Take That

Thought this would spark some debate http://www.talksport...ender-rejects-m

Just put a call into Jim White at Sky Sports News he said he'll refer to my information as "sky Sources understand that current Oldham Manager Paul Dickov will be appointed Blackburn Manager"

This for me. Every top manager says you cant go through a 50+ game season only using a dozen players as the current day demands mean that they become more liable to injuries. So when the inevitable injuries start mounting up and the 2 game bans for 10 bookings land with Byrne, M'Voto, Furman & Wesolowski he'll be forced to use players who have hardly played, because, due to the attendances, there will be no money for new signings. His omly hope is he somehow masterminds an unlikely win at Forest and draws a plum 4th round tie, but even that might not be enough to convince the board to let him splash any more cash after his record of 48 signings.

This won't happen. I hear Jose has options in the Championship although i'd be made up if he remained. Yet more PR from PD. My guess is with Derbyshire and Baxter and possibly Wabara gone, then if PD survives he will have to make do with the current squad as with attendances plummeting there will be no more money for signings. Better start giving them games now Paul

That is not what has happened. LD who used to sit on the bench now takes a seat up in the directors box to "get a different perspective" PG sits with the subs as opposed to being involved on the touchline with the manager and coach whilst PB struts around with his clipboard more involved than GT. Can you explain why PB has so much involvement when he was employed as a fitness coach. He has no experience in professional football except for the 1st two seasons here as a fitness coach under PD and now half a season as 1st team coach.

You are correct. He sits on the bench at the top of the tunnel with the subs. Until clipboard man (fitness coach to you and me) got his unannounced promotion, he sat on the bench at the bottom of the tunnel with the coaching staff. Why the change? Strange!

There are a number of very good reason why this team is not achieving what it should. The 1st is how PD uses his squad. Just look at the following stats (The first column is total appearances, the second league and the 3rd cups. These are upto and including the Yeovil game and a total of 27 matches) and it is quite clear that he does not use any one but the golden 12 or as I dubbed them over the last few weeks the "12 apostles" and a total of 27 matches Basically 11 players have played at least 20 of 27 games. PD keeps telling us that the players don't do as they are instructed. So what does he do? He keeps playing them. When JYM was supsended he said he wouldn't walk straingt back in to the team and would have to earn his place back. What did he do? He put JYM straight back in. These players all know that when fit they play. He can say what he wants publicly but the truth is that the players know come what may they will play. Look at the names in the top 12. All brought in by the manager not 1 of our players in that list, yet how many games did Tarky, Mellor and Winchester play last season? Why are they deemed not good enough now if the manager isn't happy with his super 12? 7 Lee CROFT Striker 26 22 4 3 Jonathan GROUNDS Defender 25 21 4 16 Cliff BYRNE Defender 25 22 3 11 Cristian MONTANO Striker 24 21 3 5 Jean YVES MVOTO Defender 22 19 3 8 Dean FURMAN Midfielder 22 19 3 10 Robbie SIMPSON Striker 21 18 3 4 James WESOLOWSKI Midfielder 20 17 3 9 Matt DERBYSHIRE Striker 20 18 2 20 Jose BAXTER Striker 20 18 2 23 Reece WABARA Defender 20 18 2 14 Matt SMITH Striker 19 17 2 6 James TARKOWSKI Defender 12 9 3 22 Youssouf M'CHANGAMA Midfielder 11 9 2 2 Connor BROWN Defender 10 8 2 1 Alex CISAK Goalkeeper 9 7 2 28 Chris SUTHERLAND Midfielder 8 7 1 24 Connor HUGHES Midfielder 5 3 2 26 Carl WINCHESTER Defender 3 2 1 19 Daniel TAYLOR Striker 2 2 0 21 Kirk MILLAR Striker 1 0 1 25 Liam JACOB Goalkeeper 1 1 0 29 David MELLOR Midfielder 1 0 1 The second is that we are too defensive, yet PD says in public that we attack too much. His post match comments today are point in fact. In his interview he says "We left ourselves open through our over eagerness to get into the box. One or two ought to have sat back. "When you leave yourself open at the back against good players, they tend to pick you off which is what happened with the goal." Well if having 3 shots on target in 90 minutes is going gung ho god help us when we go truly defensive as we ultimately will when panic sets in and relegation becomes a distinct possibility. The fact is that today we did have control of the game in terms of possession but we failed to hurt them. We came back well to get a deserved equaliser but when we failed to take advantage of that dominance we paid the price. The longer the 2nd half went on the deeper we dropped back. Doncaster made 3 very decisive substitutions. (We brought on Cristian Montano, for M'Changama.) The Doncaster goal was coming for at least 15-20 minutes. The truth is that unless we are losing, the full backs are are not encouraged to support their wingers. How many times have our wingers been double marked? Most of the time he won't let them go and they are "encouraged" to stay back. M'Voto & Byrne only go up for set pieces unless we are losing in the last 5 minuites or so when M'Voto is sent up (how many times has that worked?) Wesolowski sat nicely in that holding role nearly all afternoon. Doncaster had only 4 shots on goal in 90 minutes (3 on target) so how did we get caught Paul? The fact is we didn't get causght we sat back and invited them on and with their insistence on playing football rather than hoofball got their reward for dogged determination and being clinical where it matters. In the last 5 months in 12 HOME league matches we have scored just 12 times failed to find the back of the net in 4. The third is our coaching. When appointed, PD brought in GT as assistant manager and coach, Paul Gerrard as goalkeeping coach and Paul Butler as head of sports science (fitmess) whilst Lee Duxbury stayed with the reserves. When the reserves played last week LD was ill so who took the team? The manager - No. His assistant? No. Our other ex pro goalkeeping coach? No. The answer is a fitness coach who I am unaware of ever playing the game at professional level. Who gives out the instructions to the players from the touchline when PD isn't? The coach? No it's the fitness guru with his clipboard. Where has the guy come from to be such a big part of the touchline team? Why is Paul Gerrard no longer on the bench? There have been changes that haven't been explained, but they do explain a lot about the problems we now have. Most people I speak to say they like Dickov. He does come over well in his interviews and in the press and clearly has the ability to attract good quality players, but what he has supporting him is plainly inadequate and/or wrong and needs changing otherwise he won't be manager much longer. He needs an older head with him someone like a Peter Reid or Brian Horton (not saying it should be 1 of those 2 but I wouldn't object to either) The current set up is too negative and (1) the blinkers are on with the professional staff and (2) the unexperienced and unquallified one is not upto the job

Got to say that Mark Clattenberg sending off Pogs on that Tuesday night against Brentford still goes down as the worst decision ever. Nick Henry's effort in the FA Cup semi final replay at Maine Road was bad, but at least the ref and linesman said they did not see it cross the line. That is a matter of not seeing something. Clattenberg stated that he saw soemnthing that no one else did. His performance that night for me rankles as not only the worst decision against Latics, but also by far the worst ever referreing performance in a Latics game

In the rarely wrong Dickov confirms offer for Byrne but says no truth in a return for Hughes. http://www.oldham-ch...table-for-byrne

I think you will find that that photo is the East stand behind the goal, not the main stand along the side The stand I'm talking about is the 1 your phot is taken from, the south stand Look at the 1st and 2nd photos on the link I posted that show the the stand from the back and then the front.

i tier, 3 storeys! Will be simialr to Leyton Orients main stand http://www.footballg...nt/#South Stand

He was out on Saturday and tonight as he has a tight calf. Won't train this week so out of Saturday as well. Conspirarcy theories unite.

I think you are wrong Steve, not necessarily with his age, but the fact that Porter was also under 24, which is the age limit for getting "compensation" for a young player if he moves within his own country. The same rules also applied when we were screwed by Chris Makin Going to Marseille. It is also similar to when Fabregas left Barca to join Arsenal on a free at 16, despite him being brought through Barca's acadamy. Basically, out of contract - move abroad - free transfer. Madrid must have some sort of option clause that ties Fernandez to them.

How is it that Madrid want and expect a fee for him, when he is out of contract? (if he is out of contract) I thought that if you go abroad, ala Chris Porter, then there is no transfer fee involved. Either he's under contract and they are entitled to ask for a fee or he is out of contract and can move abroad on a free. What is different here?