Bristolatic

Sadly, you can only appeal against a straight red. Just illustrates how inadequate officials can jeopardise a team's chances.

Aye, 3-2 at Swindon? And we nearly managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory after going 3-0 up.

There's nothing I'd love more, but there are reasons why I can't do a lot of the games. Thank God for LW.

By gum, Diego, you've brought back some memories. I'd walk from home (just off Highbarn Road) with my mates to BP just to watch anything that might be going on. As a kid at school, I only ever wanted to be a goalkeeper and never ever played in any other position until I was too old to carry on, so it was always the keepers I watched the most. I remember my mate shouting "David Teece is coming out" so I ran up to him and was instantly struck dumb. He said "Hello" and I replied "Erm, ooh, aah, hmmm" or something like that. The fifties were brilliant, tuppeny programmes that were no more than a sheet of paper folded over, just about every bloke in the crowd wearing a flat cap, brass band at half time, walking home with my Dad and our mates chatting about the game, buying Charles Buchan's Football Monthly like Diego in the hope that a Latics player would feature. Players like George Hardwick, Bill Naylor, Fred Ogden, George Burnett, Don Travis, Billy Spurdle et al. And the fear that they may not be re-elected when they had to apply to stay in the Third Div North, being upset at not making the Third Div when the Fourth Div started. Happy days, sad days but fantastic memories like a trip to Denaby United in in the Cup. Oh yes, the fifties were magic.

You missed out the word "almost" at the end.

A little while ago, someone included in a thread that they thought Latics had had more shots on goal than any other club in League 1. So, sorry if this bores the arse off you all but, as I can't get to many games for one reason or another, as well as listening to the commentaries on LW, I've been compiling all possible stats for every game this season. This how the figures ended up after the Swindon game. Latics' totals on the left, opponents' totals on the right 52% Overall Possession 48% 47 Goals 36 223 Shots on Target 137 188 Shots off Target 140 411 Total Shots 277 196 Corners 132 335 Fouls 299 49 Yellow Cards 33 2 Red Cards 3 Comments?

Very good - big improvement. Well done guys. Only a suggestion, but if the tangerine OWTB and bloke with scarf moved to the right of the banner, it may give it a bit more balance.

Ideally, somewhere in the South China Sea ... ... in rowing boats ... ... without any oars ... ... with a pile of Bratfut City and Udders programmes to read ... ... add what you like to that

Remember that 2-2 very well. It was my last game I saw at Boundary park before I moved down to live in Kent. There's a pic in one of the Latics books (Team From a Town of Chimneys maybe?) of Johnny Bollands in track suit trousers in a balletic (or is balLatic) pose as the ball is on its way in from Burkett's clearance. There are 3 other pics from the game in "Pine Villa & Oldham Athletic - A 100 Year Journey".

No, those 4 don't weigh that much.

Cracking signing IMO. Only one problem - all my grandchildren were born and still live in Hull, so they'll probably never speak to me again. Let's just hope this keeps Hughesy at BP and let Bypass, er Byproduct, er Byebye, oh aye Byfield go back to Donny. Hughesy and Windy will terrorise defences in this division. As for 'Pool - Footnote: Ian Holloway is reported as having turned Deano down when at QPR. Reason? - I've already got :censored:tu and Dudu, what the f*** do I want a Windyarse for? I think he was kidding.

Crewe 1 - 2 Latics Hughes 6358

Merry Christmas to you all and your families. Best pressie? 6 points this coming weekend.

Born at BP Hospital Then ..... ..... Chadderton Gainsborough Ave, Oldham Highbarn Road, Royton Gravesend, Kent Strood, Kent Welling, Kent Hull Redditch Holt, Wiltshire Bath Swindon ..... ..... bet you can't guess where I ended up after that.

Because it's the team from my home town. I was born across the road, for God's sake, a goal kick away from the nearest turnstile. Me Dad hoped and prayed I wouldn't enter the world on a Satdi after. Went to my first game in 1950 as a 5 year old and, even 58 years on, all those memories come back. And what memories; like when it pissed down with rain so hard the brass band played in the upper tier of the main stand at half time, Burkett of West Ham beating Johnny Bollands from about 80 yards in the mud and buggering up our cup tie, the crazy tangerine shirts, red shorts and lime green and white socks we wore for a floodlit match against Accrington Stanley - and having a moist eye when Stanley died. Remembering regular matches against the likes of Workington and Gateshead, freezing bloody cold in the teeth of a force 10 gale blowing into the Chaddy and loving every minute. And I never, ever want to feel the way I did when the club nearly died thanks to M***e. I've never been so bloody miserable. But oh, the good times as well - Cup semi finals, 4 of the buggers counting replays, Wembley, Premiership, beating some of the top teams in the land and staying up there for 3 seasons despite never being given a chance outside Oldham. And season 2008-09 off to a cracking start and real hope of making promotion. The sadness now is living too far away (and family commitments) to get to all the games. But you'll never find me doing anything on a Satdi afternoon but being plugged into the Latics World commentary with headphones on me bonce kicking every ball, making every save, jumping up and down and going all unnecessary (and scaring the present Mrs Bristolatic to death) when we score. I even wear the shirt to complete the illusion of actually being there. Big Gordon, Mike Leyland and Roy Butterworth are like friends of the family, their voices are so familiar. And when I do make it to BP, a lump comes up in my throat as I hit Broadway and see the Chaddy again. Why? Cos I'm home. Even after over 40 years since I left Oldham, I'm home again. Like it's been said so many times, you can take the kid out of Oldham, but you'll never take Oldham out of the kid. And you'll never get this kid supporting anyone else but his beloved Latics.

Because I only ever wanted to be a goalkeeper, and never played in any other position, I used to watch in awe of Fred Ogden, George Burnett, Eamonn D'Arcy. Johnny Bollands (first time around) just squeezes in before I was 12. The outfield players that stick in the mind are George Hardwick, Bill Naylor, Ronnie Fawley, Archie White, Lewis Brook, Don Travis, Eric Gemmell. And that barely scratches the surface. Since I was 12 - not enough room on here for them.

Wonder if you could get a still from the TV footage.

We haven't missed out on him as well, have we? Now really rub salt in and tell me he's signed for Donny, Dirty Leeds or the Lashers.

Bloody hell, I'd better get a move on - he's only 14 behind me.

Mark Crossley's available from Fulham, but he's probably too old to be any good now.

Sounded like a comedy of errors ... ... except it wasn't funny. Hills won't be match fit if he's not played in any Lasher's friendlies.

Hope that doesn't mean we lose interest in him.

That was my first thought, but Phillips was in the warm up, so how about Hills at LB, Phillips LM, Taylor RM or, if he goes to pastie land or Donny, Smalley RM.

Just been confirmed on LW, John Hills in place of Lomax, Smalley in place of Phillips

As long as you have the right personnel (and we look as though we have with this squad), I think 3-5-2 works well and I'd like to see it used in home matches with maybe a slightly more cautious 4-4-2 away. It's the two systems that can be interchanged if one is not working.