The Decline of Oldham Athletic and the Future of the club

[RoyleArmy1994]

I am not old enough to remember the glory days or the decline into this division but for some of the older fans who do, I am looking for an insight as to what went wrong, the style of football an if you've pictures, what boundary Park looked like from all angles during the glory days and through out the decline.

 

FA Premier League

 

1992-1993: 19th

1993-1994: 21st (Relegated to the Football League Division 1)

 

Football League Division 1

 

1994-1995: 14th

1995-1996: 18th

1996-1997: 23rd (Relegated to the Football League Division 2)

 

Football League Division 2/ Football League 1

 

1997-1998: 13th

1998-1999: 20th

1999-2000: 14th

2000-2001: 15th

2001-2002: 9th

2002-2003: 5th (Play Offs vs QPR)

2003-2004: 15th

2004-2005: 19th

2005-2006: 10th

2006-2007: 6th (Play Offs vs Blackpool)

2007-2008: 8th

2008-2009: 10th

2009-2010: 16th

2010-2011: 17th

2011-2012: 16th

2012-2013: 19th

2012-2014: Who knows, will it be a new chapter in the lower division?

 

Managers since our decline from the top flight

 

Graham Sharp, Neil Warnock, Andy Ritchie, Billy Urmson, Mick Wadsworth, Iain Dowie, David Eyres, Brian Talbot, Ronnie Moore, John Sheridan, Joe Royle, Dave Penney, Martin Gray, Paul Dickov, Tony Philliskirk and Lee Johnson. (Question: Who do you think was worst and greatest, minus Royle)

 

I've only been a fan since 2007/2008, I fell in love with the club, but from the days before this, what was it like? What was the feel of BP compared to today? The pukka pies, the cup runs, the style of football etc.

 

The reason why I post this is because ive found the internet very limited on information and felt that considering the age range of this forum, it would be interesting to see what information fans have and pictures they would share.

 

Also, given as it will be 20 years at the end of this season since we were relegated from the top division (premierleague) where do you see the next 20 years? The club, the ground, technology, fan base, finances etc.

 

** This isn't a moaning thread, given the amount of negativity today on the forum, so keep it clean and maybe sticky it? Given the number of members of this forum it would be great to see their own opinions**

[Oh Heck C-Beck]

We've actually improved since 1999;)

[Wardie]

You have just chronicled the ups-and-downs of a typical football club.

 

I have seen 18,000 pack BP to the rafters and I have seen it sparsely populated.

I have seen Latics hammer teams and I have seen Latics get hammered.

I have watched Latics in the driving rain, the howling wind, the snow and the sunshine.

I have seen a stream of players and managers come and go.

I have watched Latics at home, away and at Wembley.

I have bought replica-shirts, scarves, coats, mugs, calendars, toys..the lot.

I have raised my daughters to be Latics fans.

I have watched Latics with family, friends and work-mates.

I have screamed 'blue-murder' at linesmen, referees, players, managers and other fans (on both sides).

I am a typical football fan.

Latics are a typical football club.

 

There are several books written about Latics. Go and read some of them instead of using the ever-reliable Internet for information.
Some books even have pictures in them.

[Matt]

[opinions4u]

The future of the club?

 

Turning players worth nothing into players worth something and selling them on. We need to get better at it.

 

There will be the occasional promotion and relegation. Moments of joy. Despair. Hope. And every emotion in between.

 

But ultimately we will sell our best players to better clubs. And replace them, occasionally, with the best players from lesser clubs.

[Dave_Og]

A friend of mine said that this week was the 50th anniversary of his first match. At the time we were hovering above the relegation zone in the third tier. Plus ca change

[LaticsPete]

A friend of mine said that this week was the 50th anniversary of his first match. At the time we were hovering above the relegation zone in the third tier. Plus ca change

That's it Dave. Often depends on the starting point. It's ups and downs - and it can be argued that 71 to 94 was a steady up. 23 years of it.

 

My first match? We were 92nd out of 92.

[Latic76]

Well said mate

[jimsleftfoot]

Well said Hallam - technically speaking our PL period was a rather successful 'blip' and I would argue that the last ten years could if anything, be described as boring stability.

 

I've got quite a few mates who are Northampton fans. I was a bit jealous of their trip to Wembley last year, well I was before the game started. Not so much now.

[Midsblue]

Honest and serious question...

 

Do you regard Oldham Athletic as -

 

1. A Championship club that's fallen on hard times and currently in a league below their status?

 

2. A League One club that's playing at just about the right level?

 

3. A League 2 club that's fighting above its weight hence languishing in the lower half?

 

There's probably a number of factors outside of actual league position i.e. facilities, stadium size, regular/average attendance, fan base, history, achievements....

 

Just interested on people's thoughts.

[opinions4u]

1 for me. That's where they were when I started being interested in football.

 

I'd also tell you that Chelsea and Spurs were in that group of clubs that hop between the top two divisions. Nothing special in the great scheme of things.

[Latics_Fanatic]

Honest and serious question...

 

Do you regard Oldham Athletic as -

 

1. A Championship club that's fallen on hard times and currently in a league below their status?

 

2. A League One club that's playing at just about the right level?

 

3. A League 2 club that's fighting above its weight hence languishing in the lower half?

 

There's probably a number of factors outside of actual league position i.e. facilities, stadium size, regular/average attendance, fan base, history, achievements....

 

Just interested on people's thoughts.

 

Number 2 for me. Been in this league so long without any actual progress or regress. I've only ever known Latics in League 1 also, so that factors in for me.

 

We'll be alright come May...

[GlossopLatic]

We're not a league 1 league 2 or championship club in true definition

 

We are where we are.

 

We could go into the championship if we got our act together and evolved the club both on and off the pitch. If we really got our act together and a lot of things went for us then we could even end up in the premiership again.

 

However if we :censored:ed things up we could end up in league 2 and if we really messed yup we could end up in non league

 

A more relevant question is how high do people think we could go?

Edited February 1, 2014 by GlossopLatic

[stargazer]

Throughout the first part of the 1980's , we were clearly punching above our weight.

Under Jimmy Frizzell and Joe Royle the club was being run so much better than so called big clubs.

We bought well and sold even better. The loss of quality players to balance the books was frequent and necessary , but the squad was good enough to handle this.

 

The next few years were as we now more and more surreal.

Again this has to be put down to superb scouting and buying off player.

 

Ritchie , Linighan , Irwin & Wright ludicrous bargains from Leeds.

Barrett and Warhurst for pennies off City.

Marshall from Everton .

 

The rot started for me when we did not buy and sell well enough .

Out when Irwin , Warhurst , Redfearn ,Holden , Marshall .....in came McDonald , Kane , Kilcline , Olney , Brennan etc.

 

Then we hit the skids like so many teams relegated from the top flight , unable to put the brakes on and stabilise.

Now we live in this ludicrous era of literally dozens of players coming and going constantly ,with not a cat in hell's chance of building a team.

 

On the positive we have not been relegated since 1997. Many others have had more highs and lows , promotions . even losing football league status.

 

I can't see this carrying on for too many more years , I am not at all optimistic.

It would help if this new stand appeared , but it seems to be moving forward at a desperately slow pace.

[Midsblue]

We're not a league 1 league 2 or championship club in true definition

We are where we are.

We could go into the championship if we got our act together and evolved the club both on and off the pitch. If we really got our act together and a lot of things went for us then we could even end up in the premiership again.

However if we :censored:ed things up we could end up in league 2 and if we really messed yup we could end up in non league

A more relevant question is how high do people think we could go?

That wasn't my question though. The question was 'do you regard OAFC as....'

 

What are people's opinion on our current status. I know we're in League 1 but are we actually a League 1 club?

 

I honestly reckon we are and we struck lucky in 80s and early 90s with choice of manager, astute player acquisitions etc. Unfortunately we missed out on the massive cash injection into the Prem and parachute payments. Had we held on longer then things may have been different.

 

We are where we are. We can continue to build and perhaps grab promotion but would this guarantee increases in attendances or have we missed the boat as current and future generations are fed on TV-based Premiership football where they are content with supporting a City or Chelsea from their armchair or pub? Do you think promotion to the Championship will entice the extra 2, 3 or 4 thousand fan base regularly attending that's needed to maintain that progression?

 

If we ever secure promotion then I'm afraid we'll always be the League 1 club fighting above our weight...wheeling and dealing to survive at that level, striking lucky with astute signings to venture up that table. Fact of life but exciting all the same for those of us who has experienced the pains of the late 90s and 00s.

[Wardie]

I wonder how many fans of those clubs that have really fallen from grace, would love to be in the position of supporting a relatively stable club like Latics. Sure, the stay in League One has been long..even tedious..but off-field events have been turbulent at times, yet the club has maintained some kind of steady footing within the league.

 

I am hoping, personally, that the long contract given to Johnson will herald a long-term plan being laid down.

[GlossopLatic]

What are people's opinion on our current status. I know we're in League 1 but are we actually a League 1 club?

.

Yes we are, yes and as we are the leagues longest serving club we are the definitive league 1 club and anyone who thinks any different is delusional. Wolves and Sheffield United are league 1 clubs right now

 

The point I'm making is that it doesn't have to stay that way.

Edited February 1, 2014 by GlossopLatic

[deyres42]

No reason why we can't be on a par with the likes of Barnsley. Blackpool, Doncaster.

[rudemedic]

Honest and serious question...

Do you regard Oldham Athletic as -

1. A Championship club that's fallen on hard times and currently in a league below their status?

2. A League One club that's playing at just about the right level?

3. A League 2 club that's fighting above its weight hence languishing in the lower half?

There's probably a number of factors outside of actual league position i.e. facilities, stadium size, regular/average attendance, fan base, history, achievements....

Just interested on people's thoughts.

Honestly it depends on the day you ask. 15 years or so ago I'd have said we were a Championship club punching below our weight. At low points in the seasons in between I'd say we were a league 2 club punching above our weight. The reality at the moment, is we are probably punching our weight as a league 1 club. That may change with time again, hopefully upwards but you never know, tries to avoid looking in the direction of Stockport.

[mikeroyboy]

I have followed Latics since circa 1954.

 

I have been there when we had to apply for re-election to the 4th Division (twice) and during the ‘pinch me years’ of the Premiership.

 

IMO, a town our size should be able to support a L1 to mid-Championship status club and that is pretty much what we have done overthe life of the club and certainly in the last 60yrs.

 

Financially the game has changed beyond recognition. I can remember during school holidays walking down Sheepfoot Lane to watch training. If I was early I would be accompanied by players with a rolled up towel and boots under their arm.

 

Football thrived as a cheap hobby for the working class. That is irrefutable. Now it is a Corporate exercise in greed with the working classes being excluded. It is the hierarchy of the game that is now on another planet.

 

That brings us to clubs like ours who are stuck in a League that is continuously frequented by ‘big city’ clubs that have failed miserably to keep up with the Joneses. There are so many in fact that it is impossible for them all to get out of our League in the same season. League1 is a very, very competitive League.

 

Now, back to us and in particular the fans of our club. To around 3’000 of us Oldham Athletic is a keen hobby and source of entertainment (term used loosely). There are probably 1,000 to 1,500 who would watch us in the Conference. The rest up to ceiling of maybe 10,000 simply want to see an entertaining/winning team and can otherwise take it or leave it. That is perfectly understandable, even the diehards wouldn’t put up with poor product delivery from any other service provider other than their football club.

 

I ran a business from being 28 until I was 60 and I cannot understand anyone putting substantial amounts of money into a football club. It doesn’t seem good business to me giving mostly mediocre managers funds to hire mercenary players who often become disinterested if they are not in the top 8 by December, but would probably liven up come March for a relegation dogfight. And that’s not to forget that football is not like a reliable and efficient production line. Your match day tactics are continually sabotaged by the opposition.

 

So, here is a question: how much money does a Latics fan/potential fan expect a complete stranger to put into their once a fortnight hobby?

 

For me the answer is ‘I don’t expect anything? Why should I?’ I am just grateful that someone is providing my Saturday fix.

The people that don’t go have got it right and the vast majority quietly ignore the club like they would any other service provider who didn’t satisfy them. They wait for improvement. It’s not a mystery.

 

What is a mystery is how diehard or wannabe fans (there is no easy way of telling) on here go overboard with their demands for investment or lack off it, retention of valuable players, bringing in highly prized players and a bigger stand than the one being built. Their stance does not incorporate any sense of business acumen, any introduction of capital and any credible knowledge of how to spot a successful manager. But the ‘Golden Nugget’ continually offered is ‘you need to invest to be successful.

 

Well,‘NOT IN PROFFESSIONAL FOOTBALL YOU DON'T ‘or have you still not noticed? INVEST AT YOUR PERIL.

 

I am waiting for LUCK with a manager and LUCK with a group of players and someone still here to pay their wages.

[whitey1980]

As said by someone earlier on the thread I believe we are the archetypal league 1 club.

 

The league is competitive but low on quality in many cases. Wolves on Tuesday were the first team to arrive at BP since Peterborough and Southampton in the 2010? season who have really impressed me and as such it comes down to taking your opportunities to escape.

 

We have had them within the last 10 years but have missed them. In some ways I think many fans have struggled to recover fron the disappointment of the capitulation of a talented side under Shez that should have gone up. As such we are sat watching and waiting for our opportunity to arrive again - others such as Yeovil have been good enough to take theirs.

 

Unfortunately in the meantime we have stagnated and the support base has dwindled to the extent that I feel many will not return. This leaves us as unfortunately a plucky upstart if we do manage to hit the golden ticket and gain promotion. In the meantime we have to avoid the potential trap door at the other end that could leave us like Stockport.

 

That said strangely, watching Burnley trading blows with QPR is quite uplifting. It certainly shows that for all it is a difficult proposition, a talented manager and motivated squad can work wonders! The new stand is massively important to the clubs self esteem and image - we all need a lift and need to see some hope that we can move forward again!!

Edited February 1, 2014 by whitey1980

[BLUMAX]

 

 

 

Ritchie , Linighan , Irwin & Wright ludicrous bargains from Leeds.

Barrett and Warhurst for pennies off City.

Marshall from Everton .

 

The rot started for me when we did not buy and sell well enough .

Out when Irwin , Warhurst , Redfearn ,Holden , Marshall .....in came McDonald , Kane , Kilcline , Olney , Brennan etc.

 

This was the turning point,our board,nearly all stuck in their ways, where reluctant to take on new Investors and even refused to sanction loans from one director for players like David Batty.Small minded people happy with a small Club atmosphere

[BP1960]

That's it Dave. Often depends on the starting point. It's ups and downs - and it can be argued that 71 to 94 was a steady up. 23 years of it.

 

My first match? We were 92nd out of 92.

 

So you can claim you started the revival Pete?

[Dave_Og]

That's it Dave. Often depends on the starting point. It's ups and downs - and it can be argued that 71 to 94 was a steady up. 23 years of it.

 

My first match? We were 92nd out of 92.

 

I wonder where we'd be now if there had been automatic relegation in those days

[petelatics]

We are a small club. Probably our correct position would be below half way in League One. To get into the play offs would be a major achievement. Very rare for a team without money to prosper. Tranmere nearly managed it last year and Orient and Walsall are doing well this year but there is still a long way to go. I've been supporting Latics since 1958 - they were a miserable bunch then but Jack Rowley came in as manager with a bit of money and off we went eventually getting promotion. They were slow steps and when Jimmy Frizzell took over eventually he took us up into the next division. More slow steps and the under Royle we got to a League cup final and an FA cup semi final. With the money made we improved the team and were promoted again to the top division. So the progress made took over thirty years. Be patient - in 1958 I would never have dreamt that Latics would one day be in the top division or playing at Wembley.