Building a City...

Grats on the Oldham job! Aim for promotion you can do it.

2014-11-20 14:29#200620 Icarus : Grats on the Oldham job! Aim for promotion you can do it.

Thank you. I can't quite believe my luck. Promotion is one step too far for this season but I will be avoiding relegation I hope.

2014-11-20 13:42#200616 No1VillaFan : Wonderful getting a new job at Oldham, you are doing awesome keep it up

Thank you for the continued support.

We have well and truly started out ascent in this division and have definitely left the bad times behind us. What is the most pleasing thing about this month is that every single game was against a team above us in the league; however, we have shown that in fact we are a team that underperformed greatly at the beginning of the season and have now shown what we are really capable of. Not a single one of the teams we played against would have expected to come up against a team with renewed confidence and new found determination to change how our season was going. They would have expected to face an Oldham team that had accepted defeat before the first whistle was blown. Instead, we have shown we have depth and quality from back to front. The players have shown a huge level of commitment to adapting to my style of play in terms of formation and tactics during the games. The result has been a very pleasing month that will make a few other teams sit up and take note. I have to admit too that this month has already boosted my own confidence in my ability to keep this side away from relegation and instead push higher up the league.

Over confidence can be a dangerous thing and is something that I am definitely going to avoid and I certainly will not be taking my first two months in charge of Oldham for granted. I have the mindset that each game can be won but can also be lost if we don’t set up properly and take the game to the opposition. We don’t let our heads drop even if we concede an early goal but instead battle on to the very end. It is this positive approach I am trying to in-still in the players and it is slowly being reflected in the performances and the final scores. The match this month which demonstrates this positive ethos the most is the game against Scunthorpe United. Unfortunately for us, Dominic Poleon suffered in an injury so missed the majority of this month. This resulted in young loanee David Brooks stepping up and taking on the poacher role that I have all my teams adopt. I encouraged him throughout the game, reassured him that he was doing well and he paid me back with a brace. I decided to show continued faith in him and he started the last two games of the month despite the option to change to Marc-Antoine Fortuné starting as a lone striker. Unfortunately he didn’t score again but he did put in some very pleasing performances.
Reuben Noble-Lazarus is the only transfer dealing that has taken place this transfer window. He has agreed to join us on loan after getting very little game time in his time at Barnsley. As a club we will have to pay his wages but that is it. His attributes aren’t too cracking but he does have a point to prove and like with Brooks, if he is nurtured and his confidence is boosted, he could become a good player for us if Poleon or Fortuné become injured.

Player of the Month – Mohamed Coulibaly

Amazing start to your job with Oldham to catapult them out of the relegation zone, brilliantly done

2014-11-21 00:36#200700 Neal : Amazing start to your job with Oldham to catapult them out of the relegation zone, brilliantly done

That was the first aim and I'm really glad we have already achieved it. Who knows what we could go onto achieve this season

Now the first thing the majority of you will do is look at the league table and start to comment on how we could easily push for the play-offs if we continue to have months like this one. I am in two minds as to whether a play-off battle and potential promotion would be a good thing for this club, especially as I haven’t been in the job for too long. I thought I would use this update to discuss the two potential outcomes.

Play-offs and promotion

As a club, Oldham Athletic do have a history that they should be proud of. The club’s most recent success was winning the old Division Two in 1991. After doing some further research, I found that the club has appeared in cup semi finals of the FA Cup on more than one occassion with the most recent being in the 93/94 season; the club forced a replay against Manchester United at Old Trafford where they unfortunately lost 4-1. That United side did go on to win the competition by beating Chelsea four nil so it was something for Oldham to be proud of, the fact they got beaten by the eventul winners. Success is in Oldham’s history so it would make sense for me to strive to contiune that tradition and gain the club promotion into the Championship. The club would receive a decent amount of income from the promotion that would help us sustain a Championship place while making sure we continue to progress. With money coming into the club, the club would be able to clear some of the debt that it is currently in before looking to improve the facilities at the club.

In terms of playing personnel, we would be able to attract a higher quality of player and higher reputable clubs would be more willing to allow their players to join us on loan. This can only benefit the team as it would help us avoid relegation and eventually become a permanent club in the Championship before looking to gain promotion to the top league.

Avoiding play-offs and promotion

I have experienced a promotion with Boston United so far on this ”Unemployment Challenge” and it was a brilliant feeling. It felt even better because we came from the relegation zone to succeeding in the play-offs after what had been a very tough battle. We faired ok in the Vanarama Conference with us narrowlingly missing out on the play-offs for the second successive season. I felt as a club we over achieved and we paid for that in our second season in the Conference with us making an appalling start to the following season. I sort of feel that as a club, we began to run before we could walk; meaning that we out performed ourself which meant that it was always going to be tough to match that end result the following season. A lack of investment in the club from the men at the top didn’t help our chances and maybe it will be different with this set of directors. As you can see there are a lot more positives to being promoted than negatives. There is just something in the back of my mind that suggests it is a season too early as I am new to the club and need to make my mark on it before promotion.

Player of the Month – Dominic Poleon

As always League 1 is extremely close and hard fought, and you're not far off the playoffs. Just got to keep this form running a bit longer and hope some results go your way and then we may see you there!

I think you've learned a lot from your first experince of promotion to make this time around a lot more successful if you manage to make the Championship next year!

2014-11-22 01:35#200823 Walter : As always League 1 is extremely close and hard fought, and you're not far off the playoffs. Just got to keep this form running a bit longer and hope some results go your way and then we may see you there!

League One is turning out to be a league that I am thoroughly enjoying so far. We aren't far off the play-offs and it would be another great achievement; it might just be one step too far at the minute.

2014-11-22 04:42#200827 Neal : I think you've learned a lot from your first experince of promotion to make this time around a lot more successful if you manage to make the Championship next year!

I have learnt a lot and like to think I wouldn't make the same mistakes as I did with Boston United.

Damn that result against Rochdale! It has definitely ruined what would have been a perfect strip of green; however, it hasn’t damaged my spirits and I am continuing to enjoy my time with Oldham Athletic thoroughly. The results in my opinion speak for themselves so I thought I would use this update, as I have done recently, to discuss a particular topic. My chosen topic for this update is...the loan market.

Now I will be honest; if it wasn’t for the likes of David Brooks, Angelino and Reuben Noble-Lazarus (who has turned out to be a great loanee) we probably wouldn’t be in the position that we find ourselves with one month to go. With a club like Oldham, they are not blessed with an endless pot of money like other clubs; the fans probably dream of a Sheikh coming in and bringing his fortune with him. Unfortunately that isn’t to be; well not at the minute and it is something you see at the majority of clubs in the lower leagues of football. The majority of the Championship sides have experienced Premier League football so benefit from parachute payments. Oldham has never been at those dizzy heights so have to rely on sponsorship, attendances and any TV money that comes in.

In game, the club is £427k in the red (no doing of mine) so the board of directors are as stingy as the ones at Boston United.. The Oldham board simply cannot afford to give me any funds and I have to respect that but it does mean that a club likes ours has to seek players on the loan market and look to bring them in for no monthly fee and as little of the wages being paid. Thankfully, Lee Johnson, the man I took over from, did so and brought in some quality players who have contributed a lot to our success this season. On a personal level, in-game, I am made up with the loanees that have graced our pitch this season and I will be looking to sign some on a permanent deal if possible or at least bring them back on loan next season.

Now the debate is whether this is real success or whether it is the success of other clubs? There was many an argument on radio phone in shows (which I listen to frequently) as to whether Watford deserved any success since they signed a few players from Italy. They were quality players and contributed a lot to the club during their time there. The other side of the debate was that it was smart business by the club’s owners to bring in players from the club they owned in Italy. Why pay for someone on a permanent deal when you can loan them in, very more than half the cost and they can develop as a player while guiding the club to success? To me it makes perfect sense with the only issue being that some players can be reluctant to join a club of a lower stature. This can ultimately limit the quality of the players who can be brought in. A further issue is that if you bring in a player on loan, simply as a backup player, they aren’t going to want to stick around and you’re bound to get grief from their parent club.

Whichever side of the fence I decide to sit on, you won’t find me complaining at all if David Brooks or another loanee steps up and scores me the winner that gets the club into the play-offs. You may have differing opinions on the loan system and I would love to read them. Debate away!

Player of the Month – David Brooks

I think the loan market is kind of annoying, which is why I love the co-ownership system in Italy. It gives players and the "loaning" club far more of an incentive to play well because there is a high chance of actually signing the player after the co-ownership stint.

When I joined the club, it was another club who had sacked their manager (maybe prematurely) and were languishing in the relegation zone. They had and still do have a number of quality players who have been there and done it all before. We possess a wealth of players who have experienced Premier League football, to lower league football, to promotions and relegations. This has stood us in good stead for what has been a battle right until the very end. Each player in their own way has contributed towards us reaching the play-offs, which I never expected us to achieve until just last month (in-game). Whether they have not publically moaned about no game time, scored goal after goal, created chance after chance or simply fought until the very end; each player can be proud of what they have achieved this season. One player, who has epitomised everything we have achieved so far this season, still with a possible play-off final on the cards, is Sante Giacinti.


His stats this season make for poor reading with him having made 31 appearances, scored four goals, no assists, one man of the match and an average rating of 6.78. I wouldn’t blame you for saying that is an appalling return for a player who has so much potential. However, take a look back at the results above and the league position of Swindon Town and Bradford City. Giacinti scored the winner against Bradford City in the ninety-first minute after being brought on as a substitute. He also only went and scored a brace against now league winners Swindon Town. It doesn’t matter to me whatsoever that he hasn’t scored many goals this season and hasn’t created much. Don’t get me wrong, I will want him to improve on that next season. However, he has stepped up when I needed him to the most and come up with the goods and has at the end of the season, got three very important goals that have got us into the play-offs. I am over the moon with his final month performance and I can see him being a big player for us next season, especially with loan players departing.

Could the season have finished differently? Of course it could. How we didn’t beat Fleetwood Town, who have been relegated, I have no idea. They played us off the park and we were fortunate to get two goals to bring it back to 3-2. The game against Colchester United was an appalling show on our behalf with us more bothered about getting our name in the referees book instead of on the score sheet. Will I look back on those results and think what if? Nope. Instead I will be looking forward to a play-off semi final against Bristol City.

Player of the Season – Dominic Poleon

Brilliant turnaround from the relegation zone to a playoff spot. Now get that promotion!!

A truly magnificent turnaround which you have completed at Oldham, getting a play-off spot is a brilliant achievement considering the situation you found the club in when joining.
As Neal says, now go get that promotion!

Neal:I was quietly confident that we could get ourselves into the play-off spots. I'm just not too confident of how it is going to turn out.

pompeyblue:Thank you for the kind words. It is definitely an achievement but a win in the play-offs would be sweeter!