latic12345

I'm an ex Hulme pupil from the 1950s and I guess it's changed a hell of a lot since then. It didn't have a prep in those days so I went to Werneth Prep (God, that was an odd place!). If I ever have one regret in life, it was that I gave up even trying at school when I was about 14 or so. End result? Not one 'O' Level, wasted all the teachers' time, cost my (not very well off) parents a packet and never fulfilled any potential I may have had.

 

Those who know me will know I'm anything but posh and I'm far from thick, but I wasted an excellent education, which was what Hulme offered. I learnt from it, though, and made sure that the first Mrs Bristolatic & I gave our two children the best education even though we were never very well off. It paid off and I've got a son, daughter and 5 grandsons that anyone would be proud of.

 

This probably repeats what many have already said, but one thing stands out. Young Master Ollerenshaw has had a bloody good education (assuming he applied himself) and has a job most of us would do for nothing. He won't have been earning a fortune, but surely he would have had a couple of quidsworth of rainy day money put by. He only had to wait a matter of days and should have had more intelligence than to vent his spleen so publicly.

 

If Hulme taught him anything, he has forgotten about how to behave in the big, wide world. And that was part of what Hulme was all about; it taught you values. Have a long, hard look at yourself, young Joshua, and learn from this. You're a big boy now. If you demonstrate this attitude at the club on a daily basis, perhaps that's why you're at Mossley, Salford and the like. Grow up a bit, son, and you just might have a career. Maybe.

I agree with most things in here especially the bit about Hulme teaching good values. However, I would never play for Oldham for nothing. If I had no other source of income and they said come and play for nothing, I wouldn't do it. No matter how much you love the club, you'd be rubbish if you couldnt eat ;-)

We (me, Ragg and Slash) will be coming from The Oval area - someone come up with a plan for me and I will follow it. I don't trust Paul - he's too new to the ways of the South.

Get on the Victoria line at Stockwell / Vauxhall and get off at Euston or Highbury and Islington (depending on where we agree). Get there for around 1130-12. Drink beer. Get back on the tube and follow everyone...

If you're nearer Oval tube, get on there and take the Northern Line to Euston. I reckon we'll prob end up meeting there anyway...

O4u does make a valid point, the current set up means its job done if schools pass whatever targets the gov set at any level. So state school pupils dont get into oxbridge on the same ratio as private ones - but did the schools try to get them there? Or were the kids with potential already above the target level so not worth bothering further with?

I agree with this. When I was there, Hulme had an "Oxbridge" supplementary programme. It was voluntary for those interested and would brief you on colleges, give interview prep, help you write the application form etc etc. It was pretty good and meant that typically upto 6 students per year would get in. Not that bad a ratio really (there's somewhere between 50 and 60 in each 6th form year though).

I can concur that Hulme isn't full of lots of swots and clever types though. When I went, there were two ways in:

Going to the prep and "graduating" to the senior school

Taking the entrance exam

Those who went to the prep did alright, but just because they were clever at 7 when they entered the prep, doesn't mean they're clever at 16/18. Same applies to the entrance exam. Some would pass at 11 but it doesn't mean they take the opportunity. I can also agree with Maddog, typically those that didn't take the opportunity were those that probably didn't need to.

I'm doing Euston to Blackhorse Rd. on the Victoria line and on to Leyton Midland on the Overground.....'bout 35 mins. And then just over half a mile walk.

This looks like the best route. Meet at Euston around 12 for a cheeky couple or (selfishly) Highbury & Islington (The Famous Cock just outside the station) before heading over...

Sure yeah right.

 

Surveillance: someone spotted in a fancy car driving down Dalston Lane yesterday, Glee soundtrack blaring out, singing along, windows down...

I don't own a car and was up North this weekend ;-)

Where shall we go pre-match? Given travel chaos (well... no tube) shall we meet in Leyton or are we will braving Euston / central? There's buses galore out that way.

I'm getting a bus.

I'll probably do the same dependent upon any pre-match plans to have a pint of three near Euston. It'd be rude not to.

There is no Central Line between Liverpool Road and Leytonstone. Train over that way will have to be the only way there for those heading from central London. There are rail replacement buses operating...

I'm doing both of those and going to Orient. Boo-ya!

Just to be clear, we're not doing the first two together ;)

Anyone fancy going next week? I reckon the dam is about to burst. It's only a matter of time before we go goal crazy.

 

Might try a couple of beers before the game as well if anyone's interested.

Not sure if I can make it. Might be washing my hair or watching Glee omnibus...

Nah. It's Orient next week. Highlight of the calendar.

Yes yes. Not too long now until we can start a thread, organise the worlds greatest day out and then do something completely different on the day!!

There's still one unknown though that we'll have to resort to spectulation on, how long will the cashflow fighfighting exercise continue? 'cos close season is approaching fast where hardly any money comes in and wages still need to be paid...

Very true. We'll have season tickets but I fear that, with most of the squad out of contract, we'll be playing the ressies and yoofs next season at a different ground and swiftly end up in trouble

Dunno mate, I might be looking at this all very simplistically but I reckon its gone beyond cutting your losses - from what I've heard Blitz is struggling and that blog makes a point about this seasons budget being balanced with development investment that never happened. I figure he and his pals will want some money back at some point one way or another.

I wholeheartedly agree there. I think they want some money back. The loan (if not to the club) probably increases the risk they will pull out. I obviously phrased this wrong. However, a loan to SC means, as we were last week, we are in the hands of Corney, Blitz, Gazal and not anyone else. That, in many ways, leaves us in a similar position. It doesn't mean to say its not a difficult situation for the reasons you suggest.

Football clubs don't negotiate with banks. The answer is 'no' before the question is even asked. I'm not really bothered whether you believe it, or not.

oh ok, sorry, I'll get back in my box...

Really? I doubt that mate, very much.

The point I'm trying to make is that if Corney has taken out a loan, in his own name, and decided to put the money into the club, the club has the same risk as before i.e. Corney giving up the ghost and pulling the plug. If the club has taken out a loan, we now have another creditor, one that will be more ruthless and thus there is an additional danger to the club.

Okay then, either or. Give it a name. I'm flexible enough to see that, it's a "renegotiation" to address the "cashflow issue".

 

 

If you think "renegotiating" an overdraft or loan agreement isn't further endangering Latics, I'd like to hear another viewpoint, seriously. I am flexible to other opinions, unlike some.

These two things are very different.

If Corney has taken out a personal loan, it is charged against him, thus there is no additional danger to the club.

If the club has taken out a loan (they'd get it, just at a very very very high interest rate), and it is charged against the club, then this may endanger the club.

The club doesn't have overdrafts and loans (directors loan excepted).

I don't believe this. It may not have been using its overdraft but it would be daft if it hadnt negotiated it. It's very normal even for the best of companies as, at times, the working capital gets out of sync and needs correcting in the short term.

Seeing that he is only the chairman and not owner of the club, he cannot use anything within the club or part of the club as collateral.

Bullsh*t. People who run businesses they dont own renegotiate overdrafts and loans all the time. It doesn't mean they take them on personally.

365 days a year income? Why not buy a leisure facility somewhere else and use it to fund the club? Why not buy

a hotel and bowling alley in London?

 

I am not a businessperson.

I'd imagine there are significant cost savings to having one site. However, you would probably erode these less if the 2 sites were close to each other.

I too am worried about Huddersfield not sharing their ground in Winter...

Nothing has been announced, so there is nothing to respond to. As soon as there is an announcement over the immediate future of the club, then there will be a statement. As it is, we are all playing a waiting game. We could put out a statement saying how disappointing it was that Failsworth didn't happen blah, blah, blah but it would serve no purpose.

You could take a position on your thoughts about the immediate future of the club. You could drive and be proactive rather than wait for the ground to be sold and the move and then respond with protests

So my point is if fans keep saying the Club is going into Administration and putting the word round to everyone they meet, the damage you state [highlighted by me in bold] will be happening already, albeit to a much lesser degree than if Corney said it.

 

Those who believe it will happen may see it as the only way to save the Club, for which they will be happy.

That additional point is fair enough. Say enough and it will happen. However, I'd imagine a potential investor will take little notice of rumours on here. It isnt hard to sign an NDA and have a look for yourself. In addition, not paying wages has hardly sent a message of financial security to the masses has it?!?!

I am told repeatedly by regular attenders at BP that the Club is to go into Administration. I and everyone else was told repeatedly by Blitz, and is still told repeatedly by Corney, that he is determined not to go into Administration. I point this out 'til I'm blue in the face, but the regular attenders don't believe Corney, and I've concluded, rightly or wrongly, that they'll be disappointed if they have to admit they were wrong.

 

Of course the doubters may be proved correct in time, but I cannot understand why they persist in saying the opposite to the man in the know, and no doubt spreading their unfounded opinions to the many BP absentees. Skies are grey enough at the moment, and Latics are not making us happy, but I say stop spinning this doom scenario, and please don't take my sunshine away.

To be fair, Corney has his limitations, but even he is not going to sit there and go "yup, I reckon we'll be in administration by May". Let's get real with this one. He HAS to say that we won't go into admin. To proclaim we will would mean no investors would even look at the club until it happens, none of these development investors would come back, fans may shy away and the morale of the team will go even lower than it is right now. To think that Corney would be honest and admit administration will happen is fanciful. He admits it is a possibility. He says he doesn't want to do it. What motivation would he ever have to say anything else?

I don't believe he wants to do it. I, at the moment, believe it will happen. I'll be absolutely ecstatic if it doesn't. On current form, we may not be 10 points clear of the bottom 4 come the end of the season. This is very precarious and to suggest any Latics fan will be unhappy if the club doesn't go into Administration is as fanciful as expecting Corney to be honest about the prospect of it happenning.

Also, if we are struggling to meet the wage bill why did we add to it by paying an 'undisclosed fee' for Rueben Reid and putting the likes of Evina, Morais and Alibama (or whatever he's called) permanently on the payroll?

I dont believe for a moment that this added to the wage bill when you also look at who has been released

Seeya there garçon

Can someone please ask the question below that has just come to me.

We have only just met the wage bill this month (or will in a couple of days) and there are challenges at meeting the wage bill for the remainder of the season. Does this cost include the necessary PAYE costs that need to be kept back for the next bill from HMRC? If not, what mechanisms are being put in place to ensure we don't end up in Adminstration before the end of the season?

My job involves at least 4 of those, and also on a personal experience I have some knowledge of a fifth.

Not that anyone contacted me.

And yes, I did offer my services a while back.

I've had a similarly disappointing experience on a few occasions

Sorry I don't buy that one bit

The collapse of the Failsworth project should not have affected "short term" cash flow in any way.

Businesses, especially in the Recession, don't just "check/throw cash in".

Since Blitz withdrew, most money should have stopped on that anyway.

Don't forget OAFC do not own the land, Brass Bank Ltd do, so any costs are theirs.

And OAFC don;t own the Lancaster Club, so any cost is the TTA's not OAFC's.

 

The savings account will have taken a hit, but the current account should not have.

But we know this isnt the case. We know Oldham Athletic have paid for at least some of the planning costs etc.

I too don't but the line of "if Failsworth is still on track companies would have thrown some money in". Who and with what interest?

Ian, I read this as being the hint.."wages were not paid on

Friday due to a cash-flow issue. This is expected to be a

short-term problem which has been created by the withdrawal of

development investors?"

 

My reading was that the club has borrowed on the future sales of land to people who may have opted to buy a stake on the Failsworth site. Clearly the Board took too big a risk in believing that the land was a done deal. I was not alone when at the tunr of the year we suddenly offloaded dead wood and then bought new players.. where was all of the money coming from? I suspect we know now.

What is clear is that the club have overstretched beyond their means and that of the board of Directors.

It's good timing for tonight though. Some really key questions for those going could be:

What do the club mean by development investment?

Why is the club now not able to cover wages? Was turnover lower in Feb (than Jan / Dec given the cold snap)? Are the wages higher (paying off players plus new players however this should have been offset by the complete lack of recent goal and win bonuses going the way of our players)?

Or for the more contraversial:

What the f*ck are the board of directors doing assuming future investment related to property and commercial development will come in and needing it to pay wages?

Both the same questions. A stupid cock up and one I guess that cost us a 5-0 defeat