BPAS PODCAST: 11th Sept '23, S4E8: Where Do We Go From Here?

[oafc1955]

6 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

You got that in the second half of last season and it wasn't enough for some.

Results wise yes performance wise no and it has now returned to type!!

[Wardie]

24 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

What will it take to satisfy the customer base though?

I think any fan would take a win, despite the performance being not so good but sub-standard performances, combined with losses, is maybe a tad too far for the paying customer to part with their money any longer. Football, to me, is a short burst of entertainment with a 50/50 chance of a feel good factor come the end of it. Perception plays a huge part and how much the club and the game is a part of any fan's life.

I started watching Latics in the late 1960s with my brother, followed by a break, then revived with my two daughters. I am extremely lucky to still be here to actually complain about my beloved football club and cannot make the games these days. When the Rothwells purchased the club, I was relieved to see the Lemsagams usurped and a big part of my life given a fresh chance to flourish.

To witness one man and his sheer incompetence undermine their benevolence is quite infuriating. I cannot get past his pre-season hyperbole, the investment in players who were "targeted" in the presumption that he had a plan and a style of play in mind which would be a definite upgrade on the previous season. It just hasn't happened, so far, and from what I can perceive, it never will.

Do I dislike the man? No.
Do I dislike his football? Yes.
Do I think he will succeed? No.
Do I want someone else to be given a go? Yes.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

[pedantic] point for Dave

- Upset fan who sat down on pitch was Grimsby at home when Sharp was manager.

[TheBigDog]

Do I dislike the man? No.
Do I dislike his football? Yes.
Do I think he will succeed? No.
Do I want someone else to be given a go? Yes.
 

I might get that on a T-shirt

[True Tic]

10 hours ago, deyres42 said:

What will it take to satisfy the customer base though?

To win football matches, which will then propel us up the table to where we want to be. That’s it.
As in life though there will always be people who are never satisfied. But you’d be hard pressed to find a fan who is satisfied with this. 

[deyres42]

One of the best pods for a long while by the way.

[Bobledgersheart]

1 hour ago, TheBigDog said:

Do I dislike the man? No.
Do I dislike his football? Yes.
Do I think he will succeed? No.
Do I want someone else to be given a go? Yes.
 

I might get that on a T-shirt

It'll have to be a very big T-shirt or very small writing !!  

[basilrobbie]

Interesting listen, as always.

 

I don't watch you, so can't judge that side of things. But I do think the fanbase is becoming a prisoner of its own expectations. The league you are in is possibly the hardest in the entire pyramid to get out of at the right end. You start a fair bit behind some battle-hardened clubs who've been there or thereabouts regularly and not succeeded. So you need to stop expecting success I feel, and start hoping for it.

 

"But we are Oldham", I hear some of you say. To which the answer is - "so what"? Yes, you were a League club of many years standing. But you were a crap League club for a lot of the later years, and nobody in this Division is going to be intimidated by you. What will get you out of it is hard work, ingenuity and unity. Only you know how you are doing on all three, or whether Unsworth is the right man. He's had fifty games now, and I'd imagine over the next couple of months the Board will reach conclusions about him one way or another.

 

One last thing - my club has won the play offs six times, and in practically every one of those winning years we started extremely slowly and then accelerated. It is too early to panic, and as fans you have a big say in whether the next managerial appointment is properly planned and considered, or rushed into in a panic.

 

 

[TheBigDog]

51 minutes ago, basilrobbie said:

 

Interesting listen, as always.

 

I don't watch you, so can't judge that side of things. But I do think the fanbase is becoming a prisoner of its own expectations. The league you are in is possibly the hardest in the entire pyramid to get out of at the right end. You start a fair bit behind some battle-hardened clubs who've been there or thereabouts regularly and not succeeded. So you need to stop expecting success I feel, and start hoping for it.

 

We don’t want success, we’d just like to win a game or two playing half decent football. Not too much to ask?

[redlion]

17 hours ago, basilrobbie said:

Interesting listen, as always.

 

I don't watch you, so can't judge that side of things. But I do think the fanbase is becoming a prisoner of its own expectations. The league you are in is possibly the hardest in the entire pyramid to get out of at the right end. You start a fair bit behind some battle-hardened clubs who've been there or thereabouts regularly and not succeeded. So you need to stop expecting success I feel, and start hoping for it.

 

"But we are Oldham", I hear some of you say. To which the answer is - "so what"? Yes, you were a League club of many years standing. But you were a crap League club for a lot of the later years, and nobody in this Division is going to be intimidated by you. What will get you out of it is hard work, ingenuity and unity. Only you know how you are doing on all three, or whether Unsworth is the right man. He's had fifty games now, and I'd imagine over the next couple of months the Board will reach conclusions about him one way or another.

 

One last thing - my club has won the play offs six times, and in practically every one of those winning years we started extremely slowly and then accelerated. It is too early to panic, and as fans you have a big say in whether the next managerial appointment is properly planned and considered, or rushed into in a panic.

 

 

Pope Basil has spoken. Praise be.

[Bobledgersheart]

1 hour ago, redlion said:

Pope Basil has spoken. Praise be.

Not really necessary. 

[kowenicki]

19 hours ago, basilrobbie said:

Interesting listen, as always.

 

I don't watch you, so can't judge that side of things. But I do think the fanbase is becoming a prisoner of its own expectations. The league you are in is possibly the hardest in the entire pyramid to get out of at the right end. You start a fair bit behind some battle-hardened clubs who've been there or thereabouts regularly and not succeeded. So you need to stop expecting success I feel, and start hoping for it.

 

"But we are Oldham", I hear some of you say. To which the answer is - "so what"? Yes, you were a League club of many years standing. But you were a crap League club for a lot of the later years, and nobody in this Division is going to be intimidated by you. What will get you out of it is hard work, ingenuity and unity. Only you know how you are doing on all three, or whether Unsworth is the right man. He's had fifty games now, and I'd imagine over the next couple of months the Board will reach conclusions about him one way or another.

 

One last thing - my club has won the play offs six times, and in practically every one of those winning years we started extremely slowly and then accelerated. It is too early to panic, and as fans you have a big say in whether the next managerial appointment is properly planned and considered, or rushed into in a panic.

 

 

I think you should have stopped after your first sentence.
 

If you are taking the supposed mood of the supporters from the podcast then you are getting a skewed view in my opinion. Divisive.
 

People just want some decent football, some results and some progress. 

[LightDN123]

7 minutes ago, kowenicki said:

I think you should have stopped after your first sentence.
 

If you are taking the supposed mood of the supporters from the podcast then you are getting a skewed view in my opinion. Divisive.
 

People just want some decent football, some results and some progress. 

Actually is that simple isn’t it ?

 

Some decent performances, attacking intent, and winning more than 1 in 8. It’s really not asking for to much

[redlion]

26 minutes ago, Bobledgersheart said:

Not really necessary. 

I was being polite and restrained believe me.

Edit: Well maybe less of the polite but more restraint.

Edited September 13, 2023 by redlion
Meaning

[PeteG]

22 hours ago, basilrobbie said:

Interesting listen, as always.

 

I don't watch you, so can't judge that side of things. But I do think the fanbase is becoming a prisoner of its own expectations. The league you are in is possibly the hardest in the entire pyramid to get out of at the right end. You start a fair bit behind some battle-hardened clubs who've been there or thereabouts regularly and not succeeded. So you need to stop expecting success I feel, and start hoping for it.

 

"But we are Oldham", I hear some of you say. To which the answer is - "so what"? Yes, you were a League club of many years standing. But you were a crap League club for a lot of the later years, and nobody in this Division is going to be intimidated by you. What will get you out of it is hard work, ingenuity and unity. Only you know how you are doing on all three, or whether Unsworth is the right man. He's had fifty games now, and I'd imagine over the next couple of months the Board will reach conclusions about him one way or another.

 

One last thing - my club has won the play offs six times, and in practically every one of those winning years we started extremely slowly and then accelerated. It is too early to panic, and as fans you have a big say in whether the next managerial appointment is properly planned and considered, or rushed into in a panic.

 

 

This statement I keep hearing about it being the hardest league in the pyramid to get out of and battled hardened clubs who have been here a long time is the biggest load of bollocks i've ever heard. The league is made up of shite football teams us included. The standard is woeful. Your not telling me if you dropped a team out of league 1 into the national league now, they wouldn't absolute piss it? Which makes it nonesense. So based on your assumption it's the toughest league in the world to get out of, we should just accept our lot and continue watching the worst football i've ever seen us produce in over 40 years of watching us?

[BPAS]

2 hours ago, kowenicki said:

I think you should have stopped after your first sentence.
 

If you are taking the supposed mood of the supporters from the podcast then you are getting a skewed view in my opinion. Divisive.
 

People just want some decent football, some results and some progress. 

 

Yeah, we don't want decent football, some results and some progress & we don't invite people on the podcast with different opinions. We just want to be divisive. 

[basilrobbie]

29 minutes ago, PeteG said:

This statement I keep hearing about it being the hardest league in the pyramid to get out of and battled hardened clubs who have been here a long time is the biggest load of bollocks i've ever heard. The league is made up of shite football teams us included. The standard is woeful. Your not telling me if you dropped a team out of league 1 into the national league now, they wouldn't absolute piss it? Which makes it nonesense. So based on your assumption it's the toughest league in the world to get out of, we should just accept our lot and continue watching the worst football i've ever seen us produce in over 40 years of watching us?

 

What I'm saying is that 2 up out of 24 (which is what is the case in the NL) is as tough as it gets. And you are starting from a position of disadvantage as compared with some of your competitors - in my opinion. 

 

If it was easy then Chesterfield would be long gone and Wrexham, Nots County, Stockport and a host of others wouldn't have found it so tough to succeed. You may be right about the overall standard, but I suspect that it probably isn't a lot different from L2, except that there are a lot of upwardly mobile clubs who reach it as a de facto ceiling and then make it a highly competitive environment. Again, an opinion. 

 

Finally, I didn't say accept your lot. I suggested that being realistic in your expectations would take a lot of heat out of a fraught environment. But it's your environment, not mine, and I just comment as an outsider who would like to see you do well.

[Littlemoor Lad]

51 minutes ago, basilrobbie said:

 

What I'm saying is that 2 up out of 24 (which is what is the case in the NL) is as tough as it gets. And you are starting from a position of disadvantage as compared with some of your competitors - in my opinion. 

 

If it was easy then Chesterfield would be long gone and Wrexham, Nots County, Stockport and a host of others wouldn't have found it so tough to succeed. You may be right about the overall standard, but I suspect that it probably isn't a lot different from L2, except that there are a lot of upwardly mobile clubs who reach it as a de facto ceiling and then make it a highly competitive environment. Again, an opinion. 

 

Finally, I didn't say accept your lot. I suggested that being realistic in your expectations would take a lot of heat out of a fraught environment. But it's your environment, not mine, and I just comment as an outsider who would like to see you do well.

We're well and truly fooked right now and the frustration of what might have been is off the scale

Sickening in all honesty 

[GlossopLatic]

23 hours ago, basilrobbie said:

Interesting listen, as always.

 

I don't watch you, so can't judge that side of things. But I do think the fanbase is becoming a prisoner of its own expectations. The league you are in is possibly the hardest in the entire pyramid to get out of at the right end. You start a fair bit behind some battle-hardened clubs who've been there or thereabouts regularly and not succeeded. So you need to stop expecting success I feel, and start hoping for it.

 

"But we are Oldham", I hear some of you say. To which the answer is - "so what"? Yes, you were a League club of many years standing. But you were a crap League club for a lot of the later years, and nobody in this Division is going to be intimidated by you. What will get you out of it is hard work, ingenuity and unity. Only you know how you are doing on all three, or whether Unsworth is the right man. He's had fifty games now, and I'd imagine over the next couple of months the Board will reach conclusions about him one way or another.

 

One last thing - my club has won the play offs six times, and in practically every one of those winning years we started extremely slowly and then accelerated. It is too early to panic, and as fans you have a big say in whether the next managerial appointment is properly planned and considered, or rushed into in a panic.

 

 

 

I think its fair to say that expectations were always going to rise this season mainly off the back of the good work that was done off the pitch last season and between January and April on it too. In the summer we made what we're on paper a number of very good signings. Having looked around social media in late July early August many supporters of other club's predicted that we'd be up near the top too. So while their will always be entitled idiots who think that we have the divine right to steamroller other teams, it was a fair expectation to expect us to be in the mix. But off the 5 games I've seen us play so far we've looked nothing like a promotion chasing side. The style of David Unsworths football doesn't lend itself to sympathy if it doesn't come off either. Having said that people wouldn't want to see pretty losing football either, its results that drive the narrative.

 

It's interesting the final paragraph of your post here. We've actually only seen 1 promotion in the last 50 years, and in that season we played flamboyant football and stayed in the top2 all season which is pretty much utopia. So knowone has seen a side that has started slowly and ended the season triumphant. As fans we aren't really accustomed to fully knowing what a promotion season looks like. As a club we've completely forgotten what a promotion season looks like although we do have players in the squad such as James Norwood and Liam Hogan who have won promotion and understand what it takes. Perhaps we as fans have put it on a pedestal too much. 

 

Can I ask therefore what was the mood early on in those promotion seasons and how quickly did the atmosphere change as the club built momentum over the course of the season?

Edited September 13, 2023 by GlossopLatic

[Steve_R]

2 hours ago, basilrobbie said:

 

What I'm saying is that 2 up out of 24 (which is what is the case in the NL) is as tough as it gets. And you are starting from a position of disadvantage as compared with some of your competitors - in my opinion. 

 

If it was easy then Chesterfield would be long gone and Wrexham, Nots County, Stockport and a host of others wouldn't have found it so tough to succeed. You may be right about the overall standard, but I suspect that it probably isn't a lot different from L2, except that there are a lot of upwardly mobile clubs who reach it as a de facto ceiling and then make it a highly competitive environment. Again, an opinion. 

 

Finally, I didn't say accept your lot. I suggested that being realistic in your expectations would take a lot of heat out of a fraught environment. But it's your environment, not mine, and I just comment as an outsider who would like to see you do well.

It’s the same in all the leagues below this, which are all in the pyramid, which is why we need to get out of the damn thing as soon as possible 

[Shrek]

On 9/12/2023 at 6:08 PM, basilrobbie said:

Interesting listen, as always.

 

I don't watch you, so can't judge that side of things. But I do think the fanbase is becoming a prisoner of its own expectations. The league you are in is possibly the hardest in the entire pyramid to get out of at the right end. You start a fair bit behind some battle-hardened clubs who've been there or thereabouts regularly and not succeeded. So you need to stop expecting success I feel, and start hoping for it.

 

"But we are Oldham", I hear some of you say. To which the answer is - "so what"? Yes, you were a League club of many years standing. But you were a crap League club for a lot of the later years, and nobody in this Division is going to be intimidated by you. What will get you out of it is hard work, ingenuity and unity. Only you know how you are doing on all three, or whether Unsworth is the right man. He's had fifty games now, and I'd imagine over the next couple of months the Board will reach conclusions about him one way or another.

 

One last thing - my club has won the play offs six times, and in practically every one of those winning years we started extremely slowly and then accelerated. It is too early to panic, and as fans you have a big say in whether the next managerial appointment is properly planned and considered, or rushed into in a panic.

 

 

 

Dear me

[League one forever]

3 hours ago, basilrobbie said:

And you are starting from a position of disadvantage as compared with some of your competitors - in my opinion

Sorry Baz, but this is absolute nonsense. 
 

We are without question one of two biggest sides in this division, we have a top two gate, we have a top two budget. We’re signing players from two divisions above on relatively big money. The owners have invested millions on and off the pitch, with big plans to invest more. No one does that and thinks, ‘yeah but we’ll still really struggle because the others have all played together for a while’. 
 

On 9/12/2023 at 6:08 PM, basilrobbie said:

So you need to stop expecting success I feel, and start hoping for it.

Laughable Baz. Imagine if somebody said that to your fanbase when you got relegated to league two and come back to me. You are a steady league one club in stature and history, and your lot wouldn’t just sit in league two hoping. .  . My god- they’re giving your chairman pelters because they’re deluded enough to think they’re a championship club! 

 

On 9/12/2023 at 6:08 PM, basilrobbie said:

But we are Oldham", I hear some of you say. To which the answer is - "so what"? Yes, you were a League club of many years standing. But you were a crap League club for a lot of the later years, and nobody in this Division is going to be intimidated by you.

I bet our owners,  have putting circa 20 million into a division 5 club; would delighted to acknowledge that really- there’s no point because we were crap anyway.

 

Lastly, there will come a time my friend- when we’re back at Bloomfield Road, and I will think of you and have a wry smile on my face when ‘a crap league one’ side walks away with 3 points. 
 

 

 

 

[basilrobbie]

41 minutes ago, League one forever said:

Sorry Baz, but this is absolute nonsense. 
 

We are without question one of two biggest sides in this division, we have a top two gate, we have a top two budget. We’re signing players from two divisions above on relatively big money. The owners have invested millions on and off the pitch, with big plans to invest more. No one does that and thinks, ‘yeah but we’ll still really struggle because the others have all played together for a while’.  (1)
 

Laughable Baz. Imagine if somebody said that to your fanbase when you got relegated to league two and come back to me. You are a steady league one club in stature and history, and your lot wouldn’t just sit in league two hoping. .  . My god- they’re giving your chairman pelters because they’re deluded enough to think they’re a championship club!  (2)

 

I bet our owners,  have putting circa 20 million into a division 5 club; would delighted to acknowledge that really- there’s no point because we were crap anyway. (3)

 

Lastly, there will come a time my friend- when we’re back at Bloomfield Road, and I will think of you and have a wry smile on my face when ‘a crap league one’ side walks away with 3 points.  (4)
 

 

 

 

 

(1) Gatse, budgets ad wages don't win football matches. Players do. Well motivated, well coached players.

 

(2) They are giving him pelters, and in large part they are being thoroughly disingenuous. They know we were a small club in the Championship, and they know that the majority of the Division operates the economics of the madhouse. But it doesn't stop some people having unrealistic expectations - and continually being disappointed.

 

(3) Again, we have had this owner for four years, he has poured getting on for £20m in and we are back where we started. It happens, because people don't always make good decisions and money doesn't always mitigate the impact when you make a mistake.

 

(4) I'll have a wry smile on my face too, not for the first time.

 

Football offers no guarantees. Spending big doesn't always translate into success. Being a big fish in a small pond might actually make you more likely to drown. And starting life in a hugely competitive environment assuming success will come your way quickly is a fast track to disappointment. Why do that to yourself?

[PeteG]

7 minutes ago, basilrobbie said:

 

(1) Gatse, budgets ad wages don't win football matches. Players do. Well motivated, well coached players.

 

(2) They are giving him pelters, and in large part they are being thoroughly disingenuous. They know we were a small club in the Championship, and they know that the majority of the Division operates the economics of the madhouse. But it doesn't stop some people having unrealistic expectations - and continually being disappointed.

 

(3) Again, we have had this owner for four years, he has poured getting on for £20m in and we are back where we started. It happens, because people don't always make good decisions and money doesn't always mitigate the impact when you make a mistake.

 

(4) I'll have a wry smile on my face too, not for the first time.

 

Football offers no guarantees. Spending big doesn't always translate into success. Being a big fish in a small pond might actually make you more likely to drown. And starting life in a hugely competitive environment assuming success will come your way quickly is a fast track to disappointment. Why do that to yourself?

Spending almost always does guarantee success. Look at the Prem and Championship, the top 5 spenders will be the top 5, it's just the order they finish in that changes now and again. 

[Shrek]

9 minutes ago, basilrobbie said:

 

(1) Gatse, budgets ad wages don't win football matches. Players do. Well motivated, well coached players.

 

(2) They are giving him pelters, and in large part they are being thoroughly disingenuous. They know we were a small club in the Championship, and they know that the majority of the Division operates the economics of the madhouse. But it doesn't stop some people having unrealistic expectations - and continually being disappointed.

 

(3) Again, we have had this owner for four years, he has poured getting on for £20m in and we are back where we started. It happens, because people don't always make good decisions and money doesn't always mitigate the impact when you make a mistake.

 

(4) I'll have a wry smile on my face too, not for the first time.

 

Football offers no guarantees. Spending big doesn't always translate into success. Being a big fish in a small pond might actually make you more likely to drown. And starting life in a hugely competitive environment assuming success will come your way quickly is a fast track to disappointment. Why do that to yourself?

 

What on earth has it come to that you're spending your time on a latics message board?