefit of the old (pre bankruptcy) club. As I recall the buy back clause was about £3.5M. But the point to note is that a former club asset (the buy back clause at a pre agreed rate) was "grandfathered" away from a club benefit into a personal benefit for common shareholders. So anyway, now they are free to sell all or part of the land as individuals, irrespective of whatever happens to the club, and irrespective of wherever the club is moved to. I am personally not so cynical of TTA's motives in the big picture. They have said they will sell to the "right" investor. They have put their money into the club, and they don't owe any more favours to the club or to the fans. If they pull out tomorrow, then I would say "thanks for at least supporting the losses for 5 years". The one area where I am really confused is the financing for the new ground. TTA have said that the club will be owners of of the new ground. That's great. But that can only happen with a balance of deposit "money down" and a financing "mortgage" / commercial property loan. Selling land at BP does not achieve this, unless TTA are going to put personal proceeds from land sales (or property development margins) at BP towards the new ground costs. If they do that, then they will effectively be injecting further personal capital into the club. As individuals they are not obliged to tell us anything, but despite many statements about transparency, I for one would be very interested to know how they truly intend to finance the new ground, and with what proportion of debt.

100% correct oafc0000 -I went for the first time last week. I went to the RL Challenge Cup final. Stadium excellent (but could never justify the expense). Atmosphere phenomenal! Everything works really well. No lines at entry or bars. Great transport links. Someone can critcise the cost or the sport, but never the venue. And as a side note for those youngsters who want to hate the "egg chasers" ... I was born and bred in Oldham and was proud to support ALL Oldham sports. It always was, and now still is, a magnificent occasion to go to Wembley for the Challenge Cup Final. And what is particularly great is to see that it is a "big day out" for ALL RL northeners (both those that come down and those who live locally). I was in with the Warrington supporters which added value, but the place was filled with supporters from all RL clubs all wearing their home club shirts(including Oldham), and all happy side by side. Football could learn something from it, and I would be VERY happy if the new ground also becomes a home for Oldham RL!

I'm just helping with construction of a light industrial estate on a former 10 acres gas works site, very similar to Hollinwood. Remedial work for land reclamation was about £1.5M (which was considered reasonable in the London area because of land values), but the big issue is that remedial work on a gas site takes 18 - 24 months, because they use bacterial agents to break down the polution. So stadium construction could not even start for 2 years and it seems TTA would not wish to wait this long ...

I agree with most of your comments on this thread corp. I'm also a 35+ year supporter. Never moaned at any player on match day. But like many others silently suffered from time to time, and "vote with my feet" (as I did when RM was manager, but only because the football was dire). I made the first three league games this season. It's obvious we're mid table at best, and it wasn't because of poor work rate, poor system, and too early for manager's fault. It reflects an average team (or a below average team) in a medicocre 3rd division. And it reflects the affordability for the owners. No criticism there - they've paid enough! So I will stay a supporter, but (laws of average, not for another 35 years!). But will I make that extra effort to make that trip to BP to see 2 average teams. Guess not, and if that makes me a "fair weather" supporter, then I'm one of 100s (or 1,000s from the good times).

Their web master must have a crystal ball, because he says "in October 2009 he broke a bone in his foot ruling him out until the start of the following year" I hope we did buy another crock!

nice to see you online ... any comment on the Chris Taylor rumours??

I've been to each of the first three league games. After Orient I posted .. "We played with "bite" in midfield and we chased and harried for every ball... However, we do seem to lack in imagination and creativity. With a couple of exceptions the midfield dont thread balls through, and in fact the midfield was often by bypassed with the long ball overhead to Pavel. To his credit Pavel held the ball up well waiting for supporting players, or laying the ball off from head and foot. But other teams will soon work this out and, aside from Pavel, we did not have much attacking edge. On other days, like Stockport last week, we will boss the midfield but with no alternative striking options, we end up nil nil at best." At Millwall we had the same shape as we did at Orient, but for some reason we were much tighter through the centre of midfield, and we had no width. Both of their goals came from spreading the ball wide and then getting it into the danger zone, and on both occasions we were stretched. And because we played with more with, the "bite" in our midfield was diminshed .. they simply played the ball around us. As for real creativity, it was still VERY limited. Pavel had a quieter game (but was still decent) but we had few alternatives apart from 2/3 runs through from midfield over 90 minutes. So after 3 games, I think we are about where we deserve to be W1 D1 L1. And I think over the full season that's where we'll end up. But the're will be ups and downs to get excited about .. looking at all results so far, this league seems a lot more even than most people predicted.