The Art of Hand and Foot

The thing is John, you've involved yourself in a club where we all feel we should be up there with Wigan, Warrington etc. We feel we are special. First home of the the Northern Union/RFL, 5 times challenge cup finalists, 3 times winners, population 237,000, Joseph Platt , son of Oldham , father of Rugby League. A lot of us feel feel we have been dealt a sh!t hand. Tandle is just expressing the frustration some of us feel. As business man you know , buy at the bottom. You have made a good decision, BUT we need to be in Oldham. I promise you, do that and we'll start to thrive.

Not necessarily for rugby league per se, but more for RL in Oldham. I will take every opportunity to remind people that the greatest game has more to thank Oldham for than people realise. First home of the Northern Rugby union, for it first 30 odd years. Where the name Rugby league was adopted, 13 players, play the ball etc. All thanks to Joseph Platt son of Oldham father of Rugby League.

Honestly, apart from Langer's and benty I'm not too bothered about the others. The 4 that have gone to widnes are too good for 3rd tier anyway. I'm sure SL has an idea of who he wants and who he doesn't.

I'll tell you what, instead of spouting the same old doom and gloom, how about we welcome John Roddy and see what happens. I've mentioned before that what's published in companies House tells you s0d all. So his company has changed its name 3 times, so what? What's ICI called now? Ooooo, well dodgy! It's a new era, we are down, but we're not out. I for one am excited by the appointment.

Yeah, the previous regime destroyed our once great club.

Doesn't sound like a bloke who's easily misled.

John Roddy, CEO of CDX appointed vice chairman.

Rumour has it that you've signed Danny langtree from us. Hope its not true. But if it is then you've got one of the best forwards outside superleague.

Took me a moment to realise you meant grand final. For a second I thought you were at your girl friend's.

Hoping Barran stays. Showed potential. Barring injury he should improve this year.

Commiserations ! Just keep plugging away. Just shows what money can do. A couple of things they'll never have though, class and history. You've accomplished things that they never will. Featherstone is part of the heartbeat that is Rugby League. They're just someone's investment. No heart no soul.

Steve. 1980-85 Don't know if he's related.

Good luck today, remember what the great Alex Murphy said, "Rugby league is a simple game, if you've got the ball you attack, if they've got the ball you defend". Play up the Colliers!

St Helens population 102,00 beat Catalans , Perpignan population120,000. Imagine if it had been Oldham , population 237,00 v Rochdale population 212,000. I mean what could they have brought to the table?Oldham, home of the Northern Union for the first 30 years. The place where the modern rules were formulated, where Joseph Platt , son of Oldham father of rugby league, got the King to back rugby league. And the writer of the original post has the cheek to use use another son of Oldham as his moniker. Give me a break. Come on Fev, make it a double.

Hmmm!? Does that mean he would combine the jobs? Is that the in to playing at BP? Will the protesters turn around and protest across the road!? The mind boggles.

I'm sorry if this has been said in the previous 16 or so pages , but what a pompous and totally outrageous OP. We are Rugby League. The implication in the OP is that Featherstone will bring nothing to the table. I'm fuming. They will bring history, hard work and dedication. They will bring hope to the "little" teams. Featherstone have been knocking on the door for a decade. And though they may be viewed as an unfashionable small team from a small town ,in my eyes and many others they are giants. As an Oldham fan I look at Fev and see what is achievable. Oldham has a population of nearly 200,000, bigger than all but a handful of superleague teams, so the original post is nonsense. Using the population criteria would mean we should be in superleague. Come on Fev do it for the sake of Rugby League.

TBH, I'm all for expansion. Providing it's natural expansion. I'm not at all into the type of expansion that's straight off someone's drawing board. What right has someone to say that Toulouse will be a better fit in SL than Featherstone? I agree that minimum standards should be met. But those standards should be consistent. I'm certain Fev outshine CAS and Wakefield in that department. Unfortunately those in power have one eye on the union game. They are trying to outdo twickers. Fev have done it the hard way, the right way. Wasn't that long ago Toulouse dropped out of the championship. Then they're invited back . No, that's not how it should be done. Now go out there and show the fake expansionists how it should be done.

Confirmed, and shez staying as number 2. That'll do me.

Yeds fan here. You are doing this, not just for you but for all the trad RL clubs out there. You've done the game proud, love what you've done to your ground and club. Go out there and do do it for us all. Come on Fev!

Again, I repeat, it's not rocket science , nor does it require new economic theory. It's common sense promotion. (Marketing is not leaflet,poster or advertising. That's promotion which is just one aspect of marketing). But, you have to start with your objective. Also you can't promote a place when you haven't got a place. So, let's get back to where we belong, then, and only then can we produce flash brochures and sell local businesses. I mean, are we going to partner with Joe bloggs of stalybridge or Fred Smith of Oldham? Basics. We can produce a mega brochure once we're back home!

Putting 2+2 together and coming up with 23.375.

Perhaps Fordy doesn't want any of the current squad! Who knows? Not me . He did say he doesn't mind starting at the bottom.

It's not rocket science and doesn't involve any new economic theory. Look at how much money Widnes fans came up with, and are still coming up with. If sky aren't funding us , we need to find new, or old ways of funding. The club needs to look deep into its heart and ask what's our prime, over riding, number one objective. AND START THERE. If those in charge feel that it's survival, then that's the most you will achieve. If it's to get the backing of an entire town, to achieve a following of an entire community, to get the public of Oldham queueing up round the corner on game days paying the market rate, that covers outgoings and wages, that gets them coming into the club bar, happily, I repeat happily, paying £3 a pint. With a minimum of 3 pints post match. Then you've got to start planning on that basis. You all know where I think we should start! We are Oldham. We are in the the earliest film of any rugby match ever, 1901, we were the engine of the RFL for its first 30 years. Let's push the message. Let's get back in town. WE ARE OLDHAM!.

"RL does what sky says" was the name of the person on the forum, that I was talking about.

He's no longer on the forum. Hope he still reads the posts though.