Wanderer Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 41 minutes ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said: To reinforce what 'sheddings was us' and 'rldoeswhatskysays' , have said, should a rich sheikh ever decide to divest some of his money into RL, then he could do a lot worse than 'invest' in Oldham. We have a good amateur set up, we have a history , but more than that we have belief. Build it and they will come. Will have to see how my numbers do I tonight's euro's. where would they play given this rich sheikh's millions? Is a redeveloped Boundary Park the only option? What are the barriers to that happening? Just asking, interested in these things... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanderer Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 oh and didn't an Oldham RLFC fan win the lotto at some point? I seem to remember something like that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OL14.yeds Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 14 minutes ago, Wanderer said: where would they play given this rich sheikh's millions? Is a redeveloped Boundary Park the only option? What are the barriers to that happening? Just asking, interested in these things... It would realistically seem so (although we’ll have to see how I do in the Euro Millions draw this week). When the original club left Boundary Park there was allegations of unpaid debts, and apparently the relationship wasn’t great. However it seems better these days, with Roughyeds being welcomed onto the field at an OAFC game after winning promotion last season. One problem would potentially be the Boundary Park pitch which although being better this season (up until March anyway..) is long over-due being re-laid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Art of Hand and Foot Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 31 minutes ago, Wanderer said: where would they play given this rich sheikh's millions? Is a redeveloped Boundary Park the only option? What are the barriers to that happening? Just asking, interested in these things... Aha Boundary park, now there's a tale. Oldham's chairman had a fall out with the then latics chairman. So we had to move out. BUT, and this is where it gets interesting, the football club was sold to a new owner. However, the new owner didn't buy the ground. The old owner ,apparently, retains ownership of the ground and rents it back to the club. BUT,yes there's another but, part of the ground, a new stand, is owned by someone else. There has been some sort of convoluted disagreement between all parties. So any move back to boundary park is a none starter, at this stage, I'm a afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedford Roughyed Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 14 minutes ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said: Aha Boundary park, now there's a tale. Oldham's chairman had a fall out with the then latics chairman. So we had to move out. BUT, and this is where it gets interesting, the football club was sold to a new owner. However, the new owner didn't buy the ground. The old owner ,apparently, retains ownership of the ground and rents it back to the club. BUT,yes there's another but, part of the ground, a new stand, is owned by someone else. There has been some sort of convoluted disagreement between all parties. So any move back to boundary park is a none starter, at this stage, I'm a afraid. As a lapsed fan, trying to get your head round the Latics ownership situation is quite torturous! With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OL14.yeds Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 1 minute ago, Bedford Roughyed said: As a lapsed fan, trying to get your head round the Latics ownership situation is quite torturous! It’s ridiculous situation there. It’s quite a depressing circumstance, especially after an online nostalgia trip, and you realise just how far top level sport in the town has fallen since the 90s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedford Roughyed Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 Just now, OL14.yeds said: It’s ridiculous situation there. It’s quite a depressing circumstance, especially after an online nostalgia trip, and you realise just how far top level sport in the town has fallen since the 90s. Yes, I watched the FA cup semi on the BBC last week. I was in my teens at the time, so probably didn't appreciate the era as much as I should have done! With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sentoffagain2 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Having a disasterous season 69/70 Oldham cleared out the Board.Arthur Walker came in as Chairman with 8 or 9 new Directors.Walker brought Frank Foster in to sort the pack out .Good players i can remember from 71-74 were Terry Clawson who only played 19 games in 1973/74 Season,then wanted a move to Australia.Arthur Walker wouldn't release him so Terry offered to buy back his contract Walker refused so they must not have been short of cash.Norman Hodgkinson,Steve Herbert,Fred Hall,Keith Ashcroft,and Dave Treasure a usefull Stand Off from over our side of the hill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Art of Hand and Foot Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 It's all to do with money. Do you think Toronto is in supeleague because of its history, culture and local development? No. It's money. The one thing we're lacking. We've got the history etc just need someone with the relevant funds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipw Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 23 minutes ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said: It's all to do with money. Do you think Toronto is in supeleague because of its history, culture and local development? No. It's money. The one thing we're lacking. We've got the history etc just need someone with the relevant funds. Well, no - Toronto are in Super League because they deserved to be based on on-field performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meast Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 As a Huddersfield fan in the late 80's, early 90's we had some great battles with Oldham especially at Watersheddings. The most obvious clash being the 1995 cup quarter final played in front of over 8,000 on a cold, damp day, over 3,000 Huddersfield fans packed the Herbert St terrace and is still talked about by many as being one of the best days as a Fartowner, as a 2nd division side we had already beaten (at the time) first division Halifax in front of 9,348 at the McAlpine stadium and then went and put a very good Keighley side to the sword, a capacity crowd of 5,700 saw us destroy the cougars 30-0 in what was a shock at the time, Keighley, were flying at the top of the 2nd division and hadn't lost at home for nearly 3 years and hadn't been nilled in over 4 years, so to go there and do that was something else. Oldham had beaten Warrington at Wilderspool in the previous round and so a good battle was expected, and that's what we got, despite a 23-12 scoreline to Oldham it wasn't decided until the final few minutes, Oldham went on to lose to Wigan at Huddersfield in the semi final that year. I also remember a titanic tussle one Easter Monday with Huddersfield winning 19-6 if i remember rightly in 1993 with Ex Oldham half back Neil Flanagan tormentor in chief! I remember Oldham bringing thousands to Leeds road in 1993 as well, I'd never seen as many away supporters before. Hard to imagine that Oldham were considered a top club back then, and to us youngsters who had just started following Huddersfield, Oldham were certainly the biggest club we had seen us play, it's certainly hard to believe that Oldham and Huddersfield could ever attract over 8,000 again but back then both clubs' support was very good, Huddersfield had a terrific away following often taking half the crowds in the 2nd and 3rd division days, sadly a lot those fans drifted away and seemingly never returned, our away following now is pretty dismal, we used to take as many to Carlisle and London as we do to Wigan and Saints these days EDIT- If anyone connected with Oldham knows of any footage of any of the games then I'd love to hear from them, it could be something the Huddersfield Supporters Association could be interested in! Huddersfield Giants Supporters Association Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meast Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 On 05/05/2020 at 08:55, koli said: A bit off topic but if Oldham found a Ken Davey or similar and built a reasonably successful SL side playing in Oldham would it be able to rebuild crowds to its old potential in the 7 to 10k region ? Or have time and demographics made that unlikely? I'd say it's unlikely now, watching sport has changed, people no longer watch their local teams and the demographics and culture of most places have changed now. Huddersfield Giants Supporters Association Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Art of Hand and Foot Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 1 hour ago, philipw said: Well, no - Toronto are in Super League because they deserved to be based on on-field Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nadera78 Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 2 hours ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said: It's all to do with money. Do you think Toronto is in supeleague because of its history, culture and local development? No. It's money. The one thing we're lacking. We've got the history etc just need someone with the relevant funds. It's terrible how professional athletes expect to be paid a decent wage, train in good facilities and play in front of big crowds. "Just as we had been Cathars, we were treizistes, men apart." Jean Roque, Calendrier-revue du Racing-Club Albigeois, 1958-1959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Art of Hand and Foot Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 2 minutes ago, nadera78 said: It's terrible how professional athletes expect to be paid a decent wage, train in good facilities and play in front of big crowds. I'm not decrying it or putting it down, god knows oldham , in the past, bought their way to to the top and that's my point. We went from the top to the bottom and back to the top because of a lack of then an influx of money. It could be done again, if only we could get a rich sheikh. My point about Toronto wasn't to denigrate them, it was to show that you can go from nothing to to the top, but it needs investment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipw Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 1 hour ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said: Are you saying that they did not meet the performance criteria to enable to promotion to Super League? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Art of Hand and Foot Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 2 hours ago, philipw said: Are you saying that they did not meet the performance criteria to enable to promotion to Super League? Nope. I did qualify my remarks re Toronto in a later post replying to nadera78. Toronto have every right to be there. But to say it isn't down to money is, it can be argued, incorrect. My point is Oldham , when they had no money slumped, when they had money, and at one time they were one of the richest clubs in English RL, they rose to the top. In fact, the demise of the original Oldham FC IN 1997 , was down to money or lack of it. Mis spending and bad management not withstanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipw Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 1 hour ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said: Nope. I did qualify my remarks re Toronto in a later post replying to nadera78. Toronto have every right to be there. But to say it isn't down to money is, it can be argued, incorrect. My point is Oldham , when they had no money slumped, when they had money, and at one time they were one of the richest clubs in English RL, they rose to the top. In fact, the demise of the original Oldham FC IN 1997 , was down to money or lack of it. Mis spending and bad management not withstanding. Well, yes - money (income) will generally dictate quality on the field. Whilst you might not be able to buy a championship winning team, you can certainly pay enough to be regularly mid-table Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Art of Hand and Foot Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 So, the basic question is this. Do you need money to get there, or do you get there in order to get the money? Sometimes you can get there and the money comes flooding in. But , in general, you need the money, investment, to increase the chance of getting there. Then what? My argument is Oldham has the capacity, history and culture to maintain it. Again, misspending and bad management withstanding. As the original OP was pointing out Oldham were in the 2nd tier in 89 , yet they were competing with the big boys. And look at the crowds!!? Again, if someone who's looking at buying into an RLclub or region then Oldham is your sure bet. Providing, of course, you can do a deal with the Mr Hamilton. Who has done a sterling job keeping the club alive. But he needs a rich sheikh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkw Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 Ive always had a grudging like of Oldham, not sure why as anytime I went there to watch Workington play we got battered, it was cold enough to make Penguins huddle round a fire and I would get pneumonia on the bus home as the heater would pack in. But I loved the Watersheddings, I think it was the first away game where I had a pint as the lady behind the bar wasnt overly bothered with the drinking age law.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Art of Hand and Foot Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 The club, at the moment , is operating on a shoe string. It goes from one season to the next without any means of real income apart from that allocated by the RFL. The crowds can hardly be covering costs. The lack of a real home is by and far the main stumbling block to future riches. Solve that problem and we could be the start of a new golden era. But how? Back in the day, the club was a members club, all be it with wealthy members leading the board. The Hutchins stand was 'upgraded' with public donations. If we needed a new player a bucket and blanket collection was made. But in these modern times that won't be enough. We have the golden gamble. But again that won't be enough. Having a real home with bar facilities should be the first step. But, it costs money. There isn't any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OL14.yeds Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 Is there (or has there been in the past) any sort of indication that the club wants to secure further funding, to move towards a new permanent home? I can’t believe (maybe naively) the club is happy to bounce between L1 and the Championship, and between White Bank and Bower Fold, depending on the league, with no meaningful income. I don’t doubt there’s isn’t a long line of people wanting to invest in semi-pro rugby league, but surely there is a long term plan? Having recently started following the club more seriously for the first for a good few years, hearing a fan that won the lottery and wasn’t able to invest any of it into the club just beggars belief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Art of Hand and Foot Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Chris Hamilton has certainly had his fair share of critics. But put yourself in his shoes. He owns the club, he's put 23 years in and he's not going to give it up without some recompense. In fact, were I in a position to invest, I wouldn't want him to give it up. He's got experience and contacts. The club has no assets, but then again neither has oldham athletic , yet Abdallah Lemsagam bought them. So there are people out there. It going to need millions though, not thousands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bostik Bailey Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 On 02/05/2020 at 11:47, The Art of Hand and Foot said: It really is so sad. The sale of the stadium was really the last straw. Couldn't afford to upgrade it. We were supposed to move to boundary park with the football on the promise of a new stadium. It never materialised. The old club went bust and the rest is, as they say, history. They should have done what Cas and Wakey did. Just not bother upgrading the ground and spend all their money on players and portacabins. The Watersheddings in 1990 wasn’t that much different from one or two West Yorkshire ground today. If only the town was a few miles further east they would have still been in the top flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Art of Hand and Foot Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 8 hours ago, Bostik Bailey said: They should have done what Cas and Wakey did. Just not bother upgrading the ground and spend all their money on players and portacabins. The Watersheddings in 1990 wasn’t that much different from one or two West Yorkshire ground today. If only the town was a few miles further east they would have still been in the top flight. 53% of Oldham borough is actually in Yorkshire. Didn't help though. Another interesting fact, during the 2nd world war Oldham played in the Yorkshire cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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