yarddog73

Just now, oafc1955 said:

The fact that they were the cheapest in the league by some distance. They will still be cheaper than most.

Were they though?, I was debating for next season already but I think I'll revert back to POTD and then I don't feel obliged to go.

2 minutes ago, GlossopLatic said:

Very reasonable in my opinion. Despite a recent downturn in overall form and let's call it mixed home form I've every intention of getting one.

 

Season Tickets 2024/25

Good for you, I won't be with the hike in prices. I was debating anyway but that's made my mind up for me. What's the justification for the rise?.

No thanks.

33 minutes ago, PeteG said:

We did beat them a few years back away when we had the likes of Mouche, Iacovetti and zeus de la paz etc. Ah, them were the days!!

We nearly beat them away under Unsworth, in fact we were the better team.

Shelton and Sheron in a midfield three with Gardner, Sutton at rightback, playing a 4-5-1 with Norwood up top on his own.

5 hours ago, andy_b_100 said:

Not much evidence of the wand of a left foot of Conlon .. nor the areal prowess of Raglan and Hobson. Sulking or not we would be nowhere near the top end without Norwoods conrtibution. I feel for Reid, but he had been warned previously about his social media presence, Lets see where we are after the easter weekend before we wave the white flag. 

Reid offers something different but like Fondop Mellon never fancied him, shame he couldn't tow the line and play the game but that's some footballers for you.

4 hours ago, Sloshed Joe said:

The defeat at Aldershot is looking like a major blow at this moment in time. Without that swing in their favour, it’d all be up for grabs, even with our run of draws.

 

If we can displace any teams, it’ll be Solihull or Aldershot who we could trump on goal difference if level on points. We might have to catch both teams if Halifax continue to win.

 

Its a shame it’s come to scrambling around like this as most would’ve heavily backed us 10 games ago when we looked certs for the playoffs.

Personally I blame the weak as piss performances at home to Eastleigh, Ebbsfleet, Woking and Kidderminster for our demise, I know our away form compensated for those results but still all four of those results were shocking and all under Mellon. Win two of those and we would be just fine.

A draw at Dagenham would normally be seen as an okay result, that draw isn't what's killed us.

Just now, oafc1955 said:

We have to beat Fylde otherwise we’re done!

Don't say that, you'll have some pendant claiming that's not the case.

You're right though it's must win as was last Saturday for me.

Solihull are 6 in front of us, we've mustered 4 points in 5 games of Mellonball worrying about not getting beat so the thought that they are the ones in danger is clutching at straws. Anyway if they do drop out it's likely Halifax who'll profit. After the weekend season will be over with games to spare and that will be a huge disappointment.

Let the clear out begin.

53 minutes ago, Dave_Og said:

They've only got 13 players?

Even if they have I'd rather that than 33 like we have and everything that goes with that.

23 minutes ago, LightDN123 said:

To be honest, I don’t know why we are making a shambles of the right back situation. It’s not that hard to find a competent right back. 
 

Sachdev was a panic loan, nothing more. 

They should have continued to look until they found one or put it out to all these contact we are in the market for one.

Freeman should have been the one but his heart wasn't in it.

One of the priorities for me in the summer.

25 minutes ago, Hemel latic said:

Dallas did my nut in on Saturday with his sloppy passing as described above.

His first touch is invariably a pass, I still like him though when he's stretching defences, him and Norwood works as a pairing if the midfield support and the defence play 15 yards further up the pitch as they did at home to Chesterfield. If they are going to sit in you may as well just lump it up to Fondop and Garner to runaround for.

30 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

You really do talk some bollocks!!

Without wanting to start the whole Norwood debate up again I agree he's not been the success I imagined and at times I've been disappointed, now a big factor in that will be the way we set up but surely for the money he's on he can do a little more than get involved if it's on a plate.

Some claim on here he's still our standout player but he is unlikely to be anywhere near the player of the season awards despite bagging around 20 goals playing with pub players. Thinking about it the seasons been that shite they will likely cancel the awards night again.

On 3/12/2024 at 5:46 PM, BP1960 said:

 

It was a lie and a nasty one at that.

Your accusation of me being a bully is also a lie as anyone who knows me (and you don't) will laugh at that.

You come on here for fun do you? if your post of slagging someone off is an example of that it's not mine.

Go away and leave me alone.

 

 

BP not been online since this was posted, I hope he is okay.

16 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

Providing somebody wants them…if not they’ll be going nowhere!!

Correct I heard some we being offered less than a third to sign elsewhere, it ain't going to happen so I reckon we will be stuck with them all.

What's actually happened to Shelton?, is he just being paid to stay at home?, now I know he went through a bad run of form and probably needed a break but I've literally not seen or heard of him in weeks, similarly what's going on with Reid?, all these banishments can't help the mood. Now I appreciate Mellon might not fancy them but it's hardly a healthy situation. Ward is another one.

Personally I'd like to see Norwood in a team that sets up to have a go like we did against Chesterfield, I certainly don't see him as the problem despite not quite understanding him at times. I get a feeling he wants out in the summer though and he may fancy another season in the EFL.

On 5/1/2023 at 5:14 PM, oafcmetty said:

First Team Squad

1. Magnus Norman (2025)

13. Matt Hudson (2025)

 

3. Mark Kitching (2025)

5. Shaun Hobson (2025)

16. Charlie Raglan (2025)
21. Will Sutton (2025)
 

 

6. Mark Shelton (2025)

8. Josh Lundstram (2025)

11. Dan Ward (2025)
14. Nathan Sheron (2025)

26. Oliver Hammond (2025)

32. Tom Conlon (2026)

 

7. Kurt Willoughby (2025)

10. Joe Nuttall (2025) 

24. Joe Garner (2025)
25. Alex Reid (2025)

30. James Norwood (2025)

 

As things stand these will be the contacted players going in to next season, do we have the nucleus of a promotion chasing squad?. I suspect Mellon would be happy if half a dozen of them found themselves a new club but I can't see that happening.

17 players there already which is some wage bill.

What compounds it for me is the fact we were in there, when we hosted Kidderminster I was looking at us finishing 2nd or 3rd but we imploded that day, corrected it maybe fortuatsly at Eastleigh the week after but since then there has been nothing. 

I think losing Green against Southend was a blow as we've looked toothless out wide since and that was also the game Norwood was reintroduced, coincidentally we are seven without a win with Norwood in the team, he scored 12 in 15 when Mellon was appointed but he's only bagged once in the last seven which is a worry, we obviously aren't playing to his strengths and the mellonball we played whilst he was sidelined with Garner and Fondop up top just isn't his game.

57 minutes ago, TheBigDog said:

He’ll start on Friday

Nah he'll probably start the pub players.

57 minutes ago, Frankly Mr Shankly said:

 

He never shies away from a tackle, despite his size which is an attribute which I like and think we can work with. It's going to be about developing his physical presence but I think we've a decent asset on our hands. 

I like him because he gives it everything, he does struggle at times but he has heart and that will stand him in good stead once he gets up to speed playing mens football week in week out.

26 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

I don't disagree with you Joe on the evidence of hope on the pitch when it comes to performances. But as a season as a whole, purely on results, there has been evidence of hope. If I was defending the on pitch stuff I'd probably point to having 4 different match day managers this season (I'm stretching by including Murray in that I admit). And that Mellon is the only one who comes with any pedigree. 28 games is not long enough to declare whether someone has been or is going to be a success or not.

 

When it comes to turning the club around, if we do happen to be a fixture in the top 3 over the course of next season, would that not be seen as good progress within the timeframe? Is it realistic or fair to expect that to have happened during the 2nd season and be so furious as some are that we aren't at that point now? I'd argue not. Yes Frank has made immediate changes, but you could say that about a lot of businesses. Buy a restaurant, bring in a michelin star chef and give them a shiny new kitchen but would or should that guarantee that the food is consistently great and you have a great and profitable restaurant within a few months? I don't think things are that simple.

It's interesting you use that example. One I like to use is this, given the successful business Frank has built and as an example, he may well have the best sales person in the game but a real shortage of drivers to deliver his cabins, do you think as a business they'd bring someone else in on the sales team, he's a great lad and a top seller he just wants a move nearer to his roots in the North West, he's expensive as well and will eat in to that transport budget leaving little to fill the positions needed. It's never going to happen is it in any other walk of life, money just isn't going to be squandered like that yet we seem to be hemorrhaging it at an alarming rate of knots, now that doesn't affect me directly but it makes no sense at all on any level. Chesterfield as the example have a very balanced squad players like Colclough and Berry were brought in to compliment players they already had and they recruited in key areas - not because someone was too good to turn down, we've got to be smarter because as a business we are behaving dumb and that unfortunately is half the problem. 

1 hour ago, JoeP said:

 

Without wanting to pick holes, Unsworth didn't have us playing any better than we are now. He had an unbelievable run of luck by winning games where the opposition missed chances and we won games we really should have drawn and lost.

Double post 

1 hour ago, JoeP said:

 

Without wanting to pick holes, Unsworth didn't have us playing any better than we are now. He had an unbelievable run of luck by winning games where the opposition missed chances and we won games we really should have drawn and lost.

Honestly I can't pick more than half a dozen games that Mellon had us playing well, I think it's fair to compare Unsworth back end of last season to this because we are in the same division, Unsworth certainly had a better home record after Christmas that's for sure and it could be argued we've been lucky under Mellon also, I can remember wins we've picked up where I thought we were fortunate.

Now whether there are constants in both seasons is up for debate but I honestly feel it needs ripping up and starting again we are that far off, Chesterfield are likely to finish 40 points plus in front of us and that's criminal. 

We need a keeper, rightback, left footed centre back, new midfield, a couple of decent wide men.

Not going to happen though as we have a number of dead legs contracted through next season and anyone decent is likely to be off as they don't want to embarrass themselves playing in a 7-1-2 any longer to compensate for our poor keeper and defence and none existent midfield. 

12 hours ago, nzlatic said:

 

I actually don't know what the answer is. But we seem to be in this polarised situation where the players either get adoration or abuse depending on whether we win or not.

This is just not true though, only the week before we lost a 2-0 lead, got a point but could of ended up with none yet the team were applauded off like heroes, not because they'd won a point but because they'd left it all out on the pitch, performance wise you'd say they all played their part.

Fast forward to the following Saturday and you couldn't single one player out who did the same, not one. Now to me there is something fundamentally wrong with a group of players that weak. I really am getting fucked off with every man and his dog blaming the fans, it's weak and divisive for a start. What happened at home to Kidderminster then when I didn't hear a boo or grown all game despite feeling embarrassed for Mr Rothwell?. Yet we didn't even get going, have a go or show an ounce of Oldham pride?.

This group of players and the manager now are becoming an embarrassment, they are weak and he is weaker for allowing it, he's reaffirmed this behaviour by unconditionally selecting players who continuously let him down, I don't give a fuck if he plays a kid on the wing who fights and gives his all instead of some player who swans about going through the motion.

He keeps telling us he's got a group he trusts and one that represents the people of Oldham, well that's a load of shite as well.

We've had players fall off the face of the earth still being paid wages - but apparantly we are all in this together.

Back end of last season Unsworth somehow got a tune out of a far inferior squad and Mellon is doing the opposite when it counts, our home record under him is a huge worry going forward and he's been unable to find any answers so far despite being able to bring six players in to the fold, only two of them started Saturday and they were arguably our worst players in Walker and Conlon. Nothing that was wrong within the squad has been addressed and we are spluttering our way through to the end of the season with a lot of these weak players already signed up for next season.

It's a mess that needs sorting out, recruitment has been abysmal and I put that at Darren Royles door, there doesn't seem to be any conceivable plan other than someone at the club being pally with a number of agents which is no way to do business, whose identifying what we need because we finished with four strikers on the pitch Saturday and a midfield that couldn't pass piss, not a wide player at the club, four strikers who I'd beat over 50 yards with little pace and our standard bunch of right footed centrehalfs. It's criminal really the mess that squads in.

Anyway good luck with the season ticket sales which are likely to dictate the budget but I guess that will be the fans fault again.

14 minutes ago, simplythemostimportantkick said:

I think it’s understandable in this circumcision

Agreed particularly as he is neuter this board.