A message from Bill

[wroteforluck87]

Mainly addressing the abuse on Facebook. 

The Club have now u-turned on making Blue Lights ST holders pay for the Toulouse game thanks to club sponsors Amari  offering financial support.

17th march is the date given for the big announcement.

The club is aware that a group of supporters are looking at ways to increase bumps on seats and are keen to get involved with them.

Also addressed was a number of incidents where people have tried to exploit schemes and offers to get for free or on the cheap.

My personal opinion.. I think it's very disappointing seeing our chairman having to come out twice in a short space of time expressing concerns with the fan base, social media can be a horrible place at time I don't use Facebook anymore so I've not seen what's been said but it has been mentioned on here prior to this video but I'm sure it's just a vocal minority who've caused a stir and the majority of us Yeds massively appreciate the hard work Quinn & Ford have put in to making ORFLC a success. 

Still eagerly waiting the announcement..

Have a great weekend guys

 

 

[Roughyeds Forever!]

15 minutes ago, wroteforluck87 said:

Mainly addressing the abuse on Facebook. 

The Club have now u-turned on making Blue Lights ST holders pay for the Toulouse game thanks to club sponsors Amari  offering financial support.

17th march is the date given for the big announcement.

The club is aware that a group of supporters are looking at ways to increase bumps on seats and are keen to get involved with them.

Also addressed was a number of incidents where people have tried to exploit schemes and offers to get for free or on the cheap.

My personal opinion.. I think it's very disappointing seeing our chairman having to come out twice in a short space of time expressing concerns with the fan base, social media can be a horrible place at time I don't use Facebook anymore so I've not seen what's been said but it has been mentioned on here prior to this video but I'm sure it's just a vocal minority who've caused a stir and the majority of us Yeds massively appreciate the hard work Quinn & Ford have put in to making ORFLC a success. 

Still eagerly waiting the announcement..

Have a great weekend guys

 

 

So dissapoiting that the board are being subjected to this attitude /criticism by a group of people who have got a good deal out of the club.

Well done guys you have clearly p****d off the chairman to such an extent that he is saying if someone else wants to take it on come and see me.

This club is having its best period in almost 30 years both on and off the field. Do people really want to go back to the dire days of the likes of the Hamilton era. Wake up people. Stop this negativety and get behind the club and the great people putting their best efforts and monies into the club.

[RoytonRoughyed83]

3 minutes ago, Roughyeds Forever! said:

So dissapoiting that the board are being subjected to this attitude /criticism by a group of people who have got a good deal out of the club.

Well done guys you have clearly p****d off the chairman to such an extent that he is saying if someone else wants to take it on come and see me.

This club is having its best period in almost 30 years both on and off the field. Do people really want to go back to the dire days of the likes of the Hamilton era. Wake up people. Stop this negativety and get behind the club and the great people putting their best efforts and monies into the club.

100% agree, anyone going to Barrow this weekend, if you see Bill make sure you offer some kind words 

Edited March 7 by RoytonRoughyed83

[chiefgeneral]

Bill Quinn is a legend

[canadian roughyed]

I feel for Bill Quinn nobody should have to suffer abuse. It is always the people who want something for nothing that make all the noise! I for 1 would love to come follow these boys home and away and show my support. If I lived in the uk I would have had a season ticket. Even if I didn’t make it to all the games.

I for 1  do not want BQ to leave cause we certainly end up back were we started 2years ago.  

 

[Tim G]

In my eyes Bill Quinn is already a legend.  He has worked miracles for our club and I suggest that anyone who sees him at a game,  shakes the man's hand and thanks him for his amazing contribution.  This gentleman of our club deserves leading out the lads at Wembley. 

As I have mentioned in a previous topic,  I for one am prepared to volunteer for the club in anyway I can in getting bums on seats. Talking of bums, any idiot who has criticised the present management team need to look in the mirror and if they are honest with themselves , apologise to Bill.  

Ask not what your club can do for you,  ask what you can do for your club. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 8 by Tim G

[herbie]

Some absolute numptys on that facebook post. 

You get them on here too.

One post this week saying " the wheels have come off "

Some people not happy if theyve got nowt to moan about.

Keep going Bill !

[jroyales]

It was very upsetting, as a true Oldham fan, seeing Bill express his feelings the way he did. Obviously, the YOBS really got to him and Mike.

These YOBS aren't true fans of the club and they need to think about the incredible strides we have made with Bill and co. For Bill to say that " he has made mistakes" his biggest mistake is listening to the YOB element. It would be nice for the YOBS to stand face to face with Bill, or any true fan, to come out with the garbage they came out with. For Bill to respond and to even suggest passing the club onto someone else it fills me with alarm.

Thanks Bill for EVERYTHING you have done for Oldham Rugby League Football Club you are a legend and please see the YOBS for what they are - nobodies.

 

[tandle]

in my opinion they will probably be latics fans who believe oldham rlfc have no right to be at boundary park.. so ignore them bill and carry on with your great work. 

 

 

 

 

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

You know, we could be top of superleague and the whingers and moaners would still be spouting nonsense. Do they not realise we are in the best position we've been in for 20 odd years. I'm just gobsmacked at the idiocy of these people. Bill and Mike have done wonders,  not only for the club, but also for the game at all levels in the town. And it's only just the start. 

[fiftiesremembered]

Don't do Facebook so don't know what has been said.

Obviously garbage and upsetting according to what has been said by true fans.

Is there no way of tracing these people?Were the comments so hateful?

Really cannot see how any genuine criticism can be levelled at Bill & Mike and I just hope they can brush it off and continue with the enthusiasm they have shown.

Were the comments libelous ? Are they traceable?

Sorry - I'm a golden oldie and don't understand

 

 

[Tim G]

Suggest everyone who is at the ground today cheers Bill and Mike 

[herbert st boy]

Utter disgrace from a bunch of keyboard warriors,one guy said to quote bill "send me a ticket and I will come" absolutely ludicrous. Bill,Mike and the other board members should be applauded...end of.

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

1 hour ago, Tim G said:

Suggest everyone who is at the ground today cheers Bill and Mike 

You know, I was going to say that, but for the next home game. Have a standing ovation!!

[Springhead Yed]

I came off Facebook a couple of years ago because I was sick of everything I saw being toxic. People just want to drag others down, it's pathetic really. 

[wozzeryedhead]

I for the life of me can't understand why anyone would slate bill mike and the club I've been going for nigh on fifty years but for last 25years nothing but what bill and co are doing is absolutely brilliant and I've not been so excited by what is being done for club and so professionally, i personally would like to say a massive thank you to bill quinn and mike ford and the rest of the team for trying to make my dream come true, THANK YOU OLDHAM RLFC. 

[jbg3]

I've got to agree with wozzeryedhead ,I'm in my 80s and still have a season ticket and enjoying every minute since Bill and Mike took over but there is always somebody trying to upset the apple cart. 

[Anita Bath]

Not sure why he bothers paying any attention to anything on Facebook. It's a place for billy no-mates to boost their tiny egos anonymously.

Bill, if you want to know what fans think, limit it to the ground and the bar. Everything else is just noise.

From tother side of Royton…looks like you are doing a great job. We need more folks like you in Rugby League.

 

[OL14.yeds]

13 hours ago, Anita Bath said:

Not sure why he bothers paying any attention to anything on Facebook. It's a place for billy no-mates to boost their tiny egos anonymously.

Bill, if you want to know what fans think, limit it to the ground and the bar. Everything else is just noise.

From tother side of Royton…looks like you are doing a great job. We need more folks like you in Rugby League.

 

I don’t agree with everything you say on here Anita, but I couldn’t have put that better myself

Edited March 10 by OL14.yeds

[Roughyed Rats]

20 hours ago, wozzeryedhead said:

I for the life of me can't understand why anyone would slate bill mike and the club I've been going for nigh on fifty years but for last 25years nothing but what bill and co are doing is absolutely brilliant and I've not been so excited by what is being done for club and so professionally, i personally would like to say a massive thank you to bill quinn and mike ford and the rest of the team for trying to make my dream come true, THANK YOU OLDHAM RLFC. 

I can't see any evidence of anyone personally slating Bill and Mike on Facebook? There's certainly evidence of Alexander Finch having a go at supporters. There was criticism of the club's decision to charge blue light season ticket holders for the Toulouse game. That was completely understandable as you can't sell that season ticket for 12 games and then go back on that, saying it's now only 11 games. However, I saw nothing personal about Bill and Mike. Have I missed something?

The type of communication coming out of the club (or not) concerns me more to be honest. To be clear, the media team are doing an excellent job and this is by no way a criticism of them. They can only work with what they are given by the club. Stronger together is a great sound bite.  I feel uncomfortable with these types of messages from Bill around issues like this (agree with Anita 100%). It reminds me of you know who. I also heard yesterday that the young commercial lad has been sacked a few weeks back, and the club have appointed a replacement, but we've had nothing released by the club. Also rumoured that JT is out for months (apparently Fordy on the radio?) but again nothing.

[Enk27]

1 hour ago, Roughyed Rats said:

..... Stronger together is a great sound bite.  I feel uncomfortable with these types of messages from Bill around issues like this (agree with Anita 100%). It reminds me of you know who. I also heard yesterday that the young commercial lad has been sacked a few weeks back, and the club have appointed a replacement, but we've had nothing released by the club. Also rumoured that JT is out for months (apparently Fordy on the radio?) but again nothing.

The lad who’d you’d always see at games and other events wearing a suit who said it was his dream job? That’s a shame but I hadn’t noticed him around recently.

The club is doing so much right, and we all want it to succeed. The last thing we need is for us to get into a Bill/Mick vs Fans situation.

Based on what Bill was saying, some people are sadly, clearly looking to take advantage of any kind of offer. I honestly don’t blame Bill/Mick for being jaded and really hope they stick it out.

Think we all have a part to play in looking to encourage anyone we know to come down to watch. The more people we get, the quicker we can make the “bad apples” the minority.

 

Saying all of that, I do worry of whether we have enough paid staff behind the scenes to help the club meet its goals. The explosion last year of doubling/tripling the crowd may have got Bill/Mick and all of us into a false sense of security that growth would be easy.

However, it takes time and good staff to rebuild from over 30 years of neglect.

Look at Wigan’s staff list - https://wiganwarriors.com/club/whos-who/ . Now I’m not saying that we should have paid staff in all these roles. But surely, we should be looking to ensure that the roles are being filled, even if some people are doing a couple of them.

As I understand it, a massive mistake in the previous era was short changing on the non-playing/coaching backroom staff. We need to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

[Oldham Valderama]

Been away for a few days so only just catching up on all things Oldham Rugby, seems I've missed quite a lot whilst i was away!!!!

Have been reading this forum and the Facebook page and cannot believe some of the comments directed towards the club, it absolutely staggers me!

BL Ticket holders and the Toulouse game - yep bit off a balls up on the PR front from the club but listening to BQ's explanation on You Tube he holds his hands up and his reasonings make sense. Potentially you are getting 12 games for a £5 each if you attend them all, pretty damn good value if you ask me. Now with the Toulouse game not included for the extra £20 you have to shell out that works out at £6.66 for all twelve, still not to be sniffed at!!! Yes I can understand some people being a bit miffed at the thought of being mis-sold something but come on, there is a way to complain and make your point known in a sensible and constructive manner which I fully understand and agree you are more than in your rights to do but some of the comments I've seen go way over the top. You'd think the club were trying to rip off the fans to reimburse themselves for all that they have currently shelled out. I think it may take more than a few extra £20's to reimburse BQ & Co.

I've been following Oldham Rugby since I was a kid when my Dad used to take me to Watershedding's and we'd stand behind the sticks, its in my blood and as i got older I'd watch Oldham at home and also away as much as i could. However a few years back i got so disenchanted by how the previous regime were running things (appreciate things would have been a struggle but I just could not agree with how things were being ran) that I stopped attending matches and went for about 5-6 seasons only attending the odd game here and there. We then had the takeover a couple of years ago and the fire was re-lit inside of me for all things Oldham Rugby, look at the comparisons of where we are now compared to a few years back:-

1) We now play at Boundary Park and are a couple of years into a 10 year lease - A few years ago instead of being called Oldham Roughyeds we should have renamed ourselves Oldham Gypsies the number of different venues we played at. OK Boundary Park may not be to everybody's tastes but its a "HOME" in Oldham for the foreseeable future whilst the club re-establishes itself and moves forward in its progression. Comparing the match day experience now to what was on offer at Whitebank doesn't even compare!!!

2) Melrose Training Complex - I don't live too far from Melrose and the upgrade in facilities there since the new owners have come in is amazing, it looks fantastic and i believe more is to come. I can remember back in the day Oldham scratching around for any old field to train on sometimes so to now have a fully purpose built training base which does not come cheap is fantastic.

3) Sean Long as the Head Coach - If i remember correctly back in his playing days Sean Long was regarded as possibly the best rugby league player in the world!!! To attract the calibre of someone like him to join the Oldham project takes ambition, guts and i would have thought some serious financial backing. Same also applies to the back room staff that have been assembled, these days its so much more a professionally run outfit on the sporting side of things.

4) Players - Look at the make up of the squad we currently have now, Christ almighty we have Josh Drinkwater amongst other big names in their FFS!!!! Not so long ago the team had to be made up of players from the local amateur scene just at times to make up the numbers, now look at what we have. This current squad has most certainly not come cheap and has required significant investment which BQ and Co will have had to fund a lot of it themselves. Yes the business model further down the line is for the club to become more self sustainable and then tap into the good Oldham lads out there that would otherwise go to your Wigan's, Warrington, ST Helens etc with George Hirst being the prime example of this but for now its a bit "cheque book happy", good in the short term but for BQ & Co not sustainable long term hence the efforts to boost attendances and outside revenue's.

5) Pathways / Women's Teams / links with the amateur game / getting involved in school's etc - I appreciate all this is still in its early stages but at least it is on the agenda and being talked about, previously nothing like this would ever have been discussed.

6) Social Media - George and the team seem to be doing a fantastic job, its really professional and informative with excellent content. It beats waiting till Monday for a little write up in the Oldham Chron to find out what's going on!! 

As BQ alluded to in his video message mistakes have been made, unfortunate but these things happen and there is a right way and a wrong way to go about things if you feel you have been aggrieved and on this occasion unfortunately I can see where BQ is coming from. 

Given everything that has happened over the past couple of weeks if you'd have asked every single fan of Oldham Rugby where they would rather be as a club either as we are now or as we were under the previous regime I doubt very much that many of them would say the latter. The current regime have done wonders for the club and rugby league in general for Oldham and i very much thank them for their time, efforts and probably most of all hard earned cash. They are not going to get everything correct all the time, nobody would whoever is in charge (look at Jim Ratcliffe for example ) but as long as the current owners are honest, open, transparent and admit if they have mucked up then that'll do for me

Thank you BQ / MF and all others involved, it is very much appreciated - COME ON OLDHAM!!!!!!!!!

[jroyales]

I don't remember anything as fantastically put together as OV has put together.

 

[Stevos Barber]

On 09/03/2025 at 11:14, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

You know, I was going to say that, but for the next home game. Have a standing ovation!!

Maybe a bit naff but, as the board appreciate the history of the club, how about a minutes applause 1876 minutes into the game ie between the 31st and 42nd mimutes