slystallone

What I also found so depressing was the constant pumping of long balls either to the opposition or to players who are already under pressure. The overhitting of passes, which even Usain Bolt couldn't have reached. The constant failure of wingers/overlapping full-backs to beat a man on the outside. When Cheltenham (and most teams we have played) got the ball, they controlled it and passed along the ground to a man in space. Possession relieves the pressure. It's a simple game, and occasionally we have played like that, but it's as though players aren't happy on the ball and have forgotten the rudiments of the game. Also I couldn't understand why even during those frantic stoppage time minutes, we didn't have every player upfield striving for the equaliser. We didn't risk losing a second goal in the quest to take it to extra time. I have to conclude that the players weren't bovvered. To think we had thrashed Cheltenham not long ago. They had also lost 3-0 to Hereford last Saturday and are poor travellers. It pains me to say it, but Martin Allen got it spot on last night. There was only one team in the game and he had really got them up for it. The missing ace was Lee Hughes, who let us down by missing both of the Cheltenham cup-ties, but we've already discussed that. http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/page/JohnS...1459059,00.html Shez says in his interview that he hopes the players are hurting. I would be amazed if they are! He also says it's the players around Taylor's age who haven't got the same desire as him to be top footballers. He says the older players have been there and done it. My questions to those senior players who have been there and done it are: Did you want it as much as Cheltenham last night? Do you still have that desire to get to the third round of the Cup and show better class players that you are as good as them? Indeed do you have the desire to get into the Championship and pit your skills against them every week? Are you prepared to encourage and nurture the young players by your good example and take the lead when things are not going well? To sum up, even though you have "been there and done it", do you have the burning desire to go there and do it again? Next Saturday we need another top of the table performance, and we need to become consistent if we are going to make this season memorable for the right reasons. Wow, didn't think i'd be saying this - but i agree with you 100% in what you've said above. Spot on. Last night was dire

Now the question is, is Shez going to start him or have him to come off the bench?? Bench for me, leaving the Lewis / Hughesy partnership intact (for now, as i have a feeling Byfield is here to start in the X1, at Lewis' expense [ which i don't agree with!!])

Bugger me, his goal celebrations look quite scary!!!!

he's not blonde!!! 19 Patrik Redo 1981-11-24 SWE 1.83 2008-01 Fram Reykjavik, Trelleborgs FF, Halmstads BK, IF Leikin

http://www.allsoccerplayers.com/en/players...72eed1c99d6c026 http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11730_4497435,00.html

I'm all for letting him have a run. He hasn't had a fair crack it it since he arrived, since the Derby pre-season where he arrived at the ground & was more or less straight onto the pitch. Maher was unlucky that a brave shedian 'last throw of the dice' triple substitution worked vs Millwall, Whittaker turned the game & the spot has been his since. I think a freshen up of the whole midfield is needed, as 3 out of the 4 who have been more or less ever-present need a rest & time away from the starting line up to recharge / give them a kick up the bum (depending on the player!) Only Chris Taylor keeps his place for me. I'd like to see (left to right): Taylor Maher Lee Smalley Play with not one, but 2 pacey wingers & get the ball out to them quickly. Tayls & Deano can bomb on & support the front 2, whilst providing a real tangible threat for the opposition back 4 with their direct running. Maher can do the Allott role as it were; mopping up & passing simple. Lee gets the nod over Stephens in the whittaker role, purely as i've seen more of Lee playing. If it doesn't work; on the bench you have options to change it around with any combination of the dropped players or fringe players. Glad Shez has said Maher is to a chance; though i do take what Shez says these days with a pinch of salt - "sweeping changes" before the Scunny ended up being Lewis for Davies; hardly sweeping eh? Think its time to look to the squad for Shez, as the starting 11 have gone flat & need a change.

Well, erm, yeah - i assumed they were, along with a smattering of hard core Rotherham fans thrown in too. So, pretty much like the following for our team eh? still a p1ss funny rant at the ref as he walked in at half time like!!!

Nah, they were well & truly Rotherham moaners in there last night......reffeeeeeeeeeereeeeeeeee!!!!!!

First time i've seen the kids this season & i was impressed too. As a unit, they play it the right way (or try too, slipped into a few long punts for a sticky 10 min patch the second half). They work hard all over the pitch, and although IMO no one performance wise last night screamed "picked me for the firsts right away" - there are a number who show alot of potential: (appologies if any of the names are wrong, didn't pick up a teamsheet!) # 6 - CB - Liam Dawson - looked very composed on the ball, most of the play started at his feet. His passing was acurate & his reading of the game was very good indeed. One tackle 2nd half, in the middle of our half was an absolute cracker! #4 - Chalmers - already played for the 1st (granted when we had no one else!) & he looks a very useful player. Sitting in frontt of the back 4, he mopped everything up & played a sort of Gilberto Silva / Makalele role - harrying, hassling & once got; playing it simple. Had a good game. #9 - Tom Eaves - has a touch of the Porter about him (not the f-ing off to Scotland part, the football part!) Tall, willing runner, bit of skill, good touch (for the most part) & awareness of runs / players around him. Took both goals well; particually the 2nd which was a clever finish. #10 Ryan Brook - the second striker, worked his socks off all game. was a threat with his runs; creating space for the #9 or other midfielders breaking through. Also, special mention to our left back, Will (somebody!) - who got done all 1st half by Rotherhams best player, but had a much improved 2nd half & shut out their only threat. He listened to TP & took on board quickly what he was saying to him; position & tackling wise; isn't i amazing what happenes when you listen to coaches / managers eh?? Really enjoyed it last night - was a good game to watch, played in the right way & we got the right result too. TP is so vocal during the game, he never shut up! always telling the players what they did wrong or could have done better - but always finishing it with "well done though, next time eh etc". Encouragement all the way, v impressed with the way he handles the team. If they don't let the occasion get to them at St James' & play the sort of stuff they did for large parts of last night; they've a real chance of doing the Geordies IMO. Well done young 'un's - keep it up!!!

Neal is the best right back we've had in ages! and all our 'fans' slag him off; can't understand it myself. as someone above posted, would you rather an Eardley or a Clegg?? and the Lomax arguement isn't cutting it with me, Kelvin is a very steady League 1 squad player; who rarely lets us down when called upon. However, Neal is a 19 year old full International who is surely destined to play at a higher level than at present with us. The 2 players are completely different prospects; not least Kelvin has 2 more years of development on Neal too. Sometimes latics "fans" seem to need a 'boo boy' and for a fair few, unjustly it seems to be young Neal. oh well, re-sign Dave Beharall & start him right back...that eardley sh1te...........................

Alan Hardy ate my cat!!

i think the players we're being linked with (cole / byfield / windybum) are very realistic for a club like us.Putting aside the fact that he wound me up something rotten when he played against us for Bradford, Dean Windybum would definately add something we don't have in the side right now - aggresion & passion, he's always played with lots of them. A Cole i'm not convinced with, think we may get a billy big balls attitude from him, but his goals record over the years is quality. Byfiled is the one for me if we're going to go down another striker in on loan - vs Millwall he looked a real threat playing against us, and he's played at a higher level too; not discounting the fact that he's prob 10 years younger than the other 2!!

but your not allowed to!!!! arrrgggggghhhhhhhhh. going round in circles this, you're not allowed to stand in all seater stadiums, so sit down. god, this is really getting hard when its a simple thing to comprehend. sit down!!

My mate played for Woodley with Liam Dickinson, and he swears he isn't a good player! even after his goal scoring record & performance in the playoff final last season, he still maintains that he just a flat footed battering ramm with no skills or talent. He also played with Hackney (spl) who's gone on to play for Carslile, who he does rate! And when he was on the books of Stockport, he was in the same team as Tommy Rowe, who he says is the best player he's played with & said we should sign up a couple of seasons ago (as though i could just make that happen!!!!)

But why should people be forced to move from the saets that they chose to take up at the start of the season? i chose my seat as it afforded me a great view right behind the goal. So why should i have to leave my chosen seat because of the actions of a small minortiy of selfish & inconsiderate fans who then turn round and say' if you don't like it move'? Bullying people into moving so you can have a standing section isn't going to work. Everyone sitting down & supporting the team from their seats is achievable if the mindless minority stop being silly.

But this is one of the points - you don't have to be stood up to sing & clap & support the team. You can do it from your seat (you know, the one you're suppose to be sat in!!). I, and thousands of others manage to do it week in, week out, so why can't a few hundred manage it too? Its such an annoying generalisation that the "standers" love to make, all the people sitting don;t sign & clap & cheers the team; its balls quite frankly - just because you are follwoing the rules of the stadium & staying sat down doesn't automatically mean you are sat in silence. It is perfectly possible to do the above mentioned whilst still sat in your seat, and at the same time not peeing off the people sat behind you. As i said in one of my earlier posts, i'm a big boy & have been going to BP for 20 years or so now, i'm fully aware that at points of high drama in the game, people will get their bums off seats from time to time - that isn't what the arguement is about. Its the standing for no reason that is the hole crux of this debate - people who appear to believe they have a god given right to stand up all game, regardless of the consequences for the club or their fellow latics fans. When Norm is taking a goal kick, or Ruuuubes is taking a throw in our own half - well, i'm sorry but i don't understand why people need to stand up for these parts of a game (as the 3 were doing in front of me on sat). To then go down the route of 'people are stood in front of me so i'm standing too' when clearly knowone is as an excuse, and then finally to turn arsey & rude when being asked poitely to sit down, then that's where the problems start. I just don't see why these type of comments are bounded about because quite frnakly, they're pathetic. QUOTE(LeylandLatic @ Nov 4 2008, 22:40 PM) Let's all sit and be quiet when we're not playing well and nothing is happening......... No! you can sing / clap / chant & support the boys when were against it or there is 'lull' in play FROM YOUR SEAT!!! It's not rocket science, rules & regulations are in place which mean we have to sit down at games. Sitting in your seat doesn't affect the level or manor that you can support the boys in & persisitent standing directly affects the view & therfore the enjoyment of the people sat behind you - therefore - sit down & support the team, it can still be done you know?? honest!

Well, the game on sat was ruined for me too (and not just by the standard of play from us!) Persistent standing ruined it for me - so it would appear we both have something in common, even if our views are poles apart. 3 people in front of me started the game standing up, i asked them nicely to sit down, then got an ear full of the likes of your above post (moaning / ruining atmosphere / we can stand if we want etc) - then once they were sat dwon, they started standing up again for really exciting points in the game like Norm taking a goal kick, and Eards passing it sideways near the half way line. Now, i guess i'm ok with people getting off there seats when we're looking like scoring / a bad tackle on one of our guys / bad refereeing etc, but FFS, when nothing is happening, obay the bloody laws of the land and SIT DOWN. I manage to clap & sing songs from my seat, so all this rubbish about the fact you need to be stood up to sing is balls really. The RRE is an all seater stand, as is the rest of BP - we have no standing areas in the ground; they're not allowed by the law. The fans can't try & make an unofficial standing area near the away fans as it simply isn't going to be allowed to happen. The stewards have a horrible time trying to make the standers sit, as soon as they manage it, someone sings that "stand up if you love oldham" song and its back to square one. My issue with the standers is when its unessessary & all the time. I also appreciate the fact that if peole stand in front of you, it puts you in a position where you need to stand too - but on saturday, the 3 in front of me used that excuse (people in front of us) when absolutely knowone was stood in front of them. These 3 wouldn't sit, so me and my group had to stand, meaning the group behind us had to stand....knocking on all the way back the stand. It's just not on! Oh, and Derek Wilson's point about the sitting on the back of seats is quite right too, it keeps them off the stewards radar, but it doesn't stop your view being blocked!!!!! Some common sense is needed in all of this - those that want to stand all game like in t'old days have to appreciate that it can no longer happen, we are in all seater stadiums, so sit down.

Agree; Ruubes has been a shadow of the player we saw last season at times recently, but, last night he was much improved. In the 1st 10-15mins, i lost count of the number of interceptions/blocks/tackles Ruuubes made. His best game in a while. Allott was back to old self again too, which freed up Whitts to do what he does best, so the CM's were a functioning unit again. Though, i can't help but link this to Lewis being back in the side, as his hold up & link up play free's both Allott & Whitts from having to ball chase after the ball has been pumped up top; it sticks with Lewis.

quite simply........................wow !!

What he said !!

Totally disagree with original post - i thought Taylshad a very solid game; considering he was being double & sometimes triple marked. He held the ball up well with his back to goal, when he was facing goal he ran positively & caused their FB no end of bother, he linked up really well with Jonesy & was really unlucky not to score with the shot that hitthe post. so, all in all, i'd say he didn't flap at all. No one did - 1 to 11 were really good last night.

He was excellent tonight was young Lewi; his all roundgame wa superb & his goals were all really well taken (inc the deflected 1!!) Special mentions go to Greegan who was a rock at the back; the swagger was back & also to Andy Liddell who had a cracking game on the right; even saw 4 sliding tackles from the wiley veteran last night!!!

No!!!

Utter, utter, utter , utter Rubbish yong man. Garbage. "Oldham Fans" like you make me shake my head in disbelief - Crossley never has been, and still isn't a 'bad' keeper. His shot stopping is up there with the best in the division, his distribution is cracking & his experience & (considerable) pressence is invaluable to the team. Fleming has been brought in as one for the future, just like stephens / lee / williams etc of this lot. He is being coached by MC everyday, and will be learning loads & loads from. Expect Fleming to be next seasons #1, but for this season, big Norm is the obvious choice.