Takeover / New Investment - What Rumours Have You Heard?

[Buckshawlatic]

6 minutes ago, mikejh45 said:

 

They do…..they just have to be obedient/subservient.

 

Not true, going back to Hitler, Himmler was far from obedient or subservient it is well documented that later allied assassinations on Hitler were called off as he had proved fairly incompetant and the thought of Himmler taking over was too bad to comprehend 

[mikejh45]

3 minutes ago, Buckshawlatic said:

 

Not true, going back to Hitler, Himmler was far from obedient or subservient it is well documented that later allied assassinations on Hitler were called off as he had proved fairly incompetant and the thought of Himmler taking over was too bad to comprehend 

 

Bit off topic but Himmler was not quite at the top table and stood in line behind Bormann, Goebbels and Hitler's de facto Nr. 2, Goering. Himmler was a chancer who knew how to get on Hitler's good side without taking personal risks.

[Buckshawlatic]

3 minutes ago, mikejh45 said:

 

Bit off topic but Himmler was not quite at the top table and stood in line behind Bormann, Goebbels and Hitler's de facto Nr. 2, Goering. Himmler was a chancer who knew how to get on Hitler's good side without taking personal risks.

 

He was but in the latter days it was believed he would take over was it not? And he engineered the Holocaust - but youre right wrong place, only on OWTB could a thread end up talking about Dictators

[mikejh45]

1 minute ago, Buckshawlatic said:

 

He was but in the latter days it was believed he would take over was it not? And he engineered the Holocaust - but youre right wrong place, only on OWTB could a thread end up talking about Dictators

 

We are a learned bunch.  

[mikejh45]

2 hours ago, Midsblue said:

 

Cheers Andy.  In answer to your other post as to what response from AL would fill us with confidence is just an open, honest and transparent response.  Not expecting AL to tell us how much money he’s got but we also don’t want false promises or the club spiralling into non-league.

 

Hopefully the following helps explain our questioning in a non-confrontational / collective approach;

 

Corney openly said he didn’t have funds and had to wheel and deal for us to survive.  If AL was genuinely hoodwinked over the true extent of this wheeling and dealing and this has impacted massively on his ability to invest and strengthen then the fans will sympathise.  However as BP1960 has asked, is AL now looking for further investors or does he have the wealth to achieve this alone and how?

 

Granted we need to balance the books but does this mean operating below a realistic budget to achieve this and risking further relegation?  The sales of Davies, Holloway, McEleney, sacking of Gerrard plus mass player release in the summer must have significantly reduce our wage bill plus the fees for Davies, Holloway and McEleney must have helped with debts or boost our budget.  Add to this our ST numbers, we must have a budget towards the top end of our league so why acquire O’Grady, Miller and Coke?  

 

Now FB may have targeted these three irrespective of our budget but his comments yesterday suggested it’s more to do with budget than choice.  I feel bad singling out these three players but it’s fair to say these aren’t players for a club aiming for promotion but more so consolidation at this new level or below.  If that’s ALs immediate plan until we’re sustainable then the fans need to know because at least FB/AR aren’t attacked if we’re not Top 10 or higher come January.  If ALs plan is promotion then again the fans deserve an explanation over the likes of Byrne or very least why he’s suspended.  If it’s disciplinary then at least the fans know.  All this uncertainty isn’t healthy for owner, manager and fan relations.

 

Thanks again 

 

Can't disagree with a bit more openness  but are we not falling into Corney territory insofar that admitting our financial shortfall opens up to stupidly low offers and acceptance i.e Corney, Brentford and Tarkowski.

[Dave_Og]

10 minutes ago, mikejh45 said:

 

Can't disagree with a bit more openness  but are we not falling into Corney territory insofar that admitting our financial shortfall opens up to stupidly low offers and acceptance i.e Corney, Brentford and Tarkowski.

Shouldn't fret about that. Nobody is offering fortunes for any of these. 

[mikejh45]

6 minutes ago, Dave_Og said:

Shouldn't fret about that. Nobody is offering fortunes for any of these. 

 

It was only two weeks ago that the good folks of OWTB-land were talking big 6-figure sums with significant sell on clauses for Hamer.

[JoeP]

4 hours ago, Buckshawlatic said:

 

Probably on the grounds that we have been taken over by Satan apparently who after spending millions trying to paper over the mass mis managent of Del Boy (sorry Corney) is now wilfully trying to destroy the mighty sleeping giant that is Oldham Athletic 

 

Money he should have known he had to spend before he bought the club to fit in with the long-term plan that he also should have had before he bought the club.

 

Maybe he'd have more resources now if he hadn't handed out massive contracts to average random players that weren't really wanted or needed?

 

He's played his part in our relegation.  He's not doing it for the love.  So far we have little to be grateful for.

[mikejh45]

7 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

Money he should have known he had to spend before he bought the club to fit in with the long-term plan that he also should have had before he bought the club. How would he know how much to spend before due diligence had been completed?

 

Maybe he'd have more resources now if he hadn't handed out massive contracts to average random players that weren't really wanted or needed?

 

He's played his part in our relegation.  He's not doing it for the love.  So far we have little to be grateful for. In a roundabout sort of way, I think he has already done so.

 

I'm still of the opinion that AL went into this with his eyes open but put the greater blame on Corney who, based on history, would not hesitate to shaft a prospective buyer.

[latics22]

11 hours ago, Midsblue said:

I think underdog is on holiday at moment but when back hopefully the Trust will meet AL to understand what is happening and what his plans are.

 

1.What is our annual income L2 (vs L1)

2. What are our debts now 

3. What is our annual playing budget L2 (vs L1)

4. What is our current wage annualised after all departures this season

5. What is AL’s objective this season - promotion, play-offs or sustainable L2 team

 

OK AL might politely (or not) tell us to **** off but surely we should be aware of the above.

 

If AL is recouping as much as he can having regretted purchasing the club and potentially engineering an exit then we need to know too.  Surely if the recent recruitment is testament of our new level to break even then would a fan-run club be any worse?

 

Corney robbed Peter to pay Paul but we never had constant rumours of wages not being paid, player suspensions and signings materialised when needed.  OK we’re obviously paying the price of this and AL could be focussing on clearing that debt to  the detriment of the playing budget but we need to know if that’s the case. 

 

AL came in, promised to improve the team on the pitch and deliver success.  Relegation happened but hopefully that was considered and we budgeted for this possibility.  Unless the facts suggest otherwise, I get impression he’s doing to the club what’s he’s done to some players, spat his dummy out and took his ball home.  Sold our better players (compared to what’s since come in), shed the wage bill to absolute minimum and cut his investment and budget to a level below an average L2 club so he can get as much back as possible.

And some minutes please 

[Oafc88]

Nice to see Godwin's law still in action.

[BP1960]

2 hours ago, mikejh45 said:

 

Can't disagree with a bit more openness  but are we not falling into Corney territory insofar that admitting our financial shortfall opens up to stupidly low offers and acceptance i.e Corney, Brentford and Tarkowski.

 

Meanwhile Accrington are getting £2 million plus add ons for one of their strikers.

 

[pinevillawill]

2 hours ago, JoeP said:

 

Money he should have known he had to spend before he bought the club to fit in with the long-term plan that he also should have had before he bought the club.

 

Maybe he'd have more resources now if he hadn't handed out massive contracts to average random players that weren't really wanted or needed?

 

He's played his part in our relegation.  He's not doing it for the love.  So far we have little to be grateful for.

 

Enough with the rational comments.

[Ryan]

For an (ex) agent I must say that Adballah appears to be hopeless at negotiating wages, especially when you consider that these players are supposedly his mates. £4,000 a week for Maouche is genuinely unbelievable.

[Ryan]

The scenes when we announce we’ve taken the further year option on him as well 

[Nohairdontcare]

I think it is blindingly obvious our new owner is a fool on a power trip - a lethal combination. The way things look now 17th would be a lofty ambition for us. 

 

It all reeks of Barry Owen’s opinion that League Two is where we belong. 

 

Reading on here that our display against FGR in this league was on a par with the Crewe debacle ranks as an all time low in my time supporting Latics. 

 

The confluence of events that that brought us here is so grim, I start to think that surely we’ve hit rock bottom. 

 

But there’s further to fall yet. 

 

I was looking at the other thread about first matches. Mine was Latics 3 - 3 Coventry in the top flight with my dad. One of my happiest memories ever. 

 

My oldest boy is five - I better bring him over for a match this season because I fear for us under AL. 

 

The club is bloody lucky to have the supporters it has left. It really is. 

[johnafoafc]

33 minutes ago, Ryan said:

For an (ex) agent I must say that Adballah appears to be hopeless at negotiating wages, especially when you consider that these players are supposedly his mates. £4,000 a week for Maouche is genuinely unbelievable.

If he is genuinely on that kind of money then I hope he is the next player to be exiled from the squad. We could have the best striker in the division for that kind of money.  Mind you I think I read somewhere that O’Grady was on about £3k a week at Chesterfield last season.

[Nohairdontcare]

I know 100 per cent that when AL was negotiating - for the want of a better word - signing Eoin Doyle, he said he’d pay whatever it took to get him. AL made it sound like money was no object. 

 

Now look at where we are. 

 

One way pr another AL is driving us further into the ground. He’s a fool on a power trip. 

[johnafoafc]

14 minutes ago, Nohairdontcare said:

I know 100 per cent that when AL was negotiating - for the want of a better word - signing Eoin Doyle, he said he’d pay whatever it took to get him. AL made it sound like money was no object. 

 

Now look ol where we are. 

 

One way pr another AL is driving us further into the ground. He’s a fool on a power trip. 

Sounds like absolute madness. I heard something similar towards the end of last season, that we were practically paying his full wages. Just hope AL hasn’t splurged what funds he had on trying to keep us up last season.

Nobody knows how much the guy is worth or how much he is willing to commit to the club and I appreciate that a lot of that is private and doesn’t need to be in the public domain. But I think the very least we deserve is a commitment from AL that Frankie has a competitive budget and that there is finance in place to honour this.  Looking at the squad so far then I suspect that this is not the case.

[Nohairdontcare]

28 minutes ago, johnafoafc said:

Sounds like absolute madness. I heard something similar towards the end of last season, that we were practically paying his full wages. Just hope AL hasn’t splurged what funds he had on trying to keep us up last season.

Nobody knows how much the guy is worth or how much he is willing to commit to the club and I appreciate that a lot of that is private and doesn’t need to be in the public domain. But I think the very least we deserve is a commitment from AL that Frankie has a competitive budget and that there is finance in place to honour this.  Looking at the squad so far then I suspect that this is not the case.

This is what worries me - I think you can forget about assurances. Abdallah talked a big game for a while. Bonkers stuff like presents for the fans that was just a complete dud. And in the space of a few months he goes from “name your wage, I’ll pay it” to Doyle’s people to where we are now. 

 

And all the while we hear of the unsettling - again for want of a better word - turmoil with sackings left right and centre. 

 

I know from trusted sources who have had direct dealings with Abdallah  - who are also  impartial, there’s no reason for them to tell me anything but their honest opinion - that Abdallah is not the man they would want owning the club they support. 

 

Mike Keegan was spot on in his reporting and I’m thankful that he put it out there. 

 

Lee Sinnott on this forum has also nailed it with his comments on what we can expect from this season. 

 

Even if we somehow string together a few wins, there’s a big problem at the club we support, and he bloody owns it. 

 

 

[johnafoafc]

21 minutes ago, Nohairdontcare said:

This is what worries me - I think you can forget about assurances. Abdallah talked a big game for a while. Bonkers stuff like presents for the fans that was just a complete dud. And in the space of a few months he goes from “name your wage, I’ll pay it” to Doyle’s people to where we are now. 

 

And all the while we hear of the unsettling - again for want of a better word - turmoil with sackings left right and centre. 

 

I know from trusted sources who have had direct dealings with Abdallah  - who are also  impartial, there’s no reason for them to tell me anything but their honest opinion - that Abdallah is not the man they would want owning the club they support. 

 

Mike Keegan was spot on in his reporting and I’m thankful that he put it out there. 

 

Lee Sinnott on this forum has also nailed it with his comments on what we can expect from this season. 

 

Even if we somehow string together a few wins, there’s a big problem at the club we support, and he bloody owns it. 

 

 

Sounds very worrying reading that.  So much for the football league’s fit and proper test! Just what is his motivation though? It’s not as though we have any assets for him to flog, that’s already been done by Corney and his chums.  To be honest I don’t expect any assurances to the fans, this looks likely to drag on. It isn’t helping the cause though and ultimately the fans will turn on AL if things don’t pick up.

[lookersstandandy]

11 hours ago, JoeP said:

 

Money he should have known he had to spend before he bought the club to fit in with the long-term plan that he also should have had before he bought the club.

 

Maybe he'd have more resources now if he hadn't handed out massive contracts to average random players that weren't really wanted or needed?

 

He's played his part in our relegation.  He's not doing it for the love.  So far we have little to be grateful for.

 

A plan you say? That’s a good idea. Maybe we (the trust) should be pushing him to understand what it is!?!

[deyres42]

18 minutes ago, lookersstandandy said:

 

A plan you say? That’s a good idea. Maybe we (the trust) should be pushing him to understand what it is!?!

We'd settle for a clue at this stage let alone a plan.

 

Trust is powerless, not sure why people keep calling out to them.

[ChaddySmoker]

7 hours ago, johnafoafc said:

Sounds very worrying reading that.  So much for the football league’s fit and proper test! Just what is his motivation though? It’s not as though we have any assets for him to flog, that’s already been done by Corney and his chums.  To be honest I don’t expect any assurances to the fans, this looks likely to drag on. It isn’t helping the cause though and ultimately the fans will turn on AL if things don’t pick up.

I think that a lot of our fans do not realise what exactly the 'fit and proper test' entails.

I believe that it is more along the lines of checking that the person obtained his monies legally and has enough money to pay a few months wages.

I was informed early in last season that he was paying the wages so he has done 12 months now

[pinevillawill]

7 hours ago, Nohairdontcare said:

This is what worries me - I think you can forget about assurances. Abdallah talked a big game for a while. Bonkers stuff like presents for the fans that was just a complete dud. And in the space of a few months he goes from “name your wage, I’ll pay it” to Doyle’s people to where we are now. 

 

And all the while we hear of the unsettling - again for want of a better word - turmoil with sackings left right and centre. 

 

I know from trusted sources who have had direct dealings with Abdallah  - who are also  impartial, there’s no reason for them to tell me anything but their honest opinion - that Abdallah is not the man they would want owning the club they support. 

 

Mike Keegan was spot on in his reporting and I’m thankful that he put it out there. 

 

Lee Sinnott on this forum has also nailed it with his comments on what we can expect from this season. 

 

Even if we somehow string together a few wins, there’s a big problem at the club we support, and he bloody owns it. 

 

 

 

The honeymoon period is well and truly over. Fans are beginning to form their own opinions of Abdallah. Tens of thousands of pounds a week shaved off the wage bill. Undisclosed fees received for a handful of players. Season ticket sales up. Yet this is where we're at, says Frankie; the finances aren't there. We're a broken football club.