LaticsPete

https://medium.com/@j4jammy/why-we-started-wakelet-7702e0c9ee85

Back on topic. Walk the league.

Nothing secret about his laughter if that happens!

Face In the Crowd Alan Dein Four Corners Books 2018 Hardback 96pp £8 A crowd of people at a football match in the 1950s. Nothing unusual about of photograph of such a group. Probably a range of ages even if predominantly male and white. Invariably standing on the terraces. But there’s one individual that stands out although not because of any physical characteristic. He might not even know that he is being photographed but there’s no mistaking his importance. He has a white circle around his head. For at least thirty years the “Face In The Crowd” feature was part of programmes up and down the country. The lucky supporter was able to claim a prize, often tickets for an upcoming match, sometimes cash, and his five minutes of fame was immortalised in the match programme. Looking back at these group images, always black and white, of anonymous fans is interesting in itself. The clothes, haircuts, expressions without passion (they usually but not always were taken before the match or at half time) are themselves a record of football history. This book has a collection of images from programmes spanning 1956-1980, a period that at the beginning saw most clubs introducing photographs for the first time and by its close barely a programme was without multiple pictures. There’s an added dimension of interest. Who were these individuals? Where are they now? Do hey still follow the same club? Did they ever know they’d been singled out and claim their prize? And is there a spooky similarity to those pictures of people in a crowd identified as being wanted by the police, or who later became notorious for something else? Why did these competitions end? Are there any clubs that still carry such a feature? An intriguing little book that’s redolent of earlier days in the game. P.S. For Latics fans. As far As I can discover the first time we used photographs in our programme was for the special issue to commemorate the floodlight commemorative match v Burnley in 1961/2. A glossy, art, paper was used for the content and team and individual pictures appeared. However it could be argued that from the beginning of the at season a photo appeared on the back cover - in an advert for JW Lees' Tulip Lager. On a regular basis then I think photos began to be used in !966/7.

Oldham 3 Northampton 1 ht 2-0 Lang 5110

Newport 1 Oldham 1 Ht 0-0 O'Grady 3989

Lionel Messi and The Art of Living Andy West Pitch Publishing 2018 Hardback 223pp £16.99 The greatest player of all time? If not, then certainly up there on the podium. Someone who can turn matches, competitions, seasons, and, seemingly, with an innate, instinctive talent. Is it really that simple? Or is there an underlying framework of processes and approach that can be analysed and possibly applied to other activities? This book attempts to understand how Messi has got to the status he has, delving into his own development along with the manner in which the output of those alongside him has been maximised. It isn’t a chronology of his career rather a dissection of what has made it so successful. Assisted by interviews with just seven people, only two from football, the author provides a description of the persona that is Lionel Messi that helps the reader understand why it is like that - and are there lessons that can be taken from it. This isn’t a management textbook, or a treatise on leadership, but it could hold its own against publications that set themselves up as such. It uses examples from Messi’s career to draw out approaches to life and work that could be applied by or to others. At a superficial level Messi appears to turn up and just be magnificent, something that most of us would struggle to do in our own lives. That level of excellence is something that has been achieved by building on natural ability with attitudes and outlooks on life and challenge that many others could adopt. A readily understood blend of footballing situations, matches, and individuals together with a disassembling of how outcomes have been arrived at makes this a stimulating read. There are elements of philosophy, insofar as they illuminate how the performances of Messi are affected by an outlook on life and the author has never let go of their practical application. Messi has worked incredibly hard both mentally and physically to be where he is today. He has not achieved the complete success that he would have liked ( a World Cup win has been out of his reach) and he appreciates that there is still a joy to be had in the “workplace”. Disregard the rewards that come his way financially. He is still an employee who comprehends the responsibilities of turning up for work: not only has he an excellent appearance record, he knows that those around him both contribute to and benefit from his contributions. (I found the chapter titled “The Reciprocal Altruist” one of the most enjoyable and readily applicable to elsewhere.) Failure and setbacks, dealing with personalities and the demands that the expectation of others place upon him, changing colleagues and managers, preparing for retirement; all positions most of us will recognise. The manner in which Messi copes with them, uses them to advantage on occasion, and maintains an apparent equilibrium on and off the field is in itself worthy of examination. The extra bonus of Andy West’s study is the lessons that can be extended to a wider arena than football. It is, indeed, about “the art of living”.

Exeter 1 Oldham 2 ht 1-1 Lang 5566 double checked to make sure all complete!

Ben Futcher was on the touch line yesterday , Asst Mgr at Mansfield

Oldham 2 Mansfield ht 1-1 Nepomuceno 4244

You’re too far gone Andy.....

Cheltenham 0 Oldham 2 Ht 0-1 Lang 3776

Accepted .

Sorry, i’ll have the programme...

Don’t know what the fuss is about. i sit in the MSU and if I have to move for one match it doesn’t bother me. Plenty of space. And I really can cope with a week’s notice - I doubt if the trauma will take that long to get over...

Oldham 3 Swindon 1 ht 1-0 Edmondson 3887

True. But that's possibly because they play at Prenton Park..

Don’t we say that no one individual is bigger than the club? I’m in s group of 10 Main Standers , ages 35 to late 60s, all been going for donkeys years, dislike much of what AL seems to be doing, or not doing, but will be there Saturday supporting the team. And any protest or boycott needs convincing people like us that it’s needed.

Coach breaking down? Wouldn’t have been an away trip on Barlows in the 60s if that didn’t happen.

Oh dear.

That’s not what I was talking about. Jorvik said that he wasn’t going. BigDog indicated that he disagreed with that stance. Both are entitled to their own opinion- and shouldn’t be outraged if someone disagrees with it. I felt “f off for judging people” was ott. Some of us will boycott, some of us will continue attending.

But if you proclaim (probably a bit strong) that you are not going, and give your reasons ( “a disconnect with the club”), then you have to expect a critique of them surely?

Or why should he ?

Colchester 0 Oldham 1 ht 0-0 Edmondson 3532

Oldham 2 Grimsby 1 ht 1-0 Lang 3444