OASF/PTB joint fans forum

[wiseowl]

2 hours ago, nzlatic said:

Some (not all) that have raised concerns on here have done so in a way that could discourage others to donate anything right now. That is not helpful. 

My own concerns genuinely stem from the prospect of supporters' hard earned cash simply being "wasted", nzlatics. It's not too long ago that compassionate people were still giving generously to the "Captain Tom" cause. Then the first set of accounts were published (20/21) and, out of £1.1M donated that financial year, only £160,000 had gone to the charitable causes. £240k went on "support costs", with some payments being made to companies owned by Capt. Tom's relatives.

 

I stress again, when you are dealing with contributions from fans, strict governance and scrutiny is absolutely vital. Otherwise, people can be on a "very nice earner" whilst achieving very little for the actual "cause".

[LightDN123]

17 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Who's in this consortium?

Well they have two investors lined up. Hence I say above instead of trying to raise £6m it would be far more achievable to work on forming a consortium ?

 

What do you think the answer or strategy should be out of interest ? 

[deyres42]

2 minutes ago, LightDN123 said:

Well they have two investors lined up. Hence I say above instead of trying to raise £6m it would be far more achievable to work on forming a consortium ?

 

What do you think the answer or strategy should be out of interest ? 

Apologies for my ignorance but who has got two investors lined up?

[LightDN123]

6 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Apologies for my ignorance but who has got two investors lined up?

OASF. Admittedly for the purchase of the ground. 

[maximus1267]

5 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Apologies for my ignorance but who has got two investors lined up?

There are investors willing to talk, I know this for a fact.

[yarddog73]

6 minutes ago, LightDN123 said:

OASF. Admittedly for the purchase of the ground. 

So what do they need our money for then?

[BP1960]

19 minutes ago, LightDN123 said:

Well they have two investors lined up. Hence I say above instead of trying to raise £6m it would be far more achievable to work on forming a consortium ?

 

What do you think the answer or strategy should be out of interest ? 

 

Merge both consortiums?

[nzlatic]

38 minutes ago, wiseowl said:

My own concerns genuinely stem from the prospect of supporters' hard earned cash simply being "wasted", nzlatics. It's not too long ago that compassionate people were still giving generously to the "Captain Tom" cause. Then the first set of accounts were published (20/21) and, out of £1.1M donated that financial year, only £160,000 had gone to the charitable causes. £240k went on "support costs", with some payments being made to companies owned by Capt. Tom's relatives.

 

I stress again, when you are dealing with contributions from fans, strict governance and scrutiny is absolutely vital. Otherwise, people can be on a "very nice earner" whilst achieving very little for the actual "cause".

It’s been stated what has to happen for the funds to be released. So is your question essentially, will OASF running costs be taken from the fund?

[mcfluff1985]

21 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

So what do they need our money for then?

Maybe they only have £5,970,000 to put towards

[unsworth blue]

3 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

It’s been stated what has to happen for the funds to be released. So is your question essentially, will OASF running costs be taken from the fund?

 

The 1895 fund is totally separate from the general revenue fund so no OASF running costs will be taken from it. 

 

Regarding any consortia, I am aware that OASF and PTB have been in talks with 2 parties who may be interested. Both had previously approached AL / the club and had not even had the courtesy of a response. 

 

No one has mentioned the Andy Burnham initiative to market the OAFC ground sale as a potential community investment opportunity. Any chance OAFC has of surviving (either with AL or beyond) has got to be greatly enhanced by having a strategy that includes community use. I don't know Andy Burnham nor have I ever spoken to him but apparently he feels that there are organisations/ individuals out there who would consider an opportunity to develop a community club / asset and/or try and turn around a failing business. To me this offers the most likely hope of ever having OAFC back as a going concern, at present it's all up in the air until the actual marketing takes place. 

 

When Wigan went into administration several years ago, their fans raised about £600k in 2 months if memory serves me right. They were fortunate as in the administrators found a buyer fairly quickly but the fans showed what could be done in times of crisis. 

 

I would suggest our time of crisis is probably now. No communication from the club at all about any proposed sale, pretty much nothing about anything playing wise as well. I know that the PTB and OASF are speaking to the National League this coming week (no idea what its about but suggest it is more likely to be of concern than not), I am not that convinced OAFC will even be in a position to start the 2022/23 season given all the financial issues we appear to face. 

 

Now is the time for fans to act, we cannot wait forever for a white knight to come forward or for ALMO to do the right thing and either sell or act professionally and try and run OAFC properly going forward. Somehow we need this paralysis that has blighted our club for the best part of 20 years to be broken and give the supporters or a combination of new investors/ consortia any chance of getting OAFC running well again.                      

[LightDN123]

32 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

So what do they need our money for then?

 

29 minutes ago, BP1960 said:

 

Merge both consortiums?

I assume the two investors are not enough alone to buy the stadium and/or club. 
 

I would assume that’s the plan BP to get the two investors to form a consortium. OASF need to focus on adding and sourcing more individuals to join. 
 

Far more achievable than the fund raising £6m. 
 

 

[Lee Sinnott]

34 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

So what do they need our money for then?

I'm not sure if you're trolling or not but I have thought the same myself, especially with the figures being banded about for these investors...

[nzlatic]

1 hour ago, yarddog73 said:

So what do they need our money for then?

 

32 minutes ago, Lee Sinnott said:

I'm not sure if you're trolling or not but I have thought the same myself, especially with the figures being banded about for these investors...

Getting really confused now. When has it been said the investors need the fans’ money?

 

Fans groups want to ensure fans have a stake and a say in the club going forward rather than be on the outside and at the mercy of individual owners. Potential investors have said they want the fans to be involved too. Therefore fans will have to pay their way into that. This has all been explained hasn’t it?! The fundraising isn’t being done because investors have come up a bit short and need helping out. 

[nzlatic]

49 minutes ago, unsworth blue said:

 

The 1895 fund is totally separate from the general revenue fund so no OASF running costs will be taken from it. 

 

 

Thanks, this was my understanding too. Was just trying to understand what @wiseowl meant by protection, using examples of charity money being wasted etc. 

[yarddog73]

1 minute ago, nzlatic said:

 

Getting really confused now. When has it been said the investors need the fans’ money?

 

Fans groups want to ensure fans have a stake and a say in the club going forward rather than be on the outside and at the mercy of individual owners. Potential investors have said they want the fans to be involved too. Therefore fans will have to pay their way into that. This has all been explained hasn’t it?! The fundraising isn’t being done because investors have come up a bit short and need helping out. 

Fans pay their money week in week out I don't have to prove anything to any potential investor in that respect they get my money on a regular basis, maybe if these potential investors came out with some sort of plan then fans could decide whether to back them, this isn't how it was sold the other night though and I'm getting more confused by the day on what is actually needed and required.

[nzlatic]

12 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Fans pay their money week in week out I don't have to prove anything to any potential investor in that respect they get my money on a regular basis, maybe if these potential investors came out with some sort of plan then fans could decide whether to back them, this isn't how it was sold the other night though and I'm getting more confused by the day on what is actually needed and required.

You unconditionally put money into the club every season. That’s your choice. But you still have no say with what happens to the club. 
 

Fans should have a say, but we have to buy that say, it isn’t just going to get handed to us. 
 

 

[deyres42]

19 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

 

Getting really confused now. When has it been said the investors need the fans’ money?

 

Fans groups want to ensure fans have a stake and a say in the club going forward rather than be on the outside and at the mercy of individual owners. Potential investors have said they want the fans to be involved too. Therefore fans will have to pay their way into that. This has all been explained hasn’t it?! The fundraising isn’t being done because investors have come up a bit short and need helping out. 

If they don't need the money then surely they just buy the thing now and worry about fan involvement further down the line?

[nzlatic]

Just now, deyres42 said:

If they don't need the money then surely they just buy the thing now and worry about fan involvement further down the line?

Ok, but how does that affect fans trying to fundraise now to buy involvement whenever that may be?

[Dave_Og]

If fund raising had been done on a pretty low key scale for the last twenty years what a different situation we'd be in now. If anyone is waiting for a definitive plan to be in place then who knows how long that may take and whether there will be any point by then. 

[deyres42]

6 minutes ago, nzlatic said:

Ok, but how does that affect fans trying to fundraise now to buy involvement whenever that may be?

It doesn't, although some clarity on what exactly funds are being raised for would be useful.

 

Either way it will take years to raise any kind of meaningful number so what happens in the meantime? These investors who don't need our money just sit and twiddle their thumbs?

[peanuts2]

26 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Fans pay their money week in week out I don't have to prove anything to any potential investor in that respect they get my money on a regular basis, maybe if these potential investors came out with some sort of plan then fans could decide whether to back them, this isn't how it was sold the other night though and I'm getting more confused by the day on what is actually needed and required.

it appears that anyone who is open about talking with ptb or oasf and approaches Almo  with intent to purchase the club is met with total and utter silence from Almo spiteful and childish they are but its there ball and they are taking it home so nerrrr

[nzlatic]

7 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

It doesn't, although some clarity on what exactly funds are being raised for would be useful.

 

Either way it will take years to raise any kind of meaningful number so what happens in the meantime? These investors who don't need our money just sit and twiddle their thumbs?

Ask your questions! I’m not involved so can’t give you any more clarity other than what has been laid out already. 
 

Just saying “I want clarity” isn’t good enough. If you want clarity, ask specific questions and I’m sure those involved will answer on here, or social media, or you could email them and report back. 

 

[unsworth blue]

11 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Fans pay their money week in week out I don't have to prove anything to any potential investor in that respect they get my money on a regular basis, maybe if these potential investors came out with some sort of plan then fans could decide whether to back them, this isn't how it was sold the other night though and I'm getting more confused by the day on what is actually needed and required.

 

The fans want a say in the club's future going forward, the 3% shareholding has actually been pretty worthless so far. 

 

The way that clubs operate abroad is often along the lines of a partnership between the club's supporters and the club's owners on a 51:49 basis. This would potentially stop clubs getting rinsed by inappropriate owners and the club would remain a community asset type business, run predominantly for the community in which it operates. 

 

The Government has just finished a review by Tracey Crouch which recommended that football clubs should be governed by an independent regulator primarily to stop what happened at Bury, Blackpool, Macclesfield Wigan etc. this could easily happen to Oldham if no action is taken to prevent it. Sadly I think this will only cover the EFL clubs going forward so we will be outside its scope and its of no immediate use to us. 

 

OAFC owners are apparently in talks with some credible parties (their words not mine) but nothing has come out as to whether there is any intention to keep in talks or whether these have come to nothing. 

 

Equally there are 2 interested parties that I am aware of who have approached the club and have not received the courtesy of a reply. They have approached/ been approached by OASF / PTB and may be interested in joining a consortia to buy the club from Blitz. I have heard that there is potentially a 3rd investor as well (according to Bob Isaacs but not been confirmed as yet). 

 

If ALMO don't sell to their credible bidders, then Latics sadly are screwed on the field and our fortunes will remain in the hands of these owners. If they won't sell now, when will they?

 

The only way to have any viable future for OAFC is to try and attract sufficient investment from other sources and go into a partnership with them to try and keep OAFC safe and hopefully to prosper. 

 

The fans won't in effect need to raise £6million themselves but might need to raise significant funds (maybe £1million?) which coupled with other consortium partners and public sector funding (if available) might be sufficient to buy the club as a community asset and then work can take place to address the ownership of OAFC as a football club. 

 

If ALMO stays i suggest we are sunk. If Blitz stays as landlord, the ground will further deteriorate and will eventually become more or less worthless apart from the land. 

 

Any attempts to turn the club round will need interested parties to at least include the supporters who are the only ones who can be genuinely believed to love the club and act in its best interests. 

 

The club's 1895 initiative is to raise sufficient money to try and give OAFC supporters (all of us) the opportunity to buy a meaningful share in the club's future and steer the club in the right direction for the immediate and longer term. 

 

Any money you put into the club will be used by the club as they see fit - may contribute to the squad but more than likely will be used to repay EFL loan or AL's investment if most recent accounts are anything to go by. 

 

Andy Burnham is also going to market the ground and land as a potential investment opportunity and he believes that there are potential investors out there who would welcome an opportunity to invest in a town's strategic development or even to turn around failing businesses (goodness knows we are one of them!). 

 

Lots of avenues to explore but we can't as a supporter base carry on sitting and waiting for ALMO to start behaving reasonably, for Blitz to invest in the club to stop the ground falling apart or for the EFL to intervene (they won't). 

 

Other clubs have been in shit situations like us, Stockport have turned it round and gone back after 11 years outside the EFL, only Bury who not been saved somehow. 

 

Seriously Yarddog, get involved with OASF - I am sure they would welcome more hands to the pump in trying to develop a reasonable strategy towards saving OAFC            

[HarryBosch]

On 5/14/2022 at 10:00 AM, kowenicki said:

 

Peter principle in full effect. Literally couldn’t even run a sweetshop.

 

 

 

 

Eh? He's literally running an Event's Centre and a Gym right before your eyes. Perfectly competently it would seem.... 

[HarryBosch]

20 hours ago, deyres42 said:

There's no guarantee anybody does buy it. Even if they do people will have lost their jobs, 

 

We're probably already running on more of a skeleton staff than the administrators trimmed us down to last time round.....

 

I don't remember who it was but someone on here often used to say Corney was running us as if in admin. 

These two have taken that down to a whole other level already.