WE WILL NOT GO DOWN

[Stevie_J]

Barry, as you are so confident that "WE WILL NOT GO DOWN", I suggest you speak to the other board members and pop down to William Hill tomorrow and stick all the money from the cup run on us avoiding relegation. As WE WILL NOT GO DOWN, it is basically free money.

 

Not sure what the odds are, but it is bound to be more than being sat in cash earning less than 1% interest.

Money from the cup run? ...What money from the cup run?

[bossrocks]

Talking of nutters who were also pants (and a liability) ... Alan Smart!

He was pants but scored probably the greatest goal I've ever seen at BP. I think it was vs Brentford - Smart made a great run from deep, Eyres played a defence-splitting through ball right into Smart's path which he flicked up and volleyed in, all in one fluid motion.

[bossrocks]

Money from the cup run? ...What money from the cup run?

[razza699]

LJ put his finger on it - turnover of players and fitness. Both of these are down to PD and SC and the Board who allowed him to do it and then let him stay for too long. The succession of loan players took the heart out of our own. He built nothing, the players (can't call them a team) don't give a toss - they don't even seem to realise that it is not only our future but their own that is on the line.

 

Still can't understand why we let our Captain go as he was one of the few players who put the effort in.

 

In an "I told you so moment" I said before the season started that we wouldn't score enough goals and that is why we are LIKELY TO GO DOWN!

 

Its the turnover of players that is really the biggest problem for me as a fan, fed up of new players every year with No identity to the club, cant blame players for moving on but I would love for us to be successful enough to keep them. The likes the Taylor Eardley and your Porters etc, although its catch 22 isnt it, you need these players to be successful but they wont stick around to make you successful.

[razza699]

And Miki Roque, Luigi Glombard. Shez really :censored:ed up that season, with Blayney too in that crop. Better loanees might have pushed us up.

 

This all started with my worst loanee striker comment, leave the midfielders out of it

[oafcprozac]

Its the turnover of players that is really the biggest problem for me as a fan, fed up of new players every year with No identity to the club, cant blame players for moving on but I would love for us to be successful enough to keep them. The likes the Taylor Eardley and your Porters etc, although its catch 22 isnt it, you need these players to be successful but they wont stick around to make you successful.

 

I had this out with Simon Corney a few weeks ago, his explanation was agents only make money when players move on. Yet you see similar clubs of our size building sides over a period of time. He's got the planning permission for the stand now, get it built and let's start building on the field. If the board has so much faith in Lee Johnson then give the lad a chance by letting him build a side instead of 3 or 4 full time signings a year then padded out with loanees. The procession will start again this Summer but up or down we have to start rebuilding the club ON the field. ON FULL TIME Contracts, that give us the chance to move forward. 4 month, 6 month and 1 year deals are not the answer.

 

I want to see 2 strikers brought in, a keeper, right-back, 2 centre-halves and 2 midfielders. There should be enough in the budget given big earners like Simpson and JYM will be moving on, no more of operating on the bare minimum. Sell Baxter for a :censored:load and re-invest it into the side. If the fans see a bit of ambition, the new stand rising from the ground they will come back. I know Corney's not so sure about this but as I told him, after 10 years at the club, he still hasn't worked it out. We know the famous fickle fanbase better than most, give them their stand back with improved facilities, give them a team that belongs to the club, scores goals and has a will to win and bit by but they WILL return.

 

Stick with the policy we have now, and if we don't go down this season, we will only be delaying the inevitable which is what we have been doing since we sacked Shez. It's time to try and build some continuity after this Summer's justified clear out. I want to see lightweight loanees at a minimum, and signed only when truly needed. If there's a kid in the ressies or youths that can be thrown in for two or three games then do it. I'd sacrifice loanees for better quality, experience tied down on 2 or 3 year contracts. Untie the manager's hands and let him wheel and deal, we've saleable assets use them to get what you want out of the budget...

Edited April 11, 2013 by oafcprozac

[razza699]

I had this out with Simon Corney a few weeks ago, his explanation was agents only make money when players move on. Yet you see similar clubs of our size building sides over a period of time. He's got the planning permission for the stand now, get it built and let's start building on the field. If the board has so much faith in Lee Johnson then give the lad a chance by letting him build a side instead of 3 or 4 full time signings a year then padded out with loanees. The procession will start again this Summer but up or down we have to start rebuilding the club ON the field. ON FULL TIME Contracts, that give us the chance to move forward. 4 month, 6 month and 1 year deals are not the answer.

 

I want to see 2 strikers brought in, a keeper, right-back, 2 centre-halves and 2 midfielders. There should be enough in the budget given big earners like Simpson and JYM will be moving on, no more of operating on the bare minimum. Sell Baxter for a :censored:load and re-invest it into the side. If the fans see a bit of ambition, the new stand rising from the ground they will come back. I know Corney's not so sure about this but as I told him, after 10 years at the club, he still hasn't worked it out. We know the famous fickle fanbase better than most, give them their stand back with improved facilities, give them a team that belongs to the club, scores goals and has a will to win and bit by but they WILL return.

 

Stick with the policy we have now, and if we don't go down this season, we will only be delaying the inevitable which is what we have been doing since we sacked Shez. It's time to try and build some continuity after this Summer's justified clear out. I want to see lightweight loanees at a minimum, and signed only when truly needed. If there's a kid in the ressies or youths that can be thrown in for two or three games then do it. I'd sacrifice loanees for better quality, experience tied down on 2 or 3 year contracts. Untie the manager's hands and let him wheel and deal, we've saleable assets use them to get what you want out of the budget...

 

Well said.

 

I'd also like abit to be invested in youth, lets find another Taylor or Eardley.

 

also with loans I don't mind the year long ones like Croft but its the 1 month loans I can never get my head round unless its a real emergency.

Edited April 11, 2013 by razza699

[Barryowen]

M ypost chaps was a rallying call. I have ready all the responses but cannot answer every one.

 

I do not believe we will go down and merely mentioned the players being away from home when it appears there is less pressure on them. Rightly or wrongly they do seem to get very nervous at home, certainly when things are not going so well. Dare I mention it, but the away support does appear to be more forgiving when bad things happen.

 

Hindsight is a great thing and perhaps managers should go earlier when you look back . However you always have a belief that someone will turn it around.

 

 

Barry

[Barryowen]

Sorry re the mistakes.Rushing at the moment.

[Wardie]

M ypost chaps was a rallying call. I have ready all the responses but cannot answer every one.

 

I do not believe we will go down and merely mentioned the players being away from home when it appears there is less pressure on them. Rightly or wrongly they do seem to get very nervous at home, certainly when things are not going so well. Dare I mention it, but the away support does appear to be more forgiving when bad things happen.

 

Hindsight is a great thing and perhaps managers should go earlier when you look back . However you always have a belief that someone will turn it around.

 

 

Barry

 

A team that is capable of winning promotion is a team that has self-belief, wherever and whoever they play in front of.

A team that is capable of winning promotion is a team that has commitment, wherever and whoever they play in front of.

A team that is capable of winning promotion is a team that is actually "a team", wherever and whoever they play in front of.

 

Away support from any club is not "more forgiving", rather it is more supportive, because of the minority in number and the siege-mentality that it fosters.

Home support is, and rightly so, expectant of the home team to take the game to the opposition, play with a passion and a pride and elicit the vocal support of the home fans. That is how games are influenced and often won.

 

A succession of bad managerial appointments, the apparent lack of progress off the pitch in knocking down a stand, leaving a gaping-hole and removing some of the hospitality facilities, right through to the lack of sufficient food (pies) and a disastrous choice of the template for the official website..plus, the subsequent error-strewn articles..add to that, way too many journeymen and lightweight loanees, who will never be committed to the club..dithering over the latest managerial appointment and now, the spectre of relegation hangs over a team that appears uncaring and incapable of getting the results required to stave it off.

 

All of these things, when taken into consideration as a whole, Barry, are why the fans have deserted the club in the manner that they have.

There really can be no excuses for the mismanagement and total lack of match-day atmosphere that the fans are expected to cough-up their hard-earned cash for. If the product on the pitch was exciting to watch (win or lose) the periphery stuff would be bearable in the short-term, but sadly, the football has been lacking for so long now, apart from the odd match and the cup-run..made even more frustrating when the fans do get a glimpse of the team's capabilities, only for it to be snatched way again and for no apparent reason.

 

The new-stand planning approval is a small chink of light, the green shoots of recovery, if handled/marketed correctly and hopefully not in the shoddy way that other avenues of revenue have been conducted. If relegation can miraculously be avoided, then the new stand, once completed, can hopefully help the club to kick-on to better things in League One. If not, then the fans have to hope that Lee Johnson can re-build the squad and implement his ideas from the ground up, whilst increased revenue streams help to carry the club back into League One and beyond.

 

Over to you, Mr. Corney.

[Lookers_Carl]

Hi Barry

 

Long time no speak, hope you are well.

 

Regarding the on field situation I think it is a catch 22 situation, the board reacts too quickly and fires a manager then fans bemoan hire and fire policy resulting in a lack of stability. The club sticks with the manager throughout a bad patch then fans point finger at the board for taking too long to make a change, arguing that things may have been different had the board acted sooner.

 

However, regardless of which division the club is playing in next season, I think Wardie has hit the nail on the head with some of these points Barry, especially regarding the complete lack of professionalism by the club in the way it goes about certain elements of its business off the field, most notably in my eyes

• Running out of hot food on a regular basis.
  
• In the event of a postponed game, selling the programmes printed for the original fixture.
  
• A club website that not only looks like a GCSE project gone bad, but is regularly riddled with articles full of spelling and grammatical mistakes.
  

 

Oldham Athletic are meant to be a professional football club, not some two bob tinpot semi-professional outfit like FC United. There is a difference between keeping costs down, and what can only be described as petty cost cutting that would detriment the image of any professional club.

 

In my eyes, regardless of what division we are in, this has got to stop.

[Horlicks]

Lee Johnson may prove to be a very good manager but lets be honest Barry he was a cheap appointment. I could almost understand it if he was given a full pre-season but when you are deep in the mire an experienced head is required.

[garcon]

Another way of looking at it is he has as good a chance as anyone of extracting just enough out of the curent squad to stay up, so effectively his 2013/14 pre-season started when he was appointed.

 

In effect he has a mini-season to run the rule over the squad. What happens over those few games he has in charge will largely dictate movements in and out in the summer.

[Barryowen]

Carl. You hit on some interesting points. The catering as you know is contracted out and we are constantly reminding he company of the issue you raise.

 

Programmes are expensive and we are not the only club to re-use then for a re-arranged game. Most fans are interested in the articles in the programme and not merely the names that appear on the squad list for the game.

 

We are currently looking into all aspect of the web use at the club and I am the first to admit that there could be improvements. All the Board are "digitally" minded even to the point of looking at the feasibility of an on line programme.

 

Whether this would be possible in being looked at along with other initiatives.

 

Barry

[Barryowen]

And by the way Lee was not the cheap option. He was the best candidate. As simon C has told a number of fans, we had quite a few of the more experienced and seasoned managers offering to do the job this season for NOTHING.

 

You have to ask yourself why these managers are out of work in the first place. !!!!!!!!!!

 

Barry

[Roger Ritchie]

M ypost chaps was a rallying call. I have ready all the responses but cannot answer every one.

 

I do not believe we will go down and merely mentioned the players being away from home when it appears there is less pressure on them. Rightly or wrongly they do seem to get very nervous at home, certainly when things are not going so well. Dare I mention it, but the away support does appear to be more forgiving when bad things happen.

 

Hindsight is a great thing and perhaps managers should go earlier when you look back . However you always have a belief that someone will turn it around.

 

 

Barry

 

What are the players scared of at home?

 

Just asking because I have this recurring dream that a load of zombies are going to attack us, slowly crossing the carpark. We can see them coming, we know there is no stand at that end to stop them getting in. The stewards won't let us on the pitch. The Rochdale Road end are panicking, the Chaddy End are curious, the main stand are tutting at us. Lee Johnson is jumping up and down trying to see over the wall to establish what is happening. Hulk Hogan is rallying the troops to stand take them out. Broady is trying to make an annoucement but keeps pressing the wrong button and 'Who let the dogs out' keeps starting over and over ...

 

Just asking because if the players are seeing this too it's probably more than just a dream!

[Lookers_Carl]

And by the way Lee was not the cheap option. He was the best candidate. As simon C has told a number of fans, we had quite a few of the more experienced and seasoned managers offering to do the job this season for NOTHING.

 

You have to ask yourself why these managers are out of work in the first place. !!!!!!!!!!

 

Barry

 

I bet sunbed boy wasn't one of them

[stargazer]

Bury at home to us followed by Scunthorpe on Tuesday .

 

We probably need to win 2 of our next 3 games at least to take the pressure off before the last 2 away games.

 

Defeat on Saturday will I feel lose the few people ,like myself, who think we will survive.

 

If we do get in front , let's hope for goodness sake we don't stop playing instead of putting the game to bed.

[Lookers_Carl]

If by some miracle we can get and stay a point ahead of scunthorpe until we play shrewsbury, a win there could make us safe

[BP1960]

Hi Barry

 

Long time no speak, hope you are well.

 

Regarding the on field situation I think it is a catch 22 situation, the board reacts too quickly and fires a manager then fans bemoan hire and fire policy resulting in a lack of stability. The club sticks with the manager throughout a bad patch then fans point finger at the board for taking too long to make a change, arguing that things may have been different had the board acted sooner.

 

However, regardless of which division the club is playing in next season, I think Wardie has hit the nail on the head with some of these points Barry, especially regarding the complete lack of professionalism by the club in the way it goes about certain elements of its business off the field, most notably in my eyes

• Running out of hot food on a regular basis.
  
• In the event of a postponed game, selling the programmes printed for the original fixture.
  
• A club website that not only looks like a GCSE project gone bad, but is regularly riddled with articles full of spelling and grammatical mistakes.
  

 

Oldham Athletic are meant to be a professional football club, not some two bob tinpot semi-professional outfit like FC United. There is a difference between keeping costs down, and what can only be described as petty cost cutting that would detriment the image of any professional club.

 

In my eyes, regardless of what division we are in, this has got to stop.

 

You do FC United an injustice Carl, their website is extremely professional and in 25 languages, packed with information and videos too.

 

http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/home.php

[singe]

M ypost chaps was a rallying call. I have ready all the responses but cannot answer every one.

 

I do not believe we will go down and merely mentioned the players being away from home when it appears there is less pressure on them. Rightly or wrongly they do seem to get very nervous at home, certainly when things are not going so well. Dare I mention it, but the away support does appear to be more forgiving when bad things happen.

 

Hindsight is a great thing and perhaps managers should go earlier when you look back . However you always have a belief that someone will turn it around.

 

 

Barry

This is a much more reasoned point.

It's still totally up to the palyers in my opinion, Not a huge amount the manager can do about it.

I have high hopes, but lower expectations that next year LJ can do some thing useful though.

[jsslatic]

If by some miracle we can get and stay a point ahead of scunthorpe until we play shrewsbury, a win there could make us safe

 

That's mathematics for you!

[Robbo365]

Well said Barry.

 

Tactics were wrong IMO on Tuesday. Backing LJ but he said from the off he didn't want players to be out of position yet Smith was at RB and Baxter LW. We've got Montano and he could provide the balance we need on the left.

 

We also need to decide how we're playing. If we're going to lump it like we have been doing we may as well put Robbie and Matt Smith up top. If we're gonna play, get rid of both and put Millar up there just behind Barnard and let's try to get it in to Barnard's feet. He's a natural born goalscorer.

 

OWTB x

[deyres42]

Barry, let's not pretend he was the best candidate, not when there were people like Simon Grayson, Keith Hill available.

 

Johnson fitted the mould that you wanted to appoint - that being someone cheap and willing to work with a shoestring budget.

Edited April 11, 2013 by deyres42

[gavinodriscoll]

Barry, let's not pretend he was the best candidate, not when there were people like Simon Grayson, Keith Hiil to name but two available.

 

Johnson fitted the mould that you wanted to appoint - that being someone cheap and willing to work with a shoestring budget.

 

There's a difference between being available and wanting the job