64 replies to this topic

[saints10coach]

Just done a quick calculation on Google Maps and the distances and times from Oldham to the towns in our league are as follows
North Wales 63 miles 1h 19m
Gateshead 134 miles 2h 16m
Gloucester 144 miles 2h 28m
Oxford 171 miles 2h 57m
Hemel 187 miles 3h 8m
London 209 miles 3h 40m
South Wales 237 miles 3h 58m
Rochdale the other side of the World..

These compare with some of the journeys from this season
Barrow 106 miles 2h5m
Workington 130 miles 2h 37m
Whitehaven 126 miles 2h 45m.

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

Rochdale the other side of the World..

The time differance always gets me, 30 years. Fun seeing people in flares though.

[saints10coach]

All my stuff is back in fashion when I get over to Rochdale.

[boro hornet]

whats wrong with flares and big collars think they look good,got to go now i have to pass the pc on to the next villager

[TOSH1960]

As I understand it the 9 team league will see each team play each other home and away in the league table giving 8 home games.

In the NR Cup, Oxford are not taking part and the other 8 teams are to be split in to two groups of 4 teams. Each team will play the other 3 teams in the group home and away giving another 3 home games per team. The top teams in each group then go forward to the NR Cup Knockout stages with the 14 Championship clubs, so with luck of the draw there could be home games there and the same in the RL Challenge Cup, depending on the luck of the draw.

It was stated some time a go that all travelling expenses in the Championship 1 next season would be covered by the RFL as well.

I hope you're right about the RFL covering travelling expenses, that will save the club a fortune!

[boro hornet]

But other forms of funding are being cut so overall less money is being given to the clubs than they currently get

[Keith T]

Just done a quick calculation on Google Maps and the distances and times from Oldham to the towns in our league are as follows
North Wales 63 miles 1h 19m
Gateshead 134 miles 2h 16m
Gloucester 144 miles 2h 28m
Oxford 171 miles 2h 57m
Hemel 187 miles 3h 8m
London 209 miles 3h 40m
South Wales 237 miles 3h 58m
Rochdale the other side of the World..

These compare with some of the journeys from this season
Barrow 106 miles 2h5m
Workington 130 miles 2h 37m
Whitehaven 126 miles 2h 45m.

That's probably about the same as the two west Cumbria clubs have been doing for years!!!!!!

[Roughyedz]

That's probably about the same as the two west Cumbria clubs have been doing for years!!!!!!

Well said Keith T .........but will it stop all those moaning GITS .................no

[BBR]

Oldham have only themselves to blame. I would imagine some of these new clubs are run better, have better facilities etc. Just because Oldham were once a top side, their current crowds, stadium etc don't suggest that a return to the top is coming anyside soon.

Maybe the real worry is that a bunch of cobbled together students or Southerners might actually beat Oldham.

I agree that Bradford and Wakey were let off the hook, but even if they were demoted, Oldham would be the back of the list of teams to replace them.

Don't pretend this new league is the route cause of all of your problems, look at your owner, the players and the pathetic fans who grumble and turn their back at every opportunity.

I feel for those who remain loyal, but the hundreds who have walked away have no right to complain. You get what you deserve.

[allroughyed]

Hard to disagree with that BBR.

[donquixote]

I'm in total agreement as well BBR. Oldham are not entitled to any special favours.

My only worry is that there are special favours dished out elsewhere.

Will Featherstone Rovers ever be granted the place in SL they so richly deserve for example?

[oldhamer]

No one is moaning. They are just a little annoyed that this division is ill-thought, and with no real structure or common sense. It says it all that clubs were in, then out, then left with only 9 teams in the divsion. But the way that the RFL have helped destroy talent centres in Oldham, and othe RL non SL strongholds, and continue to mis-manage funding, it was always going to be on the cards.
Oldham are in this division because they weren't good enough to get promoted this year. But in the years they were good enough, they were smacked in the face by clubs that 'exploited' their financial affairs to gain promtion, namely Barrow a few years back, and then Doncaster. Gateshead didn't have the structure or money to survice in the Championship, and then it goes to the Visa farce that was Celtic. But Oldham as a club, took those blows on the chin.

[thecrab]

Well summed up oldhamer.

It does seem that we have this uncanny habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the RFL decision makers.

[saints10coach]

Not looking for favours, but a clear and unrestricted pathway to the top would be nice.

[Roughyedz]

No one is moaning. They are just a little annoyed that this division is ill-thought, and with no real structure or common sense. It says it all that clubs were in, then out, then left with only 9 teams in the divsion. But the way that the RFL have helped destroy talent centres in Oldham, and othe RL non SL strongholds, and continue to mis-manage funding, it was always going to be on the cards.
Oldham are in this division because they weren't good enough to get promoted this year. But in the years they were good enough, they were smacked in the face by clubs that 'exploited' their financial affairs to gain promtion, namely Barrow a few years back, and then Doncaster. Gateshead didn't have the structure or money to survice in the Championship, and then it goes to the Visa farce that was Celtic. But Oldham as a club, took those blows on the chin.

Why do you think that as "thecrab" says Oldham were in the wrong place at the wrong time .........for the last 13 years or so .........consecutively ...........the only common denominator over the last 13 years is its either its "The Kit Man's fault .......or the Chairman's fault

Edited by Roughyedz, 26 September 2012 - 11:22 PM.

[oldhamer]

No one is too blame, or even looking to point the finger. Then, I guess it's common of society these days to blame someone. For me, this season has been disapointing, and before the season started I was convinced that we would be in the top four. On the other hand, so did the other C1 teams, every game was played as a 'cup final'. Barrow, Doncaster, Workington and Whitehaven deserve their place in the Championship next season, those below do not. But don't you think the chairman shares that same disapointment as every fan or player?

To critisise anyone is easy, whether it be a player, coach or board member. However, I have always gone by the saying "offer critisim if you think you can do better". Well, CH has thrown the ball to everyone in his speech at the presentation evening, echoing the same statement in the media, so who's going to step forward on here?

When SL was formed, it was no secret that the RFL were embarrased by clubs like Oldham, Castleford, Workington, Wakefield etc as they didn't fit into their 'Framing the Future'. The sale of Watersheddings was pivitol in that 'witch hunt'. Do you think Oldham has a club, town is seen any different by the RFL now? Personally I don't. You only have to see how they have done nothing short of try to destroy every little bit of talent that is coming out of our town by removing funding from the Service Area, and community posts.
5/6 years ago Oldham was second to producing professional players to the game, second to Wigan/Leigh combined. Now they have dropped to below seventh place? Why? Try asking the RFL, because the SA have over the years, and never had the decency to an answer. Yet the RFL plough money into develop areas that have no real history or value in regards to RL. And it's not just Oldham that have suffered

In short, the RFL want Oldham to feed either Huddersfield or Salford. And to do that, would destroy any credabilty Oldham has as a club.

.

Edited by oldhamer, 27 September 2012 - 08:00 AM.

[davewd]

How we miss Watersheddings .I remember the scoreboard end stand being built. The only rugby ground with four stands. Up pops B SKY B and the ground isnt fit for anything .Every time they have a match same old story Its to cold its to high above sealevel the pies are nt hot enough theres a slope its allways raining.I dont think Oldham was fashionable enough for the TV lot.Never mind we have Whitebank Stadium now. Things can only get better I hope,

[Bedford Roughyed]

How we miss Watersheddings .I remember the scoreboard end stand being built. The only rugby ground with four stands. Up pops B SKY B and the ground isnt fit for anything .Every time they have a match same old story Its to cold its to high above sealevel the pies are nt hot enough theres a slope its allways raining.I dont think Oldham was fashionable enough for the TV lot.Never mind we have Whitebank Stadium now. Things can only get better I hope,

Yes up popped BSkyB and condemned the ground. It was only BSkyB that caused most of the main stand to be abandoned. Until Sky it was 100% fit for purpose, no wood what so ever. Until Sky came along the clock always worked, the weeds were always removed. The toilets had roofs until super league....

No way would the board have sold the ground if Sky hadn't come along...

The 4th stand was knocked down when?

I mean the reasons Sky weren't to bothered by our demise couldn't of been that we didn't win many games? Didn't have the big crowds of Wigan, Bradford, etc? No it was because the pitch had a slope....

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

There are a million and one reasons that we are in the poo that we are in now.

The Bradford fire condemned the stands at sheddings. David Hobbs is on record as saying he was sold because of the stands and the need to get money.

We can blame John Holdsworth for dissallowing the Lord try off the Ford kick throiugh against Warrington. If we had got to Wembley taht year we could be where Warrington are now, who knows?

Castleford scored a try when David Liddiard let the ball bounce and Beardsmore, clearly over the dead ball line scored. Again if we had gone to Wembley????

But that was in another Universe.

f we hadn't got demoted from the Super League, if we had a rich benefactor, if we hadn't upset the RL in the 50's and 60's by paying record fees and wages.......... etc etc

The fact is we are where we are.

The basic rule of achievement is know where you are, Know where you want to go, find out how to do it, then DO IT. If it fails , learn from the experience , adjust your methods and do it again.

Super League is attainable, and we shouldn't blame it on our ills.

If I had the money I would make it happen, if CH had the money he would make it happen, if any one of you had the money you would make it happen.

Guess what? None of us have the money so we plod along.

I think the best we can hope for with what we have is to achieve the same level as Featherstone and Leigh.

Once we are as good as them, then we can look at going for superleague.

[oldhamer]

Was Watersheddings any worse than Knowsley Road, Wheldon Road, Wakefield? No.
Yes, Watersheddings did need upgrading, but it still was a reasonable sporting arena to watch Oldham. With the location, the slope and the intimidating nature of the ground, and the walk to te pavillion, made it a fortress for the home side. Something visiting teams hated, and visiting directors.
Being involved with the Bears at the time, I certainly believe that selling Watersheddings wasn't the clubs only option, and that the 'powers of SL' were forcing the arm of Castleford, Workington, Halifax and Oldham to ditch their gorunds, or risk being expelled from the competition.

When SL was launched there was an article in which two leading 'chairman', who incidentally became the big chiefs with SL, came out and said clubs like Oldham were an 'embarrasment' to the elite clubs, and shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as clubs like .....Bradford. With attitudes like that, Oldham would never be respected in the sport, yet as long as Saddleworth, St Annes and Waterhead develop the 'elite' players to the sport, who gives a monkeys about Oldham?


Fast forward to today. Featherstone and Halifax have proved that they are more than worthy of a SL place. More so than Harlequins. Yet as the game is stacked, neither club will ever be allowed in the elite competition due to some 'clause' or another. The Bradford debacle says it all. One rule for the rest, one for the other. The whole game from the top to grassroots is run by idiots.