Scapegoat

Given we had 26 years in the old second division, a 5 year spell in the 1st/Prem and the Championship, and now 21 years in League One. Ate we the team with the least amount of divisional changes in the last half century? A top half finish with a points total starting with a 6 would be significant progress next season.

£8k a week. Wow. An untested, inexperienced GK earning upwards of £400k in his early 20s. If true, then that pretty much ends any potential interest in signing him. Would any Alaric fan really spend that much of our budget on a single player?

What the last few posts highlight is that running a football club is difficult and many walk a fine line when it comes to being financially capable of continuing to be able to pay bills. The old joke of "What's the easiest way to make a small fortune from football? Start with a large one" is true.

Dont hate him, but many quality players are reaching their prime at his age. Plenty of players with age learn to compensate for their loss of pace, with ability to read the game and make timely passes and runs. Talyor has been non-descript IMO this season, not a disaster and will have contributed to our shape and defensive discipline, but we I don't think we needed another midfielder that would keep us solid - we were crying out for creativity and guile to unlock opportunities. I like the fact we have a genuine Oldham fan in the team, but take that away and if we were just judging him as just another signing....well, certainly not the saviour of our season. For me whether he is good value for next season depends very much on his wages - he doesn't offer enough to stretch our budget for him. A longhand way of saying....pay up!

Mentioned on here before - spent an evening with the Boro GK coach, and there is no doubt they are aware of the talent they have on their hands. He was of the opinion he will play first team football in the Premiership, and maybe even internationally. If he was still to be considered a loanee next season to a club below Boro - then perhaps he might end up back here, but I think that Ripley and his agent might start to push for a move away from Boro to another team in the Championship where he would play.

Wasn't the idea behind th me Friday night December game to combat attendance drop from Christmas shopping

Play-off push could be nervous....

Presumably a homage to the famous "Please don't go Joe". I think it would be fitting for something that shows the depth of gratitude that the supporters feel towards the young man. "We've got....[clap, clap], Conor Ripley..." Should be sung to the rafters. I would love for CR to stay somehow for another season, could be the key difference between a mid-table season and a genuine push for a play-off spot.....but, being honest it's not likely and probably not fair for the lad, he should be stepping up a league and proving he is as good as we know he is. Worst outcome is he leaves and spends a season on the bench somewhere...

Not seen it before either. Wow - that is some kind of brainfart reaction there! No wonder he got the ban he did. It does beg the question - Why? I'd have to guess that prior to that our Clarke must have done something to wind him up like that. Not that it excuses the reaction, but anyone any ideas?

Would be nowhere near some of the figures on here, but had a ST for the last 28 years - and I'd guess at around 28 games a season since we've been in this division, occasional away games and the odd missed home game due to holidays and work. So around the 550 mark. And all but a handful fade easily from the memory, and yet I can recall the 90/91 season as though it was last year. Games from the last 2 decades that stand out? QPR home/away in the Play-offs - felt massively intense. City away, beating Royle's team 2-1 Cardiff at home and getting absolutely tonked Leeds away, 3-1 on NYD Barnsely away - and Pogs crazy arms for the penalty miss Blackpool play-off thumping defeat Reading at home, 2-0, keeping us up and relegating York (who hadn't been in the bottom 4 all season until that day) Huddersfield away when we smashed them 4-0 (or was it 4-1?) Cup games in that period? Kettering away, 4-3 Everton away win Everton draw at home City win at home Liverpool home win

I love the assumption that money from the Chaddy End houses and NHS parking has been "pocketed". That statement suggests that the money was taken out of the business into the personal wealth of our owners. Given the level of losses and financial challenge we are in, I would imagine at best this would have been used to reduce the losses / need for loans and bailout payments. Would I begrudge a business owner looking to reduce / cover debts through maximising the available resources, albeit aspects that are "one-offs" aka selling the family silver? No, not an ideal situation but needs must sometimes. We are a loss making business(s), and people have to be realistic as to what that means and how difficult that is to manage.

Cannot see anything other than Ripley and Clarke for the awards. The goals are LP only? But can not imagine it took to shortlist! From my memory - Banks v Charlton was decent; and Erwin's control, spin and volley v Fleetwood would be up there.

I am sure that we are in a bad position. I wonder what the net position of SC (plus the the other 2 Amigos) is at the moment, and what potential returns people think that they could get if the conspiracy theories that he/they are out to screw the club and all associated businesses for all the cash they can. Since they came in we have (and please add or correct errors / add values if known or estimated): (1) Bought the ground back from the council (2) Invested in a pitch (due again) (3) Sold land for housing at the back of the Chaddy (4) Sold land for hospital car-parking (5) Knocked down the Lookers and eventually built a new stand (not quite complete) (6) Partially re-done the carpark (7) Maintained a passable football stadium in terms of the theee remaining stands through basic ongoing maintenance as needed (8) Sold a few players (9) Paid the occasional transfer fee (10) Funded a League One playing squad and manager for the duration of TTA ownership- mostly one at the wrong end of the table, but some OK seasons (11) Had a couple of good cup runs (12) Paid off more managers for being crap than we'd like, and got some cash for one that was half-decent And the big opportunity left? Close the whole thing down, clear the remaining land and sell to investors / invest in it themselves in terms of residential and commercial. I have no idea what the net position of 1-12 is, and what realistically the "nuclear" option is worth, but struggle to see a group of people walking off into the sunset making a huge return on their investment over the whole timescale if they took it. It might be that it helps recover some of the losses sustained - and that is what they want, but I suppose I personally don't see people working towards that aim. The North Stand would have been a waste of cash; the annual moderate injection of cash in January into the team to halt the slide; recent 2 year plus contracts; etc.

Done a bit of speed-reading through this thread and as is almost always the case, it's difficult to understand the reality of the situation. From what is available it's seems to indicate that the financial situation of the club is delicate, which given we are a League One side with attendances in the bottom half of League One / Top half of League Two is not a surprise is it? I should imagine that 50% of the bottom 2 divisions are routinely run in a precarious financial position i.e. just about keeping afloat. And the notes from the meeting that took place a month or so ago, where financial information was shared, backed that up. If I recall we had: (1) A football club making losses, which was being kept going mainly by input from SC (I am guessing through a variety of ways - loans etc) (2) A company that owns the ground that is receiving no rent from the football club (3) A company that owns the OEC, that has a mortgage and cannot seemingly afford to finish its construction that would allow it to bring in more revenue. Doesn't seem like a big money maker either. So I don't think it's a surprise that given attendances this season - plus the fact that we had some long gaps without home games (income) and that all the big attendances were at the back end (Bradford/Sheffield/Bolton - plus local derbies against Bury and Dale) - that cash flow at this very least is an issue. Is anyone surprised? I am not - it's clear to me that we are a club that is financially struggling. We always have done - the occasional player sale and cup game have been a staple of this club trying to remain solvent in my lifetime. I am sure that SC and the club has made mistakes, and many of them have been debated on here to the nth degree - but I do wonder what those that are particularly negative about the owner want? We would all like new ownership, that could buy all the companies (club, ground, OEC) and invest to improve the facilities - finish the OEC, fix the pitch, improve the rest of the stadium, fund the playing squad. But, based on the fact that even when we won the now Champiosnhip title we averaged less than 10,000 fans, there is no way that kind of investment would re-pay itself. I don't think that SC is the greatest football club owner in the land, but I also think that he is not the devil incarnate that some portray him as either. We may be edging ever nearer to another financial disaster (as we were when Chris Moore "saved us", and then when TTA "saved us"), but I think that is the nature of lower league football. If it does occur, then we have to hope that we will be saved again, but I am not convinced it's any more desperate that it's been previously.

I don't think anyone doesn't believe that AAH is an asset to the team, he definitely provided an effective outlet for a while at the end of last season before he was injured - and has managed the same this season when fit. However I think it is wrong to not question whether we can do better than AAH. There will be other players that can hold the ball, battle, being players into the game and generally perform the "outlet" option, and perhaps don't suffer from one or both of the following AAH frailties: (1) Ability to stay match fit for sustained periods (2) Can contribute more directly to our goals scored column Last season, following Holloways injury, Curtis Main stepped up admirably and was IMO just as effective in the "outlet" role, but managed to stay available until the end of the season AND score some important goals (1 in 5 ratio) In the closed season I'd have been more happy to have signed CM than AAH - though based on stats of 2 in 12 this season, clearly CM hasn't impressed that much in a good team a league below. So it's not an easy job picking players. It may be that we cannot find a better option / or that the medical team feel that they can keep him fit with a good pre-season / or that like Erwin, if he gets one then thmore confidence might flow. By no means disappointed if he stays, but reasonable to consider alternatives.

Not sure I have ever gone into a General Election quite as disenchanted with the leaders of all parties. Not generally a conservative, and particularly don't like TMs approach to politics; Labour feel lost, and especially under GC seem incapable of being a decent opposition never mind government; and the Lib Dems who could arguably be in a great position to capitalise on the vacuum and appeal to the 48% Remain minority (and perhaps some of the "soft" leavers) have in TF a nice but invisible man.

Bottom 3 cannot catch us. All 4 teams would need to get the results necessary and for us to lose last 2. Very unlikely, but that's what's Crystal Palace thought 20+ years ago. When do Vale play their game in hand? A defeat there and we are mathematically safe barring a GD swing.

Keeping our current receipe for success (assuming we can maintain a good keeper) of score few, but concede less would probably make us top half contenders but it's not the type of football that encourages attendances. And whilst it works for us at the moment - when results have been sooo bad we will grasp anything of positivity, another season of low scoring, grinding out results, might start to lose some of its appeal? Scoring goals is still a problem, and feel that once we solve that problem we will send up conceding a few more - it's a rare team that can do both.

I was critical of him when he first arrived and thought it was a huge mistake to bring him here. Just didn't look like a footballer. However I think he has improved in the short time he has been here (and also the relatively short time he has had on the pitch) and has shown enough to warrant a contract.

From a friend at work. "One child is relatively easy, Two requires man marking but generally OK, Three requires zonal marking - and that never ends well" Just the one at the moment - and my other half has delusions of it being a Villa supporter (just as miserable as being a Latics fan) but am confident it will be a blue. Worst fear is that is wants to support its local team....Leeds! Adoption would seem the only logical solution.

Win tomorrow and think it's job done.

Increasing attendances next year.... As long as everything goes well, we will have an additional supporter come June 6th. Intention is to buy a sling and get them along to the first home game of the season.

Well I have had to cut my lawn a couple of times, so it makes sense that it should improve a bit. Still complete crap though.

48 team, straight knockout. Regional finals played at a neutral ground.

I thought AHH got injured and went back, CM stayed in the team and started to score more goals. My memory often lets me down - so wouldn't be surprised if I was wrong.