Serious/Genuine Question

[Dave_Og]

Financially, purely as a football club, I am sure it is doable to have a fan run club and to at least stabilise it.  It doesn't necessarily have to stay in that structure - look at Portsmouth.  But here are some big questions that would have to be addressed first:

 

Would the present owner sell it to a fans group at a sensible price?

What would the status of the present debts be in the future?

Can progress be made towards acquiring the ground or finding a landlord prepared to rent it at a sensible price?

Can the obvious work that is needed on the stadium be carried out and who could fund that ?

Are there enough people with both the required skills and the necessary inclination to run it?

[yarddog73]

Our club more than any wouldn't succeed as a fan run club, you only have to see all the over inflated egos now prying for position if the worst does happen - it would be an absolute shit show from top to bottom that would send us under, in any case with 30k in the pot I'd suggest there isn't even an appetite to go down that route. If you got given the club for a pound (which is never going to happen) you wouldn't last the summer out never mind have a clue.

[yarddog73]

52 minutes ago, Pidge said:

But season ticket sales keep the club going into the new season. Then parachute payments and gate revenue kick in.

 

The present owner has not put any money into the club since before the present season started and he settled some of the debt with Blitz.

 

He has clearly expected the club to financially support itself in the past 2 years.  Kind of the same place it would be if it was fan owned, except the club would have bigger gate revenue.

Fan owned clubs don't necessarily have bigger gate revenue particularly if the 'fans' running the show are unpopular, divisive and self absorbed.

[Dave_Og]

3 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Our club more than any wouldn't succeed as a fan run club, you only have to see all the over inflated egos now prying for position if the worst does happen - it would be an absolute shit show from top to bottom that would send us under, in any case with 30k in the pot I'd suggest there isn't even an appetite to go down that route. If you got given the club for a pound (which is never going to happen) you wouldn't last the summer out never mind have a clue.

 

Otherwise known as those prepared to put their heads over the parapet rather than carp on social media under pseudonyms?

[Dave_Og]

Just now, yarddog73 said:

Fan owned clubs don't necessarily have bigger gate revenue particularly if the 'fans' running the show are unpopular, divisive and self absorbed.

 

Beyond belief.  Or, on second thoughts, sadly not

[yarddog73]

Just now, Dave_Og said:

 

Otherwise known as those prepared to put their heads over the parapet rather than carp on social media under pseudonyms?

Behave, I'm on a forum passing opinion, not popular I know but we have a football club, some people need to be careful what they wish for.

[Dave_Og]

Just now, yarddog73 said:

Behave, I'm on a forum passing opinion, not popular I know but we have a football club, some people need to be careful what they wish for.

So who are these massive, divisive egos?

[yarddog73]

Just now, Dave_Og said:

So who are these massive, divisive egos?

Well I'm sure shitpeas is angling for position, that's before you start with some of those fronting these groups encouraging fellow fans to send the club under.

[Dave_Og]

Just now, yarddog73 said:

Well I'm sure shitpeas is angling for position, that's before you start with some of those fronting these groups encouraging fellow fans to send the club under.

Well Mr Owen is not going to get great support I wouldn't have thought.  I'm not sure who else you mean

[oafc1955]

FFS!!!

This is exactly what I meant when I said negativity!!!

[Dave_Og]

7 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

FFS!!!

This is exactly what I meant when I said negativity!!!

Yep - incessant

[deyres42]

12 minutes ago, Dave_Og said:

Well Mr Owen is not going to get great support I wouldn't have thought.  I'm not sure who else you mean

Brooke, the Whiteheads and their associates, anyone advocating starving the club/administration.

[wiseowl]

3 hours ago, PeteG said:

There was an interesting article in the Sunday Times yesterday about how our attendances have fallen over the past 30 years where the general trend has seen a massive increase in attendances during that period and how it is believed that it is related to the demography of the town.

Haven't read the article but, if I am right in guessing its general content, it's long been "the elephant in the room". The greater the % of the Muslim population in the borough, the smaller the pool of fans that Latics has to draw from. Unfortunately, some people consider it a taboo subject. 

 

What has been needed for many years is to get to the root cause of why Oldham's Muslim community (in particular) won't pay to watch the Latics. In the long term, it's pretty critical stuff because there is only one way that Oldham's demographics are headed.

 

The OACT, perhaps more than most, should have an idea as to the reason why there seems to be little "return" from a distinct sector of Oldham's community.

 

Put it this way - a council report in 2019 stated that circa 17.5% of Oldham's population was either of Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage. So, if we had 5,000 home supporters in a game, all things being equal, you should expect to see circa 875 fans of Pakistani/Bangladeshi heritage.

 

It's certainly food for thought and, if not addressed, is actually a greater existential threat to the long term future of the club than anything else. 

[Dave_Og]

2 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Brooke, the Whiteheads and their associates, anyone advocating starving the club/administration.

I don't know or have ever had any dealings with any of that group.  I do know that the last three years have been unprecedented for any hospitality business and if they are willing to come out and explain how they may be able to contribute to the future of the club I'm very willing to listen.  I'd like to think that others would retain an open mind for the time being but I can't say I have an confidence that will be the case.

[deyres42]

15 minutes ago, oafc1955 said:

FFS!!!

This is exactly what I meant when I said negativity!!!

I wouldn't listen to today's podcast then if I was you...

[yarddog73]

12 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

I wouldn't listen to today's podcast then if I was you...

Which podcast is that Eyresy

[kowenicki]

6 hours ago, yarddog73 said:

People should boycott the OEC full stop

Absolutely. 

[Dave_Og]

34 minutes ago, kowenicki said:

Absolutely. 

Do you think Lemsagam would make a good fist of it for the club's benefit if given the opportunity? 

[GlossopLatic]

1 hour ago, wiseowl said:

Haven't read the article but, if I am right in guessing its general content, it's long been "the elephant in the room". The greater the % of the Muslim population in the borough, the smaller the pool of fans that Latics has to draw from. Unfortunately, some people consider it a taboo subject. 

 

What has been needed for many years is to get to the root cause of why Oldham's Muslim community (in particular) won't pay to watch the Latics. In the long term, it's pretty critical stuff because there is only one way that Oldham's demographics are headed.

 

The OACT, perhaps more than most, should have an idea as to the reason why there seems to be little "return" from a distinct sector of Oldham's community.

 

Put it this way - a council report in 2019 stated that circa 17.5% of Oldham's population was either of Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage. So, if we had 5,000 home supporters in a game, all things being equal, you should expect to see circa 875 fans of Pakistani/Bangladeshi heritage.

 

It's certainly food for thought and, if not addressed, is actually a greater existential threat to the long term future of the club than anything else. 

 

It's a topic that's been discussed on here on multiple occasions.

 

I'd put in here that towns/cities such as Bolton Bradford and Burnley have the same issues that we do. 

 

You've also got the historical aspect of football grounds not being particularly hospitalable to ethnic minorities in the past. I think that's alot less of an issue these days. Partly because of that you probably still don't have that tradition of taking your son/daughter to their first match that you do in let's call it the white/british community. I imagine most of the Athleticos started going down because their parents an uncle a grandparent started taking them.

 

I don't think their is a unique solution here. Other than to make Boundary Park a better place to come interms of facilities and give people a team that they can get behind and people will come.

[Bobledgersheart]

28 minutes ago, GlossopLatic said:

 

It's a topic that's been discussed on here on multiple occasions.

 

I'd put in here that towns/cities such as Bolton Bradford and Burnley have the same issues that we do. 

 

You've also got the historical aspect of football grounds not being particularly hospitalable to ethnic minorities in the past. I think that's alot less of an issue these days. Partly because of that you probably still don't have that tradition of taking your son/daughter to their first match that you do in let's call it the white/british community. I imagine most of the Athleticos started going down because their parents an uncle a grandparent started taking them.

 

I don't think their is a unique solution here. Other than to make Boundary Park a better place to come interms of facilities and give people a team that they can get behind and people will come.

Cuting out the booing of players taking the knee might help...........Millwall are the only other ones I've noticed doing this.

[Roger Ritchie]

I can't believe I am reading an argument against fan owned clubs because they highest they can be is League One. 

 

We've just been relegated from League Two. The ceiling of a fan owned club is two leagues above where we are. Two leagues. 

 

Fan owned isn't without its problems but the idea would surely be to be custodians until an owner arrives that wouldn't let Barry Owen or any of the other parasites within 10 miles of the club. 

[kowenicki]

44 minutes ago, Dave_Og said:

Do you think Lemsagam would make a good fist of it for the club's benefit if given the opportunity? 

No. 
 

 

[kowenicki]

4 minutes ago, Bobledgersheart said:

Cuting out the booing of players taking the knee might help...........Millwall are the only other ones I've noticed doing this.

Never heard a boo at BP. See lots of applause for it every week though. To be honest I don’t really understand either reaction for what has become the emptiest of empty gestures. Those same players will enthusiastically rock up at Qatar in the winter. 

[GlossopLatic]

 

3 hours ago, yarddog73 said:

Our club more than any wouldn't succeed as a fan run club, you only have to see all the over inflated egos now prying for position if the worst does happen - it would be an absolute shit show from top to bottom that would send us under, in any case with 30k in the pot I'd suggest there isn't even an appetite to go down that route. If you got given the club for a pound (which is never going to happen) you wouldn't last the summer out never mind have a clue.

 

Let's face it the last 3 regimes have consisted of comparatively rich men who all had massive egos to some extent. None have been fans of the club prior to taking over. They all failed. 

 

Whoever takes on running the club is probably going to have an ego/self belief because football clubs are not like any other businesses as the customer base is far more demanding and more fanatical. Your going to need an ego to deal with that when you are getting people on social media or in the stands calling you all and sundry after a few results go against you.

 

I'll happily accept that someone taking over the club whether it's a business person or a group of fans will have an ego just aslong as they make the right decisions.

[Dave_Og]

25 minutes ago, kowenicki said:

No. 
 

 

I don't fully understand the beef with them. Can't say I've researched it but as far as I can work out there has never been a real opportunity for the club to use the facilities and profit from them. I can't really imagine why the individuals involved would operate a business just for the benefit of the club so not really seeing why they are so much worse than, say, the landlords of local pubs.