Scapegoat

I understand that supporters are looking for information and assurances from AL, but the lack of them doesn't worry me significantly. For all the views on SC, he has spent a long time trying to sell the club and by some accounts turned down interests that he thought were not in the long term interest of the club - so the fact SC has sold to AL is a hint of positivity. The AL deal went on long enough that the full extent of the clubs financial situation would have been clear and yet he still entered into the deal. Clearly a successful man in other ventures, I have to assume he has a plan for the club to continue. He has clearly expended monies on facets of the club that if you were running hand to mouth you would have left (name of the ground, the Chaddy roof etc) Given how close to the wind we have been run for the last number of years, it cannot get much worse can it? Lets see what the close season brings and don't be too fussed that we don't have chapter and verse of his financial situation and future plans.

Another game without a clean sheet following a lat goal yesterday. Only 3 clean sheets all season in h the league is a pretty damning statistic. What a turnaround from last season where despite being a relegation battle we equalled the club record for clean sheets - though I think we set a record for the lowest number of goals scored in a season by a team NOT relegated. Wonder for the record for goals conceded / lowest number of clean sheets is for Latics, and for a team not getting relegated. Could end up with a couple of unusual and contrasting back to back records!

I’m of a very similar opinion. Really liked Wellens from the very start - speaks very well in the media, seems to be a real “student” of the game with his assessments of games and goals much more detailed than the “we conceded a sloppy goal” type blandness spouted by many. He seems to understand the club and what could make a small team successful ie playing the type of football that is enjoyable to play and will get talent noticed. We might always be a stepping stone club, but his approach to have some good players for a while at least. But the run from the 23rd December was becoming harder and harder to excuse. Performances were deteriorating too - and it was starting to look like despite promising ability he might not have enough to keep us up. The press conference this week almost nailed it for me. I was starting to think that another defeat and we might to get rid. Yeaterday’s result and at times the performance, plus a good honest post game interview has convinced me I was wrong to start to doubt and he is the man to keep us up and take us forward next season. And then there was the tweet to Gerrard. Class.

The start of a new era always brings hope and a honeymoon period whereby we will give the benefit of the doubt. Will be an interesting January - and perhaps therefore easier to gauge the potential that AL will provide.

Seems as though the deal went through late last night (which based on my recent experience of selling businesses is not uncommon) and perhaps the club will make a statement this morning? Cannot see it on the BBC though at the moment - so perhaps still not official anyway

Trying to be positive - Davies is aware of the players that are lined up to come in to the club and doesn’t want to spend the rest of the season on the fringes. At 32 he needs to be playing regularly. Could be a positive sign?

Byrne’s replacement by the sounds of his style

Has the Wellens honeymoon come to an abrupt end? 1 Point from 12 over Christmas, with 3 games against the teams near us (2 of them at home) has seen us slip back into the scrap. Performances have deteriorated as well over that period - we seem to have lost the zip and one/two touch play, and pressing style.

Difficult. You could make the argument that if its only a loan extension, and we are still in League One at the end of the season then the value is 0 If we sign him, then the increase in asset value could be significant. If we sign him and he scores the goals that take us to the Play-offs and promotion - priceless

So a goal in the next league game sets a League One record? Would have to back into the archives to see what our 3rd teir record is.

Not sure how Latics pay works, but there can be a difference between expected and contractual paydays. For example my contract states 15th off the month, but if that falls on a weekend it is normal process to pay on the last working day before the 15th of the month - so on some months that might be as early as the 13th (or even 12th if there is a BH involved). I would expect to get paid on the 13th, but the company could pay me on a Sunday and meet my contractual commitments. We all know we are in financial difficulties, and the increased squad has no doubt pressured that further. I presume that by January we will either be under new ownership or that we will see a change in our squad as players are let go?

Think in terms of achievements with Oldham, Barlow wins it for me. Loved the goal against Arsenal in the old First Division. In terms of going on to other things....then I do think we have not had that much success. Tarky looks like a decent one at the moment, and could end up at a much bigger club if he continues as he is.

Might have missed it - not always up to date on this thread - but as part of the coverage of the England U17s World Cup win I heard a discussion about St George’s Park and the overall set up. England u15s head coach is Kevin Betsy - decent at times, wasteful at others, winger we signed from Barnsley for a while. Googled it and he got the job back in April 16 and the fact he played for us was missed in the press release “played for several clubs including....” a list that did not mention Latics.

3 teams cut adrift relatively speaking with over half the season left. Crewe and Colchester are hardly pulling up trees in League 2 right now. John Sheridan has done a lot for this club and I will always be grateful. However I also believe that sometimes its time to move on, and I think that the transformation under RW of style of play shown that. Hope he gets another job soon and is successful.

Plus there aren’t that many jobs and it means he wouldn’t have to move / commute? Bury could really push on under Grayson. Wonder if he’d have applied for our job if there was the overlap of opportunity?

I think I will stick a tenner on him right now. From a consolation point of view I wonder what the odds of them finishing above us is as well (would be gutting and don’t expect it but still...)

Thanks for that. Just over a goal a game conceded (1.15 per game) Championship winners GA: 16/17 40 15/16 35 14/15 45 13/14 43 12/13 45 11/12 41 10/11 32 So 17% more goals conceded in our championship winning season than the worst team in the last 7 years, 65% more than the best. I seem to remember under Joe Royle watching Oldham meant you saw more goals than if you watched any other team home and away all season. This season we are the same at the moment - but without an equivalent of Warhurst or Barrett.

Still in touch? Didn’t realise we’d ever been in touch this season ? Would be interesting to look at our conceded stats for the “pinch me” and Chanpionship seasons. We had the players at the time, but had attacking tactics..

Overall pretty slim pickings? Makes what Crewe achieved for a couple of decades seem even more impressive

Not it sure if you are being sarcastic? Whilst statistically impressive it was (though check out the home form and it was bang average - particularly for a team chasing promotion) it wasn’t anywhere near as entertaining as the last 7 games. Which brings me to.... ...and it’s interesting. As much as I like Placide and the changes under Wellens - but excuses aside, it’s still 8 goals in 4 games. Unless you have very very good attackers, and very good fast defenders - it generally is a balance between what do you want to watch? (1) Disciplined organised unit that doesn’t concede many (Dowie, Sheridan last season) but doesn’t score many because we don’t commit men forward for risk of losing our “shape” (2) A more attack forcused team that is willing to push for goals, but is likely to get caught out (Wellens, Johnson and arguably Royle - though Joe then found Warhurst, Barret, Fleming, and we had the best of both worlds). Arguably the former gets more points as even when you don’t score, you stand a good chance of picking up a point - but from an entertainment perspective I’ll always take the latter.

Didn’t make the game but listened on iFollow and now watched the extended highlights. Positives: Despite being a defeat, we still created chances and can perhaps feel unlucky to have not got at least a point from the game. We recovered from 2-0 down to get back level. I think that confidence and positivity can be maintained in the squad because of that. As RW has said - we will lose games. We should make a montage of Doyle’s misses and get is circulated on social media, particularly to anyone with a PNE link - might help in January. Holloway helped contribute to another goal - good to have a backup forward with some confidence Concerns: We have no back-up keeper that maintains an element of confidence with the defence. We have only 1 clean sheet in 15 league games.

“don’t give it Rickers” was a regular shout from me or one of my mates. Hard-working, good at a tackle but couldn’t pass water that lad.

Back to the OT “forgotten heroes” is an unclear category. Forgotten because they were a long time ago? Or because they were god but were not part of a successful period which would have given them cult status. If it’s the latter, then for me it excludes the pinch me era team(s) and instead refers to the odd glimmer of hope in anotherwise miserable last 2 decades of third tier football. Some good shouts already: “Alf” Garnett, Lee “Leader of the Latics” Duxbury; Tony Carrs; David Eyres (one of my favourite all-time favourite players); Andy Holt (hey, Andy Holt); Disco Pants Kelly; Andy Liddell - a quality player Other notable mentions: Wellens - a skilful player that on his day was a class above Sheridan - single handedly saving us from relegation on one leg Darren Sheridan (sent off in all completions in one season) We’ve got an Aussie and his name is Dougie / Pogliacomi Rachubka - great loan season for us Stretch Armstrong Will Haining - a real leader at the back and resulted in better kit launch photos than we’be had before or since One Size Fitz Hall ”Julie” Andrews - pace to burn and a knack of “winning” penalties ;-) Clyde Wijnard - genuine goal scorer that fella The legend that was Ernie Killenny/Croft - when on loan were a class above for a season Neil “your crap but played in the Premiership” Eardley Kieran Lee - hard working and talented player Tarky - a pleasure to see him progress Trotman - plucked from the scrap heap and returned us £500k (biggest transfer since the Premiership?) M’voto - you’ll never beat him (but he might beat himself once a game) Special mentions: Carlo Corrazin (if you only look at games against Wrexham and West Ham in the Cup) was a goal machine Jermaine Johnson - unbelievably fast but the epitome of “50p head and Tolberone boots” Porter - another rarity that is a genuine goal scorer (though he screwed us contractually so cannot he a hero) Inspector Colusso - for his bizarre skills and that goal at Bury Matt Smith - crap at first, but got better and better near the end and for those goals in the Cup

I’d say he was a Rochdale Legend, took the step up a division and didn’t really make it but I do recall one incident. Ball was in the opposition box but came to nothing as the keeper caught it and old Stevie was behind him. He then jogged behind the keeper and then back up field - and in the process diverted his run slightly to stamp on the keepers water bottle popping the lid of and wasting the contents. Might have been Wrexham away in the late 90s. Odd funny / spiteful moment, but my main memory of Whitehall.

And that would be genuine progress. We have not had a season with a points total above the 50s since the Sheridan play-off season. Even the good season under LJ fell apart at the end when he left and we ended up with 50-something. For me, my views on RW this season would be as follows: Relegation - massive failure Relegation scrap - would feel like we haven’t moved forward and would wonder whether RW was the man for the next season Mid-table mediocrity but less than 60 points - met expectations and would be hopeful for the next season 60+ and top half - out-performed and would be looking for the new owners to back him for the following season Anything more than that (Top 10 / Top 6) - massively outperformaned Promotion - build a statue!