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24424

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  1. Afternoon Latics. Well, what a day for us yesterday. Very fine margins in football, and maybe we got the rub of the green on this occasion. Right now I still feel a bit numb to be honest, slightly in disbelief that we actually did it, and all in all, quite emotional. It's been a weird time over the past 6 years or so, but just so happy we got back in the EFL and then kicked on. Looking at Twitter today, some old threads have re-surfaced, including many from Bolton fans laughing at our relegation out of the EFL in 2015, and telling us they would never play us again. Just goes to show doesn't it - football is cyclical isn't it, and every club will have its triumphs and disasters if they wait long enough. Over the past several years, our club and [most] fans have had to learn some perspective & humility through many very hard lessons, and with that in mind, whilst immensely proud of what we have achieved, and enjoying the moment, I know it is a brief moment in time and things can change. We are immensely lucky to have great owners and a stable, community focussed, club right now, but who knows what the future holds...... and so it is with you lot too. OAFC may feel in the doldrums at the moment, but look how we felt five years ago. I have absolutely no doubt that we will meet again soon and renew hostilities, so until that happens, I will sign off, wish you good luck, and maybe go for a lie down to process the implications of our last 24 hours. Football eh ..... Bloody Hell!
  2. Well, wasn't there last night myself but just knew it would be a tough game, and so it proved. Football, tends to do that though doesn't it ..... one team on a great run of form and the other beset with internal problems, fans boycotting and in indifferent form. It wasn't hard to predict the outcome! Oh well, that's it for this season, so good luck with the boycott - defo a last resort but sounds like it needs to happen unfortunately to change things with your owner. i think our fans like to quarrel because whether we like it or not, we are very similar clubs in many respects, and have more in common than we sometimes like to acknowledge. Anyway, no doubt we will be crossing swords again very soon, although I still harbour hopes of the playoffs for us, so tara for now.
  3. Local residents moaning , and surprising but general hostility to the club from the council and people in the town, must be a universal theme then, because you could have been describing the way things are for us too. The mural, as made up as we are with it, has already attracted some criticism from the moaners, as has the plan to put lamp standard banners in Prenton Road West on the approach to the ground, similar to how all the big clubs do. My theory is that "supporters", mostly tele-clappers, of our respective more glamorous big city neighbours actually feel guilty about not supporting their local club, so wish it wasn't there to remind them of their disloyalty to their own town. We, in the other hand, stick with our local clubs through thin and thin, and for all the heartache, but just occasionally, they will provide us with brief moments and experiences that they could never dream of experiencing, where you are momentarily transported to dreamland and feel an explosion of pride and joy that they will never know. Comfort yourselves with that when being patronised or belittled, as it it us, the small band of purists, who pay our dues, but when they come, the highs are all the more higher for that! That's what I keep telling myself anyway!
  4. Good Evening Latics. Well, things going remarkably well at Prenton Park at the moment. Recall we were on the same points when Scholes took the helm. Really thought Oldham would kick on after that, but some things just don't work out I guess. Meanwhile, unbelievably, we've won 7 on the bounce and even put ourselves in with a chance of automatic promotion. Despite our contrasting fortunes over the last couple of months though, I am expecting nothing less than the customary close affair. Believe we will be bringing about 2K, which unfortunately won't include myself this time due to poor health. Shame the Saturday fixture was called off, but it really was a filthy day. A cool mural is going up on a house next to Prenton Park btw - really brightens the place up. Maybe something you could look at doing by Boundary Park?
  5. To be fair, I understand that this kettling issue was a police decision, and outside the control of the club, but yes, it is potentially damaging I agree. Personally, I don't do many always these days due to some medical hassles I won't bore you with, but putting myself in the Oldham fans' shoes last Saturday, I wouldn't have been a all happy to be treated like that.
  6. Kettling supporters outside of the ground,, denying them toilet facilities by shuttering the away end exits behind them, and taking no account of the more vulnerable, away fans, seems to be a bizarre decision by Merseyside Police to say the least. If they had specific info that things were likely to go off outside, surely they could have just held the away fans back in the stand or the concourse, as is normal practice elsewhere? The impression I got was that the policing inside the ground was in itself excessive and led to tension being ramped up further than it needed to be. There will always be a few on both sides who maybe take things too far, but what I saw from the JK Stand to your left was the kind of boisterous atmosphere we have missed so much whilst down in the abyss, and little more than that. I think Merseyside Police have some serious questions to answer about the kettling decision, which seemed at best insensitive and impolite, and at worst, potentially dangerous.
  7. Again, not speaking from a position of strength, but in principle yes, but I would imagine segregation and policing issues would be complicated with two sets of fans sharing facilities under one of the other stands, such as catering and toilets. In reality, Wrexham apart, nobody has come close to filling the Sheds for several years so it hasn't been an issue. My gut feeling is that if you had shifted 1600 tickets and demand was still there, more space would have been found in the existing away end, as why would the club want to turn away income? Hopefully whatever the safety issue is can be properly addressed at some point, and the away capacity increased back up to 2400.
  8. Yep, there was a safety issue down at the front of the Cowshed last season v Wrexham, where I think one fella broke his leg unfortunately. Since then, the bottom 10 or so rows of seats are covered by advertisements, which reduces the capacity to approx 1600. I am guessing, but this maybe why TRFC don't want pay on the gate if you have shifted substantial tickets in advance, as any over subscription on the day may prove tricky to manage. To to be honest, unless I am missing something, it wouldn't be a huge ask to open a few more rows of seats if current capacity was reached, but then there may be safety issues with that I am not aware of. As you will appreciate, there haven't been many occasions in recent seasons when away attendances at Prenton Park have been anywhere near capacity, so maybe the powers that be need to look at reinstating the full seating in the Cowsheds. On the positive side, hopefully you will find the catering a bit better than last time (it is now done in house) and with a bit of luck, the beer may still be in date ;-)
  9. Morning Latics. Well here we are again at last, after our non-league hiatus. I've had a read through the thread, and even the familiar bickering and insults are a pleasure to read, signalling a return to normality for us, whatever that is. Are we rivals? Well, geographically, that's probably stretching it a bit, but over recent years, barring the last three, we have kind of shared similar histories of stagnation and slow decline, both struggling in the shadows of glamorous neighbours. Our encounters tended to be feisty and passionate, with the added spice of Ronnie Moore cranking things up even further, and certainly for me, fixtures against yourselves were always enjoyable, as in many ways, our clubs were on a par, and I think there is a begrudging respect that as fans, we have chosen to stay loyal to our roots rather than take the all too familiar big city option with our allegiances. In short, we kind of get each other, even if there is some hostility / resentment, for whatever reason. What was the conference like compared to league 2? Well, now we are out of there, hopefully for good, I look back with some fondness, but the reality was it was mostly a wretched but humbling experience, as we had to accept that we were playing the likes of Maidenhead, Welling or Braintree because we deserved to be at that level, as did they. Broadly, you can split the conference into 3 categories: ex-league teams fighting to regain former glories, good honest non-league teams who have achieved 5th tier status on merit, and horrible vanity projects. Apart from the likes of Wrexham, most clubs saw us as a big fish, with their trips to Prenton Park as one of the season's highlights, so inevitably parked the bus, tried to frustrate us, took gamesmanship to a whole different level, and wanted to leave with a point in front of their 15 supporters. When our relegation was confirmed after losing at home to Bury, whose fans were dancing on our pitch taunting us, celebrating their promotion, apart from family and personal stuff, it was probably the worst day of my life. Conversely, our promotion last year in the play-offs, especially in overcoming the total adversity of circumstances on the day, probably eclipsed any of the successes I have ever experienced as a supporter, and I am in my mid 50s. Escaping was just so vital. Had we not gone up, there was talk of budget cuts etc, and I fear we could have become another Wrexham, so the euphoria was immeasurable and tears of joy were shed. One of the delights of being back in the EFL is that we are no longer in the peculiar situation of being considered "Giants", and teams come to Prenton Park not to show us any respect, but to try and win. Believe me, that is so refreshing after the Conference. Anyway, enough of all that. Really looking forward to Saturday and all that it entails, as two proud but bruised old clubs lock horns, trade insults, and resume normal service after several years, with all the passion and shennanigans one would expect. See you Saturday!
  10. Yep, £22 on the night, £20 in advance. Many of us TRFC fans wouldn't touch this friendly with a barge pole, and it is more of a money making exercise by overcharging Wirral based LFC supporting teleclappers, who wouldn't normally get to see "their" team. They actually let off flares and invaded the pitch when they beat us last pre-season, such was their excitement. ? I agree though, ripping off the telepudlians aside, it is a really poor show to charge that much for a friendly,, although in hindsight, it would have been worth going just to see Karius make another howler, which resulted in a social media meltdown amongst their lot ?
  11. Good Evening Latics. Well, still feel emotionally drained after all yesterday's drama at Wembley, but just popped in to say that after 3 years in the non-leagues, it will be brilliant to cross swords with the likes of yourselves again. The National League was a humbling experience, and it was certainly weird to be billed as the "big club". There were some highs, new grounds to visit, but I can't lie, it was also heartbreaking. One of my biggest fears when we were relegated from League1 was that we were only one bad season from the trapdoor. However, I never for a second imagined it would be the very next season. I tended not to follow the EFL too much whilst we were down in The Vanarama, because it was just too depressing, so don't really know the circumstances behind Oldham's fall to League 2, but regardless, here's to better times ahead for both of us, and we can all return to the important business of slagging off each other's towns and bickering about who is better supported. I know it's all childish, but boy, have I missed it! Anyway, have a good summer, and see you next season.
  12. Interesting attendance stats! i think like yourselves, some years of stagnation in the third tier took its toll, but then for us, the two consecutive relegations could have seen our attendance really fall away. However, the first season in non-league was something of a novelty, and I was surprised we remained around 5K, even though we missed the playoffs. This season we have been more competitive, but attendances have fallen, so the worry is that if we don't go up, we could end up as a run of the mill conference side like Wrexham, and interest will wane. To be honest, not entirely sure how your crowds have been as don't laugh, but looking at the football league is quite painful from down here so I tend to put it out of mind mostly.
  13. Haha, yeah, we won't the National Masters in 2010 (i.e. Seniors 5 a side), although I must say, it was a pleasure to beat Bolton in the final, so clearly that and the Manx Cup you won have been shockingly ignored! ?
  14. Longest Wait for Success, Top 5 Divisions of England 1. Coventry City – 29 years2. Oldham Athletic – 25 yearsTranmere Rovers – 25 years3. Everton – 21 years4. Aston Villa – 20 years5. Forest Green Rovers – 18 yearsLincoln City – 18 yearsMacclesfield Town – 18 years6. Ipswich Town – 16 years7. Bolton Wanderers – 15 yearsFulham – 15 years8. Blackburn Rovers – 14 years9. Plymouth Argyle – 12 years10. Accrington Stanley – 10 yearsAfternoon Latics, just thought I'd pop over and say hello, from the depths of the non-leagues. Anyway, saw this table the other day which indicates the number of years without success in the top 5 tiers of English football. So now Coventry have won the Checkatrade, it falls to TRFC and your good selves to head the success-starved league. Obviously we still have aspirations this season, although Lincoln are in the driving seat, and if it turns out to be the playoffs, no doubt we will feck that up. As for yourselves, I guess you will survive in League 1, but ffs, both our clubs have a whole generation of fans who can not remember a promotion or a trophy, and in our case, much much worse. Mad innit?
  15. Fair point. Tbh, I'd be the same the other way round. We should pin this up in our dressing room though!
  16. Seriously guys, from here down in the non-leagues, the prospect of playing the likes of yourselves again is sublime. We have lost about 1K off our home gates from last season, but are still averaging well,over 4K, and that's with mostly very few away fans, but how long that is sustainable is debatable. Honestly now, you may feel at a low ebb presently, but on the other hand, cherish every moment, because once it's gone it is hard to get back, tellin' ya!
  17. Afternoon Latics. Having read some comments about the positives of dropping down a division and regrouping, there were many saying similar at Prenton Park a few years ago. My worry at the time was that being in the bottom league is only one bad season away from the trapdoor, although to be honest, I never believed we would find that out the next season, but there you go! So now we are in this dog of a [non] league and flattering to deceive in our 2nd season there. Who knows if we will get back into the football league - Wrexham have been down here for a good while now, so it shows we have no divine right to expect anything, Last Tuesday, we celebrated an injury time winner against North Ferriby, and their 13 fans...... honestly lads, relegation is no step back to take two steps forward - trust me on that!
  18. Really sorry to hear this! R.I.P. and full respect to an Oldham Athletic legend.
  19. Morning Latics. Just having a quick scan round some football league forums ( sighs ) and saw this thread. Trust me, you really do not want to fall into the trap of thinking relegation to League 2 will result in a more competitive and buoyant league campaign. When we went down from League 1, that was the feeling at our place, but I remember saying at the time that we were only one bad season from the trapdoor. Of course, even being pessimistic, I never for a second believed that would actually happen, as the standard in League 2 was very poor, but then so were we, and in the blink of an eye, there it was, the disaster of falling out of the football league. So what of the conference? Well, on the positive side, yes, there are some new away adventures to unlikely outposts, but on the whole, there is just an overwhelming sense of sadness as to how it has come to this for us. No club has a divine right to walk this league because of the perceived size of the club or fanbase, and it has been harrowing to watch us get regularly turned over at Prenton Park by part-timers. I guess the movement in and out of players as we fell through the divisions was inevitable, but it seems that our playing standards have reduced season by season to reflect the club's status. Lads, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking as long as you have a club to support, it doesn't so much matter what league (or non-league) you are in, and to some extent there may be some validity in that, but the reality is it is heartbreaking, soul-destroying, and miserably wretched. Cling on to your League 1 status at all costs, and good luck, until / if we meet again.
  20. Great appointment for you. Wish we had him on board!
  21. I am not going to lie, outside of my friends and family, getting relegated out of the football league is the worst thing that has happened in my life! That is all.
  22. Well, I popped over before the weekend, so didn't want to hide after the event. To be fair, I understand you glee - if the roles were reversed I would probably be delighting in similar schadenfreude, so fair play to you. That said, you will appreciate I feel absolutely devastated, and just numb really. Relegations are always hard to take, but given the perilous finances our club, and the "modern football" environment (sky generation etc) we now live in, I'm not sure we will bounce back from this, and am fearful that we might even do a Stockport. Anyway, there it is. I guess our clubs are similar in many ways, struggling against the lure of big city neighbours, so until our paths cross again, adios Latics, it's been fun!
  23. Well Latics, The day has arrived, so just thought I's pop back over early doors and wish you good luck for today's match, as you will appreciate, alcohol intake has to start early today to calm the old nerves! In all seriousness, Tommy Fent's called it right! Never mind pies, chippies and the like. Just win today will you, and I will allow you gloating rights next season for saving us (assuming we don't feck things up ourselves of course).
  24. I was hoping you may have forgotten that! Oh well, I'm glad none of you are playing next week! Squeaky bum time!
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