If/when Corney goes.

[Damian_Thorn]

This is my two-penneth, for what it's worth;

 

Has the ground improved? – Yes, it could've been a lot better, but the financial crash of ‘07/08 put pay to that.

 

Are we financially better off? – if the sale/investment goes through, then a big yes, but as we were treading on thin ice as far as financial survival goes, before the T3A arrived, then it’s still yes, which is evident in that we still have a club.

 

Has the football improved? – this is subjective, because of the different managers we've had. Dowie, Shez, Johnson and now Wellens have brought football that is good to watch again. Talbot, Moore, Dunn were a hard watch and Penney’s reign was a cure for insomnia. Kelly was an odd choice, to say the least, which I’m not too sure what involvement SC had with his appointment.  Robinson had an almost impossible task given what he had to work with, so I’m neutral on this.

 

He does seem to back the managers, because of the large turnover of players we have had over the years.

 

PR/communication – has been a disaster, especially recently. The decision to bring in Lee Hughes was wrong, I’m all for people having a second chance, but a club with a small and fickle fan base as we have can’t afford to be a half-way house. The Ched Evans affair was a nightmare.

 

The deafening silence from the club, with stories about winding-up petitions, the reasons for late payment of players, our financial status, etc. just shouldn't happen with different types of media available for the club to get the message across.

 

There are probably a lot more considerations to take in, but IMHO, I’m on the ‘positive contribution’ side.

Edited October 24, 2017 by Damian_Thorn

[Hometownclub]

56 minutes ago, Damian_Thorn said:

This is my two-penneth, for what it's worth;

 

Has the ground improved? – Yes, it could've been a lot better, but the financial crash of ‘07/08 put pay to that.

 

Are we financially better off? – if the sale/investment goes through, then a big yes, but as we were treading on thin ice as far as financial survival goes, before the T3A arrived, then it’s still yes, which is evident in that we still have a club.

 

Has the football improved? – this is subjective, because of the different managers we've had. Dowie, Shez, Johnson and now Wellens have brought football that is good to watch again. Talbot, Moore, Dunn were a hard watch and Penney’s reign was a cure for insomnia. Kelly was an odd choice, to say the least, which I’m not too sure what involvement SC had with his appointment.  Robinson had an almost impossible task given what he had to work with, so I’m neutral on this.

 

He does seem to back the managers, because of the large turnover of players we have had over the years.

 

PR/communication – has been a disaster, especially recently. The decision to bring in Lee Hughes was wrong, I’m all for people having a second chance, but a club with a small and fickle fan base as we have can’t afford to be a half-way house. The Ched Evans affair was a nightmare.

 

The deafening silence from the club, with stories about winding-up petitions, the reasons for late payment of players, our financial status, etc. just shouldn't happen with different types of media available for the club to get the message across.

 

There are probably a lot more considerations to take in, but IMHO, I’m on the ‘positive contribution’ side.

A very fair and measured post, 666

[ghostofcecere]

Saved us from extinction with his two mates, stayed around after his mates lost interest and kept us afloat, didn’t have the money to take us forward so eventually found the right buyer... made mistakes along long the way, like we all do.

[kowenicki]

Could have been better.  Could have been a hell of a lot worse. 

 

I dont get the personal stuff we often get in here.  Speaks volumes about the people spouting it. 

 

 

[LaticMark]

 

13 minutes ago, ghostofcecere said:

Saved us from extinction with his two mates, stayed around after his mates lost interest and kept us afloat, didn’t have the money to take us forward so eventually found the right buyer... made mistakes along long the way, like we all do.

 

8 minutes ago, kowenicki said:

Could have been better.  Could have been a hell of a lot worse. 

 

About sums it up. I hope SC stays on the board until the end of the season, to ensure a smooth transition.

[oafcprozac]

22 minutes ago, ghostofcecere said:

Saved us from extinction with his two mates, stayed around after his mates lost interest and kept us afloat, didn’t have the money to take us forward so eventually found the right buyer... made mistakes along long the way, like we all do.

 

We genuinely don't know a great deal about AL or the deal to buy the club. The Trust have been on the outside of all this too. How do we know AL is the right buyer? We don't, we have to trust SC is selling to a buyer that has the best interests of Oldham Athletic at heart. There's a certain air of excitement, expectation and lots of nervousness on my part.

 

AND nothing's concrete yet, there's a nagging doubt at the back of my mind this might all go tits up. After-all this is Latics....and Moisely suggested the EFL have already asked for more information on the proposed takeover which suggests it might not be a straight forward purchase. I don't really know the timescales of all this but it seems to be dragging on a bit...

Edited October 24, 2017 by oafcprozac

[Simoncorneyisgod]

Michael Knighton anyone?

 

[longtimeblue]

4 hours ago, oafcprozac said:

It's never been personal, I want what he tells all and sundry he wants - the best for Oldham Athletic. Over the last 6 or 7 years - the best hasn't been Simon Corney he's kept us afloat - JUST! But surely now we deserve a time of looking forward. I'm still highly suspicious of who this takeover benefits. Just what is AL getting for his money? I believe the club can only TRULY move forward if the sale includes the ground. The land I couldn't give a toss about the club for 100 years sat on its land and if Stott had any modicum of ambition then that same land could have made us a real player in the 90s when we had the money to move the club forward, when SportsPark 2000 died a death they should have immediately looked at getting BP redeveloped, land prices were high it could and should have been done. Instead they chose to look after themselves and royally screwed up our day in the sun and potentially a legacy for generations to come. But that's another story.

 

Back to Simon Corney and i'm sure he'll stay involved in some capacity I won't remember his time as chairman with particular fondness and I hope we can do our business out of the limelight. I hope the appointment of Wellens and AL's possible takeover bring everyone together and we move forward in harmony instead of the fractured fanbase we have become.

 

Agreed. On the same note, ideally he'd have gone 10 years earlier but, despite the land being gone and us seemingly being unsellable, he's found a buyer. Most of legacy will depend on what happens next. If he's sold us to the right chap, the last 15 years won't be remembered that badly. 

Edited October 24, 2017 by longtimeblue

[BP1960]

Stuck with us through more bad times than good. I think the least the club could do is offer him a honorary presidency.

[Stevie_J]

18 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

Stuck with us through more bad times than good. I think the least the club could do is offer him a honorary presidency.

'kinell.

[Wardie]

1 hour ago, oafcprozac said:

 

We genuinely don't know a great deal about AL or the deal to buy the club. The Trust have been on the outside of all this too. How do we know AL is the right buyer? We don't, we have to trust SC is selling to a buyer that has the best interests of Oldham Athletic at heart. There's a certain air of excitement, expectation and lots of nervousness on my part.

 

AND nothing's concrete yet, there's a nagging doubt at the back of my mind this might all go tits up. After-all this is Latics....and Moisely suggested the EFL have already asked for more information on the proposed takeover which suggests it might not be a straight forward purchase. I don't really know the timescales of all this but it seems to be dragging on a bit...

How many fans at any club that has been subject to a takeover, known a great amount about the deal to buy the club or the person/group buying it? Not very many, I would guess. We can Google search the Internet, speculate on Twatter, Faceslap etc. etc. but we will never know the ins and outs or the reasons why whoever buys the club has done so...unless they go public...and even then, many people would still be suspicious and negative. It could be a project, someone with the means, who has an itch to buy a football club and wants to do it relatively cheaply, attempting to build it from there. Maybe Corney got lucky and found just the right person to do that or maybe Lemsagam heard through whatever means and contacted Corney himself. We may never know.

As for your nagging doubt...why not just put it to one side and enjoy the current football being served up, along with the air of excitement that some much needed investment may just be coming along to augment the club? Just because the EFL may have asked for more information does not mean anything is wrong or "dodgy" about the proposition. The fans have to get shut of this negativity, it's been around too long and only feeds on itself, growing bigger.

If it falls through, then it wasn't meant to be. It's no great loss...the World will still turn.

[yarddog73]

31 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

Stuck with us through more bad times than good. I think the least the club could do is offer him a honorary presidency.

[LaticsPete]

He gave BB80 a crusade and reason to get out of bed everyday

[JohnnyPimp]

34 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

Stuck with us through more bad times than good. I think the least the club could do is offer him a honorary presidency.

 

?

[oafcprozac]

6 minutes ago, Wardie said:

How many fans at any club that has been subject to a takeover, known a great amount about the deal to buy the club or the person/group buying it? Not very many, I would guess. We can Google search the Internet, speculate on Twatter, Faceslap etc. etc. but we will never know the ins and outs or the reasons why whoever buys the club has done so...unless they go public...and even then, many people would still be suspicious and negative. It could be a project, someone with the means, who has an itch to buy a football club and wants to do it relatively cheaply, attempting to build it from there. Maybe Corney got lucky and found just the right person to do that or maybe Lemsagam heard through whatever means and contacted Corney himself. We may never know.

As for your nagging doubt...why not just put it to one side and enjoy the current football being served up, along with the air of excitement that some much needed investment may just be coming along to augment the club? Just because the EFL may have asked for more information does not mean anything is wrong or "dodgy" about the proposition. The fans have to get shut of this negativity, it's been around too long and only feeds on itself, growing bigger.

If it falls through, then it wasn't meant to be. It's no great loss...the World will still turn.

 

Absolutely loving it and have done pretty much since 20 mins in against Charlton (Last 20 at Rotherham apart)

[al_bro]

SC did his best with the money he had available. When the other two left he didn't have the cash on his own to do anything other than keep us in L1 by a lot of ducking and diving. He's managed to find a buyer he thinks can take us further, and that's to hos credit. He could have walked away at anytime following the amount of abuse, but didn't.

 

Moisley said last night that SC will be staying around because of his contacts in this country, whereas Abdallah has plenty of contacts in Europe.

[yarddog73]

In answer to the topic title

 

Jelly and ice cream anyone?

[AlanGrovesFanClub]

18 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

[HarryBosch]

I'm 42 years old.

 

In 1998-99 we finished 20th in this league which is the lowest we've finished in my lifetime. 

 

The season TTA took over and the last 8 consecutively represent the next 9 worst finishes.

 

[AlanGrovesFanClub]

"Equinox" by Jean Michel Jarre, your image just reminded me of it. Sorry...

[BP1960]

1 hour ago, Stevie_J said:

'kinell.

 

Two Ns Stevie, he played for Latics in the 60s. 

[Scapegoat]

33 minutes ago, HarryBosch said:

I'm 42 years old.

 

In 1998-99 we finished 20th in this league which is the lowest we've finished in my lifetime. 

 

The season TTA took over and the last 8 consecutively represent the next 9 worst finishes.

 

 

We are the same age, so presumably have a similar reference period by which to judge SC.

 

In my time I have seen:

 

JW Lees - who were out of their depth when the club reached the PL and had no idea how big an opportunity they had to take the club b forward.  Ended up leaving the club in a poor position and sold the ground to the council.

 

Moore - the white Knight that would transform the club and take us forward...did nothing to recover the land and instead pissed money away on players our budget couldn’t sustain long term, pulled the plug and nearly destroyed us.

 

Sean Jarvis - saved the club for extinction but couldn’t keep us afloat as a League Club and desperately needed a new buyer - and then found one.

 

TTA aka SC (as the others disappeared quickly) - came in with grand ideas and some style with Celebration Sunday.  Have when needed backed managers in January; bought the ground back from the council; and built a new improved stand.  We have flirted with promotion on a couple of occasions, but more regularly relegation.  Sacked more managers than any other owner, and tried to run the club on a shoe string in an attempt to “balance the books”; seemingly not very good at extracting value from player sales and PR.  Nobody really knows the true detail of the finances - have they made momey by selling things off, changing ownership of assets etc? Or had this been done to keep us borderline solvent?

 

 

Looking back we have not had a lot of luck when it comes to ownership - I think Lees and Moore clearly took us backwards during their times.  TTA have probably broadly kept us about the same - we remain in League One,

financially unstable, and in the lower reaches of the division - with a slightly better infrastructure than when they came.

 

On balance, it’s not that positive, but it could have been worse without them.  I’d be happy for him to maintain an affiliation with the club, and would be forever grateful that we have not gone back to the dark days of 2004.

 

If when we look back with hindsight SC left us with a manager and a squad that, with support from a new owner, led us to be competing at the top of the league and (date we believe) even get out of it - then I’d say he would remembered fondly.

[Gaz_Oafc]

Can we have a sweep for the new excuses the "not going again till corney fucks off " brigade will come up with when they still don't turn up?

[mcfluff1985]

26 minutes ago, Gaz_Oafc said:

Can we have a sweep for the new excuses the "not going again till corney fucks off " brigade will come up with when they still don't turn up?

'Not coming till I know the exact intentions of AL and he's posted his bank statements on here for me to examine"

[JoeP]

1 hour ago, Gaz_Oafc said:

Can we have a sweep for the new excuses the "not going again till corney fucks off " brigade will come up with when they still don't turn up?

 

Yup..

 

I find nonsense like “Corney has lost us 3,000 fans” over ten years ridiculous.  Since dropping out of the top flight, the club has never been well supported at home.  The performances of the team won’t have helped the crowds which, I suppose is indirectly Corney’s fault, but there have been plenty of opportunities for this sleeping support to show they’re willing to meet the club half-way and they just haven’t done it – even when it was free a while ago, not even 7,000 turned up.  With regards the offers, and to a lesser extent home games in general, you could argue to the nth degree about “the damage being done”, etc but I reckon such people are looking too hard for a reason not to go.  Basically, I don't think we have the support anymore due to lack of interest in the town generally, United or City up the road or fans from the glory years kicking the bucket as much as anything Corney’s ever done.

 

Sometimes it’s better the devil we know.  There are crack-pot Chairmen in charge of clubs in the football league that wouldn’t give the fans the time of day, whereas I think Corney’s always tried to engage the fans to an extent.  Imagine if the club’s much sought after new owners turn out to be like the ones at Blackpool or the ones that have just left Leyton Orient.  We could be in danger of wanting Corney back…

 

At the end of the day he’s by his own admission made mistakes but also saved the club and built us a new stand.  I think for those two reasons at least he should go with our best wishes..