Midsblue

Why? It’s AL pockets it screws over and signals a clear message to this clown that we’ve had enough. He’s that ignorant he’ll probably not even bother of scarves and STs are through on the pitch. Does the Trust have any guarantees that he has funds to continue funding the club or pay wages? ST holders have already paid so not turning up won’t affect the income but will give a very clear and visually powerful message. The extra few hundred paying on the day wont impact the income long term if they chose not to attend.

Do you mean concerns because there’s been no news or the news that you’ve heard from the club i.e. Craig Davies’ comments, Gerrard’s comments, Wood’s comments?

Rather than enter the stadium, wouldn’t 0 attendance be more damning and more visual to the media if the stands are completely empty?

Honest question; What do you expect to achieve even if he grants you a meeting, which I doubt he will? Will he tell you why Scholes left? Will he tell you his real plans for the club? Will he promise never to interfere again and stick to that promise? I don’t need to engineer a meeting to get the answers to these questions. Fuck Lemsagam. Here’s the questions we need answering - 1. What’s happening with the stadium purchase? 2. What’s the current debt situation of the club? 3. Subject to answering Q2, can we find focus all our efforts in finding someone to acquire the club minus Lemsagam’s crop of players and remove this cancer from the club? Surely this new Trust person who’s from this finance company knows people with deep pockets. Even get Scholes involved to help secure an owner.

Total boycott of the Tranmere game is needed. Persuade everyone not to attend; even the Tranmere fans. Imagine 0 attendance immediately after Scholes leaving. Sky will be all over it like a plague, other media too.

Cant be arsed researching this but what is Grayson and Evans record by club for the first 15 games after they join as manager? Add to this the playing budgets at those clubs and work out some pro-rata points deduction so we’re comparing apples with apples on the resources each manager had versus what Scholes currently has. Give Scholes the term of his contract and then compare.

I think the struggle this season is the best thing to happen to us. Yes it’s frustrating but if did well this season then we’re papering over the cracks of a really poor squad and most likely we would be extending the current crop’s deals. A fired-up squad against Fulham aside, the positives have been outweighed by the negatives even before Scholes was appointed. Testament is July. If we’re approaching mid-month and no activity then warning bells. That’s if Scholes is still here though. If we continue to struggle this season and the fans get on his back then I can see him walking away even before then. Therefore, Scholes should be judged on next season, not this one. On paper he’s got an experienced, extremely well-regarded assistant in Priest. Between him and Scholes, the tactics and coaching should be there but it’s wholly dependent upon skill and application of players. You do have to consider whether another new manager could get a tune from some or most of our current squad. Time to clear the decks.....

Whats the relevance? Is the 1960s 4th Division team going to come and play for us this Saturday? Sorry BP, love your posts and value your judgement but let’s look forward not back... We all know current team is shit - some playing below their ability, the rest just aren’t good enough. Hopefully Lemsagan sees it, accepts it and will allow Scholes to completely rebuild with his own players. I doubt we have the funds to achieve this although I’m hanging on the assumption Scholes wouldn’t be here unless he was given guarantees this will happen. My concern then is even if he has full backing, what happens if we don’t secure promotion or a play-off? Is Scholes off? One way or the other I don’t see him extending the 18 months and we start again.... I really hope I’m wrong and this is the start of a new, positive, chapter.

I now don’t care if we finish outside relegation on goal difference. This season is Scholes’ opportunity to assess the squad and then use the summer to really impose himself on recruitment and selection. Frustrating thing for me is that I went to see Burton v Walsall today - I was given free tickets and it’s 20 mins from me - and we could beat both of them even with our current squad. They were shocking, really shocking, and Burton are close to Top 10 in League One. I wish we could just fast forward to the summer now, strengthen and aim to get out this league and the hopefully maintain that into the next season. Scholes is stuck with this dross until May and that’s what frustrate me

I need a rain jacket and fancied an Oldham branded one. However I’d love our badge to revert back to the 1990s diamond version rather than the current badge. Would be keen to know your opinion but also - for The Trust - can we persuade AL to switch back for next season?

If we manage to get into the playoffs, it’ll be an unexpected (and arguably undeserved) bonus. I’d already written this season off when we didn’t strengthen defence and midfield in the January window. Uncertain if funds were there or the Scholes saga limited our options on acquiring any more incoming players. Summer is the key; will Scholes have total free reign and the budget to strengthen and play his brand of football? We’ll soon see late June when our released list is published and the transfer rumours start. We need to stick with Scholes and judge him with his team, his players and at least a month coaching the players. We’re currently expecting him to polish a turd. Edit - I don’t get this “Scholes doesn’t show any emotion on the touchline” as a measure of his ability. I very much doubt Scholes will be someone who’ll be running up and down the touch line, kicking every ball. I’d rather have someone keeping their emotion in check and trey his judgement. He’s seen more world class coaching first-hand than we’d ever experience - he needs the run of his contract and freedom to do his own thing. Will that happen?

Noted if it was kickstarted by the fan-led consortium. However, I was led to believe that the fan-led consortium are involved as a result of another bid by parties unknown

Well if nobody can develop the land where the stadium sits until after 2031 then this remains a massive financial millstone around Blitz’s neck. No wonder he’s reappeared and keen to sell it onto some other schmuck. The rent paid by the club annually is probably less than any interest gained if that £6m sat in a high-interest account. I return to my original question; Outside of a fan or the Trust, why would any sane person spend £6m to purchase the land when there’s no realistic investment return for 12 years? A bid, whoever it’s from, I can only see as a good move. We’ve got 12 years to produce a contingency plan to buy it back or relocate the stadium or would be sufficiently compensated if that changes any sooner?!

I just don’t understand why someone would pay £6m for the land and North Stand unless they were connected to the club and safeguarding our future. Am I right in thinking that the land cannot be developed for anything other than the football club without our authority until 2031? If so, why buy to develop because you’d need to relocate the club or compensate us to relocate. Even if that happened, I doubt there’s £6m available even after profiting from housing plus funding that relocation. Even a Tesco building an Extra there couldn’t afford to pay us off the move. This means someone is buying to then hopefully sell back to the club, at a profit, when we can afford it. Unless AL finds the cash personally or finds someone willing to waste over £6m, we cannot afford to buy it back until we’ve reached the Premier League. There is one other scenario; AL/owner, sick of the condition of the three stands, decides to relocate the club. This therefore allows the land owner to develop without having to compensate the club.

Perhaps Scholes isn’t happy with 10% of one club so wants 100% of another?!

I’m bloody confused after reading this post and the Trust statement. Correct me if I’m wrong - 1. Someone has bid £6m for the land that BP sits upon and surrounds BP 2. AVC means Blitz has to allow the Trust to purchase instead for £6m 3. Fan-led consortium, including the Trust, now in talks to purchase the land I know that the Trust is limited in what they can discuss but can they clarify the following - 1. Is the £6m for the land and North Stand (meaning AL owns the remaining the remaining three stands but on a leasehold basis)? 2. If the fan-led consortium cannot match the £6m bid tabled then is the club still safe and we simply get new landlords until 2031? I can understand Blitz why wants to severe links and get his cash back but why would someone want to pay £6m for the land if they cannot develop and recoup that money until after 2031?

Aim high Rodney, aim high

Hi Tracy. Was this away from BP or do you know if Blitz attended the Scholes press conference today? Great stuff - can’t wait to read the answers. Did you ask the Q if he’s returning as an investor to the club?

For those debating Scholes being a good or bad thing, the amount of media attention we’ve received today definitely places it as a great appointment for this club. Adrian Durham aside, the number of players, managers, media outlets and clubs wishing him all the best is testament to just how popular the lad is. When Solksjaer gets the United job permanently and having Butt as Head of Youth , there it wouldn’t surprise me that we’ll be towards the front of the queue in signing youth players from United on loan next season. Imagine what the likes of Tahith Chong, Callum Gribbin and Mason Greenwood could do for our midfield and strike force. It’s not just United, I’m certain other Prem clubs would welcome Scholes and Priest coaching their talent and playing for us. Still think we could sneak a play-off berth this season though .....

Yeah. That’s the game I was in directors box and boardroom beforehand.

....and the same hasn’t happened under Corney? Difference is I knew Moore had the money, I don’t with Lemsagam nor did I with Corney. Moore did bankroll the club at the tune of over £5m during his tenure and we were able to sell off players he bought to cover some debts and entice Chaytow at the time because that loan was written off. I agree that Moore, Corney, Lemsagam were/are staking the club beyond our means. I don’t want to sully the appointment of Scholes because this could well be the catalyst if Lemsagam leaves him to recruit and select. However how are we affording him if the rumours are correct that it’s £300k salary?!

I assumed the same. December v Yeovil.

Thats what happened. He pumped money in with big plans, couldn’t afford the £50k a week extra because his wealth plummeted. Between Spring and Summer 2003, his wealth dropped by 66% as share value of Torex dropped off a cliff. He personally wrote off over £4.5m in loans to the club and sold it to Jarvis and Joy for £1. However he left the club debt-ridden and we had the fire-sale of players. I’m not supporting Moore - the exact opposite - but the same has happened with Blitz / Corney. Lemsagam apparently had to pay c£4m to pay off a lot of the debts and is now, apparently, funding a similar £200k shortfall each month. Major difference is that we don’t have major assets in players values as did in 2003. My post is more a point that these ****ers come and go. Wearing a Torex shirt is misplaced but I guess the wearer didn’t have a clue the significance - probably knows **** all about our club. Torex went bump, Moore went to jail and were “surviving” 16 years on and on the advent of appointing one of the most famous English players in Premier history as our manager

I was in the directors box that day and it seemed too cosy in the boardroom just before the match

7 years until England poaches him in the summer following our promotion into the Prem. Outlasting Lemsagam by 6 years