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We'll All Just Like Singing The Blues! When Oldham Win and City Lose!
I arrive at Boundary Park early on Sunday morning to begin the task of managing Oldham Athletic Football Club. The past few months have seen a lot of turmoil at the club and almost resulted in the club folding. Being an Oldham fan myself I shall try to give you the history of why Oldham Athletic are where they are right now.
July 2001: Chairman David Brierly and other shareholders sell their shares to Torex PLC Chief Executive Chris Moore, Mr. Moore becomes club chairman and promises good times ahead for the club.
September 2001: After a good start Oldham find themselves at the top of the Second Division after manager Andy Ritchie adds to the squad.
31st October 2001: Andy Ritchie is sacked by Chris Moore because of indifferent form in the past month. Moore offered Ritchie the job as Director of Football, Ritchie felt it was too soon to move upstairs.
November 2001: Mick Wadsworth is appointed Manager and Iain Dowie is his Assistant. Moore had big plans to restructure the backroom staff at Oldham to modernise the club.
December 2001: Mr. Moore kicks out Oldham Rugby after a disagreement over rent. Football/Rugby war begins. He also announces his 5 year plan to get Oldham into the Premier League once again, fans love him.
May 2002: Oldham finish 9th in the league a vast improvement on previous years and things look promising with a lot of good players being signed. Mick Wadsworth is also appointed to the board of directors as well as being manager. A great friendship between Moore and Wadsworth has developed.
June 2002: Mick Wadsworth is sacked by Chris Moore, no reason was ever given. Lots of rumours fly about to this day. Iain Dowie is appointed the new manager.
August 2002: Having been given the go ahead by Chris Moore, Dowie signs more players, the squad now looks like it can challenge for promotion.
September 2002: Oldham go top of the league again and win 10 games in a row, equalling the club record.
October 2002: Chris Moore announces he can't finance the club like he has been doing and goes about a cost cutting exercise. Fringe players, backroom staff go, fans urged to support the club like never before and to put money into the club.
November 2002: Oldham beat Premiership West Ham United 1-0 in the league cup.
February 2003: Chris Moore steps down as chairman in order to encourage new backers to the club but continues to fund the club.
March 2003: Chief Executive Alan Hardy is suspended for allowing a signing which Moore didn't agree with. Moore's advisors agreed the signing though not Hardy.
April 2003: Dowie has talks with Moore to see if he is commited to the club, he leaves satisfied. Season Tickets are on sale now at reduced rates to generate much needed funds.
May 2003: Oldham clinch a place in the play offs and faced QPR in the semi-finals, a heartbreaking goal by Paul Furlong and last minute super save by Chris Day ensure QPR go through to the final 2-1.
June 2003: Moore decides enough is enough and decides he isn't going to fund the club anymore. Oldham face financial ruin unless new backers and a plan can be found and soon. Season Ticket money disappears into a black hole.
July 2003: Moore sells players under Iain Dowie's back and the squad that took Oldham so far was decimated. Fitz Hall, Clint Hill, Chris Armstrong are all cheaply sold on and that money also disappears. Tony Carss, Wayne Andrews, Clyde Wijnhard, Julien Baudet, Josh Low are all forced to move on as well. He finally agrees to a Management buyout and Commerical/PR Manager Sean jarvis and Financial Advisor Neil Joy buy his shares for £1, Moore agrees to cancel the £4,000,000 loan he gave to the club but quits his 5 years plan 2 years into it.
[This message was edited by Chatham_Owl on 27 November 2003 at 18:25.]
11-27-2003, 08:09 PM
We'll All Just Like Singing The Blues! When Oldham Win and City Lose! Post #2
Game played on CM 03/04, original version. The english league is run to the Conference league. The idea came about as I am a huge Latics fan and the club I support has been under huge financial problems this summer. The game will be a huge challenge so come and see how I fare building this once great club back to where they once were, The Premiership. Well I hope so anyways.
11-27-2003, 09:57 PM
We'll All Just Like Singing The Blues! When Oldham Win and City Lose! Post #4
I arrive at the club early on Sunday morning and am welcomed in by owner Sean Jarvis. He offered me the job as manager yesterday and I gladly accepted. The news of my appointment won't be made made until tomorrow morning where i'll be shown off in a press conference. Sean shows me around the place and takes me to meet all the staff.
After all the welcoming myself, Barry Chaytow (Chairman), Alan Hardy (Chief Exec), Sean Jarvis (Co-Owner/Commercial PR Manager) and Neil Joy (Co-Owner/Accountant) head off to the board room to discuss the future of the club and where the club goes from here.
Sean Jarvis: I'm sure your aware off what has happened to the club this summer, well we are still in serious financial trouble and still might not be able to keep the club afloat. The wage bill needs to be trimmed further still.
Neil Joy: Yes unfortunately this has to happen, the current wage bill is £25,214 a week and this needs trimming by just over £4,000 a week. Currently we have -£252,834 in the bank and that is without the loans that are outstanding. At the moment we are paying £74,000 a month in loan repayments but that will decrease to £50,000 a month at the start of 2004. There is a loan for £275,000 that will be paid monthly until the 1st January 2004 in £24,000 installments, the next loan is for £4,000,000 paid monthly also in £50,000 installments until the 30th December 2010.
Ian McAlister: Ok I accept that I'll have to sell and cut wages but am I allowed to sign players at all?
NJ: You can but there will be no transfer money available for the foreseeable future so any signings will have to be either loans or free transfers and wages must be low, we just want you to act sensible when buying players. Financial stability is the main objective right now.
IM: Well I am going to try and reduce the wage bill by offering the players reduced wage deals. I'll try my hardest to get the wage bill from the current players down but I'll start that on Tuesday once I've met all the players.
NJ: That's great, best of luck with that.
IM: Have you got a squad list of players that are currently at the club and details for them?
Alan Hardy: Yes all that information is on your computer in your office I will show you later on, I have arranged some friendlies too for the first team. Here is the list of fixtures
15/07/03: Morecambe A
25/07/03: Boston United A
29/07/03: Halesowen Town A
02/08/03: Reading H
05/08/03: Oxford United A
AH: The new league fixtures came out on Friday too....
09/08/03: Colchester United A
16/08/03: Bristol City A
20/08/03: Chesterfield H
23/08/03: Swindon Town H
30/08/03: Port Vale A
03/09/03: Brentford H
13/09/03: Sheffield Wednesday A
20/09/03: Luton Town H
27/09/03: Blackpool H
01/10/03: Wrexham A
04/10/03: Brighton & Hove Albion H
18/10/03: Rushden & Diamonds A
25/10/03: Hartlepool United H
01/11/03: Tranmere Rovers A
05/11/03: Peterborough United H
22/11/03: Wycombe Wanderers A
26/11/03: QPR H
29/11/03: Barnsley A
13/12/03: Grimsby Town H
17/12/03: Notts County A
20/12/03: Plymouth Argyle H
26/12/03: Bournemouth A
01/01/04: Stockport County H
07/01/04: Bristol City H
10/01/04: Chesterfield A
17/01/04: Colchester United H
24/01/04: Swindon Town A
28/01/04: Port Vale H
31/01/04: Brentford A
07/02/04: Sheffield Wednesday H
14/02/04: Wrexham H
18/02/04: Brighton & Hove Albion A
21/02/04: Luton Town A
28/02/04: Blackpool A
06/03/04: Rushden & Diamonds H
10/03/04: Hartlepool United A
13/03/04: Tranmere Rovers H
20/03/04: Peterborough United A
31/03/04: Wycombe Wanderers H
04/04/04: QPR A
10/04/04: Barnsley H
17/04/04: Grimsby Town A
21/04/04: Notts County H
24/04/04: Plymouth Argyle A
01/05/04: Bournemouth H
08/05/04: Stockport County A
IM: Thank you for that, anything else needing to be said?
Barry Chaytow: Yes erm, we have had interest for two of our players. Will Haining is wanted by Bristol City, Preston NE, Sheffield United and Stoke City at the moment and Paul Murray is wanted by Rotherham United. It's upto you whether to sell them if they table an offer but again we must stress that the wage bill needs to come down.
IM: Can I take John Sheridan and Matty Appleby off the list? I want my squad to have a clean slate and to prove themselves for me.
NJ: Yes sure, no problems with that. The players are back tomorrow from the summer break so you can get to know them better then.
AH: We are going to announce your appointment tomorrow morning in a press conference here so we need you to be here at 9am again to sort that out, it'll just be a few questions from the local press and some national papers too, nothing major.
IM: Ok I'll be there tomorrow, is there anything else?
SJ: No that's it for now.
AH: I'll show you around the club and get you settled in with the office and software.
Alan shows me round the stadium and then into the office and gives me a quick demonstration on how to use the companies software, it's pretty impressive, a bit like the Championship Managers I play on (Stare).
I sort out the training routines out for pre season and then call my scouts in to send them off to find some players. I send Ron Millward out to find some new youth talent and James Wills is sent to scout the UK & Ireland.
I go delving into the transfer market to find some players. I find a few players that I attempt to sign on 4 week trials, it costs the club nothing and helps boost the squad and possibly find some gems. I give trial offers to: Howard Forinton Ian Lawson Anthony Shandran Brett Angell Kevin Gallagher Jamie Cassidy Michael Sisson Jonathan Paul Mills Phil Salt Damon Robson Leon Bell Paul Dempsey Des Lyttle Anthony McStea Alex Dick Darren Bloor Jonathan Perry Lee Jones Spencer Whelan Matt Carbon Bryan Small Matthew Wicks Duncan Spedding Nicky Hill Scott Jones Tom Phillips Matthew Ghent
I also offer contracts for more backroom staff:
Oldham old boys Andy Ritchie and Brian Kilkline are offered coaching contracts along with Peter Beardsley, Jim Barron and Ian Andrews.
David Jarrett, Ian John, Chris Latchem are offered scouting contracts and former Oldham physio Paul Caton s given a new contract after being released by Chris Moore.
11-27-2003, 10:00 PM
We'll All Just Like Singing The Blues! When Oldham Win and City Lose! Post #5
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gino:
As long as David "Budgie" Eyres continues to do the goods then I'll be a big fan of this one! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Trust me he will be a huge part of this story, Eyresy is a legend.
Eyresy! Eyresy!
11-27-2003, 10:02 PM
We'll All Just Like Singing The Blues! When Oldham Win and City Lose! Post #6
Monday 14th July 2003 - Training Pre Season (Technique PM)
PRESS CONFERENCE
(Barry Chaytow, Alan Hardy, Sean Jarivs and Ian McAlister are at the front)
Barry Chaytow: I'd like to thank you and welcome you all here to this press conference. As you all know by now this club has been through a lot this summer financially and I have come in to try help the club through this tough period. I'd like to thank the outgoing manager Iain Dowie for his efforts here, he gave the club it's best moments in years only to see his hard work destroyed like that, I wish him all the best in the future, but we're not here to talk about him and the past are are here to announce the future and to announce the new manager, Ian McAlister is the man who will take over. I'll pass you onto Alan Hardy.
Alan Hardy Since Iain left we have been searching for a new manager, we needed someone who could stabilise the club and get the club moving forward again instead of backwards. We needed a person who knew the squad already and could act quickly and decisively. We feel we have found him. I'll pass you onto Ian, fire away.
The Mirror: What managerial experience have you got and how will you use this at the club?
Ian McAlister: Well I don't have much experience of management but I have been player/manager of a local 7 a-side team, it may not have been a proper side but I had to bring a squad of players together and deal with the finances which were very tight, even for a small team like that. I feel I have the right qualities to succeed.
The Sun: What are your short-term plans for the club and how will you achieve these?
Ian McAlister: Well my first objective is to cut the wage bill to help ease the clubs financial problems and also help me bring in some players of my choosing to improve the squad. I can only do this with the player and backroom staffs co-operation, if they help me I might be able to keep this squad together and add but if I can't one or two will have to leave. I aim to keep this club in this division and then after that try to progress up the league and bring some success back to the club.
Oldham Evening Chronicle: We've seen in the past few weeks the squad being ripped apart is this the end of the cull or will we see even more high profile names leave us?
Ian McAlister: Hopefully no but there is a chance that I might have to sell some more but they will be replaced with what I feel are good enough replacements. I am going to try and improve the squad and cut costs at the same time. It is achievable.
After the press conference I return to my office. I had an answer message from Ron Millward confirming that he had started his youth search.
A number of my hopeful trialists have been offered contracts by clubs: Lyttle (Southend United) Carbon (Bristol Rovers, Mansfield Town) Jones (Dundee) Mills (Burton Albion) Perry (Carlisle United) Robson (Darlington)
Real Mallorca got in touch with me too and offered £26k for defender Will Haining. I would have sold him for that but his wages are low for such an important player in the squad so I ask for £250k or no deal. I don't expect it will be followed up.
Jim Barron rejects my offer to become coach at Oldham and in other news Frank Yallop is appointed manager of Peterborough United after Barry Fry moved upstairs.
11-28-2003, 02:56 AM
We'll All Just Like Singing The Blues! When Oldham Win and City Lose! Post #8
Tuesday 15th July - Training Pre Season (Agility AM, Closing-Down Session LUNCH)
I call all the players and coaching staff together after the Agility session.
IM: As you all know full well, we are in the most difficult position the club has ever faced, finances are very tight at the moment and the future of the club is still uncertain. Because of this I need to reduce the wage bill in time to keep the club alive. I don't have many options, I either offer new contracts at reduced wages or I put players on the transfer list and reduce wages that way. I know it ain't a popular move but it needs to be done for the good of the club. Now you don't have to accept any contract offers given and I am prepared to negotiate the deals I give out to come to an agreement. You should recieve new deals by the end of the day, those of you that don't get a new deal mean I'm happy with the wages being paid out to you. The squad is a little weak in some areas too so I'm bringing in some trialists that were released over the summer, they won't be paid but will be fighting hard to win a contract here. We've got out first game tonight away to Morecambe and a squad of 23 will be put up on the noticeboard after training. Those of you selected must be at the coach for 4pm.
A few more contracts have been offered to players I'm trying to get on trial: Jones (Luton Town) Lyttle (Cheltenham Town, Oxford United) Robson (Scunthorpe United)
Brian Kilkline agrees to become a coach at Oldham. He signs a 3 year deal for £350 a week.
Young Glasgow Celtic keeper Michael Robertson was released today after failing to make the grade their, he looks a decent young goalkeeper so I offer him a contract at Oldham.
Friendly Match Morecambe Vs. Oldham Athletic Christie Park 19:30
Oldham Athletic
1. Leslie Pogliacomi
2. Michael Clegg
3. Dean Holden
4. Will Haining (c)
5. Danny Hall
6. Matt O'Halloran
7. David Eyres
8. Paul Murray
9. John Eyre
10. Chris Killen
11. Scott vernon
Subs
12. Chris Grange
14. Marc Tierney
15. Danny Forde
16. Anthony Mee
17. Darren Sheridan
18. Ernie Cooksey
19. Danny Boshell
20. John Sheridan
21. Andrew Griffin
22. Carlos Roca
23. Chris Hall
24. Craig Fleming
Oldham Evening Chronicle: Four Goal Massacre to Lowly Morecambe
Oldham looked like they were still suffering from the summers contraversey, a very poor performance where only Matt O'Halloran could go back knowing he played well. The Latics lacked the killer instinct up front and very sloppy at the back, the midfield was decent but couldn't unlock a tough Morecambe defence. Having said that Oldham only had 5 recognised players from last season in Pogliacomi, Haining, Eyres, Murray and Eyre but still a 4-0 defeat to Conference side Morecambe is very poor. Morecambe striker Adriano Rigoglioso was the star man tonight and on this showing could go far in the game.
Managers Reaction: We've had the heart ripped out of the squad over the summer and we have to start from stratch, the boys worked hard tonight but with little reward. Some careless moments cost us and we will be working hard on the training pitch to sort things out. This result was a blip at the start of pre-season by the first league game we shall become a tough side to beat.
Murray, Appleby, Clegg, Holden, Killen, Pogliacomi, Darren Sheridan, Eyre, John Sheridan, Boshell, Beherall, Cooksey, O'Halloran and Griffin all offered new contracts.
Philliskirk offered a reduced wage as assistant manager. John Harbin offered reduced wage as coach, Simon Pope and Chris Hughes offered reduced physio contracts.
By the end of the day Simon Pope comes to me and accepts his new contract which sees him contracted until the end of the 2005/06 season on £275 a week, a saving of £25.
11-28-2003, 03:29 AM
We'll All Just Like Singing The Blues! When Oldham Win and City Lose! Post #9
Wednesday 16th July 2003 - Training Pre-season (Sprints AM, Technique LUNCH)
Ernie Cooksey comes into my office to accept his contract offer, his wage is reduced by £75 but increases his contract until 2005.
Former Oldham manager Andy Ritchie is also on his way back after he agrees the 3 year contract on £350 a week.
Preston North End manager Craig Brown phones me up offering me a deal for Will Haining.£110k plus a 30% sell on clause plus Lee Cartwright and Rob Edwards. I negotiate a deal as I know the two Preston players won't come here. Real Mallorcadecide not to carry on with signing Will Haining.
Chris Latchem agrees to join as a scout until June 2006 and on £180 a week.
Reserve physio Chris Hughes rejects his new contract outright.
Paul Caton agrees to rejoin the clubs physio team contracted until June 2006 for £275 a week.
Midfielders Leon Bell and Michael Sisson join the club on 4 week trials ending 13/08/03 but Kevin Gallagher rejects his trial invitation.
Darren Jarrett joins the scouting team until June 2006 for £180 a week.
Ian Andrews joins the coaching staff again until June 2006 for £350 a week.
More clubs go in for players that I want on trial: Perry (Hartlepool United, Chester City) Jones (Grimsby Town, Plymouth Argyle) Robson (Rochdale) Carbon (Swansea City)
David Beherall rejects contract offer, a new deal is offered. But there is good news from the backroom staff, Tony Philliskirk agrees a new contract to stay as Assistant Manager, he is now on £450 a week until June 2006, a saving of £50 a week and John Harbin lso signs a new contract as coach on £350 a week another saving of £50. So far £200 a week has been saved in wages cuts, this needs to drop further though.
Ian John agrees a contract become a scout at Oldham, he joins on £180 a week until June 2006.
11-28-2003, 03:38 AM
We'll All Just Like Singing The Blues! When Oldham Win and City Lose! Post #10
Thursday 17th July 2003 - Training Pre-Season (Closing-Down Session AM, 5-a-side (small pitch) LUNCH, Weight Training PM)
Ron Millward phones up early on Thursday morning to recommend a striker, Tresor Kandol, former Luton Town player, his stats look good so I ask him to scout him further.
A number of players join on trials today: Nicky Hill D LC Howard Forinton S C Phil Salt M C Anthony McStea D R Bryan Small D/DM L Anthony Shandran S C Deal finishes (14/08/03)
Peter Beardsley agrees to join the club as a coach, he is on £350 a week until June 2006.
During the day I am visited by Adam Griffin, John Sheridan, Matty Appleby to discuss their contract offers, they aren't happy with them but are willing to discuss terms, after discussions I offer them new contracts to go and look at.
In other news brought to my attention Brentford defender Ibrahima Sonko is reported to be unhappy at manager Wally Downes or rejecting a bid from Auxerre for his services. I ask for a scouts report on him.
We'll All Just Like Singing The Blues! When Oldham Win and City Lose! 
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