Midsblue

With us only hitting average gates of 4-4500 then anything more than 12000 would have a detrimental effect on the team im my opinion. On one hand we have this new sparkly stadium with 21st century facilities but stands achieving less than 20% capacity with no noise to motivate the players. It will be a ground without any life and showcase just how poor the support is and that the club is on the decline. Here's hoping that once stadium is built - hoping we're still in this division or above - then further funds can be realised so that success/ambition on the pitch matches that off of it. However, it'll most definitely be without the current owners I'm afraid but I'll be thankful that their legacy will be this new stadium. Ideal world is that the BP sale at the very least writes off current debts so we have a clean slate when we move in. We'll then be sitting tenants - unless the owners of the stadium also own the club - and paying rent that is affordable so we can then focus on the field and achieve success that befits the new stadium. Utopia I know but I'm ever the eternal optimist.

Makes you wonder why the appeal of our club has dropped in and around the town when you have fans like this travelling 11,000 miles to see us. Dedicated fans Money may well be the major factor or all those years without any success albeit the odd season securing a play-off place. It's a vicious circle - club needs fans to fund a team but fans won't return without success on the pitch. Hopefully this next week or so will welcome a couple of loan players notably between the sticks and at the centre of defence; ideally a goal poacher too. We need success to rebuild the fanbase ready to fill that new stadium I'm sure this'll be on Hawksbee and Jacobs this afternoon

Short-sighted and lazy by Penney by signing players he knows or taking the cheap, quick options. I'd much prefer to scout the non-leagues and bring in hungry players who would grab the chance rather than players who are just taking a paycheck because nobody else was interested.

The fact is that he had a clean sheet when he came here. Great opportunity but took the easy option of signing old faces, signing players with poor track records, bring back a player who he actually released from the club, letting Hughes slip through his fingers and dumping Fleming. Two many mistakes that you would expect from an inexperienced manager but not one who has the experience to avoid such errors. Still, Penney was the cheap option and this reflects how the owners view our club now - take the cheap option, get the stadium built, sell BP and surrounding ground, recoup your losses and get the hell out of there! The gamble hasn't paid off and the interest has gone - sell the plaything and keep losses to a minimum...that's the strategy now. Just hope whoever takes ownership of our club next is doing so for the right reasons.

There's a load of players who sound eastern european - is this via our partnership with that eastern european club whoe name escapes me at the moment or a reflection on our scouting network following the influx of foreign migrants?

Neither born or bred in Oldham and have no affinity with the town. However, can remember the exact date when I became a fan - October 26th, 1987. I was taken to watch Coventry v Oldham in League Cup, which we lost incidentally but Hoolickin scored. This was an attempt to turn me into a Coventry City supporter but had the opposite effect. Being the obstinate child that I was, I vowed from that day forth I would be an Oldham Athletic supporter. I travelled to as many matches as I could by train until I could drive and then became a season ticket holder. Each girlfriend I had was turned irrespective of their passion for Villa, Birmingham City, Wolves etc. One father hated me when their daughter who was raised in the Old Gold came home wearing the Blue of the mighty Latics! My business life has meant that I'm no longer a season ticket but I still aim to attend at least 25% of matches each season. Wife and two kids - all firm supporters despite her family being of the claret and blue variety. It was wonderful a wonderful moment when you children refuse to wear the Villa shirt despite how many attempts the father-in-law tries to buy them. Despite the rubbish quality of our current home shirt, no other sports garment has been worn by my kids. Keeping the faith despite the distance

Agree with 99% of what you said apart from Gregan (although I suspect that this is a whoosh). We desperately need two central defenders or we'll be exposed to the pace of some of the teams at this level. Have no issues with midfield, attack and the full backs but the two at the back and in the middle worry me big time. I just hope we adopt the BFJ mission statement of "you score four and we'll score five" as I can see the former happening.

Definitely a centre half with some pace. Boro had a few pacey frontmen but at times Gregan looked like he was wading through treacle and only his mind and tackling ability saved his bacon. Abbott and Byfield seemed to have an understanding but the rest of the strikers either can't cut the mustard or still too young i.e. Brooke

Parker's freekick was superb. Was fortunate to be sat just to the left of the goal so saw the delivery, trajectory and the satisfaction of the ball smacking the corner of the frame, down across the line and into the net. The great thing was Parker just beforehand. He kept glancing over at that far corner of the goal so you knew that he meant it and you couldn't score a better freekick, right in the corner.

The first England manager that I can really remember when growing up. A true English gentleman. Res in Peace Sir Bobby

Does she drive a TT?

Nope; now has offers from elsewhere plus his missus doesn't actually live with him but down in the midlands as I know her

Not really that concerned to be honest as he obviously wasn't returning for the right reasons. Either Notts County or another club have come forward offering more..or he used us as a bargaining tool with them. I'm more concerned that we need another striker that can provide a similar goal return as Abbott is the only one with proven goalscoring ability at our level in the whole squad. A couple of the others will hopefully come good but we need quality. Have all faith in DP but times ticking on for them to get to know the team, style of play etc before start of season.

I know people who have worked on these deals and trust me that the clubs are returning a decent margin on sales now with negotiations now back with the club due to distribution. Production costs are at their lowest now due to country of manufacture, vanilla templates with technology to quickly change colour swatches accordingly to club colours and badges.

You'd be surprised how many clubs smaller than us and at a lower level than us are agreeing generous deals with the likes of Nike and Adidas. The reason is that these suppliers are crying out for distribution channels to flog shirts that are of similar design and template but with a colour change and manufactured in sub-Asian countries. Production costs are low but it's the distribution that drying up with so many other suppliers now in the market. Granted, not the same kind of deal as Championship or Prem but still on par to Carbrini and quality plus a well-known brand to boot

Money talks so a contract on the table stipulating our terms and risk that the money stops if he's a bad boy on or off the pitch is incentive enough. No risk to us and a worthy option unless there is a similar striker readily available on same terms (money rather than T&Cs)

I can understand the concern due to what happened last season but I think we need to look at the management at the time rather than the player, which allowed us to get in such a position. Players need to be managed but I honestly think we had the wrong manager to handle such players, hence why it all imploded. DP appears very much different and has stamped his mark already. JR went to the other extreme and made a very, very bad decision in getting rid of Hughes when we still had a realistic chance in gaining promotion or even a play-off run that could have funded something this season.

Exactly, whoever allowed that home shirt for public release and hasn't seized the opportunity to strike a deal with the likes of Adidas or Nike in the current climate needs shooting! We had an opportunity last season and like many opportunties, we make the wrong decision.

Totally agree, let's take the blinkers off regarding JR's judgement as personal opinion is one thing but tends to be terribly subjective. Totally impartial but we have a fit player who has proven himself hugely effective at our level, is training with us, doesn't appear to have any offers on table so we're in the driving seat and a new manager in place who appears to be a bit of a disciplinarian rather than "one of the lads". A two-year contract for security to the lad BUT if he plays up then it's breach of contract, we cancel at no cost to us and potentially a contract geared towards incentives for goals, performance, promotion etc

As a father of two, I know the power of child persuasion. I also know of some parents who didn't actually follow a team who then began to attend matches purely because their kids were passionate and badgered for their parents to start to take them. Being down south, I'm unsure of the Oldham town centre these days but I'm guessing that OAFC shirts are only available at the ground or perhaps a small section in mainstream and independent sport retailers. Get the kids parading the shirt and attending matches and peer pressure will mean the club regains the next generation from other clubs. As Prem clubs becomng less accessible, there is a huge opportunity for the club and I'm equally bemused as to why the owners or the marketing team (where's Sean when you want him - is he still at Huddersfield as their presence in and around the town plus aimed at the kids is massive) haven't seized their chance!

From today's Chronicle - ATHLETIC are to make a major push in the coming season to attract young fans to Boundary Park. The club’s American-based owners are keen to get children into the habit of watching their local team. Chief-executive Alan Hardy explained: “We are working closely with our marketing and community departments on a number of initiatives as we want to get youngsters interested in the club. “Since the mid-1980s we have been encouraging children by giving free tickets to schools which we believe is important as they are the next generation of fans.” What would you say the % of current home attendance is 10 years old or below? My suggestion would be to provide free admission to local schools but on basis that they are admitted with school in attendance i.e. arranged via that school, kids supervised by approved adults (parents, teachers etc). Also, subsidised shirts for kids of those schools. By doing this the club is getting those kids attracted to Oldham Athletic at an early age rather than other clubs. Those kids are wearing the shirt (and hopefully overtaking the % representation in schools of other clubs) and attending matches, which will hopefully convince them to follow OAFC and persuade their parents to then take them rather than the school and increase the attendance that way as well as additional ticket sales etc

Yeah, the interest from clubs last season has evaporated due, IMO, to following reasons - 1. Questions over how effective in Championship 2. Wages v Budget for clubs at League One or below 3. History off field before and whilst with us Hence why he's keen to return to us and has apparently been expressing this as soon as JR left the club.

Is it just the away shirt being replaced or the home too? Just seen on the online shop that the Carbrini home shirt is 08/09 and not 08/10. That'll be three home shirts in two years but a bin liner would be an improvement on that awful home shirt that was released last season.

Who would you say is the best finisher out of the following that could partner Abbott? Smalley Alessandra Brooke O'Grady Wolfenden No doubt there will be a new arrival to fill this role but in case of injury, which is best suited? Smalley would be my option but I still think Wolfenden could come good if he remained fit and coached. Never seen Brooke but next season could be where he makes his name. Alessandra and O'Grady are probably similar to Abbott so would need to be in reserve.

I heard yesterday that we tried to get Schmeichel on loan from City for next season but was turned down. We've also enquired about loaning another keeper called Forster from Newcastle plus a striker called Godsmark.