Dewsbury..... Sunday

[clifford]

Well last game for a while, who's going to the fold, will we win, if we do win it will be a hollow victory for a season of might have beens. 

[moorside roughyed]

I would've thought the majority of the fans that do show up will be season ticket holders as they've already paid for it.It'll be interesting to know how many paid on the door.Its going to be quite sad really with why's, what ifs etc going around in my head.For me the injuries have decimated the team,even a decent sized squad would feel it with the numbers out through injury this term. For the future a club with just one man at the helm and no cash to invest will just limp on.Scott Naylor performed a miracle just to get us into the championship and keep us up last season.I might be back next season because I love the game and unlike others I'm not a glory supporter and I'm from Oldham so I support Oldham,plain and simple.I'll have a proper think over the coming weeks,the prospect of going back down after waiting for so long and all the near misses over the years make it harder to swallow.

[clifford]

Reading the league express there's a letter from John Berry from Oldham.... A saints supporter nough said. 

Oh dear God above how sad. 

Hoping to be there but I have more important things to worry about. Looks like Scott Naylor will be leaving after Sunday reading between the lines along with a number of contracted players 

[moorside roughyed]

It does seem that Scott will be leaving along with what I suspect some of our better players.After the elation of beating Keighley at whitebank to achieve promotion it's a very sad and disappointing situation. Scott has achieved where others have failed and I applaud him for that.It is the end of a more successful era than we've had in recent years. Scott will no doubt get another coaching job with a club with more resources than ours, what he's done with sod all is amazing and we should thank him for that,all in his first time as ahead coach.Sunday will be a sad day for us all,what will the club be like next season, even God doesn't know that one.I wish anyone who decides to move on all the best in their futures,many thanks for their service for Oldham.

[eclecticsheep]

Hey Moorside.... God does know...

 

[roughyed34]

Be a strange game on Sunday, already down but a chance to sign off at home with a win. Dewsbury may rest a few with Toulouse in mind in the Shield semi the following week.

The usual suspects will be there to say thanks for the efforts of the players and staff, not just for this season but the past ones too.

Hopefully the majority of fans will turn up for that reason alone, we could also be saying goodbye to a few players as well, think they deserve a send off after the last 3/4 seasons.

Funny how 2 years ago the crowd at Whitebank for the promotion game was over 1500, we will be lucky to get 400 on Sunday. Just shows how many people fade off when the bad times occur.Thats not a dig at peeps who cant go for various reasons,just fact that a successful team brings in more crowds.

No idea really wether Scott will go, if he does its with my thanks as it will be for any players that leave/retire.

Its been a roller coaster ride this season, some ups, loads of downs. The fans have played their part with tremendous vocal support everywhere we have visited and of course at home. What happens next is anyones guess really, we could do with a statement from CH just confirming we will have a team in Champ 1 next season, that would put some minds at rest. I'm not going with the feeling it will be the last game for the club, but it could happen.

I don't blame people for being a bit ambivalent to attending on Sunday, its just a chance to say farewell to the players and staff for the year and the last game at BF (probably), as an aside the staff at BF in the bar etc have been amazing with us over the last 2 seasons and they deserve our thanks also.

Hoping we finish the season in style and get the win. Then we build again and give it a good crack in Champ 1 to get a return to the Champ next season.

Up the Yeds!

[roughyed1064]

Looks like it going to be a very long road back, would not take it for granted its going to be a walk in the park next season because it won't.

[tandle]

simple there is not enough money to form a decent team for next season and where will we play. suppose avro does not want us at whitebank or the rfl decree the ground not fit for rugby what then. also stood in the open in lashing down rain I will be going sunday as it could be the last time I will be able to watch a rugby team called Oldham. I will say this for the last time if we had brought in a decent scrum half early in the season we would not have been relegated self inflicted end of.

[thinboyfat]

I've not been very well of late and made the effort to get to Swinton to cheer the lads on, sadly it wasn't to be.

Yes sad that we're going down, forget the if's, buts and what might of been.....what's done is done.

All I can say is, as poorly as I am I'll be there Sunday to say thanks to the lads. No matter what all I ask is a 100% effort and that's what they've given.

To any of the staff and players that won't be with us, I thank you for playing your part and grafting for the jersey. Wishing you well for the future.

[HomeOfTheTubularBandage]

1 hour ago, roughyed34 said:

Be a strange game on Sunday, already down but a chance to sign off at home with a win. Dewsbury may rest a few with Toulouse in mind in the Shield semi the following week.

The usual suspects will be there to say thanks for the efforts of the players and staff, not just for this season but the past ones too.

Hopefully the majority of fans will turn up for that reason alone, we could also be saying goodbye to a few players as well, think they deserve a send off after the last 3/4 seasons.

Funny how 2 years ago the crowd at Whitebank for the promotion game was over 1500, we will be lucky to get 400 on Sunday. Just shows how many people fade off when the bad times occur.Thats not a dig at peeps who cant go for various reasons,just fact that a successful team brings in more crowds.

No idea really wether Scott will go, if he does its with my thanks as it will be for any players that leave/retire.

Its been a roller coaster ride this season, some ups, loads of downs. The fans have played their part with tremendous vocal support everywhere we have visited and of course at home. What happens next is anyones guess really, we could do with a statement from CH just confirming we will have a team in Champ 1 next season, that would put some minds at rest. I'm not going with the feeling it will be the last game for the club, but it could happen.

I don't blame people for being a bit ambivalent to attending on Sunday, its just a chance to say farewell to the players and staff for the year and the last game at BF (probably), as an aside the staff at BF in the bar etc have been amazing with us over the last 2 seasons and they deserve our thanks also.

Hoping we finish the season in style and get the win. Then we build again and give it a good crack in Champ 1 to get a return to the Champ next season.

Up the Yeds!

That 1500 was a massive anomaly. It's not statistically significant and shouldn't be used as a comparison. If you cast your mind back you'll remember that season started with crowds of less than 350. Only got over 600 near the end when promotion was likely. Average gates that year were around 500. Thats the core support (for an Oldham based club with current ownership). But at the end of that season the club moved out of town and from a marketing point of view - i.e. getting a lot of the 1500 to come back - that was a bad move. Granted we couldnt stay at Whitebank because a) it wasn't up to snuff and the council had had enough.... but that move out of town killed the momentum of increasing gates.

[Whitworth Yed]

Didn't the club put on a free bus from Whitebank to Bower Fold?

Legitimate question as I always drive to home games.

 

[roughyed34]

There was a bus Whitworth, think it died a death, £1.50 or £2 return if I remember rightly.

Last comment on this point from me HOTTB, I aint arguing about the crowd issue here, merely pointing out that 1000 extra bodies turned out for a glory game then disappeared and didn't return.. Amazing, no blame can be attributed to marketing at BF or any other reason. They picked a "I was there game" then bailed out.All the "don't like CH" stuff etc didn't matter to that 1000 folk when we were winning a trophy and gaining promotion. That's fact.So it is significant that people like to support the club in a final but don't turn up for regular games, even if half that number did regularly attend we would double our gate money and therefore have a bit more to improve the squads,marketing etc.

Anyway, whatever the crowd on Sunday, I'm glad I can say its another "I was there" moment when the players thank us and shake our hands for the support they have had this season. That means more to me than anything to be appreciated by the lads we look upon as heroes. 

I hope for those that don't/cant go on Sunday it isn't the last time we will see an Oldham team in RL and we will return next season with everyone singing from the same hymn sheet and move forward together.

[tandle]

the club needs more money for players wages I assume the best players will leave for better wages. so this suggestion lets say 100 fans pay £200 each into a account run by a committee that's £20.000 that can top up  the best players we want to keep wages so  they will stay we control the money. some of you fancy having a say in the running of the club so approach ch with this idea and by the way I do not want to be on any committee to old.

[OLD YED]

3 hours ago, HomeOfTheTubularBandage said:

That 1500 was a massive anomaly. It's not statistically significant and shouldn't be used as a comparison. If you cast your mind back you'll remember that season started with crowds of less than 350. Only got over 600 near the end when promotion was likely. Average gates that year were around 500. Thats the core support (for an Oldham based club with current ownership). But at the end of that season the club moved out of town and from a marketing point of view - i.e. getting a lot of the 1500 to come back - that was a bad move. Granted we couldnt stay at Whitebank because a) it wasn't up to snuff and the council had had enough.... but that move out of town killed the momentum of increasing gates.

Spot on, the crowd was a response to a succsessful team, a massive opportunity was missed at the time of promotion... i remember thinking this is an opportunity and then thinking oh nooooooooooo as it became clear there was no home for the championship season...so the opportunity for momentum was lost, the team moved out of town, IMHO that was a disaster, and yes Bower fold is a nice little stadium,but it aint oldham.

I wont be going sunday, i doubt very much many will, and i doubt CH, if he does show up will have any answers to questions any fans might have.

Id not be suprised to see naylor quite after the game, i wouldnt blame him if he did, if there is any hope then the club has to find its way back into the oldham borough, it really is that simple, the trouble is , where?

[Pedro]

6 hours ago, clifford said:

Reading the league express there's a letter from John Berry from Oldham.... A saints supporter nough said. 

Oh dear God above how sad. 

 

Could be that he was brought up around St Helens. I live in Leeds but support Hornets as I spent my formative years in Heywood and supported Hornets then and still do.

I wish Oldham all the best and I hope that you bounce straight back. Hopefully we don't change places next year as I will miss the Derby matches. I found the Oldham fans I met at the matches this year to be real stalwarts and deserving of some success (apart from when you play us of course).

[Yed17]

6 hours ago, clifford said:

Reading the league express there's a letter from John Berry from Oldham.... A saints supporter nough said. 

Oh dear God above how sad. 

Hoping to be there but I have more important things to worry about. Looks like Scott Naylor will be leaving after Sunday reading between the lines along with a number of contracted players 

I think Scott may well stay mate. Especially if the nucleus of his squad stay. If it a total rebuild maybe not. That's how i read it. Anyone know if the lads have received contract offers yet? The sooner the better i reckon. 

[OLD YED]

1 minute ago, Pedro said:

Could be that he was brought up around St Helens. I live in Leeds but support Hornets as I spent my formative years in Heywood and supported Hornets then and still do.

I wish Oldham all the best and I hope that you bounce straight back. Hopefully we don't change places next year as I will miss the Derby matches. I found the Oldham fans I met at the matches this year to be real stalwarts and deserving of some success (apart from when you play us of course).

Thats very kind, the few oldham fans that are left do deserve much better than they get, thats for sure.

[Yed17]

1 hour ago, tandle said:

the club needs more money for players wages I assume the best players will leave for better wages. so this suggestion lets say 100 fans pay £200 each into a account run by a committee that's £20.000 that can top up  the best players we want to keep wages so  they will stay we control the money. some of you fancy having a say in the running of the club so approach ch with this idea and by the way I do not want to be on any committee to old.

Isn't that what ORSA already do?

[HomeOfTheTubularBandage]

2 hours ago, roughyed34 said:

There was a bus Whitworth, think it died a death, £1.50 or £2 return if I remember rightly.

Last comment on this point from me HOTTB, I aint arguing about the crowd issue here, merely pointing out that 1000 extra bodies turned out for a glory game then disappeared and didn't return.. Amazing, no blame can be attributed to marketing at BF or any other reason. They picked a "I was there game" then bailed out.All the "don't like CH" stuff etc didn't matter to that 1000 folk when we were winning a trophy and gaining promotion. That's fact.So it is significant that people like to support the club in a final but don't turn up for regular games, even if half that number did regularly attend we would double our gate money and therefore have a bit more to improve the squads,marketing 

Just two quick last points.

How many of the 1500 were away fans. Given what had happened that year, there were a lot.

I didn't go. Even though I'd been to several games through the season. I wanted to go but didn't on principle.

[OLD YED]

3 minutes ago, HomeOfTheTubularBandage said:

Just two quick last points.

How many of the 1500 were away fans. Given what had happened that year, there were a lot.

I didn't go. Even though I'd been to several games through the season. I wanted to go but didn't on principle.

there was probs a few hundred away fans, which means there was a big spike in home fans,something tha tsimply isnt going to happen in stalybridge .

 

[saints10coach]

Hard to remember we still have a game to play today.

[moorside roughyed]

We'll just have to make the most of it.It will probably be all very different in a few weeks regarding backroom and playing staff.Let's just cheer the lads,some of which could be for the last time today.:-( 

[roughyed1064]

And this is the reason why this excuse for a team are relegated, god knows how they will do in the lower league next season, I really do fear for this club. Bye  bye Mr Naylor.

[clifford]

A season of missed chances, and a poor game plan, together with a terrible 6

[suzzy]

If you mean Leatherbarrow probably thinking about the next club he's going to rather than the plight of Oldham as will a few more