GlossopLatic

Our issues will be sorted with a couple of tweaks here and there. If you had told me we would sign 6 players in January then I would have expected them to make more of a difference than what we have seen so far. But if we sign 6 players in the summer a time when a wider pool of players are available then I'd expect them to sort the problems out. We are still in the rebuilding process from the train wreck the club was in just over 18 months ago. We've had an entirely new board new Manager and coaching staff and a whole host of new players lessons are I feel still being learned. Overall Im relaxed I'm certainly not going to lose my shit about what happened yesterday. I'm going to have faith and trust the people in charge to make the right decisions knowing full well they won't get everything right but they will be right more often than they are wrong and eventually we will get back in the football league we will get there.

I am feeling in a reflective mood this Friday evening, so I have been reminding myself how far we've come. Salford Home April 22 Notts County Away Boxing day 22 Bromley away 16th sept 23 Now this isn't necessarily suggesting we should be eternally grateful for being 5th in the National League but when you consider these low points Salford at home when over a century of league football was tossed away and we had no idea if the club had any future whatsoever never mind if we could rebuild it felt dark but we recovered. The away game at Notts County where we were battered out of sight and were staring down the barrel of the real prospect of regional football, but we recovered. Bromley away where we started the season abysmally and it looked like the season was over but again, we recovered. Whichever way you look at it from those moments to where we are now represents progress. It’s pretty clear that there is room for improvement and we are still trying to rid ourselves of typical Latics, the performance against Kidderminster being the most recent example of hopes being crushed in an all too predictable moment, the club made a big day of it putting on a carnival atmosphere and the clowns on the pitch proceeded to ruin the carnival The home form has of course been a massive issue this season and not being able to really press home, home advantage has cost us. Perhaps this is phycological and we aren't as comfortable when being expected to take control of the game and dominate, however our away form has been our strength, and that has propelled us into a position where we are likely to be in the play-off come the end of the season. Our away form was our strength in Iain Dowie's season in 02-03 and what people forget is we had a run of home fixtures between the beginning of November right through to the beginning of March where we only won 1 game at home out of 10 fixtures we struggled to break teams down at home, its often forgotten due to the fact that we had so many good away days including many big local away days such as Crewe away Tranmere away, and Stockport away where we took sizeable followings and got victories. Remember the scenes when Eyrseie fire that late free kick into the top corner against Stockport maybe not having those moments to really celebrate to really get the fans lifted to believing that we can really go up I'm hoping we can have some big results wins in the next couple of weeks particularly at home which would really ignite the enthusiasm of the fans to convince some of the nay sayers that we really can go up this season. We are now entering the run in and I'm hoping that it’s going to build some excitement, 2 big games this week one down at a Aldershot and one at Halifax I'm expecting 4 points from them before we set up the clash with Chesterfield next week, a win against a promotion rival away, followed by a win in a local away fixture in front of a big following and following it up with a victory against the champions elect will get people to believe that promotion is well and truly on. People are already talking up fixtures as must wins so a little bit of excitement is starting to build, How we do in the play offs will depend on a number of things but the fact that we are in gives us a fighting chance of promotion we'd only be at most 3 wins away from getting back into the football league which after 2 seasons would be a real achievement considering the absence that the likes of Stockport and Wrexham had to endure. It could all turn sour I've supported this club long enough to expect disappointment but the fact we are in March and looking up and thinking about possible promotion at this time of year rather than looking at the table and trying to see how far we are away from 50 points is something to be happy about. If you were to ask me honestly how I think this season will turn out, I'd put my hand on heart and say it will end with us missing out in the play offs We might just be another step away from getting promoted. We are well placed to rebuild in the summer the majority of the squad and pretty much all the key players are contracted beyond the summer, and with a few minor tweaks will be well positioned to challenge for promotion next season, we are still early in the journey I believe of getting back to where we want to be the Rothwell’s I don't believe will suddenly turn the taps off this summer they show no signs of pulling the plug and do appear to be in it for the long term. even if we do not go up this year, I feel the experience of us going down the track as a club chasing promotion will be a good learning curve and will help us to be in a better position next season. We've made progress there is still alot to do but we can get there have faith we have the right people who can get us there.

I'd say that if we've shown one strong character trait this season it's the ability to go and win away from home so I'm backing us to take atleast 4 points from these next 2 fixtures.

I don't know why people still engage with Eyrsie you know full well all he does is just disagree with the general consensus for the sake of it. I've to come to the conclusion it's a cry for help on some level.

With pub names like that you can tell Aldershot is a military town

So how we judging this young 18-19 year old who's on loan whos hasnt even made double digit appearances for us. Player of potential? Give him a few games and he might come good? Maybe it's abit too early for him? No let's go for a hyperbolic, perspective free, sweeping statement and jump straight to he's utter tosh.

It feels like we are beginning to enter the run in now this is where the season will start to crank up we have some big games coming up. Their are a number of ways it could go, if we get some big wins in the next few weeks particularly at home then I can see the atmosphere and the mood amongst the supporters could go up a notch. Defeats at home to Bromley and Chesterfield and the "I told you so's" will be out in force but its nice to atleast be involved at the top end for once.

It's going to be a physical encounter Bromley love goals from set pieces and balls into the box so for that reason I'd go big and pick Sutton over Sachdev and Mcgahey over Conlon. I think its likely he will start Norwood over Fondop but if their is any doubt over Norwoods fitness I'd hold him back we have a number of games coming up and we can't afford to lose him for the run in. I also have a feeling he will pick Hogan at RWB bringing Conlon into the centre while Hoga will do it with 100% commitment for the team because Hogan is that type of player I'd rather we picked a player more suited for the roll.

They need 96 points (11 more) to confirm it from here but that's assuming Barnet or Bromley win all their games so it's quite possible they could seal the deal on the 16th at our place yes certainly if we beat Bromley tomorrow.

I think we need to remember how far we've come it was only 15 months ago that we were staring relegation in the face. It's about as much as we could expect interms of a turnaround. The first 6 months was always going to be difficult as we were turning round a ship in free fall. The breaks have been applied the ship has turned round and we are going in the right direction. It can take along time to shift in public opinion. It took a long time for the quite a sizeable chunk of the fanbase to come to the conclusion that the Lemsagams were killing the club. Infact it really took until the final season before the protests at the games ramped up. Overall I actually think the mood is more in positive column than the negative column, but their isn't yet the real belied we are going to go up (I havent heard an EIEIEIO chant at a home game yet. We have some big fixtures coming up at home some big wins can really shift that and we can go into the run in and likely the play offs in buoyant mood.

Just play either Sachdev or Sutton wide and trust them I don't want to see us try and play Lundstrum or Hogan out there neither of whom are right sided wing backs. The alternative is to switch formation. Which maybe too much disruption to the team. As for the forwards Garner and Norwood to start with Fondop on the bench seems most likely.

How you looking for next season? If we stay down I'm looking at you lot to be one of the main contenders in the division next year. I've not followed the whole saga but with the other guy gone do you think you will be geared towards moving forwards now both in the short and long term?

He'll need to learn some composure on the ball and how to use his body to sheild it, I'm sure someone like Garner can show him how its done.

It's not that long ago though is it what just over 18 months so it shouldn't be a surprise to have players signed for us in the summer of 2022 still at the club plus they all have their uses. During Ian Dowies play off season we still had to call on players like Lee Duxbury Tony Carl's and Carlo Corrazin who had been at the club a while.

They had checked out by then if they were anyones signings it would have been John Sheridans. If anything so was Fondop.

Stick with Hammond he can potentially come good it would be nice if we allowed a young player time to develop in the first team.

No they weren't only Mcgahey and Fondop were here when the Lemsagams were tearing the club to pieces get your facts right.

Bolton to win! Truth be told I had them as second team for a while as a close of friend of mine had a spare season ticket for about 3 seasons sonId go regularly when Latics weren't at home. Not being in the same division as us meant I didn't develop the same dislike of them. Although I believe those of you who watched us in the 70's certainly did have a strong disliking of them.

We could certainly have rivalries with the likes of Bolton Blackburn Wigan and Blackpool again even throw Burnley and Preston but we'd have to be in the same division as them for a sustained period of time for that to happen.

The problem with the rivalry with Rochdale is that from about 1971 to until about 2010 we weren't playing them on a regular basis so for 2 generations that rivalry has been dormant and in that time Rochdale and Bury created their own rivalry. Although it's fair to say the rivalry between us and Dale has cranked up abit In the last decade orcso I don't find Rochdale to be particularly obnoxious I can't really get angry at Rochdale they are just too inoffensive. Which leads us onto United and City who it is very easy to hate particularly the former. I think alot of our dislike from depends from School we have a tough time in the sense of being in the school playground or turning g upto football practice you are seem as abit of an outsider and get looked down your nose at by the supporters of the big city teams. "You support Oldham pfft you never win anything" No shit sherlock! There was me thinking we were going to win the champions league. But ultimately its a dislike from them being ignorant Man United's rivals are Liverpool City and then Leeds. City themselves will obviously see United as their rivals and in recent years Liverpool due to both challenging for the title. You won't ever hear an anti Oldham song at a United or City game. We've had brief rivalries in the past with Wigan in the early 2000's and Huddersfield in the mid and late 2000's. But those seem to have disappeared Wigan would consider Bolton as their biggest rivals these days and Huddersfield would have a much stronger dislike of the likes of Leeds Bradford or even Sheffield Wednesday before any rivalry with us. So that leaves us with Tranmere Rovers a team that we've had a good 30 year history with Prenton Park was a notorious bogey ground in the 90's it edged up further when Ronnie Moore was in charge of them. A club who we probably have quite abit in common with. They shun the bigger more fashionable clubs of the nearby city to support their local club and a club that like us have had some notable giant killings in various cup competitions. But while I respect them for that they do seem dislikeable enough to call a rival.

City Liverpool and Arsenal are owned by foreign investors as are Wrexham so it can work out. Also the example of people like Chris Moore to a lesser extent Simon Corney and to a far worse extent Stewart Day an Steve Dale aren't exactly ringing endorsements of British owners either to name but a few. It depends very much on the character of the individual although I do believe the fact that the Rothwells are locals who I believe possess a sense of civic duty probably serves as an advantage to us.

I wonder if he will go with Norwood and Garner. Garners for since he came to the club (4 goals in 6 games) surely means he won't be dropped Norwood has been the main man all season so if he's fully fit then I see him going straight back in. Although Ironically Fondop is probably the better foil for both of them Im not sure how well Norwood amd Garner will link up together but will see. We've seen nothing from Dallas yet to suggest he should start just a case if he will be in the 16 or not.

George Galloway on Gbeebies that is a horrific combination

It's too late in the season to make radical changes but we can make a few tweaks which can get us up. Get Hammond and Sheron pressing high up the pitch we can win second balls and any team playing out from the back can be put under immediate pressure.

I'd play conlon behind Sheron and Hammond. I'd have Sheron and Hammond effectively playing as a number 10s picking up second balls. If you look at the first goal on Tuesday it comes about from Sheron winning a second ball high up the pitch knocking it on to Garner and him using his experience and doing the rest. With 2 upfront and Sheron and Hammond high up the pitch you can really press teams high up the pitch centrally and push them back. Keep doing it I say.