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Who do you fancy for promo this season?


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no-ones mentioned Swindon, I think they'll do well along with Southend, Huddersfield, Brighton and Colchester, along with Leeds, MK Dons, Norwich and Charlton. I think they'll make up the top 10 in no particular order along with 1 suprise package, will that be us? It depends who we can bring in

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The top 3 for me will be, Norwich,Huddersfield and Charlton.It's hard to predict what will happen to us with so many new players still to arrive.All the negativity though is unwarranted at the moment.Let's at least kick off the season first! :ranting:

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I agree with a lot of what you say, I think I was trying to emphasise the point that we have probably already missed the boat, with our second chance coming in the Dowie season where we just missed out.

 

I understand that you feel the club is stagnating. I think it is a viewpoint shared by many other fans. However I am never sure with your posts if your venting your frustrations at how the club has been run in the last 15 - 20 years or so, or if your gripe is with how the club is operating in the present.

 

Do you still think we could achieve success now if the club was better run or more ambitious? Surely in this day and age in order to guarantee success this would refer to someone ploughing money into the club? Is that what you are advocating in all of your posts? A change of ownership?

 

For what its worth I dont think the problem is really with the football club. There are owners in place who are sensibly trying to develop and fund success without plunging it further and further into debt. They are however not getting the support from the town itself. It seems not many people in Oldham actually support Oldham or are prepared to show this support by coming down to BP. And with that in mind maybe people need to realise that maybe Oldham Athletic is after all a small club.

 

 

I feel our last chance to break out of stagnation came when promotion was thrown away in the first season with Sheridan as manager.

 

As an outsider, I can see no qualitative difference in the way the club has been run over the past twenty years, despite several changes of owner. As Joe said, it remains the same place as when he was here, despite football moving on. Chris Moore neglected the infrastructure in a reckless gamble on promotion (and his own personal prestige), while TTA came in with excellent intentions but seem to have lost their way. Perhaps it was through letting the chance of a new stadium at Ferney Fields slip away, no matter who the blame for that ultimately lies with, but we've been left high and dry by the failure to both gain prmotion and build a new stadium with modern facilities. And their decisions on the football side have sometimes been appalling, especially when it comes to the manager. I hope they know how to break out of the impasse, because I see no sign of it.

 

As for support from the town, it has to be earned, especially at a club with all the geographical disadvantages Latics have to contend with. It's a vicious circle. The more we stagnate, the less interested the town, the more false dawns, the more cynical the lapsed fans.

 

 

Edited to add missing word from second paragraph.

Edited by Corporal_Jones
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Anybody at this moment in time who believes we are capable of achieving the playoffs, let alone automatic promotion, is living in dreamland. We have a set of players made up from League 2 and lower League 1 players at best. AND we only have 16-17 players on professional terms. We may not have finished with the signings yet, but Pawel Abbott or Billy Clarke isnt going to make an iota of difference. Signing players like that will probably demand a half decent wage for mediocre performances. We would be better invested in the youth team, least that way, the young stars coming through will take us out of League 2 when we eventually drop there.

 

 

 

If we are relegated we won't be back.

 

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1-Norwich

2-Colchester

3-Huddersfield

 

Latics Mid-table :ranting:

 

The problem with big clubs coming down is that they are all probably going to finish in the top 6. Stick Leeds in there as well and thats four of the top six taken aleady, leaving the rest to scrap for the other two spots.

 

I'd settle for mid-table for Latics this season - Penny will need a year to put his stamp on the team and they'll also they'll need a bit of time to gel.

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I think the promoted/play-off sides will be

 

1. Norwich

2. Leeds

-------------------

3. Huddersfield

4. MK Dons

5. Millwall

6. Charlton

------------------

 

Along with ourselves, Swindon, Colchester, Wycombe and Southend as outside shots for the play-offs.

 

To be honest I agree with some on here. I'm not inspired by the signings so far. Having spoken with a Huddersfield Town fan, he is very glad to see the back of Worthington adding that he is a very limited player, although he will always give 100%. The other lad from Shrewsbury, looks as though he will fill gaps as and when required and Jacobson comes from Bristol Rovers with mixed reports. The signing of Abbott could help bolster our weak front line and is a targetman we've been crying out for, but is he seriously going to replace the goals that Hughes got us? I can't see it personally. Barring any clever (please god season long) loan signings from Prem/CCC sides then I can see us having plenty of effort and endevour but will lack a cutting edge against the better sides of this league.

 

Like I've said my heart say's play-offs but my head tells me mid-table. But football is a funny old game and you just never ever know what is going to happen!

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Leeds will, unfortunately, walk the league this season. They've got the backing and the manager to take them up. Up there with them I couldn't tell you because this league is unpredictable.

 

I don't think we'll do anything to threaten going out of this division in the right direction, but who knows.

 

I'll tell you where we'll finish after I've watched a couple of pre-season frendlies.

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I am mystified by some of the entirely negative commentary on this board - are people doing it for laughs or what?

 

As for the signings;

 

- Purdie sounds a decent player with some much needed versatility that we have missed post-Warne.

- Worthington sounds like no superstar, but we've needed some steel in the middle for a long time and he should bring that.

- Jacobsen is a bit of a gamble, but then good full-backs aren't imperative to getting up and we have some cover so at the least he sounds like a good gamble, if he can progress then we may have a good signing there.

 

The Aussie sounds a bit gash, but we haven't definitely signed him yet.

 

All this talk of "League 2 players" is daft. We have some very talented players - there have been teams that have done reasonably in this league without having anyone of the promise Eardley or Taylor show. Need we be reminded we have two of last years league team?

 

Surrounding the "stars" we have a cast featuring a couple who I am hopeful of big things from. If we can develop them then I think Lee, Fleming and Smalley (assuming he isn't leaving) have the potential to be excellent players at this and a higher level. Hazell is a decent centre-half, we have no idea how good Stephens, Brooke or Black are/will be, and while I am not his biggest fan a guy like Whitaker will play his part this year (even if it is coming off the bench for his striking the ball outside the area and to use his passing range when the game is more stretched).

 

We have to hope O'Grady or Alessandra can kick on, although I am not convinced by either

 

So there are some ifs, buts and maybes for next year. However, we know that we need a centre-half and a striker and if those two positions are filled by quality players then the whole perspective of this squad changes. You cannot seriously tell me that the players already at this club would not represent a better side than Cheltenham or Hereford did last year.

 

Well, you could but you'd be talking bollocks.

Edited by De_La_Vega
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Oh, and unpredictable league this year. Unfortunately Leeds, Millwall, Trannie and Huddersfield look strong to me. Not worried by what is coming up, but the three who have gone down should all fare reasonably well too depending on their starts.

 

Play-offs may prove too much of a stretch, but it will be because the teams above us are stronger than in recent years.

 

Still a long way to go though, and there'll be a few more big signings to be made - Graham from Carlisle being one of them.

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I am mystified by some of the entirely negative commentary on this board - are people doing it for laughs or what?

 

As for the signings;

 

- Purdie sounds a decent player with some much needed versatility that we have missed post-Warne.

- Worthington sounds like no superstar, but we've needed some steel in the middle for a long time and he should bring that.

- Jacobsen is a bit of a gamble, but then good full-backs aren't imperative to getting up and we have some cover so at the least he sounds like a good gamble, if he can progress then we may have a good signing there.

 

The Aussie sounds a bit gash, but we haven't definitely signed him yet.

 

All this talk of "League 2 players" is daft. We have some very talented players - there have been teams that have done reasonably in this league without having anyone of the promise Eardley or Taylor show. Need we be reminded we have two of last years league team?

 

Surrounding the "stars" we have a cast featuring a couple who I am hopeful of big things from. If we can develop them then I think Lee, Fleming and Smalley (assuming he isn't leaving) have the potential to be excellent players at this and a higher level. Hazell is a decent centre-half, we have no idea how good Stephens, Brooke or Black are/will be, and while I am not his biggest fan a guy like Whitaker will play his part this year (even if it is coming off the bench for his striking the ball outside the area and to use his passing range when the game is more stretched).

 

We have to hope O'Grady or Alessandra can kick on, although I am not convinced by either

 

So there are some ifs, buts and maybes for next year. However, we know that we need a centre-half and a striker and if those two positions are filled by quality players then the whole perspective of this squad changes. You cannot seriously tell me that the players already at this club would not represent a better side than Cheltenham or Hereford did last year.

 

Well, you could but you'd be talking bollocks.

 

Have to disagree with you I'm afraid on the Fleming issue. He's merely a shot-stopping goalkeeper and, in a sense, can be considered a liabilty. He's very hesitant and/or very slow off his line which has caused him problems more than once in the few games he has played (Peterborough, Leicester, Leyton Orient) and you can't have him costing us goals at the back because, by the looks of signings, we aren't going to score alot.

 

He's also not comfortable on the ball when he recieves it, and it may just be me, but I like my goalkeepers to be able to play... it's where most attacks start from.

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Have to disagree with you I'm afraid on the Fleming issue. He's merely a shot-stopping goalkeeper and, in a sense, can be considered a liabilty. He's very hesitant and/or very slow off his line which has caused him problems more than once in the few games he has played (Peterborough, Leicester, Leyton Orient) and you can't have him costing us goals at the back because, by the looks of signings, we aren't going to score alot.

 

He's also not comfortable on the ball when he recieves it, and it may just be me, but I like my goalkeepers to be able to play... it's where most attacks start from.

Strange because I've been impressed by his kicking when I've seen him. He needs to work on comanding his area and decision making, but for all that he showed enough as a lad in his early twenties to suggest that good coaching could turn him into a class act.

 

Plus he's a penalty saving legend. Now if he could only stop giving them away...

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Strange because I've been impressed by his kicking when I've seen him. He needs to work on comanding his area and decision making, but for all that he showed enough as a lad in his early twenties to suggest that good coaching could turn him into a class act.

 

Plus he's a penalty saving legend. Now if he could only stop giving them away...

 

 

His goal-kicking and drop kicking is very good, I agree, but I was referring to back passes and the fact he never seems confident enough to take a touch and play out from the back, especially when we had football playing defenders at the back like Gregan and Eardley (cue all the Eardley haters).

 

Just a note on the penalties... he won't be there to save most of them because he'll have, in most cases, been sent off for giving away the spot-kick... :unsure:

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yeah but how many penaltys have gone past him whilst he has been in net ?

 

None

 

 

But of how may he's been in for (I think it's 3) how many have just tapped in the rebound.

 

Two. Not the greatest return.

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But of how may he's been in for (I think it's 3) how many have just tapped in the rebound.

 

Two. Not the greatest return.

 

 

Oh, for Gowds sake we ain't going to judge a keeper on their returns at penalty kicks.

 

To me, he seems capable. Not great, but about what we can expect at this level. The strange thing is there are far fewer heart attacks than with Crossley, but I'd say he was the better keeper.

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