Armchair

I'm not defending the ref - I can just see how these sorts of decisions are made harder as proving intent is not an easy thing to do. boss - have a look of the replay on iplayer. While the screenshot clearly shows the ball hitting his arm, there are definitely 2 players challenging for the ball at the point that the Tranmere lad jumps for it. Making the rules easier to apply would help, but that's the last I'll say on it. I can see that most people feel it's a really obvious deliberate handball and are here to lambast the ref. I'm equally as frustrated but my solution is different.

I agree it clearly hit his arm, but leading up to the ball hitting his arm their player was tussling with Tarky (I think). As a result I can see how the ref might have thought this tussle led to a mistimed attempt to head the ball and therefore he may have perceived it to not be deliberate. We have all sorts of interpretations on the rule because it's very hard to know if an attempt to play the ball is deliberate. I think it's easier for an official to perceive if an advantage was gained rather than know if a deliberate attempt was made to play the ball with the arm / hand. The only person who really knows that is the player himself. I fail to see how the linesman didn't see it so I'm trying to provide some reasoning to why the decision wouldn't be given. These types of thing happen every week and until the rules change they will continue.

Not to mitigate the ref's poor performance but it's the rule that's wrong. Until the rule is changed we'll be in this position time and time again. The rule states that the hand ball must be deliberate in order for the ref to award a foul. Why this isn't changed to something like Hand ball = 'If the ball hits a player's hand and as a result his team gain an advantage'. This is a far easier rule to apply and removes the did he, didn't he mean it debate.

I found this interesting to watch: It's far too recent history to have been forgotten, so I think that's a big reason why. In addition to the above, I can't remember us having an Asian player in recent history. (I'm sure others here have a better knowledge of the club and will be able to confirm if I'm wrong). If we did it would probably help draw in the Asian population of Oldham. Approx 12% of the metropolitan borough of Oldham are Asian. The original poster is correct that our attendances don't appear to be reflective of that number.

Maybe in response to everyone whinging about us appearing to be a poor club? :P

Silky skills indeed - thanks for finding this. I've voted no today.

I echo a lot of the thoughts on here about the tragic events at Hillsborough and I'm pleased the families and friends of those lost are starting to receive the justice they deserve. However, I don't see how this is a monetary issue. The justice in my mind surely comes in the form of the truth about what happened. I've read the thread and if I were to donate I'd want to know what this money achieves. This Christmas the Hillsborough single sold 269,000 copies - a quick check shows it's for sale for between 59p and £2. So estimate of sales between £160,000 and £540,000. Whatever the figure it's a significant amount of money. I don't know how much of that went to support the cause but what purpose does this money serve? Following the Hillsborough disaster the landscape of football changed. Football stadiums were required to be all seater and much stricter regulations were implemented which, in my mind, means a tragedy of the same magnitude couldn't possibly occur again. So from a broad perspective, money doesn't need to be invested in additional safety. If the money goes to the families and those affected to reimburse genuine costs they've incurred or provide support then I probably would donate, but most registered charities publish their accounts and I can't find anything published in relation to the Hillsborough Justice Campaign. The closest I can find is the following website which states the goals and objectives: http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/aims.shtm This makes me think it's not a registered charity with the Charity Commission? Personally I believe many of those aims have now been achieved and the publicity the campaign has received recently has also brought with it other avenues of funding (eg. Government support). I have found one registered charity called 'For Justice' http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1131537&SubsidiaryNumber=0. But this hasn't spent the £460 donations it received in the 2011 financial year - what use would there be for a huge boost in additional funding? I suppose what I'm saying is I can find charities which I believe will achieve more via funding than the jft96. By all means lets show our support, but lets think of something more fitting to remember the 96 people who lost their lives.

We were on top for the vast majority of the 2nd half today. I can't help but feel that Dickov made a tactical blunder in this game and the Hartlepool game by moving a defender up front when the opposition had scored a goal against the run of play. In both instances this decision was a contributing factor to us conceding another goal. If we'd stuck with things as they were there was a real chance we could have evened the matches up without gifting the opposition a greater lead.

Just a thought - may be nonesense! Are the affected people using a proxy server? The interview may not be cached on the local machine but if you're using a proxy server then you may well end up with the cached vid from the proxy server?

Not only that, but the defender clearly gets the ball. Really bad decision.

Wow. Can't believe some people are having a go at the webmaster after he's been in the job two weeks. Some people need to take a long hard look at themselves. Slagging off players on here is a bit different to launching an unjustified personal attack on someone in a forum they are guaranteed to read. Give the guy a chance.

My nickname has a history not based around being an armchair fan, but read into it what you will. I'm not an expert on Burnley or its football background but I don't believe there is a shortage of passion in Oldham for Oldham Athletic football club, nor do I believe there is a lack of a will in the town for the club to succeed. I don't post here often, but I do read a lot and, perhaps to be expected, the forums currently echo the disappoining season end we've had. Sure we've come off the back of a disappointing season but we've been in far worse positions as a club. The nature of our end of season collapse, in stark contrast to the promising start we made to the season has compounded the disappointment. When I read comments like the one I replied to it's purely because we're the people who should be making sure there is passion for OAFC in Oldham. We're the ones who shouldn't settle for a club that drifts. If its said often enough and loud enough here, in the stands, in the town; well, then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

I strongly disagree with the above. There are numerous better reasons to explain why Burnley can get within one game of the Prem.

VAT shouldn't really feature in this. My first thoughts were that the VAT discount should be passed on, but after doing the maths a £303 ticket @ 17.5% VAT would cost £296.55 @ 15% VAT. That's a saving of £6.44. The current consumer price index is around 3%, so if they'd increased prices by that value you'd be looking at paying £305.45 even at 15% VAT. Add to that the change in VAT is only temporary until Dec 09. Factoring in inflation and VAT its actually a reduction in price. *awaits someone who knows more about finances to pick his maths apart* Theres probably a point where if say 4,000 season tickets have been sold it'd be beneficial for those 4,000 people to put together and buy 500 tickets @ £139 and still end up saving money. Seriously though, nice idea but 4500 ST sales is pie in the sky figures.

Omg. Get Roger Palmer back to BP - hes a legend .

Just wondered what everyone's thoughts about it were in terms of volume. Yesterday against Hereford I had real problems having a conversation with anyone before the match or at half-time because of the volume. Does anyone else agree? I'm happy to conceed to popular opinion so if everyone likes it like that then no worries. It used to be that'd I'd leave the match with my ears ringing from the crowd... now I leave with my ears ringing because of the PA system o_O. (btw, I don't sit particularly close to a speaker just in case anyone is wondering).

I know I'm stating the obvious here but putting the ticketing issue to one side. If you sit in the wrong end at a football match and celebrate a goal then in all likelyhood a few out of the 2,000+ opposing fans sat around you are going to take offense. Not only are they going to take offense they might have had too much to drink and might take irresponsible action. I'm not defending what happened, but get a clue! Anyone with half a brain would know not to put themself in that situation. Why are so many people posting here making it sound like the Oldham fans had no choice? Here are the options: 1) Buy a ticket early enough to get in the away end 2) Don't go to the game 3) Get a ticket in the County section but stay quiet 4) Get a ticket in the County section and make it well known you're Oldham fans when we score.

I believe a franchised premier league will be the next big move in football. Similar to the NFL in America, there will be no need for an FA any longer and as a result possibly no international team. Football's now all about the money, I suppose it has been for a long time. All the big clubs want to protect their interests and therefore the opportunity to create a franchise league will be too strong for many to resits. Back on topic - I feel completely indifferent about MK Dons. Perhaps I should care but I just can't muster the interest.

Lol. How can any manager use a match that ends up 10-1 to judge a player? :P

Absolutely spot on! After the Millwall game this forum was awash with fans lambasting the stewards for being too heavy handed, stating that they would stand at games irrespective of the ground regulations - it's their god given right after all as the £20 entry fee clearly entitles them to do whatever the hell they like, right? Do they not understand that there will always be someone that takes this attitude further. Clearly, it's unacceptable for these kids to behave in this way. But this is only an extension of the exact behaviour that many users of this board have been advocating recently.

I spotted one warming up with the team. He looked very similar in build / stature to C. Davies. He was left footed and I can only assume he was a left back - no idea who he was tho. Didn't see a second player.

Is it me or have our team become more co-ordinated with the football sock tape / elastic that holds up their socks? Could have sworn we had a blue stripe at the top of the socks on our current kit but when I checked the photos they're all wearing blue PST. I have a soft spot for the 1966-1971 kit as I'm sure my dad had a subuteo team in that colour -- before they got snapped to pieces of course.

Perhaps because of the penalty shout at leeds (it was a deffo penalty).

Does this play extremely loudly for anyone else in comparison with the rest of the video? I use headphones and find I have either change my volume or take them off for the first part of the clip. It's such an irritating jingle I wish they'd just get rid of it tbh.

I've also got £50 on us to be promoted. Could only get 8-1 at the time though