Erratic_Latic

I agree. The only player we have (Gregan excepted perhaps) who has the ability to create time and space for himself when he receives possession. He sticks out like a sore thumb with his ability, I'd have thought it was plain to see.

But the sport - and knowledge about fitness generally - was very different 22 years ago, you expected players to have a few drinks. Things have moved on and fitness levels are on a different planet, the whole game is played at a faster pace and so people's bodies have to also keep pace. People like Tony Adams, Bryan Robson etc would be less successful in today's game if they drank the same as they did 20 years ago. In the last 2 decades there's tons more information about health and fitness, it's not about being adults in my opinion, just about professionalism. Maybe I'm being naive and players like Chris Taylor think they will never be premiership players so they think what the hell - fair enough, as you say they are adults and can make their own decisions, all I am saying is that they are not doing all they can to achieve the best they could, be that at L1, Championship or Premiership level. 2 years ago I did a marathon and I trained for 4 months and I didn't touch alcohol during that period. I abstained because I was working towards something and I wanted to be able to give it my best shot. If professional footballers get wasted mid-season, they aren't giving it their best shot. I'll get down off my soapbox now because I've never played football and probably don't know what the fook I'm on about

Not saints I know, I'm just talking about people striving to be as good as they can be in their chosen profession, especially when we pay their wages.

Players being caught in possession is often because there are so few options available. What annoys me is the complete lack of energy, fluidity and creativity of the players who aren't on the ball. The midfield plays too square and there's a huge gap between them and the front two, how often to we pick the ball up in midfield and they guy looks up and NOBODY IS MOVING INTO A DECENT POSITION??? Yesterday it was difficult to spot any Latics players who were more than a foot or two away from their marker.

Do the top premier league players go out and get bladdered during mid-season? No, they would get lambasted and dropped from the squad next match. Was Wayne Rooney spotted getting :censored:faced in Liverpool last weekend after losing to Everton? These are professional sportsmen regardless of what division they are in and they should all do their best to excel in their chosen profession. Everyone knows that alcohol reduces fitness. Players have the rest of their lives to enjoy alcohol but it should be teetotal while they are actively playing.

Nah can't mate, he might be mates with some of the current squad and I don't want to make out like he's slagging them off to the fans!

Discussing the match with mates on the way back to the car park, I happened to mention something about our ineffective wide play along the lines of "Taylor doesn't seem bothered and Colbeck is absolutely f##kin useless". A well-respected former Latics player from the early 2000's (who shall remain nameless) tapped me on the shoulder and with a wry grin said "you're not wrong mate".

Gregan for me, Jacobsen a close second

Exactly my sentiments sir. When I first heard about this scheme I assumed it was something being run by the FA, to refund every season ticket of every club in England. If it's really something that the club is doing alone, then I for one would not accept a penny of the refund. The club struggles financially enough as it is.

1990? I couldn't understand why Furman was subbed either, but at the end of the day, it was 0-0 when he went off and 1-0 at the final whistle. Let's not complain too loudly.

Another quality thread..... great Friday humour

You'd say Ferguson fixed the draw if you didn't know better!

Great post and lots of memories - particularly interesting to be reminded of the timings of the transfers of some of those great players. I recall the whole Chaddy End singing "You gotta sign Neil Adams" in unison for about 20 minutes in one game but I couldn't remember what season it was. 86/87 was also the first season I started supporting Latics, when I was 15. As a younger kid I had previously supported... er.... well let's just say one of the bigger clubs in our rough geographical area (ahem), but I remember reading in the Chron about Latics new plastic pitch and feeling a bit of a buzz and a vibe. I remember saying to my mum that summer "I think I'm going to start supporting Oldham" and the rest is history. Yes I also remember the capitulation from 5-0 to 5-3 against Pompey and the whole crowd singing beautifully "what the f**k is going on".... Two of the memories from the previous Royle era that still bring the biggest smile to my face are, firstly, standing in the away end at Goodison for a league cup game - Irwin's cracking free kick down the other end of the park - and a bunch of lads throwing a Mickey Mouse puppet up and down in the air..... eventually Mickey emerged from the crowd with no head, still being tossed around, and then somewhere else in the crowd Mickey's head started flying around, everyone singing "Mickey Mouse has got no head, doo-daa, doo-daa" - bloody hilarious if you were there. Secondly, the entire Chaddy End baiting Julian Dicks for an entire 90 minutes - singing "Where's Your Handbag Julian" whilst shouting "Hello sailor" and wolf-whistling and waving their hands around gaily in the air.... Happy Days, wonder if the Royle magic will come back to the stands as well as the pitch!

Ah, that pic of Jobson..... pure class defender or what?

Cheers, see you there! Not wearing anything pink unfortunately....

Cheers, I'm not familiar with it - where in Trafalgar Square is it?

Mind if I join you lads? Where exactly in Trafalgar Square is it?

....... in London that are likely to be showing the game tonight?

Aye you're right, I remember now I was at that Wolves game, 1-0 and 2-1 down but Marshy banged in a hat-trick (I think?) to send us away delirious..... as I left Molineux I remember a Wolves fan saying to his mate "that Errol [sic] Barrett's a good player eh!" The 1-0 Blackburn defeat was the first game of the pinch-me season. I stand corrected.

I was trying to remember the last time we had a 5-1-0 start to the season and thought it was 86/87 (play off season) - didn't we lose 1-0 to Blackburn on the first day of the 90/91 season?