Andy b Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Am sure this has been on the minds of many Latics fans for some time, yet I have yet to see a proper debate on the appetite for this or the viability of this ownership model for Latics. This is long overdue for many reasons I don't need to spell out. Key questions are Under what circumstances is it viable? As a collective are Latics fans prepared to make the sacrifices (financial and potentially the league standing of OAFC) to make it happen? What is stopping it happen at OAFC? Do fans want it? For me fan ownership is the future for this club and personally I would far rather see us in the 10th tier of English football owned by fans and with prospects for growth than in our current position. That is no disrespect to our current owners but I am sure they would be the first to admit that it ain't worked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddot_m Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 £s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmer1 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 (edited) Latics fans don't have the appetite, commitment or money to even properly contemplate fans ownership. Those generally who mention it lost their appetite for Latics a while ago and blame it on numerous things but basically it's watching football at league 1 level. It's boredom, nothing more. I read a few times that some would rather watch Oldham at the 10th level of football with fan ownership or similar and I'm very happy for them. I love watching my club, Oldham Athletic in the football league just because teams like Wimbledon have had success (they had no choice but to be fan owned) doesnt mean it translates elsewhere. Edited May 30, 2016 by palmer1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorvik_latic Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 I don't think the fans have the appetite to do it, we struggled to raise the 26k for the scoreboard. You'd probably need about £15mil to buy the current owners out and have funds to run for a few years. Taking 500 fans, that would be an average of £30k each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarddog73 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Apathy reigns and in any case the likes of Barry Owen would be thrusting themselves forward to run the show, no thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piglinbland Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 I recently purchased a 12volt model that plugs into the cigar lighter of my car. If enough of us did this, could we blow away the storm clouds that hover over Boundary Park? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewBlue Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 I don't think the fans have the appetite to do it, we struggled to raise the 26k for the scoreboard. You'd probably need about £15mil to buy the current owners out and have funds to run for a few years. Taking 500 fans, that would be an average of £30k each. I'm not saying that it is within any realm of achievable, but that comparison is laughable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singe Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Am sure this has been on the minds of many Latics fans for some time, yet I have yet to see a proper debate on the appetite for this or the viability of this ownership model for Latics. This is long overdue for many reasons I don't need to spell out. Key questions are Under what circumstances is it viable? As a collective are Latics fans prepared to make the sacrifices (financial and potentially the league standing of OAFC) to make it happen? What is stopping it happen at OAFC? Do fans want it? For me fan ownership is the future for this club and personally I would far rather see us in the 10th tier of English football owned by fans and with prospects for growth than in our current position. That is no disrespect to our current owners but I am sure they would be the first to admit that it ain't worked out. Whilst fan ownership would be excellent, I really don;t think it will work. Too much money needed. You say you would rather be in the 10th tier but fan owned, the uproar of recent days has happened whilst we are in the 3rd tier. Part of the reason is the fear of dropping into the 4th tier. Imagine the uproar if we languished in the 10th. Fan ownership is rare, and only works with something cataclysmic like AFC Wimbledon or even rare FC Utd. If you look at Ebbsfleet, where the potential investment was from a population of billions, it quickly faded. If it is the case of 10th tier but fan owned, then you could chuck a hugely smaller sum and Chadderton FC and own it outright. It needs something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlossopLatic Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 (edited) If we were put into the same position as Wimbledon fans were back in 2003 then we would be motivated to mobilise into a fan owned non league club. However we still have a club that plays at Boundary Park and is "stable" perhaps that's the problem the whole club is stuck in a comfort zone. When anyone comes in and has any ambition whether they are players/coaches/managers they quickly realise this and moves on. To sell the club the likes of Blitz Gazal and Corney are going to have to be prepared to give up everything Brassbank, OEC, the houses at the back of the chaddy and whatever rent they get from the NHS building on sheepfoot lane and the £8-10 million in liabilities. If the fans wanted to buy the club then it would require alot of fans making some fairly large personal sacrifices as it would require us to raise a significant figure possibly upto an 8 figure one. Their doesn't appear to be an easy solution to this one unfortunately. Edited May 30, 2016 by GlossopLatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly Mr Shankly Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 If we went fan owned, we'd effectively have to kiss goodbye of any hopes at competing at this level. In my mind, with the way modern football is, clubs without moneyed owners are slipping off the scale anyway. You only have to see the way our division pans out every season. But sadly, we have far too many fans who accept the :censored: we're fed every year. Even when years later they either transpire to be lies. Sooner or later we'll get relegated and we'll begin a new period of our history doing the same thing but a division below. Rinse and repeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChaddySmoker Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 (edited) I don't think the fans have the appetite to do it, we struggled to raise the 26k for the scoreboard. You'd probably need about £15mil to buy the current owners out and have funds to run for a few years. Taking 500 fans, that would be an average of £30k each. I wouldnt pay £1 towards a Scoreboard. Within a few months the 'asking price' of the club will have drastically reduced-but it still wouldnt be feasible in my opinion Edited May 30, 2016 by ChaddySmoker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kusunga_Is_God Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 I think the scoreboard fund just shows that we are not a large fanbase and would not be able to raise the funds required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmer1 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 I think the scoreboard fund just shows that we are not a large fanbase and would not be able to raise the funds required for a scoreboard most people didn't want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kusunga_Is_God Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 (edited) I think the scoreboard fund just shows that we are not a large fanbase and would not be able to raise the funds required for a scoreboard most people didn't want Yes I will agree to that- in the state we're in i would have much rather seen 26k gone into playershare not a scoreboard most people see a waste of time Edited May 30, 2016 by Kusunga_Is_God Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor evil Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Yes I will agree to that- in the state we're in i would have much rather seen 26k gone into playershare not a scoreboard no one wants. ????? - The people who have raised 26k want one..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kusunga_Is_God Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 ????? - The people who have raised 26k want one..... Amended im sorry this hurt you so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor evil Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Amended im sorry this hurt you so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 I don't think the fans have the appetite to do it I suspect so; we'd never know unless it needed to happen due to catastrophe. Barry Owen would be thrusting themselves forward to run the show, no thanks. He probably would, however would he get elected onto a member-elected board? I doubt he would have a mandate. It's surprising who comes to the front when leadership is needed. I don't think paying for a scoreboard is really a great indicator of fan involvement. Is it a necessity? It's nice to have one I suppose, and it can be used for revenue - or so they say - I've not seen the financial projection. However keeping the 120 year OAFC bloodline going is a different matter entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy b Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Agree with all that is said to some degree, though not the point about being unable to compete in this division under a fan ownership model. Whilst not fan owned Walsall, Rochdale and burton are surely proof that you don't need money to compete at this level. You need vision and togetherness, amongst other things. Attributes that have been lacking at bp for many years. Totally agree with the point that only a catastrophic event galvanises fans into action. In a perverse way I wish we had hit rock bottom. People might have sat up and done something about it. Instead we have a slow and painful death that no one realises is actually taking place. So in the event that we are put into administration, does this become a viable option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Unlikely, in my opinion. People still need to stump up the cash to buy and run the club, even if the sale price was reduced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy b Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 money to run the club? Are guy suggested that the current owners still bail us out every month? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Sarcasm aside, what do you think the monthly running costs are? Power, water, wages, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy b Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 My point being that I have not seen any evidence that the current owners dont make a financial profit out of. If that is the case then why can't a profit also be made under fan ownership? Other than then purchase of the club fans would not need to fund the day to day running. Normal income streams would cover it. If I am wrong and the current ownership do fund the club from their own financial resources then surely the club is not worth a penny and they would be willing to sell. Am I missing something here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singe Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Sarcasm aside, what do you think the monthly running costs are? Power, water, wages, etc. Back when Latics&England and LL went to see the books (Halcyon days?) IIRC we spent around £100k per month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 (edited) Yes, that's sort of my point. You need fans willing and able to fund the purchase price and cover costs of around £100k a month, since money will only turn up in fits and starts (season ticket sales, player sales, cup runs, etc). You can't rely on monthly income matching monthly outgoings steadily. Edited May 31, 2016 by Crusoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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