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Convince me!


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Ok, 10 months ago the following post would've been unthinkable and would have made my blood run cold! But first, a little background info.....

 

I first became aware of Oldham athletics existence back in '77/'78 when I was 6 or 7 years old. Every Saturday afternoon at around 4.45pm my dad would put Grandstand on for the vidiprinter. Without fail he'd say, "Lets see who's beaten Latics today then!", I never found out if he was being sarcastic or not. A couple of years later we moved house and I could see the glow of the floodlights and hear the roar of the crowd. Me and a few mates went down and managed to get in when the gates were opened 10 minutes before the final whistle. The atmosphere was electric and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. As we got older we bought tickets and I remember buying my first shirt with my first wage. Of course I was ridiculed at school for supporting the (only TRUE) Latics and not Citeh, Scousepool or Scum. I witnessed promotion to the old First Division, founder membership of the Premier League, Wembley finals, Wembley semi-finals THE great escape. Yes we were relegated from the Prem but I still kept the faith. Another relegation but the faith was still strong.

 

Sure I stopped going for a few years due to having a young family but I came back, even buying my kids season tickets in the Lookers. We came to the survival game and gave what we could afford and bought the DVD. I remember a signing session in the Spindles and my daughter being distraught because she couldn't get her photo taken with Stefan Stam. The club found out about this and offered us a tour and photos. Happy days. The faith was a strong as ever.

 

I have even been privileged to work for the club in recent years. However I have been slowly losing the faith for the last few years. The constant changing of playing staff, inept/unproven/cheap manager after manger, ridiculous boardroom appointments, media attention for all the wrong reasons, tactical ineptitude during matches and the (perceived) complete lack of passion on the pitch have finally made me lose the faith.

 

There are many other things I could mention regarding my current lack of interest in Latics but I don't want to bore you all.

 

As a final point, I couldn't really care less whether we are in League 1, 2 Conference or Evo-Stik North. So, at the end of this long winded moan, my request is simple........

 

SOMEONE PLEASE CONVINCE ME THAT ALL IS NOT LOST, RESTORE MY FAITH, GIVE ME (and all the other lapsed/stay away fans) A REASON TO COME BACK NEXT SEASON!!

 

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It is the ineptitude of the club, it is of the ability of the club tomake selling 3500 tickets to the 500 who want them difficult, it is the clubs ability to build a brand new stand with a roof that does not stop the rain, it is the clubs ability to make a mess of a simple press release, it is the clubs ability to appoint a coach who can put his finger on the problem by saying it is only in both boxes that we struggle.....

 

We can go on forever with examples but at the end of the day when it really matters we know that they don't do it on purpose , we know that it is our club and we know that whether we are happy clappers or staunch critics we have no bloody choice...we support Oldham Athletic and everything that goes with it...even the occasional win.

 

You don't need convincing you have no choice!

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1 match with freak weather where people in other stands got wet doesn't prove your point.

I wasn't making a point I was writing satirically and with affection for the club.....and even if I was not, the fact that you got wet under the roof probably would make the point if I was making one

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If you don't support your own club, there will be no club.

Do you only want to support a team when things are okay? Or do your feelings run deeper than that? It does get very frustrating, and some may stay away for a while, but if your feelings are genuine then there is no reason to even pose the question.

 

IT'S OUR CLUB. GET BEHIND IT, NOW AND ALWAYS. SHOUT, MOAN CRY, GET ANGRY (GET VERY ANGRY), BUT NEVER FORGET THAT IT'S YOUR CLUB.!!!!

 

EVERYONE - GET OVER YOURSELVES, STOP FANNYING AROUND AND GET BEHIND THE TEAM. THE BOARD CAN :censored: OFF, BUT WE NEED TO STOP QUESTIONING OUR SUPPORT. IT'S OUR CLUB, SO GET BEHIND THE TEAM!!!

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How can I support a club I no longer feel an affinity to? I don't even check the scores anymore, rarely use the website. If I do want any info I get it off this site, mainly because the official site is bloody useless. I don't even cast a whimsical eye at the ground whenever I drive past anymore. Why should I give a :censored: when the club don't seem to give a :censored: about the hard working, long suffering fans? The glory years are gone, I get that. I know Latics will only ever be a mediocre mid table league 1 team. For me, there seems to be acomplete lack of ambition from anyone at the club, board, management and players. So what if I come across as a moaning old fart? I'm not the only one who thinks like this!!!!!

Edited by NomPulastar
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It is impossible to make the first 15 rows of any north stand water proof without putting a roof over the pitch. Anyone sitting in the new stand knew that.

 

Any south stand is the driest followed by west and east. All fans know which way the wind blows and you get wet sitting at the front.

 

The answer to the original post is that we are all wired differently with different circumstances. Football, for what it is, is too expensive and in its basic form is purely entertainment. After 3 years severe provocation our fan base seems to have settled at around 3300, which personally I find optimistically surprising.

 

I agree that most would not mind being in a lower league if only to improve our entertainment value. So it would be reasonable to assume that a 3300 fan base would be a starting point if we were relegated. That together with lower overheads should allow room for optimism if we could maintain a top 8 position. This, of course, would still be dependent upon us finding a manager fit for purpose and and a owner who wants to be here.

 

We are not stuffed yet, there is no shame in reaching your exit point. At the end of the day it will be the dwindling fan base that does for us, so don't dwindle. Owners, managers and and players -we're in the lap of the gods.

Edited by mikeroyboy
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I find myself in a similar position. My ST keeps me travelling from Surrey but it's a while since I enjoyed watching Latics. And, like you say, it's not just on the pitch where the problems lie is it? I've had enough and unless Corney changes his tune (anyone heard from him yet?) I won't be at BP next season! I now understand why disillusioned United fans formed AFC United - they loved United but hated the way everything was being run. Maybe we should form an AFC Oldham Athletic!

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I find myself in a similar position. My ST keeps me travelling from Surrey but it's a while since I enjoyed watching Latics. And, like you say, it's not just on the pitch where the problems lie is it? I've had enough and unless Corney changes his tune (anyone heard from him yet?) I won't be at BP next season! I now understand why disillusioned United fans formed AFC United - they loved United but hated the way everything was being run. Maybe we should form an AFC Oldham Athletic!

Surrey?! Blimey I will stop feeling sorry for myself now travelling from Cheshire! (And that's only for 1 in 3 home games at the mo!)

 

The club should give the likes of you a medal

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Good to see another look at me post on here. Always emotional.

You see it as look as me...I see it as desperate/crying out to want to be re-engaged.

 

One outlook will guarentee he never comes back...I will let you work it out.

Might be worth dropping a CV into the club you would probably get a job with that mindset

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You shouldn't need a reason to walk away. You either love the club are you don't. Have a break, yes. Let's face it, the constant pile of :censored:e gets to us all. But walk away? For ever? Really?

I'm afraid that i can't resist making a judgement. Your club, stick by it. Postmodern, cry baby bollocks.

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