joe_lead

Outside the existence of a massive fan base / rich benefactor the historic model for running a football club is outdated and changing. We will be having the same discussions if SC were to be simply replaced with A N Other. Community ownership and the German 50%+1 model need serious consideration. There are several key benefits to community ownership. Below are some of the areas in which such an ownership structure can greatly benefit a football club and its supporters. Strategic Partnerships • It allows clubs to develop deeper and more long-term strategic partnerships. • A greater sense of shared agendas and partnerships between local authorities, clubs and business. • Ownership structure and increased transparency helps build trust between organisations. • Easier for supporter community owned clubs to align agendas with public or private strategic partners, meeting strategic objectives. Finance • Community ownership creates a greater sense of financial responsibility; an increased recognition for clubs to live within their means. • It allows clubs to raise finance in other, more innovative ways; such as through ‘Community Shares’. • Placing clubs in the hands of supporters allows more transparency in terms of clubs’ finances and makes relevant information more accessible to fans. Sponsorship • Sponsors are attracted to community owned clubs due to their high attendance figures when compared with competitors at the same level; e.g. FC United of Manchester and AFC Wimbledon. • It is also the reputational value of sponsors being associated with a club owned by its’ supporters that is added value for sponsors. • Reputational value can help to forge longer-term relationships between club and sponsor. Transparency, Openness and Trust • All supporters trust owned clubs have to publish annual accounts which have to be approved by members at their AGM. • Provides a level of scrutiny and recourse for supporters as well as a level of public transparency that is often lacking at other clubs. • Level of openness and transparency a key factor in developing and maintaining strategic partnerships, notably with public authorities and with fans. While community ownership is all about democracy, governance and further fan involvement in the ownership of cultural and social institutions, individual investors can still get something out of involvement in fan owned clubs. As the cases of Pars United and Foundation of Hearts show, supporters are happy to work with the business acumen of the investors, especially if they help by providing funding to buy the club or stadia.

Sky Sports News understand that the Oldham Athletic Football Club Board has been deeply saddened this week by the mocking comments with respect to the competency of individuals and professionalism within the organisation. Recovery of the clubs brand and image will therefore be the main focus over the coming weeks. In the first step to bring back both respect and higher footfall to the SportsDirect.co.uk.com.zerohourscontract Arena Park, which like every other stadium in the country has more than two sides, the visionary Athletic Board are going to the next level in Half-Time Entertainment. A source close to the club has told us that no longer will there be a need to go to Florida for an entertaining family holiday, an experiences of the Americas playground is coming to Oldham. As we speak I can confirm that four Killer Whales are on route from SeaWorld Orlando to provide half-time entertainment in tomorrows match against Doncaster Rovers. We have been told that a couple of Board members were initially sceptical at the logistics of holding the event in such a small window however the main protagonist highlighted that he had the necessary experience to control the event himself having owned a King Charles Spaniel, several goldfish and watched the Blue Planet twice. He reassured the Board that no water was required on the pitch as Orcas could hold their breath for 20minutes. He had done all the necessary research stressing that unfortunately they are too big to use the players tunnel so would need to be lifted from a tank located in the car park in using redundant cranes from the New Stand construction site. Once lifted onto the pitch these highly trained animals will entertain the crowds with their ball skills and jumping through hoops, what could possibly go wrong. The Board unilaterally agreed that it was a simple idea, and collectively could not understand why it hadnt been done before. A formal statement will be issued by the club later subject to there being someone available able to operate the copier.

An unknown member of the Oldham Athletic Board has been saved from a lake after jumping in to save a fish that he believed was drowning. He leapt head first into a near freezing Hollingworth Lake after spotting the trout had got into difficulties. Unfortunately he couldn’t get back out as the embankment was too steep and he spent four days holding the fish above water only to see it pass away in his hands. For four days he selflessly ignored the efforts and advice from on-lookers at the waters edge as he held the fish above the ever growing waves. The distraught Oldham saviour was eventually rescued as two helicopters, seven fire crews and paramedics raced to the scene. Firefighters eventually tied a rope to a tree and threw it to the Board member and watched as he eventually grabbed hold of it and clambered to safety. The stunned hero told rescuers he “just saw the fish and wanted to help it” on the way to hospital. The drama is now the subject of debate on social networking sites. One Oldham Supporter posted on the fans forum OWTB: “OMG what an arse, the guy has no grasp on reality” A Board collegue and former policeman has told Sky Sports News that : “It doesn’t surprise me, the heroism of the man knows no bounds, last month he was rescued from a radio mast in Heaton Park after trying to save a pigeon which he believed was stranded up it” Oldham Athletic will issue a statement later today ……. or maybe tomorrow.

Am pleased with the decision but absolutely disgusted as to the reasons why it had to come about. What a society we live in when innocent people are subjected to such threats, unfortunately it is not uncommon. Nothing to celebrate here, there are no winners only losers. A very sad and sorry week. Obviously not my words but .... Life is an echo. What you send out .. comes back. What you sow .. you reap. What you give .. you get. What you see in others .. exists in you.

On .... off ..... on ..... 80%on ..... off ..... on It may be a simple communication breakdown. The Sky reporter is asking his source about the situation with the Evans deal, but the source thinks he keeps asking about 'orange peel'

Not looked into it but think Tevez situation broke Premier League rules. Not sure about Football League rules. Call me a cynic but this al looks like a cooked up situation for others to financially benefit rather than Oldham. One player who hasn't played for 3years is not going to get us into the Champonship, if it coincides with more new faces this transfer window then I will consider it a genuine push for promotion. If not, then I will continue to suspect that the club is being used to carry the flak for others to line their pockets.

All these rumours of 'daddy' being involved financially and the PFA having their hands all over it make me suspect that Ched Evans will not be owned by the club. Some other party, say Daddy and Corney, will own CE, cover his wages and benefit from any future sale. OAFC are simply the vehicle to enable the full value of this asset to be realised. Myself and many others who will fall off the vehicle are the collateral damage. Just my thoughts because something isn't quite right here.

I also recognise your observations of the world, however if you want a new tomorrow then you have to make new choices today. I have chosen to no longer attend Boundary Park as it will now add to all the hate in the world, I will no longer wear a Latics shirt (as I have worn with pride for 40 years) as it will inevitably invite constant mocking and discussion of an abhorrent crime. To those who continue to keep the faith, I sincerely wish you well especially in your struggle to drive through the changes necessary to revive the Family Club image we once had. To the current Board could promise that you will do the next media announcement dressed up as a clown with a carrot stuck up your arse as it will make you look more professional.

Ohh noo it isn't !!!

SSN understands that the Joint Club and PFA statement is taking longer than anticipated as Gordon Taylor forgot to take along his pen and someone used the Oldham Athletic pen as a spoon and it is currently drying out on top of a radiator

Feeling a bit numb. There is never a right to do the wrong thing.

Over the years I have learned through experience never to react with my first thoughts on emotional issues. My immediate thoughts were ‘FFS No’ but having thought about it more I am now in no doubt where I stand. I grew up during times when women who took rape cases to court regularly came out feeling the guilty party. Men were acquitted because the woman looked or dressed a certain way and were obviously ‘asking for it’. I am happy that there is now improved protection for women where ‘no means no’ and the capacity for an individual to give consent is given consideration in judgements. The need for both male and female to think more about the consequences of their Saturday night actions is a step in the right direction in both rape cases and for society in general. Yes there will be injustices, always have been always will, but to go back to the way things were is a place we don’t want to go. The best advice I was given was not to put yourself at risk of harm or injustice or to go into a situation when you are willing and able to accept the consequences. Whilst there are some who worryingly suggest signing Ched Evans based on the possibility of his ‘innocence’, the basis for arguments on the thread has mostly been a combination of the recognition of the severity of the crime and his ability to ply his trade during his rehabilitation/following his time served. I totally agree that it is essential that society supports reformed offenders who have stayed on the right side of the law. Forgiveness and the offer of hope to offenders who conform to (what is considered) acceptable behaviour, and then go on contribute to society, is for the greater good of a modern society. Acceptable behaviour does require the showing remorse and not harassing the victim. I have always hated it when people say of football ‘aye but football is different’ when they try to justify why football should be treated different to other commercial organisations (e.g. the payment of creditors when clubs go bust). Unfortunately, I found myself saying just this when trying to justify why CE should not be allowed to be rehabilitated back into football. I have problems when the rehabilitation process itself puts communities at risk or is detrimental to society (e.g. what do with child offenders when they have completed their time). I’m in no way suggesting that CE poses a risk toanyone who goes to a football match, but the dynamics of a football crowd are such that it would inevitably create a more hostile environment than if he wasn’t there to the detriment of the thousands of other people present. For a convicted rapist to play professional football will inevitably result in hate filled chanting that cross the boundaries of banter. Women attend matches now more than they did before and chants about rape/saying no and even the sight of a rapist would make them feel threatened/uncomfortable. Those that had been victims of rape themselves do not deserve the unnecessary reminders when the watch TV or go to a match. Signing CE would bring with it an opportunity for EVERY other club and their supporters and society in general to feel justified in hating everything associated with Oldham Athletic Football Club. If anyone believes their matchday experience would not change for the worse they either kid themselves or have very broad shoulders. The ‘family club’ tag will be lost for a generation and any remnants of a family matchday experience will be lost to vitriolic chants associated with rape. Every time you mention you’re an Oldham fan you know what the next question is going to be. I’ve already had to have a difficult conversation with my 2 boys that I hadn’t planned having for another couple of years. I have brought my kids up not to hold football players as role models (although they have come back at me with Ribery) so the role model argument doesn’t work for me. The only ‘good’ that will come out of it is one person being rehabilitated through football and another individual making or saving money. So when you put CE rehabilitation it in the context of a greater good it simply doesn’t work in football from a matchday experience alone. This is before you bring into the argument sponsorship and the showing of remorse. So I have concluded that Ched Evans deserves the right to be rehabilitated into society but not in football. He should seek another trade, he is young and can chose alternative career path. Like other sports personalities that have fallen on the wrong side of the law or rules he shouldn’t bring further disrepute to the sport that provided him with a great opportunity. If the club wish to sign him then itwon’t be in my name and I have no desire to listen to rape related chants for 90minutes. If he believes he is innocent and wishes to clear his name, that choice remains open to him.

FWIW my advice to all Latics fans is to start drinking heavily

'Like thousands of others I was in Glasgow on Monday, trying to tie up some late Christmas shopping. Being a bloke I had no idea of where I was going, or what I was looking for, and the decision to go into Debenhams for a second time rather than elsewhere is down to nothing more than an idea I had to use the £5 reward voucher Id got from them a few hours earlier (invalid until Today as it turns out). I walked out the shop and turned right, totally oblivious to the chaos and carnage that had been visited upon the city a minute earlier. Where, 100 metres or so away, people lay injured or worse. People who minutes earlier you might have passed on an escalator, rubbed shoulders with in a queue, or stood beside for a few seconds to listen to the carol singers in St Enochs. The arbitrary nature of the event, like that last year at the Clutha Bar, stays in the mind. If only the helicopter fell 10 feet to the left if only the bin lorry was stationary at any number of red traffic lights that dot that part of town when the driver fell ill The immediate thought is that you hope no one you know was involved in it. Today and likely every future Christmas, some poor families will be trying to come to terms with the terrible realisation that it was their loved ones. It seems inadequate to say that your thoughts are with them, but in the absence of anything else its all you can offer. One of the most touching things for me was seeing people sprinting to help the injured, charging straight into a scene of devastation which must have been frightening as well as shocking. To turn on the news any day of the week and witness some of the stuff that happens in the world can regularly leave you in despair at the depths of depravity that people are capable of reaching. So to see people run into possible danger in order to help those suffering was humbling. To know that there are people, strangers, who will literally drop everything to rush to your aid, to comfort and hold you in your hour of need really does restore your faith in human nature. Condolences to all those who have lost family and friends.

I quite like your username, it makes me went to reach for a glass of port :winkything:

Give the man some peace. We got beat 7 - 0 whereas he got beat 7 - 0 and is still driving round Milton Keynes. By the way, each time you pass a large breasted bored looking house wife demanding unconditional sex can you tell them to stop e:mailing me. Every time I turn on the computer there's another sex starved woman from Milton Keynes requesting I meet up. Far too many :censored: things have happened this week. Even a 7 - 0 drubbing should feel a little less painful that it normally would.

The important figure is not what you put in. but what you take out.

I've just bought three One Direction tickets for my girls and will never have enough money to get to Heywood never mind Fleetwood

Apologies Maddog both for spelling and for not appreciating that Rooney was post Dickov, I'm sure you get the point I was making

Just wondering like, but are you guys speaking from experience or lapping up establishment fed dogma and bias to feed your own prejudice? For the record, one guy was singing during the minutes silence and many people were trying to get him to shut the FU. If you would like to know about the charitable foundations that this 'not nice' club is involved with and the historic principles that drive the work it does for charities and in the community then please PM me. I suspect however that you have no real desire to be enlightened about any positive aspects of Celtic FC as blind hate is by far an easier option. I have had to have words with Oldham supporters on several occasions for racist language (to the point that I stopped taking my kids) however I do not in anyway consider OAFC a 'not nice' club simply a few individuals who need educating. If you choose not to join in and support your team because a song is also sung by a team you dislike you maybe want to give yourself a shake and get over yourself. Back on topic, Rooney is back playing how he did before Oldham signed him. He's also back playing in the role/position he is best at which Dicov could never understand.

You're obviously giving it serious thought though Stevie which is what has been so refreshing about this referendum. I became a YES voter after a few months of personal research. I eventually came to realise that after years of distrust we had the potential to create a society and political system that reflected the make-up of the population. I looked back at what had happened over my lifetime, industries and communities destroyed, illegal wars, MPs expenses 'row', a banking crisis the solution to which was to create austerity for the working class so banks could be recapitalised and bankers maintain bonuses, seriously disabled people made to justify they are not able to work in order to receive support. I remembered how the right to demonstrate was made so difficult so the ruling class could not be threatened. We are ruled by those who understand that if you are silenced enough times you grow weary of defending your rights and accept that you are inferior. A compliant media has helped turn the working class against itself (divide and conquer): scroungers, immigrants, work shy, single mums, the list of stereotypes is endless. We have been left with a moral hierarchy where people with money are considered better than those on benefits. The result is an ever widening gap between the workers and those who we work for. When I thought of social injustice and then which way I would vote I knew a NO vote would result in status quo and whilst a vote YES wouldn't guarantee a better society at least there would be an opportunity to change. What's been good about the YES campaign is the growth from grassroots level, and its been done by talking, social media, public meetings to create a vision. Compare that with the NO campaign this week and the outrageous reporting by BBC. If you've read 1984 this week has been classic Doublethink whereby the BBC knew the truth but had continuously reported lies. Scotland is a resource rich country, the untapped oil is vastly bigger than is being reported, believe me when I say that an oilfield far bigger than anything in the North Sea lies west of Lewis. But its not just oil, we have highly respected research capabilities in key fields, food and drink exports far greater than UK average per head. To think that Scotland with its wealth of resources cannot make it alone beggers belief. There are economic reasons why Cameron doesn't want to lose Scotland as well as reasons of embarrassment. No longer would we have the ludicrous situation of the Scottish Fisheries MInister not being allowed to discus Fishing in Brussels when have the biggest stocks of key species in the EU, we can argue for what's best for Scotland. We can do better if we go it alone. For me The referendum is not about identity, it's not about economics it's about a once in a lifetime chance to create a fairer society for Scotland. Yes there will be difficulties ahead, yes it will be hard initially and I may have less money initially but know the longterm the benefits would be worth it for my kids.

We play Colchester next week, is there anything I should be aware of? Occasionally people put their foot in it and cause offence. Self policing by our supporters resulted in any offence caused being minimised. Lets not get all self righteous and simply accept that sometimes mistakes happen.

Not looking good. Stevenage are now on a roll and will finish well clear of us. Carlisle form improving and have just got a couple of decent defenders on loan. Very big game this weekend. Have a feeling that this is the year we finally leave Div 1

Absolute fantastic idea - could I add that, before they go back on, they should be assessed properly at the Royal A&E and made to sit in the waiting room for however long it takes. Ownership of a can Ralex and a Physiotherapy Certificate from the University of Gabon is no qualification for determining the extent of brain damage imparted by an unrestrained shirt sleeve.

Anyone who is intent on looking for -ves tonight needs to take a good look at themselves. You are meant to savour these moments, they are why we put up with what we do in between. If you want to have a moan tonight then do it in a dark room and leave the rest of us to enjoy. To those who left at half time, it'll be a long a long time before you witness that drama again and I'm glad you missed it. Absolutely amazing well done to everyone