Midsblue

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.

I'd prefer this version i.e the pink design for our home shirt; replace the tangerine or pink for blue and hem in white. Same design for away kit with burgundy as the main colour. Prefer v-neck to collars and all this white sections in the blue. All blue please

I didn't get from the club so opinions may differ depending which side of the table you are listening to. That's what I've heard though so it may be a quick "thanks but no thanks" if you're correct. All I know is that he'd like to come back but I suspect that it may be down to offers (or lack of) on the table.

I was told a few days back that he wants to come back so not surprised if he's checking out whether this is possible. He gets on really well with the directors and since a bad influence (by all accounts) has left then it could well be worthwhile for us if we get him back on our terms.

I've bought every shirt (one for me and one for my daughter) every season basically for income for the club and to wear them frequently as a shining beacon amongst all the drudge down in the midlands. However, the home shirt issued by Carbrini middle of last season was rubbish - the cut, design, quality of the badges and sponsor - and has put me off buying any more until there is a serious rethink about suppliers, quality and taking fan feedback into consideration. Could we not get Barry Owen to provide fan feedback on quality of shirts and input on future shirts? Design is one thing and colour but quality has been regularly overlooked in recent seasons. The last one is the 100 years shirt by Carlotti that was decent and I've reverted to wearing this again now. Surely with teams lower than us signing contracts with Nike, Umbro, Adidas then there's an opportunity for us now as opposed to supporting a local brand. I'd much prefer to go local, especially if John Wardle is influenced to reciprocate but Carbrini needs to improve dramatically on quality and design for the punters to start buying again. Even returning to an embroidered sponsor rather than poorly stuck on is a step in the right direction.

Recently departed player made reference to the cliques that existed and there was a general ill feeling towards a certain player in the team. With such a split within the whole team it's no wonder that things went down the pan in the latter months on the pitch. Certain players "couldn't be bothered anymore" prior to and defintely after the dogs night. I was shocked by some of the comments made and I'm glad that the individual has left the club along with certain others as it was evident that football wasn't the focus anymore. Cloud has lifted, fresh approach, new direction and leadership.

HE....WILL....NOT....JOIN.....US Let's accept it and move on

I'm genuinely excited with what I've heard so far from Penney and Gray regarding their approach and preparation for next season. Last season I think the genuine approach, off-field activities and cliques had a negative effect on the youngsters and this affected them on the pitch. Bringing back professionalism, discipline, commitment and focus will rejuvenate the likes of Smalley, Alessandra, Eardley and even Taylor. I'd go so far and say that our youth players plus the newbies like Brooke, Black, Dawson, Rowney and Ollerenshaw will galvanise our squad for next season, our success on the pitch and future income either through player sales or promotion. We went backwards this season and the bad influences have been weeded out and shown the door. There was expectation last summer but this year I think we could become the dark horses of this league with shrewd signings, one or two loan deals (possibly from Sunderland and a couple of other Prem clubs) and fast developing youth players.

I think this is a superb idea. Due to working commitments, a very young family and distance away from Oldham, a season ticket is not a viable option for me. However, I aim to attend matches where possible and at moment pay at the gate. As I pay per match, I am sometimes swayed from not attending if something happens at short notice. Buying a five or ten game ticket will secure a financial commitment from me that means that the club benefits even if I can't attend the ten matches in that season. Has the club commented on this? Concern is that ST holders may choose this lower priced option but ST holders are those who have the time, live local or don't have outside commitments that prevents them from attending all games. Therefore they'd buy the ST regardless. I'd buy now if this was offered.

It's never going to happen. Despite his footballing brain, quality and range of passing, the quality of players around him in our team will make Scholes' inclusion not as effective as everyone would expect or hope for. He'd also be a target for every opposing player at this level so that they can make a name for themselves in the press where he'll be hacked to pieces or marked out of the game. Scholes is reknown for retaliation, a short fuse and poor tackling so his yellow and red card count will be greater than Hughes and Hazell combined. Only way it'll happen is if we're in the Championship, sign three or four quality players around him and increase the likelihood of him having one final swan song before he retires.

Taylor and Eardley sold so that owners can recoup their outlay prior to selling the club. Main asset is then the land, which is now a slow burner to develop in the current economic climate. Once Taylor and Eardley sold, the asking price for club can be dropped to entice a buyer who is either (A) intersted in well being of the club or ( can afford to hold fire until land prices increase or economic climate allows development of the surrounding land. Regardless of what's been said in local press and on the official site, the owners are keen to sell the club.

Totally agree. Similar to Fowler who decided to plump for a last crack in the Prem with Blackburn rather than a weeklt wage with Cardiff. Fowler does have the luxury of millions in the bank plus a very, very healthy income he gets renting out all his houses. He probably earns more from the houses than he does through football now. Lee on the other hand will welcome security of a weekly wage rather than PAYP deal the next step up. With his record when fit some teams struggling could well gamble with a full contract but failing that I can't see him going elsewhere in our League unless it's one of the bigger boys who can afford to pay him more each week than us. Would love him to get one or two more seasons at Championshop level and in our colours though.

Absolute tosh - I can confirm 100% that he is not talking to Wolves. I don't know the player but I know Wolves and have contacts there. Spoke at board level and they laughed at me when I dropped it into conversation. They are after a striker but aiming higher that League One.

I'm bemused with this latest statement because the next home game is after the closure of the transfer window. Therefore if Corney sells a player before the next home game then obviously attendances are irrelevant and it's just an excuse to sell a player and balance the books. Put a gun to the head of the fans and all he's going to do is alienate the diehard fans or those considering a return through the turnstiles. Three games, three wins and a sense of optimism finally within the stands of Boundary Park......Corney goes and fecks this all up by flogging one of the crown jewels - a catalyst to the winning - and not only does this feck off the fans but Sheridan, the rest of the team etc etc. The only way we're going to increase the crowd is to win promotion and host clubs with a larger fanbase because we're not going to add 2-3000 to the home sections until we're up and successful back amongst the bigger boys. Wake up and smell the coffee Corney as this is the only answer to your latest threat. Before anyone suggest that I'm ungrateful - I like the other 4,500 regulars have spent our own hard-earned money in the hope of success. That's my "investment" when you scale it down and we're speculating to accumulate, which appears to be paying off so far this season!

He made reference in a recent interview of probably playing at a lower level just so he can continue playing football, which he loves................ .................however, he didn't state that Oldham was that club so there is a lot of assumption that he's coming to us My feeling is that he may go to the likes of Sunderland if they get relegated because of Keane .................however, you should never say never

Has anyone else got THAT feeling? You know the one I mean. There's been times over the last few seasons when I thought that we could get promotion. Obviously under Dowie this was more likely but starting the first Play-Off game against Blackpool, I thought we could but I wasn't 100% convinced for some reason despite it only being three games away. However, with the strength and depth in the squad this season I have the feeling that this season will be the one. Keeping fit and injury-free, especially with Hughes, Gregan, Taylor and Liddell, is crucial but I think we have the depth to accommodate any unforeseen circumstance. If we're in with a shout come January then I believe the owners will give Shez that extra boost too.

He's worth more than £1 million and probably our most saleable asset ahead of Eardley and Davies. Unsure if many caught the comments in the media following today's match reports but even Adrian Durham was crowing about Taylor on Talksport saying that he's in demand and his abilities are in high regard with some of the Prem teams. If he continues to score goals - goals like the freekick and today's second goal - then we'll struggle to keep hold of him. He has some raw talent that if nurtured by some of the leading coaches then he can make it at the highest level in my opinion. How long is his existing contract because we need to sign him up for longer so that we can cash in if the offers are too good to turn down. I wouldn't sell for less than £2 million in the current climate as this lad will get better. Hopefully his passion as an Oldham fan will convince him that his time will come and he can help "his" team to get promotion, show his ability at the next level and then see what happens in 2009/10 season.

Lazy journalism me thinks. Pick those relegated from Championship or from season before, then a big name i.e. Leeds, then Taggart's son because we can fill a few extra lines making reference to Taggart and assumed nepotism if strengthening need. Then they're struggling as journos very rarely discuss life below the Championship with exception of Kamara. Whoops, need another team to fill the spot but struggling......ermmmmm.......another team who were higher a few seasons ago, nice stadium, recognised manager in charge......mmmm......Huddersfield, yeah Huddersfield. Well, I spend a lot of time up there and they fans aren't that optimistic and they watch them week in and week out. I'm happy to be placed as an underdog by most as it'll hopefully act as motivation for our team to do better i.e. pin these up on the wall in changing room and say that the press have written off without a ball kicked in anger. Also, being dark horses presents better odds when you take a punt.

Lazy journalism me thinks. Pick those relegated from Championship or from season before, then a big name i.e. Leeds, then Taggart's son because we can fill a few extra lines making reference to Taggart and assumed nepotism if strengthening need. Then they're struggling as journos very rarely discuss life below the Championship with exception of Kamara. Whoops, need another team to fill the spot but struggling......ermmmmm.......another team who were higher a few seasons ago, nice stadium, recognised manager in charge......mmmm......Huddersfield, yeah Huddersfield. Well, I spend a lot of time up there and they fans aren't that optimistic and they watch them week in and week out. I'm happy to be placed as an underdog by most as it'll hopefully act as motivation for our team to do better i.e. pin these up on the wall in changing room and say that the press have written off without a ball kicked in anger. Also, being dark horses presents better odds when you take a punt.

Lazy journalism me thinks. Pick those relegated from Championship or from season before, then a big name i.e. Leeds, then Taggart's son because we can fill a few extra lines making reference to Taggart and assumed nepotism if strengthening need. Then they're struggling as journos very rarely discuss life below the Championship with exception of Kamara. Whoops, need another team to fill the spot but struggling......ermmmmm.......another team who were higher a few seasons ago, nice stadium, recognised manager in charge......mmmm......Huddersfield, yeah Huddersfield. Well, I spend a lot of time up there and they fans aren't that optimistic and they watch them week in and week out. I'm happy to be placed as an underdog by most as it'll hopefully act as motivation for our team to do better i.e. pin these up on the wall in changing room and say that the press have written off without a ball kicked in anger. Also, being dark horses presents better odds when you take a punt.