BPAS PODCAST SEASON 2: 28th Dec '21 Episode 64: Hurt their Pockets & their Pride

[BPAS]

This time next year Oldham Athletic will most likely be a non-league team. Just let that sink in and then decide: what are you going to do about helping to get rid of those who's fault that is? And how much longer do you need to wait?

 

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Title music is by Manchester DJ and producer Starion find out more at www.redlaserrecords.bandcamp.com

 

 

[deyres42]

These 'potential buyers' that we've heard about for so long need to be encouraged to go public so the supporter base have something to rally around, no good the same old heads saying they definitely exist with nothing to back it up with.

[oafc1955]

They won’t go public though and their decision has to be respected.

[deyres42]

You aren't going to galvanise a worn down and apathetic fanbase in any meaningful way without offering hope, yet another call for boycotts certainly doesn't offer that.

[GlossopLatic]

If they went public then the chances of them actually buying the club will diminish Abdallah will likely dig his heels in even more. The confidentiality aspect needs to be respected regardless of what the views of people on social media are.

[deyres42]

If he digs his heels in when people know there is a proper offer on the table then that puts more pressure on him, there's no downside to it, if these 'buyers' pull away as a result then they probably weren't going to be any good to us anyway.

[maximus1267]

Maybe any person worth their salts in business may want to wait now, the club will cost less if relegated.

Unless its fans buying then nobody will pay more now than they might get it for in 3/4 months.

 

[deyres42]

5 minutes ago, maximus1267 said:

Maybe any person worth their salts in business may want to wait now, the club will cost less if relegated.

Unless its fans buying then nobody will pay more now than they might get it for in 3/4 months.

 

That's no good to us, it needs to happen now.

[GlossopLatic]

42 minutes ago, maximus1267 said:

Maybe any person worth their salts in business may want to wait now, the club will cost less if relegated.

Unless its fans buying then nobody will pay more now than they might get it for in 3/4 months.

 

 

Not necessarily for that reason but you are right all anyone has to do if they want the club I'd to bide their time. 

 

Abdallah is literally punching himself everyday it's costing him money he's losing football matches and he's certainly not winning any popularity contests tests . This will be making him more miserable everyday. Give it a couple of months with relegation looking more certain and another defeat to Blitz in court and he maybe a little more receptive to an offer.

[GlossopLatic]

10 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

That's no good to us, it needs to happen now.

 

Maybe not but it might be a more realistic outcome.

[JoeP]

11 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

If he digs his heels in when people know there is a proper offer on the table then that puts more pressure on him, there's no downside to it, if these 'buyers' pull away as a result then they probably weren't going to be any good to us anyway.

 

I think this has already been discussed on the podcast, hasn't it?

 

Isn't it confidential, so they're not outbid?  No good to us fans, but you can see their point..

[League one forever]

35 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

You aren't going to galvanise a worn down and apathetic fanbase in any meaningful way without offering hope, yet another call for boycotts certainly doesn't offer that.

There isn’t hope with these owners. None. The boycott is aimed at hastening their exit- then we can hope again. 

[deyres42]

7 minutes ago, League one forever said:

There isn’t hope with these owners. None. The boycott is aimed at hastening their exit- then we can hope again. 

Another 2-300 off the gate at this stage in the season doesn't mean anything really. Season tickets is a different matter, clearly there will be more appetite for it (boycott) this time round than there was last.

[deyres42]

14 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

I think this has already been discussed on the podcast, hasn't it?

 

Isn't it confidential, so they're not outbid?  No good to us fans, but you can see their point..

Fair point but we're not talking about a multi million pound corporate takeover here are we, it should be a very easy thing to get done if you've got the will and the means.

[JoeP]

47 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

You aren't going to galvanise a worn down and apathetic fanbase in any meaningful way without offering hope, yet another call for boycotts certainly doesn't offer that.

 

God know how they're funding the club, but the fans haven't contributed anything meaningfully financial since the start of the season - and even then it was just the pathetic uptake on the giveaway season tickets.

 

Protests and media coverage gets more of a rise out of them.

[maximus1267]

29 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

That's no good to us, it needs to happen now.

To us fans yes you are correct, but if there are buyers out there why would they pay AL more now when he will have to walk away at some point and they will then pounce.

Rightly or wrongly thats where the would be buyers will be at.

 

[GlossopLatic]

30 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

I think this has already been discussed on the podcast, hasn't it?

 

Isn't it confidential, so they're not outbid?  No good to us fans, but you can see their point..

 

Plus it's a professional way of doing business and we want professional people running the club who are going to run the club quietly and without fuss and integrity and concentrating on delivering what they said they will do. I don't want someone playing the populist card standing on a soap box telling people what they want to hear and then not delivering. That's what Abdallah did that's what Chris Moore did. 

[deyres42]

4 minutes ago, GlossopLatic said:

 

Plus it's a professional way of doing business and we want professional people running the club who are going to run the club quietly and without fuss and integrity and concentrating on delivering what they said they will do. I don't want someone playing the populist card standing on a soap box telling people what they want to hear and then not delivering. That's what Abdallah did that's what Chris Moore did. 

So we just carry on as we are then, the golden circle asking people to boycott whilst insisting there are potential owners desperate to takeover if only the nasty man would drop his asking price just a little bit.

[JoeP]

1 minute ago, deyres42 said:

So we just carry on as we are then, the golden circle asking people to boycott whilst insisting there are potential owners desperate to takeover if only the nasty man would drop his asking price just a little bit.

 

Hear what you're saying, but we might just have to suck it up for the greater good...

[basilrobbie]

1 hour ago, deyres42 said:

You aren't going to galvanise a worn down and apathetic fanbase in any meaningful way without offering hope, yet another call for boycotts certainly doesn't offer that.

 

Can't agree with this at all. Its hand-wringing at its worst, for me.

 

You need a paradigm shift (of one kind or another), and the evidence available suggests that the current owner isn't going to provide one that involves investment, changed management practice or better recruitment. So that puts the onus on you to try to achieve a shift of your own, which is what PTB have been doing for some time. The longer you choose not to pick a side, the longer you perpetuate the status quo. And the status quo is likely to see you visiting places like Wealdstone and possibly even Chorley next season.

[Worcester Owl]

14 minutes ago, GlossopLatic said:

 

Plus it's a professional way of doing business and we want professional people running the club who are going to run the club quietly and without fuss and integrity and concentrating on delivering what they said they will do. I don't want someone playing the populist card standing on a soap box telling people what they want to hear and then not delivering. That's what Abdallah did that's what Chris Moore did. 

Agreed. In fact I’d add the Three Tossers to AL and Moore. All charlatans.

[JoeP]

17 minutes ago, basilrobbie said:

 

Can't agree with this at all. Its hand-wringing at its worst, for me.

 

You need a paradigm shift (of one kind or another), and the evidence available suggests that the current owner isn't going to provide one that involves investment, changed management practice or better recruitment. So that puts the onus on you to try to achieve a shift of your own, which is what PTB have been doing for some time. The longer you choose not to pick a side, the longer you perpetuate the status quo. And the status quo is likely to see you visiting places like Wealdstone and possibly even Chorley next season.

 

But we're basically there already and the owner is still hanging on.  Season tickets were given away for next to nothing at the start of the season.  A couple of hundred must be paying on the day, yet he still won't budge.  I don't want to be non-league before this plan comes to fruition..

 

So what do we do now?

 

For what it's worth, I've only been to the Pack the Park game at BP this season, as I do agree we all have to be on the same page, but it's OK to think it's not really working.

[basilrobbie]

27 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

But we're basically there already and the owner is still hanging on.  Season tickets were given away for next to nothing at the start of the season.  A couple of hundred must be paying on the day, yet he still won't budge.  I don't want to be non-league before this plan comes to fruition..

 

So what do we do now?

 

For what it's worth, I've only been to the Pack the Park game at BP this season, as I do agree we all have to be on the same page, but it's OK to think it's not really working.

I think it IS working Joe :

 

1) giving away season tickets very cheap is not a voluntary act

 

2) gates have still fallen significantly

 

3) wider awareness in the game is far higher than it was twelve months ago

 

4) the banning of fans was straight out of the Oyston playbook and suggests that they are rattled

 

As an outsider I can say this, but I suspect that it would work better if more people were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice and stop going and withdraw all financial support. You will never get everyone to do this, but I think you need more than you have.

 

As to being non-league before this comes to fruition - that may well have happened anyway. And you wouldn't have weakened their resolve in the way you have. It's a long way from ideal, but you have no attractive options, in much the same way that Leyton Orient fans didn't. That doesn't mean you shouldn't choose one though.

 

 

 

[Inspectormorose.]

Well there's 3 of us chosen one this weekend.

 

After 52 years I've not been to a home game since the Barrow game at the start of September but after Sunday the nephew (who's life I've obviously ruined) and his mate have drawn a line under it too as long as they're in charge.

 

 

[League one forever]

1 hour ago, deyres42 said:

Another 2-300 off the gate at this stage in the season doesn't mean anything really. Season tickets is a different matter, clearly there will be more appetite for it (boycott) this time round than there was last.

I don’t think you ever get a total boycott. There’ll always be a small number who’ll go- no matter what.
 

However, 200-300 would make a massive difference! It’s about half our potd punters at the minute. I’d love to see that drop off, and starve them further. Then, when season tickets go on sale if we only get 500/600 willing to pay- they’re really in the shit.